Aaronw

Doll house stuff was already mentioned, but G scale model railroad stuff also often works well. It varies in scale from from 1/20 to 1/30 but for extra bits and bobs that isn't usually noticable. For making it yourself I agree with the bass wood and sculpy. For closed crates you can get a chunk of balsa about the size you want then glue bass wood strips to it making it even easier than building a hollow box from basswood alone.

Watch out for cheap flourescent lights too, particularly working at night. A few years ago I found myself totally unmotivated in the winter. I worked out of the same office year round but during the summer I was outside in the sun for a good chunk of the work day. I saw some Discovery channel thing on winter depression and they mentioned a link to lack of sun, and specifically mentioned flourescent lighting. My office had one tiny window facing a storage shed, so got little direst sun. I swapped out the cheepo govt flourescents for the more expensive daylight bulbs and my can't get anything blahs were dramatically reduced. I nearly doubled my time at the bench after that actually finishing several projects. I know it sounds like some sort of hokum, but I have really found the daylight bulbs help with the layabout blahs.

Holy half a decade thread necromancy Batman! I forgot I'd been a member of the site that long, thanks for the added comments.

There is a film that sticks to the metal. A clear sheet with the artwork (overhead transparency in Joseph's case) goes over the film. When exposed to light the film cures where not covered by the artwork. This cured film is what protects the metal, the uncured portion being quickly disolved by the acid.

The #1 tool that improved my building was the simple sprue cutter. A real quality sprue cutter makes a huge difference. For years I poo-pood them as a waste of money using nail clippers, small pocket knife scissors, wire snips, an exacto blade (great way to put parts into orbit btw) etc. Other tools I get a lot of use from Pin vise and drills Punch set 6 scale ruler (1/24, 1/25, 1/32, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72) $0.99 break away box cutter / carpet knife (I use this way more than my Exacto knives) Emery boards Cheap ceramics tool set (6 double ended "spatulas" that are great for working with putty) Small wire cutters (never cut wire with a sprue cutter ) Metal square and cutting board Tool for bare metal foil (ball on one end, curved spoon-like bit on the other) Exacto knives (for those things that require a really sharp knife like decals and BMF) Tweezer assortment Mini C clamps (vice grips makes a nice set) ALPS 5500

Neat to see it will be able to start and end its trip under its own power. I hope they are able to run it as planned in its new home. We have "the skunk" in Northern California an old railroad that runs through the redwoods but it always seems to be on the brink of bankruptcy.

I would agree with this general statement. Supercars are partly performance, but also have to have some mystique that makes them stand out from the crowd. A super duper version of a fairly common car like a Saleen Mustang doesn't have that because the average member of the pubic doesn't know it is any different from the base model Mustang. Nobody, not even somebodies never had a drivers license grandmother can look at a Lamborghini Countach and not immediately know it is a stupidly expensive, mind numbingly fast sports car.

Other than the 1996 Tahoe from AMT, you have to go diecast or resin. Police car models has some current (or at least current-ish) SUVs http://www.policecarmodels.com/ I'd have to look around to remember who did them, but there are some older than 1996 SUVs in resin.

There will always be people with more money than sense. People who want the fastest production sports car ever built even though it just sits in their garage collecting dust. I wonder how many of the existing supercars that have been built ever actually get driven, and of those how many ever get driven anything close to their potential. Not the nuke part but isn't the Tesla basically an electric supercar?

If I didn't build just about everything I would have a fairly unremarkable stash of kits, but since I have so many interests I have rather large pile. Smaller than some, bigger than others (rough estimate 700-1000 kits but at least 1/2 are 1/72).

I wish the "mints" would offer their cars as unfinished kits. Not even so much for the cost savings, more so because I feel like a vandal tearing apart one of their wonderful models. I've noticed this too. (sorry in advance for the non-car reference) Zvezda just came out with a very nice WW2 Soviet Yak-3 snap kit. The Yak-3 was an important fighter for the Soviets in WW2 compared by some to the Spitfire and P-51 Mustang, but it has only been done a few times in plastic. All of the available kits have accuracy issues, and most were done in the 70s when detail on 1/72 was fairly minimal. You would think people would be thrilled to have a new kit particularly one that is supposed to be the most accurate of any done so far. Although it is a snap kit it is detailed as well or better than most modern 1/72 kits I've built, with fine panel lines, many small finely molded parts, and a full cockpit. It fits together well with little need for putty and where they compromised the kit (in my opinion) they compromised towards a better model rather than for an easier snap fit (no visible huge pegs). Built up I doubt most would ever guess it was a snap kit. I'm building it alongside the old Heller kit (which was considered one of the better Yak-3s before this kit) and there is no detail that the new Zvezda kit does not do better except for the wing attachment which is a little unconventional (but workable). Still there is a very vocal group dismissing this kit and shouting about how this shows Zvezda isn't a serious model company because they have sacrificed the "serious" modeling community to attract younger modelers. You are a glutton for punishment Harry, I can already imagine the pile of hate mail you and Gregg would get if you had a major diecast feature in the magazine. Remember the hullabalu about the (very cool in my opinion) steam tractor a few years back? Maybe we can take up a collection to buy you guys some Nomex underwear.

If you are just using normal paint, not a urethane or other exotic paint, a good spray booth should be fine. Under exposure controls on the Krylon MSDS is says "adequate ventilation". It only recommends use of a respirator if the OSHA standards can not be met through ventilation (like perhaps spraying the inside of a truck box). I'm sure you will find similar direction from other brands of spraypaint. If you are using an airbrush you have even less material in the air. http://www.theartist...ay_adhesive.pdf

Wouldn't those be new kits of new trucks?

Most of these are pretty accurate, this is the only one I really the issue with There are a lot of lurkers who simply follow the if you don't have anything useful to add to a conversation don't, or the it is better to remain silent and let people think you are stupid instead of opening your mouth and proving it. I'm very active on some forums but just lurk on others. I've been a member of a soviet warplanes site and a WW1 aircraft site for more than a year but have less than a dozen posts on both because I'm mostly just there to learn. The few posts I have made (besides the obligatory "Hi I'm new" post) has been to get information I can't find with a search. I am obviously a bit more active on this site, because I have a little bit of knowledge about cars and model cars so get more involved. I don't see why lurkers would be considered mysterious, and the only reason I could see to stay away from lurkers would be if their few posts are of a trollish nature.

IH Loadstar

I've only ordered from them once so far, but no complaints on that order. I will be ordering from them again in the future.

I've got two of his Model T conversions. Very nice parts and great service.

I've been pecking away at a decal how to for about 6 months off and on (more off than on), the Rescue 1 Gremlin would give me a subject to focus on the ALPS vs Ink / Laserjet for the demos. I'm thinking the orange and white striping would be better done by masking and painting, so the actual decals would be fairly simple.

I have a smart phone, so I can play video games AND commune with nature.

I'll probably end up getting a couple sets of wheels, I have the snow plow and the Rescue truck, but the tires in both kits are boogered up.

I had an uncle who had one of the original Sears Pong games, another good example of a simple game that is still capable of wasting hours even today. Artilery is still around and amazingly popular in its current form, Angry Birds.

Here is a website with some info on the rescue Gremlin http://www.gremlinx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87&Itemid=155

The Javelin reminds me of the black interceptor from Mad Max and the Road Warrior. I've always thought it was a good looking car. As for the Gremlin, I'm going to have to get at least one. I want to build a Hurst Rescue Gremlin. In the 70s someone got the idea that combining hydraulic Hurst recue tools with a Gremlin would be a great rescue vehicle for fire departments. I've got a copy of an ad around here somewhere.

ZORK is the greatest computer game ever made. For those who need an explaination ZORK was one of the first text based computer games, no graphics, no sound effects, just typing. You are standing in an E/W hallway near a flight of stairs. Up It is very dark, if you continue you might get eaten by a Grue. Use flashlight I looked it up a few months back, you can download it now, and it is still fun. Technology is an attitude, the only thing it has to do with age is whether or not it is new to you. I work with 50 year old guys (can't really call them old anymore since I'm getting up there myself ) who complain about touch tone phones. My dad is 74 and fully appreciates technology. He doesn't use all of it, but he looks at it and uses the bits that interest him. He loves digital photography and photoshop. Not as good as Harry's stuff but he will take a photo of a plane or car he likes and will work it over to look the way he thinks it should have been made. When Smart phones came out I thought it was one of the most useless ideas ever sold. Two summers ago I was on a fire assignment with a "kid" (hey he was born the same year I started with the fire department, so I can call him sport, ace, kid etc) who had a Droid X. It compeletely changed my attitude towards them, and you can have mine when you pry it out of my cold dead fingers and kill my zombie corpse when it comes to reclaim it. Thank you, I don't know how many fights I had with my mom, when I was learning to drive. She thought the dash was a filing cabinet. First thing I'd do when I got in the car was take all that junk and throw it in the back seat.

I've had an HP since 2005. Other than a warranty issue that was quickly taken care of, I've had no problems. I'm not sure I'll go that way again though as I've been hearing the current HPs are not the quality they used to be.