johnbuzzed

Well, perhaps it's time to lock this one... or not, what do I know.

Nah, there's just not enough water in the glass.

Yep, Tom, the NNL East is a great event; I gotta make it back there one year. But, no matter what you do, you won't be able to please all the people all the time, tho it is good to keep trying.

God bless them all; we'll all see them "live"" again one day. No cover charge and happy hour all day, too!

Pink primer... sounds like a "new obsession". I suppose it does have it's practical uses.

His stuff is great and he is a good guy. I wish he had a website.

This reminds me of (and I mean no offense to) some military modelers and the "that paint is the wrong color for that aircraft in that theater of operations" mentality. The premise sounds good and initially there is some truth to it, but after a while, things change due to (natural, actual) weathering and fading, wear and tear, battle damage, paint availability, manufacturers, etc. You paint whatever you are told to paint by your sergeant with whatever paint you have been told to use. In my opinion, some model cars can be considered too glossy for scale realism. Many would probably be glossier and smoother than their full-size counterparts or that car of which they might be a replica. Look at a real car... unless it's a show car or a high-dollar exotic car, that paint just isn't very pretty when you get close to it. How can we expect to replicate a full-scale paint finish when we try to achieve a mirror-like finish on a model that simply does not appear on real cars? Conversely, some models can have a finish that is too matte or flat for scale realism. Again, that's just my opinion after 52 years of building and more than 22 years of contest experience as a contestant and judge, both military and automotive subjects. A member pointed out in a previous post that the subject should look the same at a distance of one foot as a real car should look at 25 feet (for 1/25 scale; the ratio changes as the scale changes). He's most definitely right. The best model is that which looks like the real thing and not like a model of the real thing, no matter how well that model might be executed. Perspective or viewing angle can alter the way a model appears, too, but I digress. I have seen race cars with all kinds of finishes but none that have been fully glosscoated. Sponsor or contingency logos on race cars are usually stickers; they will have a different sheen than the paint on which they are applied. A wrap will have a different sheen that the paint that would be under it. I remember reading that some NASCAR teams would coat their cars with baby or talcum powder before a race, supposedly making it cut through the air better... how would one replicate that finish? I guess I'm trying to say: Build your model the way you want to build it; no matter what happens, you won't satisfy everybody with the results, no matter what you do.

The MASSCAR event in March is somewhat similar in that there is usually a get-together (albeit informal) in the hotel lounge on Saturday afternoon, then a buffet banquet with entertainment such as guest speakers, blind modeler competitions, live bands, etc, on Saturday night; the festivities sometimes continued in the hotel lounge. The contest is on Sunday and there are seminars during the day; sometimes an auction, too, and lunch in the hotel lounge. It was a two- or three-day mini vacation and I always looked forward to attending.

I remember seeing a '69 Fury kit (by Johan, I think) in that year's Auto World catalog. It was a four-door sedan, too. Sigh...

Me, too.

You don't need to be sorry that you're leaving... I can't begin to imagine how I would feel if I were in your situation, but I can offer my thoughts and prayers for you. I hope all works out for you and yours.

Build 'em! Any and every kit that I buy is bought with the sole purpose of being built, even if that kit is old, rare, etc. I only have so many because I take my time with my builds; I am a "collecting builder" or a "building collector". As for decal problems, Micro Scale sells a coating/sealer/whatever for decals that is brushed on the decal sheet before you even begin to think about applying decals, It is supposed to keep old, fragile decals from exploding on contact with water as they so often do. Any good LHS or maybe even Hobby Lobby should sell the stuff.

Like someone else posted: "It depends". I have P.E. and other aftermarket stuff that I bought last century and still haven't used up, but I do incorporate into my builds as I go. Some were purchased with a particular build in mind, some, just because they're so cool I just hadda get them. I have a good supply of styrene on hand and other material for fabricating parts so unless I have a particular application or idea in mind, I don't really need to buy any and if I do, whatever isn't used on a particular build goes into my stock. I also use a lot of parts box stuff and some fellow modelers have contributed to my parts box for certain applications; for that I will "pay it forward". Can one calculate in the price of a kit that was on hand if one used the wheels and tires from that kit on another build? Then, there are paints- I have some HOK jars for my airbrush that are from the mid '90's; they will be used eventually, but how could I add their cost in if I don't even remember the cost? And if I bought canned air for that airbrush- it wouldn't be used for just one build. I keep certain colors on hand at all times as I know they will be used; some cost roughly a buck for a big can and some "hobby paints" can cost over six bucks for the normal sized rattle can and three bucks for a jar. Even if I build box-stock, I might go crazy and buy all new paints for that build, which can add up. But I digress. I honestly couldn't say I how much I spend on any one build- there are too many variables to be able to calculate.

No, the back seat passenger windows, after the driver and front passenger windows...

What does one call the windows behind the front windows- are they back windows or rear, side windows? And, what does one call the large piece of glass in the rear of the passenger compartment- the back window, or the rear window, or the backlight?

Your last #80 drill bit will break while opening the third hole in the distributor cap.

Mercurys, too. Seriously, a nice late model Marauder is pretty cool, as are some of those old breezeway back widow Mercs, and I would buy a '67 Cougar XR-7 kit (of current "quality") in a heartbeat.

Someone will want it badly enough to pay that much for it. I really, really want a Johan '67 Fury kit, but I have my limits for what I would pay for one. To each his or her own.

Yeah, I like that color, too. Looking forward to more pictures.

Does anyone know if Shabo is still in business making tire dry transfers, or another company offers the same products? I'd like to get some 1/24-25 BFG T/A Radial lettering, if it is available. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

It's always good to get some objective advice, even for us modelers with 50+ years of experience. One might not realize all the little things that one does while building and little bits of info can be easily overlooked. Also, one modeler's method might be another's greatest thing since spray paint. My most important bit of advice to her is: keep that first model. I wish I had mine.

Well, we have the really nice, old-school drag slick and Firestone tire parts packs to be thankful for- now, wouldn't it be cool if we could see some of the other old tires like the T/A radials, Blue Streak stock car specials, the hollow MPC Goodyears, etc, brought back in the same way? You know, with the correct printing and all that...

Isn't Hamtramck a neighborhood in Detroit, much like SoHo in NYC or Meyers Park in Charlotte?

Here's to a smooth, easy recovery and a normal life as soon as possible for you, Gluehead. Listen to your doctors- they're the pros.

Yep, he did, back to the AMX , Sting Ray and Econoline kits of the late '60s. That van kit was cool; it came with a lot of features to build it as a sort of pit van. If I remember correctly, it had a type of crane or hoist that slid out of the van, tools, cabinets... My parents got it for me while I was recovering from a surgery and I felt bad because I couldn't get all enthused about a kit that just didn't fit in with the rest of my stuff. I still shy away from odd scale stuff unless it's something t hat really floats my boat. We live, we learn.