Jairus

Not suppose to be "airbags" but just rubber biscuits. You have it mounted really high.. but that is fine if your building a street rod.

Try a little Model Master airbrush thinner on a Q-tip and see if that has an effect. If it does then use more on a papertowel and work small panels at a time. Then finish up with steel wool on the body areas. Avoid messing up the window areas of course... but Model Master airbrush thinner will not hurt Lexan. Another idea might be to try stripping it out with "Easy Off" oven cleaner.

That Camaro is very nice! I just might steal that technique for some of the slots I paint. Thanks. Frank, could you please put your name in the signature box so we all know who you are? Thanks.

Very very nice William! Hope you send it to GSL in April.

This is a 1969 but the underside coloring didn't vari much. Underneath color was always primer unless the customer ordered undercoating which was a light grey color sprayed on none-to-carefully.

YOU can't tell!

Ahhhh.... that is the front axle Lee. Just a little creepy.

Generally the starter would plug into a socket in the back end of the transmission. This depends on the engine/trans manufacturer of course....

What we are all not considering is the wild card of Government intervention in the future effecting trends. Not to put too fine a line on the political talk... but the fact is that Washington bureaucrats cannot help meddling in the affairs of the auto industry. I love cars and all things with wheels. (Airplanes do have wheels you know!) But I cannot help but notice that as Government grows, it's influence on our favorite transportation device has and will eventually strangled the life out of it. Now that Congress has "Bailed out" Chrysler and GM (Ford refused), those automobile companies are beholden to congressional whims. :ph34r: What started altruistically in the early 70's enforcing restrictions on fuel standards and particle emissions... has gown to the point where politicians are now suggesting that the sale of all after-market parts for cars be banned! (Oregon governor proposed this) What that means is that they do not want cars modified beyond factory specs. No more custom wheels on your new Esclade, no K&N air filter and certainly no bypass pipe for the cat! I can see the pendulum swinging further to the left before it stops which most likely will include laws requiring the crushing of vehicles 20 years passed the manufactured date (Japan does that for engines)or any that do not meet or exceed emissions and fuel standards. It's all in the name of saving the planet of course! If any of this happens I am pretty sure that this will effect future trends in a big way regardless! Now.. on a personal note, I have been vilified by quite a few of you guys for "Posting Political rants" on this forum. I understand that you want to keep the "room clean" of anything that is stressful. Yes I understand! But when the government takes away your toys and places laws on you that effect your hobby... I think you would want to know before it happens. Wouldn't you? You/we have to be prepared. Of course... even if they take away and crush your 1969 Camaro, you'll still have your plastic model cars... .... maybe?!?!

My truck wheels are next... right? Nice axle by the way!

Don’t be so quick to dismiss, as the question was ALL ABOUT classifying specifically and therefore worth our consideration. History is written by the one’s who survive and lived “the happening†therefore it will behoove us to consider what is going on now compared to what trends came before. Most trends start with youth. Young boys… wanting the sharpest spear or coolest looking horse with which to attract the girl. Well DUH! A trend that survives the ages is one where it appeals to a wide range of individuals and transcends the age barrier. Therefore is more difficult to apply to a specific era or time period in history. Open wheel street rods, Muscle cars, Pony cars and Customs fit this. The only way to identify a vehicle with-in a time period is by looking at the individual parts in these cases. Case in point, Westergard Style lead sleds! They started appearing shortly after WW2. They were based on affordable cars that were over populating the used car lots and were purchased by youth of the period. Many of them surviving the horrors of war! Harry Westergard was the grandfather of customizing and owned a shop in Sacramento. His career spanned from the late 1930s to the late 1940s, and the hot rod and custom magazines like Hot Rod, Motor Trend, and Hop Up published photos of his cars. Youth of the era who wanted a cool looking car, but not necessarily a fast car, copied Harry’s look. The trend is still popular and closely copied even today by chopping tops, channeling frames, nosing, decking, de-chroming… etc. Trends like this usually build slowly and if they do… have a greater chance of lasting. On the other hand a trend that flashes on the scene will most likely die just as quickly! It is these trends that are more easily applied to a time period and thus is a “dated styleâ€. Resto rods, Customized vans, Monochromatic paint, Billet, Pro Street… etc. The differences are as apparent as Rock and Roll vs. Disco or Blue Jeans vs. Chinos. With this in mind… we can now consider the trends of today such as Rat Rods, High Tech, Tuner, Low Rider, Donk, Pro Touring… and the like. Do any of them appeal to a wide range of the peoples? Did the trend come along fast or build speed slowly? Was the trend based on some other more popular trend or was it promoted by industry (Donk wheels come to mind). Low Rider is mostly cultural and began as an outgrowth of the Customizing trend mentioned above. It started about 1970 in the L.A. basin and has really never left. Although there are small pockets of interest all over the country. This trend is slowly fading out unfortunately as it was great for bringing communities together, saving old cars from the crusher, providing manufacturing trade to industry and keeping the Chrome and Gold plate franchise busy! Pro Touring is a balance of Street machines and Pro Street. Logical construction on par with drivability. Seems to be easy on the eye and hard to tell from a stock vehicle. Most likely will continue as long as the Government doesn’t pass stricter laws on aftermarket parts and tax large displacement engines. I would say that this is an outgrowth of the Resto Rod trend and will probably re-surface in 10 years as guys start putting Hybred power plants in vintage cars. Rat Rods are based on the vintage street rod trend with a touch of “hill billy slapped together in the barn†look. The trend started slowly enough but has unfortunately morphed into a cartoon of what it began as… which was a statement against billet and high dollar rods pouring out of shops across the country. This trend, once it passes… will be identified with the end of the turn of the century and it is receding even now. Donk was an outgrowth of the current lowrider culture where the “Make the wheels bigger than my neighbors wheels†became so crazy that they had to start jacking the cars UP to make room. Cars are not very drivable and wheel damage with the high cost of repair or replacement will soon be the end of that flash in the pan toot-sweet! High Tech is already passed. Dead, gone, bye! Tuner will always be associated with the late 1980’s. Once again it started with an age group of kids who purchased the first or second generation of the Japanese auto invasion off the back lots of the used car dealer. They of course started modifying them for speed or looks much like 1947. The trend came along slowly and culminated with a few Hollyweird movies, lots of manufacturing support. Once the publishing industry got behind tuners a bonified trend was born that actually began to influenced the auto industry, just like 1947 – 1955! I predict that in maybe 10 years we will see a resurgence of the Tuner craze as young kids, only now in gradeschool (provided their brains-of-mush are not twisted by fear of global climate change and carbon emissions) will discover that old Acura in Grandpa’s barn. The parts are still out there! The old magazines still exist. The movies can easily be rented…. It could very well happen! Okay, that is all I got….

If you are building a phantom 2 door wagon.. maybe you should first grab some pictures of actual 2 door wagons and see how it is done. The first mistake most builders make is failing to mount the new roof level. The second mistake is getting the rear posts at some awkward angle because the builder didn't bother to shorten or lengthen the roof as needed. The third mistake is leaving long windows and an unsupported roof somewhere behind the door pillars. Virtually all 2 door wagons that were based on a Ranchero or El Camino platform had standard back windows and tailgate with standard posts with the exception of shortened windows just behind the door pillars. Like this: The above is a phantom that I designed for Jeff Ford at Mustangs & Fords. Below we have a couple more actual 2 door wagons, the first is a 50 Mercury. The post in the middle of the long window was not so much for support as it was to split the window. A long piece of glass like that would never have lasted in an automobile that flexes, twists and bounces as much as they do. The glass would crack unless it could be mounted in an inch of thick rubber molding! This would be a design no-no as it would recess the glass too much. The second is a classic Pontiac Safari, sister to the Nomad... Same here, split glass and infact... the side windows on this one were designed to slide open for ventilation. Lastly is another phantom and never before seen in print. Another Pontiac Safari 2 door which is my interpretation of what a '60 Safari sport wagon might have looked like. Here the side window glass around the doors is all stock and cranks down for an open hard-top feel. The rear window glass would have been standard wagon glass but cut down in length slightly. Tailgate and liftgate are standard 60 wagon items. The bottom line is that when designing a phantom to look like the factory did it... make sure you use as much factory steel pressings as possible and as few unique pieces. The top illustration of the Fairlane wagons has only one small window glass that would be unique to the 2-door car you see.... all else came from standard assembly line parts and thus makes the design logical. Good luck!

How old are you and how long have you been building models? Even if you are experienced, going the aluminum route is still a huge technological hurdle that requires lots of care to not ruin the material. Especially if it is really thin aluminum such as that pop cans are made from! All you need to do is accidentally bend a carefully formed piece just test fitting the body and you will know what I mean. You cannot straighten it again without a crease showing. Not to mention attachment... what are you going to stick the aluminum to the model with? Model glue? That will NOT work. With aluminum you have to use good quality epoxy and rough up the attachment surface with sand paper or it will not adhere. I suggest you go with the sheet styrene (plastic from the hobby shop) and paint it later. More forgiving and easier to work with... and stronger joints. You cannot think of always using free stuff unless you are limited to the income of a paper-route or weekly allowance. Besides, testors metalic paints replicate the actual look of burnished aluminum as long as you spray it with an airbrush. As for the headers. I tried solder back when I was 12 and it worked for me. But I only did it once. My material of choice today is copper electrical wire. #12 or #14 seems to work well. Easy to bend and solders together for a strong assembly and clean joints. I would also drill mounting holes into the heads and insert the wire for a tight fit in order to avoid the problem of trying to surface glue a heavy metallic object to a plastic part. It usually falls off... Good luck and keep us informed on the progress.

Management of AMT is Round 2 Corp and they have a 5 year lease of all AMT molds and artwork. There are currently no limits to the number of kits they can produce. The limits are set by the management based on prior sales figures. If you think they should produce more kits than send them an email: Round 2 Corp. All others including Model King are dealing directly with Round 2 Corp and no lease is involved. Just money!

Dude, I asked for this thread be closed days ago because it has NOTHING to do with models. But.. since you asked.... The selfishness and greed I was talking about is that which I attribute to corrupt dictators. All of the problems you cite as your reasons for too many people on this planet are the direct result of governmental over-control and corruption. The reasons for this are varied as the dictators who run them but generally it is because they use the problems to keep themselves in control over the people. They seek food and financial aid from foreign powers and then that aid is used to build palaces and expensive cars for the ruling elite. Sadam Hussein had what... 9, 10 Palaces? How many did he need anyway? Mexican officials routinely take bags of cash from drug czars to look the other way while the people live in squalor. They cannot find jobs so they risk their lives and the lives of their families by sneaking across the border into America to work. When the Communists took control of South Vietnam they chose to maintain control through fear by killing all those with a higher education to avoid future uprising. I could give you many many examples from history but I am sure you are well aware of how corrupt the government in Mexico, the Republic of Nicaragua, Ethiopia, North Korea,....etc, etc. The people of Bangladesh go hungry while the leaders continue to seek nuclear weapons? IT'S CRAZY! They should be buying seed and tractors instead of weapons. They should be mining minerals and trading with their neighbors. Instead these tin-pot dictators want to play on the International scene with the big boys like a stupid game of king of the hill. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! This earth is extremely generous to those who would work her and she can provided all we need as long as those in power would put some of that power down and allow the people and the free market to exist. Do not be blinded by ecologists who scream that we are destroying the planet. It's just another attempt to create a power base for corrupt individuals with seemingly altruistic purposes. This planet has a way of fixing itself if left alone and there is not a single thing we can to do to actually destroy the planet. It is the height of mankind's hubris to even consider that we have the power to effect the wind or the rain. It is just irrational fear that says we can actually save or kill the earth.

I have to agree. This earth can easily accept double the population we now enjoy, it just takes a lot less selfishness and greed.

"Prolific" I believe, doesn't even cover the speed at which you build V!

Looks great and I LOVE the engine compartment. The extra effort you put in by correcting the kit fender wells is well worth the time spent. (only two hours?) However, read Rick's response regarding the engine. It was a 302 that was in Eleanor, not a 351. But, if you have your heart set on a 351 then follow through because frankly I don't think it matters much.

Well said Ed!

Otherwise known as a "fish ladder". Yeah, that would be the smart thing. Bonneville dam on the Columbia has a nice one with observation windows and a beautiful visitors center where you can watch the salmon swim upstream. But that would be the intelligent thing to do...

Cool idea! Very vintage... but packaging and high center of gravity might have been the reasons it didn't succeed. The modern snowmobile is a much better package with it's low mounted track and twin skis. Those huge screws take up a lot of space and making them smaller diameter reduces the footprint considerably. The huge footprint is what makes this idea so effective. Love it and would have liked to see it in action first person! Thanks for posting.

Harry... see my last line in post #7.

Draggon, dam removal or...? Check out this link.

"Skeg"! That is the fin that sticks down into the water providing control. A surf board is curved at the top and most are fairly flat on the bottom when viewed in section vs. profile. You turn through the water by tilting the board slightly like water skis thusly changing direction. Surf boards also have what are called "rails". These are slight ridges along the bottom edges. Most modern boards have three skeg's, two on the rails and one down the center that is sometimes adjustable. Vintage long boards only have one such skeg or fin. Most surfers today use a short-board with three fins because they can change direction very quickly thus staying in the sweet spot of the wave easier. A long-board is like a caddy in that it rides smoother, but is slower to turn and requires more experience to ride well, while a short board is more like a sports car. I would suggest you pick up a copy of Long-Board magazine for reference when detailing and painting your boards as there is a lot you can learn.... not to mention the coloring, feel and vib of surfing. It's all good...