PeeBee

Our town library has a 3-D printer.

Yep. South Eastern Finecast, and I think also under the banner Western Models at one time (I may be mistaken here). British white metal kits that have been around since the '60s. Low parts count, some flash and bending, but very fine engraving. I had their Bugatti Type 59 GP car (it melted in my man-cave fire) and I still have their '29 MB SSK. They're still in business. They make a hand-laced wire-wheel kit that they sell separately, and that Jeff Etzel included in his Miller, Duesenberg and Frontenac Indy kits.

How weird.

Huh. I thought the Auto Transport Trailer was 1/25. All the earlier issues I see advertised on eBay are listed as 1/25.

I won't waste my time commenting on the abomination that was called Mustang II, however that one up front is very cool. And, it looks like they moved the front axle forward an inch or two. It doesn't look like it's tripping over itself. Oh, and here's something that I find confusing: I drive convertibles exclusively, and I'm not a girl. Have I been buying the wrong types of cars? Are these examples of girlie cars?: 289/427 AC Cobra; L-88 427 Corvette convertible; '32 Ford Hi-Boy roadster; any pre-'71 4-speed muscle car convertible; Jag D, C, and E Types & XK120 roadsters/convertibles, Ferrari Daytona Convertible; etc. These are all cars I would consider buying (or building), if I ever had the dough, and some were only available as convertibles. Gee, should I get a sex-change operation? PB.

In '78-'79 I was in my junior year of college and wasn't into modeling much at that time, however I sure do remember the Prufer and Varner "Track-T" roadsters. Great stuff here, Tim. PB.

None of the cars being discussed here ever held my interest, but I must say that as much as I considered Chevettes to be nothing more than dull appliances, I did know a couple of guys back in the day who beat the hell outta these cars while wracking up zillions of miles on them. One guy I remember in particular was a rich kid who could have had any car he wanted (his other car was an early Porsche 356A coupe), but he couldn't see any reason to spend a fortune on car that was just being driven back and forth to work everyday. PB.

It could be laziness. But I think there's a couple of other things at work here: 1) Fear. Everybody seems to be afraid of everything these days, and there's a lot of frightened drivers out there, too. These drivers are probably behind half the traffic jams I get stuck in every time I climb in the car these days. There they are, planted in the passing lane, plodding along at 30 MPH, death-grip on the wheel, jabbing at the brakes. A lane change is traumatic. These people would be a lot happier in "driverless" cars. Imagine getting that stressed-out every time you climb behind the wheel? 2) Distracted driving. A lot of people today would prefer to be gazing at their smartphones, or playing with some other kind of electronic device, rather than driving. I was listening to a Honda ad on TV this morning. No mention was made of engine type, performance, fuel economy or utility; only mention of what on-board electronics were available. Distracted drivers cause the majority of accidents today; most likely the cause of the other half of traffic jams I get into every day that I have to drive to work. I was behind a guy this morning (on a rural 2-lane) who was going down the road at 60 MPH for one moment, and then 30 MPH the next, back up to 50, then 20, weaving, randomly jabbing the brakes, etc. I was finally able to pass and glanced over when I got next to him to see that sure enough, there he was, the most important person in the world, with his smartphone balanced on the rim of the wheel, texting away. These people should be required to have driverless cars. Or, tossed in jail. PB.

My dad had a '60 Monza, and a '65 Monza. They were his "field" (that's what pilots called airports back then) cars. The '65 was one of the first 4-speeds I ever drove. Talk about a vague shift pattern! My brother had a '65 Fitch Sprint - four carbs, beefier sway bars, Konis, quick steering ratio, etc. PB.

That Chevy wrecker saw duty on my HO track back in the '60s-'70s.

I drive 5 college tuitions, a wedding reception and a new septic system. When I get done pushing Corvettes off a cliff every year I'm going to keep one. Until then, it's a 2000 Legacy Outback Limited w/173,000K and my trusty '99 Miata showing 134,000K, which is off the road for the winter for "upgrades." PB.

I just got a chance to read through the last few pages of this topic. Looks like this is gonna be a pretty cool kit. The release should be just in time for the finish of my '60 Bonneville. Oh, and my wife says they're toys. So, they're toys. PB.

You'll notice that on the early, original boxes displayed above there is no scale called out. Could it be that they were "box" scale? Box scale is a term I've often heard used among aviation modelers but I don't think I've ever heard car guys refer to it. The story goes that back in the day the manufacturers based the "scale" of their models on what they could fit into the boxes they kept in their inventory. Apparently they procured large quantities of boxes that were all the same size in order to keep costs down. Thus, kits were scaled up, or down, based on what would fill, or fit inside, the box. I imagine that a low-parts-count smallish subject would be built to a larger scale in order to fill the box so that customers didn't feel like they were getting gypped. This may all be hogwash but it seems like a reasonable explanation for 1/76-1/78-ish scale Revell Ford Trimotors, or 1/40-1/43-ish scale Monogram Wright Flyers, etal, that were manufactured before the model companies were touting "...accurate, constant scale...." and putting those numbers on the boxes. PB.

I assume this was run on Saturday. If they had the kind of rain we had in CT (my town's about 70 miles NNE of Wildwood) that had to have been some wet racing. Looks like a heck of a lot of fun. I use to be involved with vintage sports car racing until the meets became big-buck, highly promoted events and all the fun went out of it. Or, maybe it was just me no longer with any time on my hands and five kids to raise... PB.

Yep. They're in there. I was having a look at the '36 re-issue just last night and was wondering where I'd seen those headlights before. I remember when my mom let me get the Wild Dream/King T kit at Woolworths in 1963. I was thrilled with the number of parts and the level of detail in those kits. Those kits were way beyond the skills of this six-year-old (at the time), but they sure were neat to have. PB.

On my way into the city (from my house in CT) this morning @ 6:00, just under way in the dark, I make out the unmistakable grille w/fog lamps, wide stripes, and, as it passed, the distinctive taillights of a '68 Shelby Mustang. Funny, a few years ago while driving into NY on I-684 at the same hour, with average morning commuter speeds in 80-90 mph range, dopes right on each other's bumpers (they play too many video games, wait 'til they find out what really happens). I have the CC set to 70 mph and what goes blowin' by me but a pristine '53 Hudson Hornet. Where was that guy going, at that hour on workday, in that car? PB.

I think the most glaring difference I've seen in the quality of products manufactured in China as opposed to products made elsewhere (here, Japan, Eastern Europe, etc.) is in 1/1 car parts. The Chinese products are utter garbage, even to the point of compromising the safety of a vehicle, as far as I'm concerned; especially if you have suffered the misfortune of bolting on suspension components manufactured "over there." The Chinese may be indifferent towards quality, and that's understandable (what do they care?), but I'll never buy another Monroe product ever again. Or, any other automotive component that I know is made in China. Of course, now I pay a premium for OEM parts but in the end it's cheaper than tossing out useless garbage and then having to do a job twice. Yeah, I know my models are manufactured in China, but I don't drive those... PB.

The Checker cabs were superior to the Crown Vics, and now the Nissan whatevers, that we ride around NYC in these days. For ride, legroom and extra passenger space they couldn't be beat. I remember when Connecticut Limo (who's business is primarily transportation to and from JFK, LGA and EWR) used the stretched wagons before they switched over to stretched Suburbans. Now they use church vans. I'm nostalgic for the old Checker cabs, but I doubt I would ever buy, or build, a model of one. They were pretty drab cars.

I have so many kits that I haven't gotten around to building yet it's hard for me to say which I find most impressive. That being said, just by looking things over, test fitting, etc., I would have to say the Revell '69 Camaros and all of the Corvettes are up there, along with the Moebius Hudson and Chryslers, and, uh, let's see, many of the mid-'90s AMT releases ('67 Impala, '62 T-Bird, etc.). Of the kits I have built (I started building in 1962) that have stuck in my mind as going together well, and were just plain cool-looking: the Monogram Little Deuce, Blue Beetle, '40 Ford Pickup, '36 Ford, '34 Ford, and '58 T-Bird; Monogram 1/8 XKE; yup, the JoHan 500K and '31 Caddies, the Monogram classics, oh, and the Monogram metal-bodied cars were cool. I built the Jag XK120, '56 T-Bird and '53 Corvette, although it never seemed quite right having a metal Corvette; I still have the Duesenberg waiting in the wings. The AMT Model As were cool. Impressive (and iconic) box-art/kits: Revell mid-60s VW Microbus - the layout and typography mocked the DDB+O "Think Small" VW ads of the day; "The Wild Ones" with Hot Curl and the stingray bicycle on the cover, and, of course, the Revell '57 Chevy Nomad. Unbuildable kit, but I bought one recently just for the box. The Etzel's Speed Classics were novel and impressive when they came out, as are the MFH Ferraris and Astons (the Ferraris are no longer available), and the HRM kits and trans-kits (some of the best resin I've ever seen). PB.

Last weekend: A late '30s Packard convertible with an insanely beautiful paint job; a shade of metallic green, on the teal side, that I don't think I've ever seen on a car before. And then, a local car: Dr. Mead had his '46? '47? Cadillac convertible out for a drive. Black on red with a tan top. The car is sublime. Dr. Mead was known for his collection of Stanley Steamers, but he's in his '80s now and I'm guessing he gave those up in as that they're quite a handful to drive and maintain.

My Miata has sustained more damage parked in my own garage than anywhere else. I hung out with a wholesome crowd when I was a teenager. If we happened to be cruising in one of our beaters and spotted an idiot parked across a couple of spaces like that, well...

I usually keep my opinions to myself but thought I'd chime-in here. I think that car looks like BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH. And, the Z-car in the background looks silly. Apart from being butt-ugly, the rat-rod exudes laziness (can't wait 'til that fad passes) and the Z-car looks like it was customized by a ten-year-old. I know this is politically incorrect, but you don't have to like and accept everything. I never liked T-buckets and I wish rap music would go away, too. OK, sorry about the negative rant! I guess I'm just getting tired (old and grouchy?) of all the ugliness and mediocrity that's been foisted on me since the 1970s. After all, there has been a lot of good stuff, too. Well, back to work. Have a good day everyone! PB.

I wore out my sister's 45s of 409 and Dead Man's Curve when I was a kid back in the '60s, but I think my all time favorite is Hot Rod Lincoln, though Springsteen's "Racin' in the Streets" is truer to my demographic and the cars me and buddies were driving back in the day. And yeah Bruce, there weren't any big blocks runnin' fuelies, but the 327 in my '64 Impala certainly was... If I recall correctly, in Dead Man's Curve Jan & Dean refer to the Corvette's "...six tail lights...". Actually, I'm sure of it because I remember thinking how cool it was of them to be in the know about the popular trend back then to add a couple of extra taillights to the 'Vette, a custom touch I always assumed was inspired by the six tail lights that the Impalas were sporting. Jan & Dean were not hodads... PB.

I'm on the final stretch of a build of the Trophy kit which was included in the AMT Ford Collector Series that I found on eBay last year. I was mostly after the '57 Fairlane but this set popped up, sealed, for a few bucks more than a single Fairlane kit. Off course, I just had to build that '57 T-Bird right away, and the Fairlane languishes on the sidelines... I built this kit when I was a kid back in the '60s; candy apple red w/chrome-reversed, black & white interior, that blue windshield, and Firestone Supreme "red walls(!)" My new "edition" is bone stock, black-on-black & white, and will include all of the inaccuracies as called out by John. I'm going to see if the "Ford" decals from the Revell '57 Custom (Fireball Roberts kit, won't need them) will fit the T-Bird hubcaps, though, and I'm using the Firestone Deluxe Champion wide whites from the AMT Parts Pack set. Here's a thought: Bash this kit (along with the more accurate Jr. kit, perhaps) with the Fireball Roberts kit for an F-Code 'Bird. I'll post pictures of the black 'Bird when it's finished. I may scratch up the window vent/wings that none of the '57 kits ever included. But maybe not. This one's got to get off the bench... PB.

Yep, these were the economy compacts of their day. I don't know a whole heck of a lot about them, but I would guess that's the same four that powered the WWII Jeeps. Neat project. I guess you're going have to fill in the rear fender radius a bit. Good luck with it. PB.