Erik Smith

Looks better than a promo! Nice work - I like that color.

Wow - that's about the best foam ram air thing I have seen in scale! How did you do it?

X3 - it has to be fairly special or really catch my interest. I end up selling or otherwise getting rid of a lot of plastic... It's easy to confuse buying something with doing something...and I am as guilty as the next.

The US missed out (and misses out) on a lot of cars the rest of the world gets - and Landcruisers are one. We, the US, get fully loaded comfort cruisers meant to drive kids to school and then to the before lunch Margarita meeting followed by endless soccer tournaments and practice... I had the pleasure of renting this down under: and would have loved to ship it home! Simple, solid, transportation - 6 cylinder diesel, full floating axles, snorkel, and manual windows and transmission! A base model Landcruiser would interest me in a model, too, I guess, for nostalgia. The US market missed on Toyota four door trucks for decades, too, and not sure why. That may be why the kits don't make it to the shelves...

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77449&page=2#entry1006925 Can't say enough good stuff about Joseph and his products and service.

We didn't. It was always burning, since the world was turning.

A great looking, cleanly built model. Solid.

The handle is user's choice - whatever feels good in your hand. So, with contoured handles, you would have to try it first to see. The blades are pretty much universal and matter a lot more than what holds them.

Great model. Extra clean construction and sharp foil work. I really like the sheen on the paint job.

I can just hear Wilder's condescending voice... If you don't like my candy, I'll stop making it. Then what will you eat?

I have never had either crack on thier paints. You can get stuff at the craft store meant to crack paint - I haven't tried it under Tamiya, but it works under acrylics from the craft store.

Many are very expensive. Hundreds of dollars. Big collecting market in Japan for the Bandai kits.

I recieved the tire decals I ordered from Joseph - excellent all the way around! Product, communication, shipping - Great!

Cool write up on your website! Those 1/20 Bandai kits are like gold.

I have never been a fan of that era Firebird...but I like this one! Very nice model - clean building and great paint job.

I think it's attentional bias - I am not a cognitive specialist... If you focus on one thing and ignore other possibilities - for example: you get a red car and suddenly, all you notice is how many other red cars there are. In terms of this situation, it's easy to see the demand when you want to see it - and ignoring all the people who would not buy farm tractor kits. 100% of farm tractor enthusiasts would buy a new tractor kit. However, big picture wise, only 5% of ALL modelers would buy a tractor kit. I hope that makes sense... It's human nature.

Actually, they do. People who belong to forums ARE NOT the largest market segment for most model kits - we are the lunatic fringe. If they based decisions on market research conducted by enthusiasts, they would be making a hundred different kits of obscure, non-main stream kits that a majority of weekend/once-a-year/impulse buy builders would have zero interest in - and, like it or not, THEY are largest market... Also, you don't create demand by making a product unless you're APPLE. Nobody would invest in a business plan that states "If we make them, it will create the demand".

B and B Hobby in Spokane. Very large selection of kits. Customer service is iffy - but good selection. Prices are standard. White Elephant in Spokane for lower priced, mostly Revell kits. HobbyTown USA (way north spokane) has small selection, high prices. They do have Tamiya paints. HobbyTown USA in Kennewick - medium selection. Nothing from there to Portland that I know of...

AMT and Revell both had XR-3 Escorts. I think the matchbox is the revell kit, but could be wrong. The AMT kit is a curbside with opening rear hatch - again, I could be wrong. The revell kit saw a number of boxes and incarnations including an EXP and a Turbo version.

Those are easy to answer. 1. Because people prefer vinyl. 2. Because it takes time and money - most resin casters have limited amounts of both. 3. Probably never.

There are actually a number of different versions - like 18 - with different race liveries, etc. $299 is the "man, I need that kit" price. They sell for less, but it's a waiting game as the kit, while not really rare, is uncommon.

1968 was a great year for box art - and the "drag" series was no exception. That is a valuable kit and rare to see in that condition! Nice find. Interesting they include the "promo" style '64 Galaxie.

Not only is this faulty grammar, it is faulty logic as well. I think a better way to address such a situation is to admit you are not good at writing and hope that others can still like you for the things you do well - or maybe even saying "I will try to be better"...