johnbuzzed

Mark, Revell made up for that Charger kit by sending out new bodies or, in some instances, entire kits with new bodies. But you are right- the manufacturers should do their homework and do their very best to get things right the first time, especially when actual, full-sized reference material is available.

Mike, I honestly didn't notice the prices to be able to compare them; I was just happy to find a place that still has the LHS "feel", which I think Hobby Town lacks. There was a hobby shop back in Bay Shore on LI some years back, it's no longer there. I wrote about it once for our club newsletter. The proprietor basically had the same attitude- no acknowledgment of customers on entering the store, and I had gone there on several occasions- never really finding anything to buy as the prices were higher than all of the local competition, both big-box stores and the few LHSs. But he did notice me enough to be able to claim (in a later newsletter article, in answer to mine) that I "didn't look like a shoplifter"... Hmm. How nice of him to notice. Never once did I hear anything like "Can I help you?" or the old NY standard, "How ya doin'?" This place was selling the then-new Hot Wheels flamed Deuce coupe for $10.00 while K-Mart had them for less than a buck. Needless to say, the store didn't last long. That's life.

I think you're correct. I can't even find the spark plugs on our '08 Sonata. When I had my '67 Fury wagon with the 318, I could sit on the fenderwell with my sneakers on the exhaust manifold to futz around under the hood. Man, that distributor was waaaaaaaay back there. But my '89 Spirit turbo had everything right up front- plugs, distributor, oil filter- and enough room to actually use the correct tools! That car was easy to work on.

That engine is great!!! The rest of the build is right up there with it! What did you use for the intake ductwork?

I might seem greedy, but does the kit still have the drag parts and headers?

But a mighty pretty pig...

I guess my big question is: What is or was the alleged situation that can be described as cheating?

Mike, if you haven't been to The Hobby Stop in Rock Hill, you should check it out. They have a good selection of paints and Evergreen and kits. Otherwise, I've been to both Hobby Towns; the one in Pineville is more convenient but I prefer the one in Monroe as they seem to have a better all-around selection of everything; I have no problems with Hobby Lobby in Monroe or Rock Hill as they have more than enough stuff to build and paint a model (sadly, no Evergreen or I could make them a habit) and as for Michaels, well... I might buy paint or embossing powder there, or a kit if they have a sale or clearance, if we are there for something else.

That is one really nice model. I'd be very happy to display that on my shelves. Are the fuel distribution blocks fabricated or aftermarket...?

Doesn't affect me either way. But the way NASCAR "adapts", changes, alters or whatever their rules, I can't really fault teams for trying something outside the box. Not that I know what DWR did that would be considered "cheating". Im ny opinion, counting laps run under the yellow flag is cheating on NASCAR's part, but, that's OK, 'cause it's NASCAR's rules. ("Jet fuel"??? Really?)

Tom, I have one of those kits and I'll be using it to tow a trailered race car. But the van will be in the livery of a plumber, so the exterior will have a rack and I might add some visible stuff to the interior- stuff that can be easily seen from the outside, thru the rear windows- but it's been hard to fight the old "let me just add a little more" syndrome. I thought about opening the doors, adding cabinets, etc, since the race car will be pretty well wired, plumbed, etc. But I decided against it. You gotta stop somewhere. You gotta just make people believe that the model has more detail than it actually does. I read that in Scale Modeler magazine, many years ago. The idea is that too much detail can actually detract from a model. SM was primarily a military-oriented magazine and most military models are in smaller scales than our usual 1/25. Since a lot of stuff can't easily be duplicated in those smaller scales with true scale fidelity, If too much stuff is added, cockpits, wheel wells, etc, can take on an almost caricaturistic look. Many times it's not what detail is there, it's what detail the observer is made to believe is there.

No, you get to use a dull utility knife and tube cement for a year- no other tools .

Well, this is a forum, and a forum is a place "where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged". The members are exchanging their views, just as you and I have, and this exchange can sometimes evolve into a discussion or even a debate. I don't think anyone here is knocking anyone's point of view in regards to detailing; it seems as though we all grasp all degrees of the detailing issue and we all seem to agree that it's all good.

I guess it depends on how much detail is added and by what means is that detail added.

A-ha, now that I've read the guidelines I know what they are. Sometimes it does help to read the instructions . Thanks for the info.

What are "warning points"? I have none. Is that good?

Adding any additional details does not determine a career as a model builder. Perhaps you're referring to the extra time involved in adding details over a box stock build?

I'll go nuts adding detail to a model which I intend to enter in contests. I'll start with a kit and an idea, make basic notes that turn into copious notes and it goes from there. I counted over 160 parts that I added to my '67 Charger; some fabricated, some from my parts box and some aftermarket. Then, there's foil, flock and decals. I am very happy with the end product but I can get this stupid "This model will be better than the last" thing in my head, so that just adds to the situation for the next build. I am trying to keep the part counts for my '68 Road Runner and '34 Ford pickup projects to a minimum but it ain't easy. I need to remember to get back to my roots and build some models for my shelves, just for fun. It's amazing how much detail can be added to a box-stock kit with paints, Sharpies and pencils. Maybe a little flock and foil, too. It wouldn't be the first time, and though they were not built for contests, even some of those have done well at contests.

Eliminating my procrastination.

Nah, then we could do like Steve Martin suggested and "get small" . Go for a little cruise. Bother the cat...

Jersey (as we LI'ers call it) is not all "The Sopranos" or "Jersey Shore", nor is it all turnpike exits and refineries. It's like anywhere else with nice places and... not-so-nice places. Just like New York- it's not all like Manhattan. What if we could shrink our real cars down to 1/25 scale?

What if Henry's last name was... let's say, Goldstein or Kowalski or Buzzerio or something other than Ford? Try to imagine that kind of blue oval logo. What if contemporary cars had real names that made some sense, instead of imaginary words as model names? Who would want to drive an "Armada"? What about a "Flotilla" or "Squadron"? What if people knew that the "MK" used by Lincoln actually is an abbreviation for "mark", as in version, as in Continental Mark 4. "MKZ"... I don't think that sounds appealing at all. (And, please, I mean no offense to anyone who might have either one of those above surnames).

Cool! Only in the Carolinas!

Uhh, yeah. Really. There were (and I think there still are) some special versions of cars that were produced for different geographical areas- probably had something to do with demographics. Off the top of my head I can think of the Mustang California Special, which I just Googled and got a lot of results. I did the same for the Nova Grand Sport and got just about... nothing. I'm not inferring that they never existed; I'm just saying that I never heard of the car (which really doesn't mean diddly squat) nor could I find anything on Google (ditto). That's life.

Are you sure that's Detail Master and not Model Car Garage?