johnbuzzed

I agree with Harry. Just by looking at what I see in person, on-line, in magazines, etc, shows that "good design", for esthetic purposes, is a matter of personal opinion. Some people like '55 Chevys, some like '56 Chevys.

When do we get the paddle ball things? ( I hope mine's not "defective" )

Very, very nice. All-around great job. I would be proud to have that one on my shelf.

Some definitions I found for build and assemble. You make the call: build: bild/ verb verb: construct (something, typically something large) by putting parts or material together over a period of time. verb (past and past participle built) [with object] 1Construct (something, typically something large) by putting parts or material together over a period of time: build verb (MAKE) › [i/T] to make a structure or something else by putting materials together in a particular way: verb to make, construct, or form by joining parts or materials ⇒ to build a house ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as·sem·ble: əˈsembəl/ verb verb: assemble; 3rd person present: assembles; past tense: assembled; past participle: assembled; gerund or present participle: assembling fit together the separate component parts of (a machine or other object). "a factory that assembled parts for trucks" synonyms: construct, build, fabricate, manufacture, erect, set up, put together, piece together, connect, join "how to assemble the kite" antonyms: dismantle assemble Syllabification: as·sem·ble Pronunciation: /əˈsembəl/ [with object] Fit together the separate component parts of (a machine or other object): a factory that assembled parts for trucks

To address the original post: I would like to see any and all of the reissues of vintage kits, from any and all of the manufacturers, fully restored to their original versions; parts-wise, box-wise, etc. I have thoughts and ideas of alternative molds, but I realize that $$$ rules, and my ideas might not be financially feasible. And: Why would anyone leave the forum due to a heated discussion or two? No one is forcing anyone to read any of the posts. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whether you or I agree with them or not. Some people probably won't agree with this post- that's their prerogative, and that's life. If you don't like what you see, there are plenty of other threads to read and follow. It's easy to avoid the drama. Just like watching TV- if you don't like the show, change the channel.

Whoda thunk...? Very, very cool !!!

Whatever. I still can't grasp how, with all of the reference material that is available and almost instantaneous forms of global communication, suitable for text and graphics, the final product can be messed up. This is not rocket surgery or brain science; it's injection molding of styrene. The technology, knowledge and skills are there. Yet, balls continue to be dropped. I guess it's good that the people involved don't work for any critical industries... We all should realize that mistakes are made; that's why we have a "delete" function, cyanoacrylate debonder, e-z outs and erasers. Unfortunately, some are far more costly than others. That's life. Who here hasn't made any mistakes? And, some people prefer to just assemble and paint- there are times when I do just that. Others prefer to modify what's in the box using a multitude of techniques- I am one of them at times, too. Labels are good to identify inanimate objects. When applied to people, problems arise.

Reissue: Johan '67 Fury, AMT Meyers Tow'd, AMT Sunbeam Tiger, AMT '64 Ford (full kit, not the "Craftsman"), Revell early '60s Valiant.

That Galaxie is so bizarre, it's cool! Whoda thunk of using that body style as a Pro Mod? I can't really help with the chassis info, there are plenty of people here who can, but I will definitely follow this build.

I last went to Bay Shore Hobbies during the holidays in 2013. The place was still crammed with stock, a lot of the merchandise was very inaccessible, but at least we were not the only customers- there were several people there. I wonder how many might have been turned off by the disorganization over the years, and how much more would have been sold if a customer could actually see the merchandise. I think there is a shop in Deer Park called Alsands- not sure, but it might be on Grand Blvd. Rob, I married a girl from Bay Shore and we lived on Brooklyn Blvd for 29 years, before we left the Island. It is a small world, indeed.

Howdy, Chris, and welcome. Like Rich, I am a transplanted LI'er, maintaining my LIARS membership even though we are now in SC. Go to the meetings- you'll not only have a good time, you'll learn a lot and see some quality builds, live and in-person.

Really, really nice; smooth and clean, nicely detailed without going overboard. If you need a "temporary" home for it, I'll be happy to make room on one of my shelves.

I think it looks cool and I like the color. Did the wheels come with that kit? I built one about 5 years ago and don't remember.

That all sounds like a plan- a really good plan. And, give us/the builders plenty of time to build the entries.

The model magazines- the three that I read from cover-to-cover, and those imports that I occasionally go through- all advise when a particular kit is not recommended for beginners. They do also advise when a particular kit is best suited for modelers of different skill levels, and what that level might be. The reviews in each do advise the good and bad points of a kit, whatever they are, from ejection pin marks to tolerance issues to difficulty or ease in assembling. I have seen reviews in which the builders have admitted to omitting parts for various reasons. Mind you, those who do the reviews are experienced builders, who would be able to overcome such problems if they were not building strictly box-stock for kit reviews. The reviews are seen after the kit is released because that is what the consumer will see. A build-up of that kit is what is necessary to demonstrate the positive and negative points of the kit. As far as throwing a model at a wall, that is probably something which we all have done at one time, at least metaphorically, even as experienced builders. In my 54 years of building, I distinctly remember one unfortunate MPC kit meeting it's demise under my foot; I'm sure there were others along the way. As we gain experience, patience and better skills, the desire to stomp or throw or whatever wanes and the model gets put back in the box, to be continued at a later date when a little more experience can help.

Yep, that is looking really good. Really, really good.

Well.. let's just agree to disagree, and leave it at that.

What info is "tainted", and what is the source of the "tainted" info?

Elmer's glue- the white stuff you can find in just about any store. If it sticks too much, you can soak the parts to be unstuck in water.

The manufacturers do, indeed, let us know that kits will be all-new, reissued or whatever. That info is available here in this forum, in the other car model mag forum and in the manufacturers' press releases. That info wasn't so readily available 40 years ago; then again, there were no 50-year-old molds in existence at that time. $25.00 does not guarantee anything when buying a kit, except that it will have a body, chassis, tires and wheels. For that money, you will find some rocks, and you will find some gems. Things have changed A LOT in 40 years.

I have a little over 100 kits on the shelves and about 20 works in progress, some of those having been started in the previous millennium. If I didn't have build notes for each of them I would be lost.

Re: Tamiya military stuff: With their selection of aircraft and armor from just about all nations that participated in WWII, and some more current stuff, I don't think there's too much head scratching. Except, to decide which Corsair or Zero or Mustang, etc, to build. If every manufacturer produced nothing but the same old, same old, we would be airing the same old, same old complaints about not enough variety. Is there really a need for Tamiya to produce another Deuce or '55 Chevy or 'Vette or contemporary Camaro or Challenger? They might be the best examples of those cars available in kit form, but other kits of those are already on the shelves, and the research and marketing people at Tamiya seem to be doing a good job keeping the company in business with what they continue to produce. There is no way to actually answer the original question for this thread as there are too many variables. One kit by a given manufacturer can be a gem; the next kit by the same could be a rock. Perhaps, some manufacturers might be more reliable when it comes to consistency in quality, parts fit, contours and dimensions, but not having built kits by every manufacturer, I wouldn't be able to make that determination. Reading reviews can yield a wealth of information, but hands-on experience is the best guide.

I remember building one of those- it was my first model. I was 5. I always thought it was a Palmer kit.

Looks cool, but I can imagine what the ride would be like with the rubber-band tires.

Carlos, that's really looking good and your effort to make it look realistic shows. If I may offer one tip: the molded copyright information on the chassis looks out of place on such a well-detailed model. It would be difficult to remove now, without a lot of extra work, but it's something to think about for your future builds.