Erik Smith

Haha. Well, if it’s made in the US, the federal govt can own it, regardless if it’s an American owned company or not - states have their own rules, if any. If it’s a US company but made in, say, Mexico - no. But, yeah, I’ve driven Hyundais and Toyotas with federal plates on them - assumed they were made in the US. And you’re also correct, most people would not: 1. Know there is such a law 2. Know where a Land Rover was made 3. Care I just happen to work for Uncle Sam, so I am a little aware. I like the steel wheels on it, personally - and those Awesome tires.

The 1933 Buy American Act may be a bigger LE standout than custom wheels!

Now see - I think the Kona has some decent lines and design going - but that whole front fender/fog light black plastic piece just looks weird.

Probably - I had a 95 ZJ and parents had a 93 - outbacks started 95 (it was completely cosmetic the first Gen).

I liked Pete’s little boxes for interior fodder - so I’ve been constructing some too!

Beautiful! Wonderful photography too.

I think a small amount of trim actually looks ok-good. It’s the over the top style…

Agree, cladding is nothing new. The Outback was probably one the first to bring that rocker panel cladding around. But…simply adding a stupid (the new Outback) black piece of plastic to the wheel well…? And Mazda CX-30 just looks like it has a body being lifted off of another body or something. Really, what got me started was seeing one of those new Subarus in person and thinking “well that’s a useless add on akin to something a 55 year old man would do who has no ability to add actual performance parts to his car…” no offense to all you 55 year old men. Maybe I’ll be doing something like in 5 years.

Whoever designed this should have been fired, along with the people who agreed it looked good:

PSA to automakers: giant pieces of plastic attached around a wheel well do not look good. Mazda really disappoints me here - ruining the otherwise nice lines of the Mazda 3 on the CX-30. And the new Outback? Thank you 8 year old kid who designed that.

Rudder International’s 660 imitation based on a first Gen Copen? Domo arigato

Yeah, think of where it was 5 years back. While I still see some with very visible layers or poorly printed products, I’ve also acquired some really fantastic, nice items - still needing a little clean up, but wayyyy better than some resin junk from eternity ago or 3D prints 5 years past. In 5 years? I envision a plethora of available items we’ve never, or will never see, from plastic, in 3D resin of very high quality. Seems now people are using very similar, if not the same, files to produce a lot of the items - as a more diverse market of 3D files becomes available that should change.

At first glance I was “$180? No way”. But then I looked at what most 1/8 kits are going/gone for on eBay and, well, I guess $180 it is. That is a lot of bread though.

Nice work overall. I kind of hate those old Aoshima kits, but, yeah, cool subjects. The bodies are really nice on most of them. For foiling wheel arches, check out THIS

Some of the painted body. We “borrowed” some parts from other Capris and thought painting to match was a waste of time.

Looks like Brendan, a spirited 7th grader at West Side Middle School, got the graphic design contract.

Nice. You got the rockers correct - as in mostly rotted away. Friend had one in high school - back when it would have been only 12 years old or so - and we filled the rockers with bondo and spare change - surprise for the next guy.

I linked his store above

Very nice paint. Great work. Beautiful.

Here I ordered a couple 1/32 items and will review them upon arrival, but up in the car section.

Haha. Very nice! The Platz, as nerdy and pointless a model as it is, is very hard to find - one of those rare kits that really most people don’t care about. It was a Toyota Echo in the US market.

Very cool. Great work!

What MX5 do you have? I had a 99. They are scary to operate on highways - well, at least in US and Canada - yeah, semi trucks are big, but the scariest is all the ridiculous, lifted, big tire truck clowns that can’t see anything within 150’ of the front of their trucks. It seemed EVERYBODY tailgates you when you are a tiny, low to the ground car. Taking one cross country would be a blast of you could find the right route.

Valid points. The “stamping” is also very pronounced - looking at real mufflers, maybe an actual in- scale-thickness would be difficult to print out and be visible. Never the less, nice work on Jesse learning the whole process! That’s something I haven’t had the patience to accomplish yet.