MrObsessive

Yeah Tony..........I absolutely do not like the CVT's at all, and it definitely needed to be a manual with the four cylinder. Since Saturn is no longer around, Chevy dealers will work on them. The rear struts were a bit weak for the tailgate, so I did take it to a Chevy dealer and they replaced them at a reasonable price. My next door neighbor just bought a new Ford Escape which has a "dial" in place of a shifter. I can just hear the crazy stories now when those start to fail and the expense in fixing those! ? ?

I was never a real big fan of trucks, Crossovers and SUV's. One reason was because to me they seemed to be "too much" as I'm a single guy with no kids to cart around, and they seemed to sit up "too high" which is not the type of stance I care for in a 1:1 vehicle. Well, recently I had an incident with my Challenger where I wanted some work done on it (tune-up among other things) and what should have been a few hours at the dealer, turned into a TWO DAY job. Seemed as though there was some kind of issue with a car that was before mine (I suspect there was an accident), which held up work to be done on my car for quite a while. It occurred to me after I got the car back that I should really consider getting a second car for the simple reason of where I live. I live in a somewhat rural area and there's NO public transportation of any sort UNLESS you can get a taxi which can be very expensive. If there's an emergency, I'm at the mercy of nearby neighbors which can be a headache as I'd not know what plans they have or if they're even at home. I decided to look around to see what was out there......my criteria was that it had to be something that was going to be "winter friendly" as I'm at a point in the Challenger's life where I no longer want to drive it through the winter if at all possible. Saturn had popped into my mind as I had one before, but I didn't want another coupe like I had. I was on eBay one day back in mid July and I came across an auction where a dealer here in PA had one listed. It was a Saturn Vue with a five speed so my curiosity got the best of me so I read the description thoroughly. The dealer (in New Hope, PA which is about two hours away from me) had excellent feedback from other customers so I bid on the car and waited for the dealer to contact me. Mind you, I've never bought a car off the 'Bay, so this would be an interesting experience. I put up the $500 deposit after the auction was done, and then drove out to the dealer to take a good long look. The car was everything as described, and I drove it for a bit with no issues. It ran well, I saw no signs of oil leakage, or any issues with a slipping clutch. The car had a background check with it and no signs of wreck damage and it was originally a one owner car from NJ. It had just over 77,000 miles on it which was terrific for what's now a 15 year old vehicle (2006). Here it is in my driveway now...........save for an issue with the shifter cable about two weeks after I bought it, I've had no trouble at all. I took these pics not long after I bought it......I'm just now getting them posted after I switched phones and have them on my hard disc. Pay no attention to the weeds! Nice "anti theft" device..... The antenna got bent when I tried to take it through a wash, forgot to take it off and it got snagged. No biggie as I was able to straighten it out, but I've since replaced it with a shorter one. There's a local fella that runs a car detailing biz....he did a very good job on the Challenger late last year and I'm scheduled to take this one in later in the month. Now I'll be set for winter and I can keep the other one parked and drive it only on nice days (or occasionally a light rain shower.)

Just ran across these pics of the Packard engine I have on my hard disc.............lookin' spot on Manuel! ?

Thanks for that info Manuel! I once lived many years ago above an old dealership that sold these brand new (Studebaker-Packard dealer). I was talking to the original owner's son one time about these cars as he was very familiar with them. He did say that it was an "option delete" feature, although like you said probably only a few cars were built without it. To my eyes, it looks cleaner without it, but it is a unique touch on that type of car. Thanks soooooo much about the engine info! That was one thing that's always stopped me from building the kit I have. The engine out of the '53 kit would be woefully wrong, and your listing of what you used is a HUGE help. I have all those parts on hand somewhere in my stash, so that makes things a lot easier. Your front end is looking good! On the '58 Golden Hawk I did, that was one area that I'd need to redo. My front end came out too "short"........so your suggestions and pics certainly help here.

In my life, I've only ever seen this car twice in person. Once on the road not far from where I lived at the time, and another time in the Hershey Museum. This is another one I'd like to build from the '53.......Franklin Mint (or Danbury?) did one, but like their Stude Golden Hawk, the bodies aren't "quite right". I'd have to build mine WITHOUT that toilet seat on the decklid though! I was told that was optional.

Manuel!! You're doing one of my FAVORITE cars of the '50's! Hawks, especially the finned '56-'61 cars, are a definite childhood memory as I can distinctly remember being carted around in one of those as a little kid. I don't remember exactly what year it was, but it was one of the finned cars with the rounded rear window. I have this kit too..........not bad as it's IMO one of Ray's better castings. It however, leaves much to be desired in the small details and I'll certainly be following along. Thanks also for the PDF link........I saved that one in my arsenal of reference materials. I see how it crosses over into the later Hawks as that will come in handy. Years ago (late '90's), I built and finished a '58. Unfortunately, a cat I had at the time knocked it off the shelf and it came crashing onto the floor. The hood was damaged and I never got around to fixing 'er up again for display. It's here on my Fotki page. Keep up the great work............LOVE those Hawks!

Judging by what I see on the 'Bay and even for built-ups, I'd say that Caprice would definitely sell if it were reissued. A lot can be done with that kit, especially if the trailer is kitted along with it.

I've done that with mine David and it still managed to work its way loose eventually. I thought about taking a #61 drill bit and putting a like size brass or steel rod through the two parts. Epoxy or super glue the rod and no more separating at the dangdest times!

I too can vouch for Doug's great work. Several years ago, I did a thread of a buildup with his initial test shot of the Poly engine. The original thread can be seen below...........

John, that looks a lot better with the revised wheel openings! That should have been the original stock look than what GM did with the original '59. ?

OK..............I've been using Tamiya Tape for masking for MANY years now and I've had nary an issue. These pics will speak for themselves.......... A still in progress '55 Ford which two toning was a must for the car I wanted to replicate........ I have to agree with what others have said about the tape. I only leave the tape on until the paint is dry to the touch. When pulling off the tape, NEVER pull the tape straight up. You'll want to pull it back, and then slowly at that. It might not hurt to use some clear paint along the edges before you paint to prevent any bleed under if there's a problem with soaking. BTW, I've used Tamiya Tape on all sorts of paints and simply have not had an issue. Along with the use of Parafilm, it's my go-to source when I want to do two-toning or stripes.

I remember going to a McDonald's around 1965-'66 because we were moving and my Mom didn't have the means to cook anything yet on a stove. My Dad took my sister and I and for whatever reason I can remember a hamburger being something like .15-.20¢? ? I would eventually work at that same McDonald's when I was a senior in high school (1978), and I can distinctly remember .30¢ burgers at that point and a cheeseburger was .35¢

Back in the late '90's, SA did an article on my '61 Ferrari 250 SWB. In one of the captioned pics, they commented about my "Obsessive" attention to detail. A cousin of mine who saw the article, called me to mentioned how they used the word Obsessive. She got quite a chuckle out of it. When I started to go on the 'net in the early '00's, I remembered that article and figured why not use that as a handle? I've been on here since 2006 and that's been my handle since then. It's also part of my email address and there are times where people have asked how I came to use that. I've sent them links to Fotki and they write back and say....."OK! I see now WHY you use that!"

That Bronco would be an EXCELLENT reissue! The tooling should still be there........it was last seen as a funny car set maybe 10 years ago by Model King.

If the pricing is typical for most of their subs (DeAgostini had offered this), I was paying $71 a month for two years including shipping for their Ford GT40. That comes to about $1700 for the whole kit. Pricey, but I don't know anywhere else you'd find a 1/8 scale Charger. I wish it could be built stock......I'm just not crazy about that particular Charger with the hopped up items on it.

Yes.........there should be just a bit more real estate between the trailing edge of the door and the leading edge of the rear wheelwells. Stretching the body behind the wheelwells may be in order too. This is another one of my brainstorm projects way down the road as I have this kit and all what's needed to cobble it together. I just need to get through my other stuff first!

Wouldn't you know it! I just looked on eBay and there are a number of those fiberglass 'Vettes on there. This one here for instance doesn't look bad at all..........now I'm tempted!

I originally sold it back in 2010 (or thereabouts) to a fellow in Great Britain. I got a lot more selling it than I originally paid for it. I regretted it later on and have since got another one with the box and all. The next one I got didn't have the display base or cover, so I went and got a nice mirrored glass case for it. Safe and sound from my nosy cats! ☺️ I've seen the fiberglass ones from Franklin Mint in 1/24 scale (a '63 Split Window Coupe). Not bad at all if not slightly off on the body lines. I haven't seen those listed in years and I can bet they go for a pretty penny these days, especially since neither Franklin Mint or Danbury are making model cars any longer.

It is diecast metal. As long as it looks right (it certainly does), I don't get crazed about whether it's fiberglass or not.

I bumped into this very interesting article about what Stellantis has in store for Dodge in 2024. In the article here, it reinforces also what I've thought about the future of ICE's and why auto manufacturers are going the route they're going. ?

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Corvette C8!! After only seeing this car in magazines and on the 'net for MONTHS, this past Saturday I stopped at our local grocery store and one parked almost right next to me just as I was getting out. It sounded good----not loud at all........a very nice rumble and not obnoxious. I NEVER park near the store as I hate "crowding" in parking lots and I can bet this fellow felt the same way. VERY sharp car in person..........BRIGHT yellow with black stripes. Nice guy driving it as we talked for awhile, but WOW is that car VERY low. I'm not sure I could get in one with my creaky knees these days, but it was high time I saw one of these on the streets in my area. Funny enough, later on when I got home, I'm sitting in my model room with the shades up. What passes by my house on the street?? A silver Corvette C8! Two in one day which is a record!

Yes......this is a tricky one!

Both of those look GREAT! ? The kit pictured above is the very first kit I ever sat down to attempt to build in 1978 when I was a senior in high school. I wouldn't touch a model before that, but when a very miffed me who was supposed to have off that day from work (a Saturday) saw that it was pouring down raining outside......I went to the local hobby shop and that's what I came home with back then. I made a real mess of the kit, but as they say......."The rest is history".

What he said! ^^^ ^^^ When I moved a couple years ago, I also took the built models with me in the car........NEVER would I trust them either by the movers, or in a truck bouncing around. Another consideration for anyone else that's moving this time of year........if you have any resin unbuilt kits, it might be a very good idea if they traveled with you and not in the hot truck. Here in the NE part of the States (and elsewhere) it's been VERY hot and humid and that is a sure fire killer of resin be it built or unbuilt. At best in your car you'll probably have the AC running, or at least have the windows down to keep things cool on the inside. Moving can be a real pain! I moved about two years ago into another house and it wasn't so much moving furniture..........it's the hobby shop that comes with you when you want to move!