Aaronw

There has actually been a huge improvement in battery technology, just look at laptop computers and cell phones. I know the rechargable batteries of 20 years ago couldn't come close to the performance of modern NiMH, and Li-Ion batteries. Personally I just don't think electric is a practical power source for vehicles. It works ok for light rail commuter trains, and street cars, with direct connections to the power grid (3rd rail or overhead cable) but you don't see electric trains replacing the "hybrid" diesel electric locomotives. There is actually alot more of this going on than most people know. I did a paper for school last spring looking at new technologies for disposing of forest waste (brush, logging slash etc). I didn't expect to find much, and thought it would be mostly hypothetical, but there is a fair amount being developed and even used. There is no need to grow crops, biofuels capable of being used as petroleum stocks to make gas and diesel fuels can be made from most organic material, forest and farm waste, animal biproducts / waste, and a lot of garbage currently just going to landfills. This waste material can be burned directly to power electrical plants, gassified (the process also used to make gas from coal) and burned like natural gas, or used with a bioconversion plant to make a petroleum like oil used like a heavy heating oil, or refined into gas or diesel. I think your last comment is a driving force behind the relative invisibility of these processes. Anything that supports the use of petroleum fuels, even if not drilled, is not as popular as electric power with many even if it is just as clean and ecologically sound. There was a similar bias in the 90s against CNG and hybrid cars until it was apparent that electric cars just were not going to be economically sound at that time.

Mine is working fine, although it looks like they have moved stuff around again.

BIN White shellac is supposed to stop anything. It is used to seal walls from smoke and water stains etc. I've used it on wood to knock down the grain and painted over it with acrylics and it worked great. I'm not sure how shellac reacts to enamels, laquers etc, but I think I've seen others mention using it on models. http://rust-oleum.co...uct.asp?pid=216

I don't know how much difference there was 59 - 60 or El Camino to Bel Air, but you might find some useful info in the replies to my '59 El Camino question. Among the many detailed posts there was one that included a brochure for 1959 Chevys that includes a lot of interior details. http://www.modelcars...showtopic=48800

Sterling got the 1996+ Louisville too. That is a kit I wouldn't mind seeing and it could be offered as both a Ford & a Sterling. Something that can be made from the Lonestar makes the most sense though. I think other than the hood, most of the modern heavy IH trucks are pretty much the same, so they should be able to get some milage from the Lonestar tooling.

I'd have to go with attention span. I have a lot of interests and they shift frequently. I simply can not sit down and build something once the mood passes so I end up with a lot of incomplete models that sit waiting for the mood to return. I think overall I'm a pretty well rounded builder, lots ( LOTS ) of room to improve but nothing really jumps out at me as a particular weakness.

Pretty much the same except 4 & 6 frequently get shorted (I'm very much a measure once, cut 2,3 4 times, curse scream, get a new piece and start again type). For 7 I don't wash again but I do wet sand which is about the same thing. 8 is a sometimes, depending on the part I'm likely to just lay it on the floor of the spray booth, but for more complex shapes I have some stiff wire I make little holders from. and I add step 9, get 50-99% done, then get bored, and set it aside for 1-5 years. A perfect example of rule 9, I started building a Tamiya Alpine Renault in March 2008, all that is left are the tail lights, rear bumper, and fog lights but it went into a box until 2 nights ago (it will be finished and posted in Under Glass this weekend after only 4 1/2 years).

Thanks guys, everything I need to know and then some. Good to know about the rubber floor mats, I would have left the floor grey. The white trim inside the side chrome may be a little tricky, I'm going to have to think about that one.

Ok, primer is on, so the chrome trim is staying. I'm glad that appears to be the general conclusion. Grey works for the interior as that was the color I had done previously, I was thinking about changing to a black interior, but I'll just leave it alone. I can't find any good photos of the ceiling, would it be a headliner matching the interior or metal matching the exterior color? Thanks

Thanks, I'll leave all the shiny bits then, sanding it all off would be almost as much trouble as foiling it all. I just wanted to make sure it would be appropriate to leave it on with a 6.

I'm not really familiar with the X-El kits. Do you know if there is any chance of seeing the '68 Plymouth Fury police car again? Was it among the batch of X-El kits you are talking about? As it was available at the same time as the Rambler wagon I'm hoping that the answer might be yes, but there were a lot of rumors floating around about that kit, the last time Johan kits were being re-issued. As far as the others, I see several 4 doors being mentioned which are always welcome to join my stash, and it would be nice to see some Cadillacs other than 59's available at a decent price.

I'm digging out an old project and since I need to do a repaint thought I'd double check a few things I might have wanted to do. I'm building a 1959 El Camino as a base model with a 6 cylinder. Should it still have all the chrome or would that have been deleted on the el cheapo version? Also with a single color would the center of the side chrome striping still be another color (white or black on most 2 tones I've found photos of)? I've tried looking for photos and I'm not finding any without chrome that are not customs, but I am finding enough with solid chrome (silver down the middle) to make me wonder if that was the basic style on single color cars or if it is just old and the paint has either faded / worn away or been removed. Thanks

That idea is often associated with Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) who died as the second richest man in America (right behind John D Rockefeller). He was one of those who felt it was a responsibility of great wealth to return some of that benefit to the public. I don't believe he ever suggested that it was the obligation of the super rich to give away their money, but he did believe it was an obligation of the super rich to ensure their money was well spent, and not squandered in displays of opulance or carelessly given away. http://www.fordham.e...889carnegie.asp There are many though who do seem to take his idea a step further, suggesting they do have obligations to give away their money.

Assuming I could keep my current practical daily drivers, I'm pretty simple so... a 1930s convertable, Packard, Duesenberg or Auburn Boat tail a 1941 Chevrolet pickup and an open cab Seagrave Anniversary Series fire engine

MRC is a US distributor, not a part of Tamiya past or present that I am aware of. http://www.modelrec.com/ The M4 Jumbo is still listed in their catalog, so not particularly uncommon. With a quick look on ebay there is a guy selling 6 of them for $34 each which is a typical retail price for an older Tamiya tank kit. I've also not found the military modeling community being anywhere near as interested in the collectability of older kit boxings as model car builders.

This is kind of what I was thinking, I've also seen some with a flatbed or stake bed. http://www.remarkablecars.com/main/ford/ford-00058.html http://steveconleysales.com/0,52,1924-ford-model-t-enclosed-cab-pickup-truck.html

Thanks, no problem about stock as long as it is the right general year. It wasn't that uncommon for ambulances of the period to put a little extra under the hood since it was a finacial advantage to get there before the competition.

I just got one of these parts pack motors in a bundle with other stuff. I'm a little confused as to what it actually is since I can't find a reference to a 1-1 Cadillac V-8 of this displacement. I am assuming it is the 1st gen OHV 331-365-390 V-8 used 1949-62 and either Revell got the displacement wrong, or that was a popular size to custom bore the 331 engines. So am I correct or is this something else. I didn't specifically get the bundle for this engine, but since I have it I was thinking about de-curbsiding a Polar Lights Ghost Busters Caddy and wondering if this would be an appropriate engine to use. Thanks

Has anyone ever tried bashing this with the other '25 T kit? I'm thinking of using the closed cab with the pickup bed from the other kit. I'm just wondering how well the parts from one fit on the other, I assume they share some of the same tooling.

In a typical year I probably spend $1000-1500 so I would conservatively estimate the tools, paint, and stash at $10,000, but if some of the ebay prices can be believed it could be as high as $100,000 maybe more. Seriously is anyone paying $50 for the 1984 GMC 4x4 (ex Fall guy truck) or $120 for the AMT Ford Interceptor police car? With the latest chop shop selling methods (selling all the parts individually) I've been seeing lately I might be able to push the stash value high enough to buy myself a helicopter. Cranky, I've thought about putting little suggested price tags with pertinant info for selling just in case. I never get around to it though because I'd have to inventory everything and it would cut even further into my limited modelling time, plus it is kind of depressing. While I have spent considerably more on some kits, if she gets an average of $10 per kit that will still be a significant chunk of money to take care of bills until the life insurance kicks in.

Do these count? Ok, actual tools I've made to build with After spilling one too many bottles of glue, just a PVC cap and an electrical plate cover I made a cutting jig for plastic using a laminate table top and 2 squares. One is fastened down, the other is free to move for adjustment. I've been using this for years and have been very happy with it. Making use of the skills learned in high school wood shop Everyone had to make a spice rack right? Well this just takes that idea and adjusts for the size of paint bottles. Paint booth

I'd really like to see believable fire / smoke. I've seen some good attempts but it always falls short. Motion is another place that tends to not quite do it. The crashing sprint car dio is really neat, but in the end it still looks like a static model since it is missing little things like dirt / dust in the air. and no I have no idea how to do any of these things, that's why I'd like to see them. Something like this would be neat, maybe put it in a sealed clear box connected to a smoke machine?

I think you are seeing the tank number (737) on my photo, I can't read the reg number anyway. The tanks are individually numbered so they can be used on different airframes and do not match the aircraft registration number. The landing gear is different too. The single wheels are used on the older Sikorsky built S-64E, the twin landing gear is used on the Erickson built S-64F.

Erickson has a bunch of them, at least a dozen just in the US. They are located in Oregon and are actually modeler friendly even having a page dedicated to modelers. http://www.ericksonaircrane.com/modelerzone.php I don't think the one you saw is the same as the one in my photo. Not all have a name, and I would have remembered a name like Ichabod.

Well some of us do. They are pretty neat, I always think they look like giant grasshoppers.