MrObsessive

Bill, I tried to get a couple things that I might want down the road just yesterday, but I had the same thing happen. I checked off an item, would try to add it to the shopping cart and I would either get a message saying that the item is no longer available, or it would take me back to the page with nothing showing in the cart. I do believe at this point except for some very esoteric items, the good stuff is all gone and I'm glad I ordered what I really wanted when I did. Carol has since sent me an email telling me the items have shipped and are on their way.

The comparisons will be interesting between Revell's '68 Chevelle and AMT's '69. Not so much the small details which distinguished the two model years, but the overall accuracy of the body shapes and if there could be anything interchangeable such as the chassis and whatnot.

I just finished putting on the first primer coat on my '74 Corvette WIP and the thought occurred to me out of the blue that I've been putting these little cars together for 40 years now! As of last month I believe it was the first time 40 years ago that I would walk into a hobby shop (Allied Hobbies) and see a model kit that caught my eye at first glance. I should tell you a story though of how getting to that hobby shop came to be. One of the first jobs I had getting out of school was working in a McDonalds. A rough job for anyone that's ever worked in fast food, but when you're 17 you take it in stride as it was work for me and I was a BIG believer in having my own money and not asking anyone for anything. After working there for a couple months, my Dad had asked me something about going somewhere ( I don't remember where) but since it would have been on a Saturday, I told him I couldn't go as I had to work. Well, he was a little miffed and he said, "Bill, when are they going to give you a Saturday off?? SOMEBODY is getting Saturdays off!" Well he was right for as long as I worked there, I could never seem to get a Saturday off! So the next time I went in, I asked the manager (her Dad ran the franchise) if I could have the next Saturday off. To my surprise she said yes and I was more than happy! Next Saturday rolled around and wouldn't you know, it was pouring down rain! Needless to say I was more than irritated because that meant being in the house all day and it's no fun to go riding around in your car on a dreary, rainy day. So I decided to get in the car and go to our local shopping mall which here in the area was The Colonial Park Mall. I go inside and go walking around and I see Allied Hobbies. I had noticed them before when I went there, but had never given them a second look as for whatever reason, models among other things they had didn't interest me. I figured I've got nothing else to do, so why not see what they have and who knows------I might see something I like out of the blue. I look around and I happen to see shelves and shelves of model cars! I knew all about models, but ever since a disappointing Christmas of 10 years earlier when someone gave me a couple model car kits for Christmas (1968), I was instantly turned off as what was inside didn't look all nice and pretty like the box art and it reminded me of a jigsaw puzzle which I HATED! So, one of the models I had seen there was a Monogram '57 Corvette which I believe came out that year or the year before. I've always liked '57 'Vettes ever since I was a little kid and of course I knew that if I bought this, I'd be faced with a ton of pieces like years before. I went ahead and bought the kit ($2.00 back then?) along with a tube of Testors glue and I was all set. I got the kit home, opened it up, looked at the parts and decided I was going to follow the instructions to the letter just to see how far I could go. Well, I finished the car I think the next day and the results let's say were less than stellar. Glue spots everywhere, I glued the hardtop onto the rear deck which I didn't know was optional and of course the windshield had glue smears on it. Just the same, I was pretty proud of it as I was actually able to PUT IT TOGETHER and soon after I was back at the hobby shop for another kit. The next one was a bit better as someone recommended I use a toothpick to put the glue on and I had nowhere near the amount of glue spots and smears as the previous build. Of course the rest is history as I would be permanently hooked and I kinda wish I had kept that first model. I remember giving it away to a cousin of mine who was about seven years younger, so he would have been about 12 or 13 at the time I gave it to him. Looking around my build room in the house, I look at all the stuff I have to build with! Endless amount of tools A paint booth Zoom-Boom Microscope Two soldering irons A lathe (haven't tried it-------yet) Dremel Moto-Tool A laptop and phone for quick reference in the room TONS AND TONS of kits I could go on! No way I would have thought about all this back in 1978 when I picked up that first model kit and it's interesting how time can change your perspective about how to do things. If someone would have jumped out of 2018 and told me I'd be doing what I do right now back then, I would have tossed them out of the house and said they were insane! Just a little story I thought I'd share on this late Saturday morning while my paint is drying and before I take a nap as I'm still on a third shift schedule despite it being the weekend!

I wouldn't have minded that NSU frankly, but I'll definitely be looking at this Ford GT. I love that shade of blue on that car and the one I'd do absolutely MUST have dual white stripes going over the top.

You can never go wrong with a Hemi Dodge Charger and steelies! Absolutely fine job and your vinyl top looks just right! Not overdone and your masking tape seams were very neatly applied! Super nice!!

Ha! You ain't kiddin' Tom! It was not unusual at the NNL East or Toledo shows for instance to wait in line a ½ hour or longer to get what you wanted! The last time I saw Don and Carol in person (Toledo 2015), despite it being a smaller show than in years past, there was still a long line. To your point about the viability of buying them out, there's one issue that's not talked about but is a big reality in this hobby. Let's face it, we're not getting any younger and in years to come there would be fewer and fewer buyers of all those model parts. Not too many 20 or 30 somethings are familiar with the cars of the '50's and '60's as we 50 and 60 somethings know them. I'm not sure that whoever bought their business would ever recoup all of the money invested as what Don and Carol did was esoteric at best, but there was (and still is somewhat) a sizable demographic that's familiar with what they had. The same can be said of the model companies in general. One can't blame them in being VERY careful about what subject matter they intro/produce. Even then they don't produce in the numbers they once did in the '60's and '70's, as there just aren't as many of us around as there use to be and sadly those numbers will get smaller as the years wear on.

The AMT '69 Chevelle will be great to have again. That one's been among the missing for some time. The kit I had was one of several I lost when my place got flooded back in '11. I always thought that car was a tad on the small side.........not quite 1/25, but more like 1/26-1/27 scale. I might be wrong, but just the size of the car when built compared to others just seemed small to me. The '69 Firebird Convertible? I think I'll pass on that one as the body shape simply does not look right to me, coupe or convertible. We SORELY need a new tool '69 Firebird kit and a proper Trans Am is high on my list. Revell, are you listening?? The Batmobile----I wonder if this is the one with the engine as I remember there was a version with one and another without. I'd take the one with the engine.

Dominick, that is a super nice BMW, and it's also another one of my favorites of the '50's! I built this years ago (early '90's) and even back then I did not find this terribly difficult. Certainly not as troublesome as the 850i I built a couple years ago! Yours is so nice and clean and I happen to have another kit of this car (with soft top) that I should build again sometime.

Thanks for all the nice words fellas! As of now I've washed the body and it's sitting right now air drying. The interior is done as far as I'll go with it. I'd like to put a Corvette emblem decal on the steering wheel and I did put out a request for anyone that might have an extra. If not, I may let that detail go as I don't want to rip into the decal sheet I have ('69 Corvette Yenko 2 'n'1). My better sense told me to try and vacuform a couple more windshields as while the first one wasn't bad, there were a couple tiny bubbles on it that I don't care for, so here's the newest windshield I made. This one is definitely better! Distortion free and nary a bubble. Just a matter of cleaning it up carefully after it's in. I trimmed it carefully so that it stays in its opening without any fuss. This'll come in handy when it's time for a full install. I'll tack glue it in the corners (CA), then a very fine bead of epoxy around the perimeter to lock it in place. I might go fancy and tint the glass, but I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it..........we'll see. I got the much too fiddly nose in place and even with the mods I did, it still was a battle to get it to sit right. Why MPC did not mold this as part of the body is interesting........would have made this step so much easier! Over the weekend if I get time, I'll spray the body with a light coat of primer and then a coat of BIN sealer and over the sealer will be another couple coats of primer. In the meantime I'll be mixing up the paint I want to use. Body color will be a dark green which when I got it from my paint guy, I thought it was a metallic. Well it turns out it's a basecoat solid color (1973 Chevy), but that's no big deal as I have some gold metallic flake I want to put in it. I'll then clearcoat the whole works which will have a green tint in it. Keeping my fingers crossed with no surprises as I'm on the downside of getting this resto finished!

Ain't that the truth! When I bought this wagon, I already knew that it was just the body and bumpers. He had made that clear in the auction description, so I wasn't surprised about that. I can come up with everything else the car will need such as the chassis, interior, glass, and other bits and pieces. He did say that there are full kits of his cars coming including this one. I got it as this is the ONLY correct version of this wagon I've ever seen. R&R did one years ago, but if you're familiar with any of Ray's castings............they can be a bit "challenging" particularly when it comes to accuracy of body shapes. The sellers name BTW on eBay is 'modelrob'. He has nothing listed on auction at the moment but if you check here, you'll see what he's had in the past and it's pretty stellar.

Phillip, I do believe you're correct. Joseph makes the molds from 3D printed items and then casts them. And yes, I've been saying for awhile that 3D printing is the next big thing when it comes to our hobby. Let's face it, many that we know in the cottage industry of making parts are getting up in years (think The Modelhaus) and we can't expect them to be doing that forever. I do believe that the tech will get user friendly enough that your average modeler will be able to do this if they'd like and the resolution in what comes out will get better with time. As far as speed? Well, I'm a machine operator where I work and there was a part that was needed which did not originally come with the machine. It was something that would make the parts come out better and we had it 3D printed in a matter of no time. The cost couldn't have been more that what the creation time would have been to create the .STL file, materials used, and then it was printed in literally no time at all with the printer we have. The part works as intended and we're getting fewer errors now with what's produced. Another benefit is in this hobby, there's things that we want that you'll never see the model companies make. I'd LOVE a full detail 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk kit. But unless Moebius takes the ball and runs with it, or I take the time and do a conversion (did one years ago), that is too esoteric a subject to consider mass producing and to the model companies, it would be a dead end. Enter 3D printing: With the proper files which can be edited and corrected for accuracy, you can make practically anything you want. Here's an example............. I got this '57 Buick Caballero wagon from a seller on eBay who's doing just that. I posted this on another thread as to show how something as esoteric as this would never see the light of day in the major kit makers catalogs. This was 3D printed and then cast in resin. The fellow that made this got the body lines spot on IMO, and he's got some fantastic stuff that's fetching a pretty penny on the 'Bay at the moment. I'll just say we've only just hit the tip of the iceberg with the possibilities in 3D printing in this hobby.

Excellent!! I like it!

I posted on this once before, but for those of you that want to see a full sized rendition of my avatar, here you go! Don't be frightened!

He does some EXCELLENT work indeed! Just picked up this gem from him recently................ According to pics I have of this car, he's got this Buick Caballero wagon's body shape SPOT ON! Another interesting thing is when he had this listed on eBay, I had originally lost the auction as I was willing to go all out and land this one. A day or so after I lost, he emailed me and said that he had another one (different color) that he was willing to let go if I was interested. I jumped at the chance as I wouldn't know when this'll turn up again! This is just the body and bumpers..........I can come up with the rest. The bumpers are a wee bit on the rough side as they were 3D printed, but that's no big deal as I can smooth those out among other things. And yes, he did say that he'd like to get into this full fledged in the future. For those of you that poo-poo 3D printing, I stand by my notion that this is the next wave of model building. There are some things that the big model companies will NEVER produce such as this car. You now have the tech to make anything you want to your liking without wishing and hoping. I see only good things coming out of this in the future.

Yup! Just got the same email Mike. I got to hand it to them, that was FAST! Now I'll FINALLY get those '64 Falcon taillights I've been looking for forever and a couple '57 Desoto items. Still tough to see them wrap things up, but it'll happen to all of us at some point. There comes a time when we just have to say 'enough' and retire. I can say that their inventory of what's left over is shrinking fast. I check in every so often and things I saw listed previously are gone and out the door.

Trevor, Terry's method for the hinges on this particular car is correct. This looks like a '60 Ford and during that era the full sized Fords used what are known as gooseneck hinges. As to your point yes............many modern cars use the swivel hinges today (easier to manufacture) as the cars today don't have the wide shoulders as the cars of yesteryear sported. This is a case where depending on what car you're modeling------pics, pics, pics! The more the better when it comes to things like this. I have for particularly this car LOTS of photos of it in a folder on my hard disc, so there's no guesswork needed for constructing door jambs for instance.

Hmmm.........I never noticed that about the '74's. I always wondered though why that split was in the bumper cover. Chevy I guess couldn't figure out how to mold that in one piece till the '75's. I know that in later years, those covers tended to discolor faster than the surrounding fiberglass. Such was tech back in those days when it came to molding/painting those.

Hard to tell from the 1:1's pic but if indeed that car is narrower than the standard C7 'Vette, what Rob said is correct. You're in for a LOT of major work! If you're a novice I strongly recommend TONS of practice before attempting something like that. For the faint of heart it is not!

I'm not so sure that it's just a matter of narrowing the nose. It appears more 'stretched out' and angled than the stock one. It may just be a matter of adding some plastic and putty and reshaping it that way. One major hurdle you may have however is also stretching those headlight lenses which match the angle of the nose. That may require vac forming new lenses altogether. Just my 2¢ worth.

Very nice built-up of that A100! Kari! I've had this kit for many years, but for whatever reason I've done nothing with it. Super nice and clean that is and a quite nice inspiration! Lee, you could always use the "snipping tool" found in your OS. I have to use that at times for pages that won't let you copy and save the pic if it's something I REALLY need for a reference.

Same thing I was thinking! Another car that comes to mind when I think of a "German Corvair" is the VW Karmann Ghia Type 34. That thing has Corvair written all over it!

That is ummmm..............interesting! Yeah, that's it! Oh yeah------I'm VERY familiar with TKM and in fact had a rather nice conversation with him on the phone many years ago (mid '80's). I could probably turn one of his models into a reasonable facsimile of what it's supposed to be. But I drive myself crazy enough with my own conversions that I do coming from my own mind! Now, some of you may think I'm totally wacky, but I'm of a serious mind to turn that Starsky and Hutch Torino into a proper 1977 T-Bird. The wheelbase is 'bout right, and in 1:1 they did share windshields. I know they're NASCAR versions out there in resin, but for something like this I'd much rather work with plastic. Just a crazy idea I've had rolling around ever since that Torino kit came out. Heaven knows whenever I'd get around to it----have waaaaay too many projects staring at me now! John, I have to say that 1980-85 Seville ain't half bad! That is one of my favorite cars of the '80's!

That is super gorgeous Jim! I like it!

Looking over that list as of now, I'd sure like to see an early '80's Chrysler Imperial. You know the one with the 'bustle back'? Very unique car that just isn't seen any longer.