fumi

One doesn't need to spend a lot of money in R/C. I'd probably start with an entry level Tamiya buggy, that is a stripped down version of their higher end model. They don't cost a lot, aftermarket parts are abundant, and if you decide to get more serious into it later you can upgrade it easily.

It's like those little pads the nurse wipes your arm with before giving you an injection. Rubbing alcohol would also work just fine.

I think black would be better. Chrome roll cage in an otherwise all black interior would probably stand out too much, and it clashes with the red body.

EMS should be within a week. SAL would probably be somewhere between a week and a month.

R&R makes a 1970 Dart Swinger as well. Not so sure about their quality though. http://resinrealm.net/Star/RRGalleries/Dodge/index.html

Platforms are designed internationally these days, no company can afford to develop a car that is exclusive to any single market. A lot of "American" cars are part or wholly designed by foreign subsidiaries, and many "Japanese" car companies have design and research facilities in the US. You might have kept the big executives in Detroit employed. What good has they done for the American auto industry, though?

My dad, who worked for a major Canadian-based OEM supplier that operates in Canada, the US and Mexico and provides parts for all car manufacturers in North America, used to buy only American cars for that reason cited. Then Ford, GM and Chrysler idled for a large part of the time during the financial meltdown, causing massive shutdowns of their production lines. It was all those people who bought "foreign" cars from Toyota and Honda that kept him and his coworkers all over North America employed.

EMS is akin to Priority Mail, it is fast, and it will make it to the recipient. But it is not cheap. SAL is cheaper but takes longer. You can also have registered SAL if the seller offers it, it will have tracking.

There is no import duty for plastic model to the US, unless it is from Cuba or North Korea. http://www.usitc.gov...ter/1200C95.pdf The first entry is for scale model. Rate of Duty column 2 only applies for North Korea and Cuba.

There should be no tariff for plastic model kits imported to the US.

Never a big fan of Vegemite, but I really, really miss real Bovril. Now that is made of beef. Too bad due to the mad cow disease scare we can only get the yeast extract version now.

They do? Back when I was living in Toronto they would just leave the parcel in the front porch, even in the deep of winter. The thing would get half buried in snow when I got home. The only times I would get a parcel notice is when they nailed me with customs and taxes. Which was actually quite often.

I really failed to see any pro-Obama message in the Chrysler ad. I guess you can read any message in anything if you have an agenda. Ford was lucky they got their bank loans arranged just before the financial meltdown. They also received a 5.9 billion low cost government loan in 2009.

That registration tax is not designed to thwart foreign cars, it applies to everyone including Japanese makers. So the Big 3 don't make any kei cars, they don't have to compete in that market. GM is already selling the Sonic in Japan, it is in the same tax class as the Fit, the Yaris and the Mazda 2, there is no additional penalty for it. Whether the Japanese would choose it over the competitors is another question. Besides, 50,000 yen is around $650 US. It is not really a lot of money compared to the overall cost of owning a car.

Doubt that would happen. My dad up until last summer worked for one of the major part supplers in Canada that make parts for all manufacturers that build cars in North America. Their business took a heavy toll amid the numerous factory shutdowns by the Big 3 in the last couple years; they were practically not buying any parts. The only thing that had kept him employed was the new, expanding businesses from Toyota and Honda that filled the void left by the Big 3.

No, American car companies built such garbage like the Pinto and the Vega and expected Americans to swallow them hook, line and sinker just because they are American cars. Many of those who did wouldn't fall for it again when time came for replacing their POS, and bought a Honda or a Toyota instead. Toyota and Nissan has had diesel in their line up for well over 30 years. They just didn't bother to sell them in the US as your regulations that tilted heavily against diesel cars. I have said it already, there is no tariff or quota for import cars in Japan. If you don't believe it, look it up. GM had tried to sell a myriad of mainstream American cars in Japan, with dismal results. The Cavalier was sold through Toyota and priced very favourably against the Corolla and the Civic, and was backed by Toyota's factory warranty. Yet it sold so poor Toyota had to sell them to various government agencies at cost to clear stock. GM had had very high hope for Saturn in the mid 90's, they even built a right hand drive version just for Japan. They finally pulled the plug after 3 years amid abysmal sales. The cars are simply not competitive against the homegrown Japanese cars. They are smart enough to not bother with it again. The only reason American cars don't sell in Japan is because no one wants them. If you have the right car for their market, they will buy it. The 1st gen Taurus wagon, for example, was quite a success. I don't understand why but it just hit it off with the Japanese, and they bought quite a number of them. And if GM were to try selling the Cruze in Japan, it will be built in Korea and sold through the Suzuki dealership network. It would make zero business sense for GM to ship it from North America when their affiliates right across the ocean from Japan builds the same car. And while they don't feel the Cruze has a business case in Japan, they are already doing that for the Sonic.

You can replace "stupid gadgets" with "plastic models", and the outcome is just the same. Blame the people, not the technology.

Model Express is selling that exact same Mustang for $24.98. http://www.modelexpress.net/cgi-bin/modelexpress/shop/MON_2297.html As for the Aoshima Skyline Super Silhouette, it is readily available at most online stores. Hobby Easy is having one listed at around $26 plus shipping. http://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/data/45919.html

It's not the Gunze/Testors kit, the parts are totally different. It's an all new kit, apparently based on the resin Pantera they released several years ago.

If it makes you feel any better, to get the same boat it would cost me $150,000 just to get a membership in a yacht club to park it, plus $3000 per month to hire someone to tend for the boat and pay for the miscellaneous fees. One thing going for you guys is that land is relatively cheap in the US, which makes it affordable to live large.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Laziness drives innovations, and that is what put the US in the forefront of the technical field. Not having to manufacture your own goods freed up a lot of resources for R&D, which puts you ahead of the world in terms of innovations and technological advances. The down side, though, is that it also put a lot of people out of work.

If the US were to tax and limit Japanese import cars the way the Japanese do to American cars in their home markets, all your Corollas and Civics will be selling at the same price or cheaper, but imported from Japan. There is NO tariff imposed on import cars in Japan. The only reason American cars don't sell in Japan (and the rest of the world) is because no one wants them. American cars are totally wrong for foreign markets: there are no real American compact cars to speak of, the mid-size are too large for road tax purpose, and the large cars are not prestige enough aside from Cadillac. For Ford and GM, they are better off selling their European offerings than to try exporting their American counterparts. Now there are some very successful import operations in Japan, just that none of them is American. VW is doing very well in Japan. So is BMW and Mercedes.

Actually Lexus entered the GS450h in the Tokachi 24-hour Race in 2006, 4 years ahead of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid.

Different cars for different needs. With the limited parking spaces, the crowded streets, the price of gasoline and the way the registration fee/insurance is structured in here I have absolutely no use for a Chrysler 300 with a Hemi, I wouldn't want one if someone were to give it to me for free. But I certainly love my Ford Fiesta with its 1.4L engine that more than meet my needs. Will I buy a hybrid or a electric car? If it is the best available option then I don't see why not. I really don't understand this anti-effeciency mentality. If they can make more power when it is needed while burning less fuel and putting out less emission, what's to hate about it? You do realize Super GT is a notch or two above touring car races, as far as the totum pole goes.

Japanese web sites have stated the Prius GT300 has a 3456 cc V6 mounted midship, as well as the stock Prius motor, battery and control system. It's not the first time Toyota raced a hybrid machine, just not as high profile as in Super GT. They have tried it with the GS 450h in endurance races before, which has a similar 3.5 V6 hybrid setup. With the stock GS 450h rated at 339 hp, a race tuned system shouldn't have too much trouble fitting in the GT300 class.