highway

Thank you very much Gregg! I will PM you and Harry sometime later today with at least the community builds I'm currently taking part in with the section they are currently in to help assist in moving the builds to their new home. I'll also dig through and try to find some of the others I'm not in, too. By the way, the check's in the mail, but I wouldn't try cashing it for a while!

No problem again, Daniel, I enjoy helping whenever I can! As for wheels, I'm not sure exactly what is available in the 1/18 scale diecasts, but they are Pontiac Snowflake wheels that were common on Trans Ams, but they need to be this style from a 77 or later car. I know you had mentioned the Bandit version, and that would have the correct wheels, you would just need to remove any gold like in my pic to make the all aluminum colored versions on the Type K.

Welcome back and I also seen in your sig line you are retired from the Army. Thank you for your service!

Well, I wouldn't call it a toy, but it certainly is one of the smallest models in my collection! This is a 1994ish Ford F350 wrecker meant for N scale (1:144 scale) train layouts. I don't have any pictures of them right now, I'll try to get some in the morning, but I also have some 1:350 scale and 1:700 scale aircraft meant for the decks of aircraft carriers.

Even though I know you have said you were working on this anyway, could you possibly replace it with the Community Build Section? That would be a positive change out if all the negativity that went on there.

I like it, it would be something very different. You might also consider something like this, the hood on the RCR Series 3 Camaro, for it as an extra WOW factor.

Well Daniel, I said I'd help and I found not only a few better pics, but a site with the history in the process!! First, here's a pic or two. And here is the site I found them on: http://www.wqik.net/kammback/index.htm There is a complete history of the cars, and I even learned these were built from 1978 cars, but were later converted to look like the 79-80 models, and there were two of the prototypes! I also found out that it was even featured in one episode of "The Rockford Files"! I also ran across a pic of a later model late 80s or early 90s version, but I don't know if this was a factory concept or just an add on, since this wagon piece just replaces the stock rear window/trunk lid.

No problem, Daniel. I know the few Type K pics I've seen all had the 1979 front clip, and they had the Trans Am style scoops in the fenders. I'm going to be out most of the day today, but when I get back home, I'll see what type of reference pics I can dig up for you!

Codie, I don't think you noticed, but Chris is in Australia, too!

I love that frame jig!!

Daniel, first let me say I will be watching this with great interest, the Trans Am Type K Sportwagon has always been one of my favorite non production Trans Am subjects! I wish you the best in doing this conversion. Also, I have been a fan of all year Trans Ams for many years, and have done much research on them also. You might try broadening your search for the donor of the non t-top roof, all from the 70 1/2 to 81 model years should work with no problem. The major changes during those model years was most noticeably the front facias and rear panels and taillights, but the main body was virtually the same through the run. The only change I'm aware of is the shape of the rear window, in the 75 (if I remember correctly) model year, Pontiac changed it to curve around the body into the B pillar like the window in the 10th anniversary car in your picture. The window prior to that was flat an slightly larger. Another route you may want to check into for the roof is the same model year Camaros, since they are the same Fisher body style of the Trans Am, and the roof should also interchange with no problems.

Thanks, George, I could use some!! I was doing so good and then the bottom fell out!

Dawn Power Dissolver works great on removing chrome, too. The parts in front of the bottle were done in about 4 hours. You can find it in the dishwishing liquid section of your favorite store. This bottle was $2.66 at Walmart.

GRRRRRRR!! You fooled me again!!!!

I agree with you 100%, James, and there is a VERY fine line between my better half's supporting my hobby and merely tolerating it. My hobby room is actually about half of my living room, and she supported that idea when we moved in to our little house 5 years ago. When I might have been in a building slump or just not building but still buying new kits, she supported me by encouraging (and sometimes threatening ) me to get back to the model desk and work on something. The fine line between the two, though, is when I bring a new kit home to the ever growing 425+ kit collection, she shows her tollerance, or sometime lack of, by saying "I feel like we live in a hobby shop sometimes!" But that is where that very fine line comes in again, because even after comments like the "hobby shop" one, sometimes within a few days, she will buy me yet another new kit I've been wanting, and I can always be guaranteed I get at least one new kit from both her and the in laws for Christmas and my birthday!

I'm also a gamer, and there is also an online racing game that is in BETA testing right now that I'm involved in called "Heat Online". It was also released as "Project Torque", which went offline in late July, "Heat" has a few new features "Torque" did not, but has some race tracks that are similar to WRC racing and also has drift racing. I just wish I could drift as good as the video!!! Either way, regardless of my drifting skills, or lack of them, "Torque" was and "Heat" is a great fun game. Here's a couple pics off my bad boy drifter 1989 Mazda RX-7 from "Torque". By the way, if any other gamers here would like to check out "Heat Online", go to http://www.heat-online.net/ and download it. It's free to download and free to play, and you can still join in the BETA testing or it will be going live near the end of September.

I'm assuming you mean from kits after they are built? If that's the case, of course. They make handy parts boxes and also come in handy for poor orphan kits that have no box. I've had a few of those old AMT 3 kit combos that I downsided into a single kit box to save some room and eliminate those huge boxes they came in in the first place. I also reuse the boxes for storing old built ups in. I simply take a small label, a 1 1/2 inch by 2 3/4 inch that you find in the office supply section of Walmart, and write what is now going to live in the recycled box. That why I don't have to spend two hours trying to find something!

I don't know, but if they hold to form, it will probably have the old ones with new ones, too. I know the log trailer had the old General Constuction" (I think that was the name without looking) decals and also new DOT stripe markings.

That would have been a great one for "Real or Model"!!! And just for the record, you would have probably really fooled me with it, too. I would have said "REAL"!!

Steve, those pictures are absolutely beautiful. I agree that photographing the finished product can become a separate hobby within the hobby. I've been starting to experiment with just different settings on the camera while taking in progress pics at my bench, but I have a couple builds that are near completion that are going to be experiments for the outdoor photo shoots as well.

Wow, I guess I should really start reading a little deeper than just the first couple pages of topics! Anyway, here's a pic I found online of a near identical twin to my first car, just in much better shape than the $500 beater I had! My first car was a 1976 Mercury Cougar, man, I still miss that car even after almost 20 years.

Nice builds, Brett.

Mark, I'm sure you are obviously referring to the recently reissued 70s Lotus kit with this statement, but that is also not the only F1 car Tamiya has reissued lately. They also just recently released a brand new Ferrari Model F60, which is the Ferrari F1 entry from last year and, even though I have not thoroughly reseached it yet, could quite possibly be built as the current 2010 cars as well.

Nice job, Matt. At first until I reread your post, I thought it took you almost 25 years to finish this, and I thought I took forever to finish a model!! Luckily, I read it again, and that is very nice for 5 months of work.