sjordan2

That is flat-out awesome in every detail. Congratulations. You've raised the bar.

Nice post by TxRat, but: Enough. Let's lock it up and move on. (Is anybody watching?)

Having been a good dad who actually sat through the Pokemon movie with my daughter, I hate to even think of Pikachu.

From what I can see, Packard artillery wheels were mostly used from 33-36, possibly to 39. If you're using Monogram kits, I would assume they're mostly circa 1930.

So... got a translation?

Very, very cool. That interior looks awesome.

Reminds me of something I've never seen on a kit: CURB FEELERS!

Coming along great. Extremely nice detail work on the windshield surround and vent windows – that's something I don't often see done well. Usually too thick and burry. I wish more modelers would work on scribing the window channels on these parts.

If you REALLY know Italians, this is nothing. She's a Madonna (religiously speaking), a saint, a sweetie pie (not to mention a trophy wife for a silver fox).

Very nice. What paint did you use?

I agree. There might have been variations, though; Dave's picture (apparently a '28 model based on the license plate), suggests that the wide part of the dish becomes flatter toward the center than the pictures I was looking at.

By adjusting the contrast and brightness levels on one particular picture at the AutoSalon-Singen link above, this seems like a pretty close description; the wheels have a far more subtle and complex design than I realized. The widest part of the wheel is not really bowl-shaped; even though it slopes inward to the center, it is very slightly convex, sort of like the wall of a tire – the slight outward curve that Art mentioned. As you can see, it meets a convex center, which appears to be in two very subtle stages.

The link I posted in the last Packard thread also has some good wheel shots... http://www.autosalon-singen.de/en/fahrzeug81540006-Packard-626.html I wonder if you could invert some aftermarket full moon hubcaps as a starting point...?

What printer are you using?

Do you have any pictures of your cottage? Do you need a roommate?

Here's an array of 30s Packards in a wide variety of color schemes. http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Packard/1930.html

Many moons ago, I had a summer college internship at Warner Brothers / Burbank Studios, assigned to the set of "The F.B.I" TV series. Often, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. would come to the studio in his early 1930s Packard phaeton. It was a light yellow/beige with biscuit interior, chrome wire wheels and whitewalls, and sported a crystal Lalique hood ornament of a falcon's head. Very thin red pinstriping accented it beautifully. One of the most stunning cars I've ever seen.

I know many people like flashy colors on these cars, but there's nothing like the elegance of simple ivory, cream, beige colors and combinations thereof – and sleek black on the other end of the spectrum.

Really nice paint. Pearls work so much better in scale than regular metallics.

That is a very useful site for a zillion cars, and it seldom shows up on Google searches.

Here's a 1929 Packard roadster with some good engine pictures. http://www.autosalon-singen.de/en/fahrzeug81540006-Packard-626.html I'm sure Art Anderson can tell you everything you need to know about your kit and Packards.

I mentioned TDR Innovations above; I just saw on another post that they're looking for a new RP supplier. Wonder what this means.

I learned the hard way that if you're looking for aftermarket parts, you need to: 1. Be able to go to a store that sells them. 2. Take your kit along to compare against what you might buy.

Thanks for the tip – I checked it out and it's quite a big deal. http://www.newsferrari.com/issue-16/News-Ferrari-Atelier-Opens-92.html

I saw a demo of a scanner that was replicating a Mini Cooper, using a zillion little dots that the scanner reads. Seems something like the Motion Capture that's used to copy human motion for movies like Avatar, only for static objects. Another alternative is Rapid Prototyping, which is mostly used for new product development; there's a company out there making model parts this way, such as a D Jaguar body and a variety of engines, using this process – TDR Innovations, a frequent contributor to this forum. You might contact them. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23465 Since the parts are replicated in very thin slices, there's a certain amount of jaggedness that requires a lot of sanding, but the demos I've seen come out with good results. It's pretty amazing what it can do (such as produce a car engine with moving parts in one pass) – described at greater length here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototyping The 3D printers used to produce the product vary substantially in price and size; the cheapest one I've seen is realtively small and goes for nearly $15,000. http://uprint.dimensionprinting.com/ppc/?adver=google&type=cpc&camp=google_Printing_3D_Printer&gclid=CKv7oIvR1KECFRcXswodgGvtIw In a few years, I would expect the cost to come down substantially. But you'll still need to know how to use a CAD program that makes it work.