Mark Brown

That wouldn't have been legal in the gas classes, or in any classes where a full-bodied '57 would likely run. It's just the usual variation you see in scale from one kit to another. Compare the AMT '57 from the '60s to the one from about ten years ago - vast size difference, similar to the MPC vs Black Widow.

I just got mine today and it's really, really nice. The actual material is some of the nicest I've seen - looks more like plastic than resin. The proportions look right on the money and the castings are super clean. I didn't see where any cleanup was needed at all. And the price is very reasonable, considering the quality of the product. Anyone who's interested in Fox Mustangs should jump all over this.

There's no ET requirement - it's still 150 mph.

No frozen pipes here in SW Austin (Oak Hill) unless you count all the frozen pipes inside me. I've had about enough of this for the next 25 years. You just gotta add Reebop to that group!

Keeps the chute from getting tangled in long bars when it's deployed. And I agree - that's one of the nicest Pro Mods I've seen!

Not sure if this is what you have in mind, but here's a Magnaflow (now Magnafuel) ProStar 500 pump and regulator I made a couple years ago. Not a really difficult scratchbuilding project.

Many shows have a "survivor" class to address that very situation.

And interior work - very few hobbyists have the expertise or tools to do their own upholstery. Personally, I'd attempt my own paint before I'd try upholstery work.

And keep in mind that, especially in the internet age, these cars aren't built in a vacuum. Unlike a contest-winning model, where there's a good chance nobody will see it till its debut, most potential show winners are well known long before they make their show debut. Only a complete moron would try to tell people he had built something he hadn't - he'd get called on his BS before he finished spouting it. Too many people would know better and not be afraid to speak up.

If you look back over the long list of AMBR winners through the years - and I don't have real numbers - I'll bet if you took the Award away from all the winners who didn't actually build the cars, you'd be left with a very short list. Most car builders aren't rich enough to bankroll the kinds of cars they build on consignment - the very cars that go on to win the AMBR Award and others. Guys like Coddington and Buttera and Foose were able to build the often legendary cars they did because someone was paying them to build them.

Speaking of Texas, I hope they're looking at the possibility of bring one (or more) of the series to the new F1 track here in Austin, once it's completed. I enjoy watching NASCAR on the road courses as much or more than any of the ovals.

I don't know how I overlooked Bobby and Davey - two of my all time favorites. I knew I'd leave out someone but that's a real senior moment! Lee/Richard is a good exception, for sure. We didn't really get enough time with Adam to see if he would have been big.

Since we've gotten completely off track.......... Speaking of Dale Jr, it's intersting how few father/son settings have amounted to much. For example: Dale Sr. and Dale Jr Richard Petty and Kyle Petty David Pearson and Larry Pearson and the list goes on. Not that some sons didn't have some success, but rarely anywhere near the father's. And in most cases, the sons had access to top level equipment, too. What would be the most successful pairing? Maybe Buck and Buddy Baker? Keselowski shows some promise and his dad was one of the greats. Not sure about Rusty and Steve Wallace.....the kid tears up a bunch of racecars.

If you're gonna do that, do it cool like Royce Brechler did with his War Bird Y-block Thunderbird.

The big thing that has greatly contributed to the sport losing its appeal to me, and has been mentioned previously, has been the enormous influx of BIG corporate sponsors. These corporations demand that "their" driver be a constant spokesperson for their company, and are far more interested in the image that that driver portrays when representing their company than they are with the driver winning. IMO, of course. The other effect of the big companies getting involved has been racing budgets that dwarf the budgets that teams - even the big ones - had at their disposal two decades ago. This led to runaway spending and the runaway testing that then created to the whole "team concept" to get around testing limits. The upshot of this has been team domination (as in Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon before him) by the team with the most money to spend. The other big change that I've seen, since I started following the sport closely in the late '80s, has been NASCAR's eagerness to morph the sport into something that would have much wider appeal, without regard for the longtime fans that made them successful in the first place. They saw an expansion of their audience base back in the mid '90s and couldn't get enough of that, and started looking for ways to keep the new fans coming, with misguided ideas (again, IMO) like the Chase and the cookie cutter 1.5 mile snoozefest tracks. As the general interest in the sport from new fans naturally peaked and then waned, and NASCAR's attempts to keep bringing in new fans weren't meeting with nearly as much success, at the same time they had alienated a large chunk of their core fanbase. They should have realized that non-hardcore fans would come and go, moving on to the next big thing, and that it was fundamental that they keep their core fans happy. I think that what you're seeing now, with flagging attendance and television ratings, is the natural process of the "sport of the month" fans moving on and the core fans having gotten tired of stuff like the Chase and the domination by one or two or three teams and boring racetracks. I'm not even sure that a guy like Earnhardt could make it in today's environment - I doubt he'd be much interested in playing up to the corporate image that would be required of him. The closest thing we have now is Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart, though Smoke has really toned it down, and so has Kyle. I expect that both their sponsors have had long heart-to-hearts with both of them, or in Busch's case, with Coach Gibbs. I don't care what they drive and I don't even lose sleep about what the cars look like - I just wish they would: 1. Pull the plug on the big multicar teams 2. Put a cap on budgets to level the playing field and let independants back in the sport 3. File the Chase under "Bad Ideas" 4. Take the gloves off the drivers and let them be race drivers and not GQ-ready corporate figureheads 5. Bring back more short tracks and even road courses Again, just one ex-fan's opinions.....

You guys shouldn't disrespect our fellow modelers in Poland.

If time is important when you're buying cottage industry products, you should always make that a point when you order. Find out before placing your order if the seller has the item(s) you want in stock, and if not, how long you can expect to wait. A few people with bad business habits - and some of them seem to have forgotten that it IS a business - have given the entire industry a bad rep in some circles, but it's also a "buyer beware" situation.

Check out this recent thread: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38866

LOL The thought occurred to me, but he's one of my best friends so I conceded. Besides, it's in better hands because he's one of those wierd modelers who actually finishes stuff.

My vote goes to the Uncertain T kit. I've been looking for one for years - missed out on one by a couple feet at a Houston show (my friend walking in front of me snagged it).

Check out this recent thread - your questions will be answered. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38866

Here's a couple of examples using the wrapping wire. As noted above, the stuff is really nice to work with. If the five colors available aren't sufficient, it's pretty easy to color the white wire with a Sharpie marker. Just keep the marker handy as most cements (like CA) will remove the coloring you added.

Here's where I got mine in the five different colors: http://www.jonard.com/jonard-ecommerce/control/product/~category_id=WIRE/~product_id=11016

I found a source online, too - they had white, black, yellow, red and blue, IIRC. But I've lost my bookmark for it since then, unfortunately. It was pretty cheap and one spool would last a lifetime. I definitely agree with your comment about Michael's and Hobby Lobby - spend a little time in the beading section and find all sorts of different size wire and braided line and other goodies.

I agree, Art - that's why I like the wrapping wire, which I believe is .030". To my eyes, even though the Detail Master stuff might be in scale, it just looks to small and lacks the right visual impact.