Aaronw

Another option is to prime, then foil. Cut them as close as possible, then do your color coat. Once the paint cures you can carefully sand so the foil shows through on the raised areas.

Yes and no, I do stick with specific scales for the different types of models I build, 1:24/1:25 for cars, 1:35 (and occasionally 1:72) for armor, and 1:72 for aircraft (1:144 for the really big stuff), but I don't worry too much about exact scales as long as they are fairly close. I don't have anything against the large scale stuff, but simply don't have the room for them. If there was somethig that really got me excited in a large scale kit, I'd probably do one, but so far there is nothing offered I'd really like to get into that much detail on.

I only drive straight trucks and the axle loadings are just one of those things that stuck in my mind from the test. It's not something I have to worry about in practical terms, since the loads are well within the limits. What you are saying about the trailers is what I was getting at, adjusting the load to distribute the load between the trailer axles and the 5th wheel. I've never had to deal with that and assumed there was some formula so people knew where to put the axles and how to distribute the load in the trailer. It sounds like you are saying it is mostly experience and trial & error.

It is axle weight that becomes the issue, 12,000 on the front, 20,000 each for the rear, so a 3 axle straight truck can have a total weight of 52,000lbs. Cement mixers are given an exception to allow 20,000 on the front axle too. With trailers not all of that weight goes to the truck axles so a pair of shorter trailers will allow a 2 axle truck to carry the same load as a 3 axle and a large trailer assuming it has the power to pull it. I'm not sure how the transfer of the trailer weight to the tractors axles is calculated, but assume there is a basic formula of some sort. It does vary depending on how the weight is distributed on the trailer, so ultimately is determined on a truck scale.

I've been out to the garage and found the Monogram XKE kits so I can get started. I'm glad I bought them a few years ago because the only ones I see on ebay are asking $45 and $60, I think I paid $15 or $20 for the two kits together. Technically I should be starting with a convertable, but once I've made the changes it won't matter. Funny thing with the kits one says 1/25 and the other 1/24 but they are the same kit, just different issues, one is a white box with white plastic, one a black box "exotic car series" with silver plastic. I usually start with a sprue shot, but quite a few of the parts are off the sprues so it would just be a jumble of parts. So far I've only found 1 missing piece from the suspension and it looks simple enough to make. It's one of my favorite movies, I've always wanted a 1-1 but I'll have to settle for 1/25.

Sorry I just realized you want to do a COE, RMR has quite a few available if you decide not to do it yourself. http://www.freewebs.com/rmrresin/

The fenders were wider on the medium and heavy duty Fords, but the cab would be the same. On the 1947-53 GM trucks the hood and fenders were a few inches longer and the fenders were a few inches wider. the headlights were also an inch higher but in 1/25 that isn't really worth bothering with. Dencon resin does a nice 1948-50 Ford F-8 with or without a sleeper.

I am agreeing with him, the unfortunate part is that what he is saying is true. Too many people do not really want criticism, constructive or otherwise. As far as I know that particular builder is not on this site, but similar things occur here frequently. I specifically chose an example from another site so I don't single out anyone here.

Unfortunately I've seen Mark's comments in action far to often. One that comes to mind was a very nice diorama of a snow plow in action. The one issue was the snow was flat and the area the plow had gone through was just cut out like you would see with a shovel. Now snow plows don't work this way, you get a distinctive berm and a "bow wave" off of a moving plow, even a slow moving plow. The model was very well built, the diorama features were well thought out and implimented except for the bit I mentioned. I complemeted the builder, and suggested as a minor improvement that the snow be built up to the one side and that a small wave of snow be added coming off the plow. The reply from the builder and a small group of followers was that I didn't know what I was talking about, the diorama was perfect as is. The builder wasn't quite rude in his reply, but obviously didn't take the comments as intended, several of the others were less than polite.

I've been wondering since the Revell kits were announced, so might as well ask here. Were midgets sometimes rented out at public tracks kind of like you find at some peewee golf places? When I was a little kid maybe 6 or 7 (early 70s) my family went camping with my aunt & uncle. Along the way we stopped at a track where my uncle raced a little car that looked similar to the midget kits, but it was large enough that I was able to ride along with him.

I won't post fluff praise, and I'm tired of having people get into a huff when suggestions or corrections are made, so I have gotten to the point where I will only comment under a few situations: I know the person is a big boy and will respond appropriately to criticisms The quality is of a high standard so it is safe to assume they can handle constructive comments (and in reality I'm usually asking these people questions). Amazingly I've been burned by #2 over very minor suggestions more than you would think, some people simply want to hear how great they are. That is about it, too many people get worked up and see insult behind every word, so why bother. If you want constructive criticism demonstrate that you can handle it, and make an effort to not find insult in comments regardless of the use of tact in those comments. I'm not saying to smile and wave at trolls, but understand that some people don't know how to say something constructively, they just blurt it out, particularly on an impersonal communications method like the internet. Despite being blunt in many cases their comments are valid once you remove ego from it.

Ew, I think I need to make sure I'm up to date on my tetanus shot after reading this whole thread. I love this, it really makes me want to build a small rural volunteer fire station.

I suppose GM could be playing with a police package Cadillac too. The CTS would be one of the few to compete directly with the Charger once Ford drops the Crown Vic. I think it is larger than the Charger which would be in its favor since many police agencies stick with the Fords because they are the only full size rear wheel sedan left. Many police departments hate front wheel drive cars and will be looking at SUVs in place of small sedans they don't feel meet their needs. Who ever offers the biggest, "old school" rear wheel drive sedan with good performance will dominate the police car market. It wouldn't be the first time Cadillac went after a police contract, Oakland, Ca ran Cadilacs for a short time in the early 80s, but they were too slow (the new specs demanded a 0-60 time under 11 secs after that) and the media went after the image of police "luxury cars", so they only lasted a year or two, before the city dumped them and went to Crown Vics and Dodge Diplomats.

If you go to the department of labor site you can download all of the required employee safety / workers rights / minimum wage etc workplace posters. You would probably have to print them, then scan them to get them into scale, but since they are required for all workplaces they would add a good bit of accuracy to an industrial site diorama.

I've been planning on building this for at least 6 years, so I might as well do it. The Jaghearse from Harold & Maude

I missed the cage, that is odd. Secret Service does a lot of VIP protection so has higher end cars than your standard law enforcement agency, but I wouldn't expect to see a cage.

Sounds like Secret Service to me, I haven't seen a lot of their cars but all have had an odd combination of low profile and UBER COP written all over their cars.

Mark don't base your experience for the whole line up on one R&R kit. I have several and they range from what you describe to a pretty straight forward body swap. I'm currently (well off and on the past year, due to my own screw ups) working on a 4 door 1953 Ford that uses the Lindberg 1953 Ford kit. Other than my slow building rate there is little issue with the actual conversion. I understand it is not 100% accurate, but only a 1950s Ford fanatic would know that and I couldn't point out the errors. Certainly not the best resin in the world, but I've seen much worse, they can be worked with and the prices are not unreasonable. If you get them from Star Models, you can email Steve who runs the place and he is pretty good about giving you a realistic assessment of a particular kit.

Try here, I haven't actually seen his IH cab, but I have some of his other cabs and they are well done. http://www.modelsbydave.com/

Ok, so more than just a trim option. Do you know if the Modelhaus sedan delivery has the rear windows opened up or closed panels I would have to remove? The 210 is almost the same price so it is mostly a matter of figuring out which option is the least work.

I was watching the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest the other night and was thinking it might be fun to build the park ranger's car used near the end of the movie. It is a 2 door Chevrolet wagon (actually two slightly different cars were used), supposedly a 1956 150 wagon, which I guess is a lower end version of the Nomad. In the other shot it is said to be a windowed sedan delivery (different rear door, one piece vs two piece). There are some screen shots and discussion of the cars here http://imcdb.org/vehicle_11751-Chevrolet-One-Fifty-Handyman-1529-1956.html I'm not too concerned which of the two I build, but I am wondering what I need to do to the 1956 Nomad kit to build one of the two. Thanks

Tower is showing them as expected early 2011 at just under $22.

Sounds like you found what you needed, but G gauge model railroad stuff works too. I got a bag of nice wooden barrels at a model railroad shop, probably 15-20 gallon sized. They also had some cast metal Moonshine jugs.

Studebaker did beat 2 of the big 3 (GM on a technicality) with a fully in house 4x4 truck, but it was not the second US built light duty 4x4 truck offered. Willy's brought out a 4x4 pickup and wagon in '47, a year after Dodge introduced the Power Wagon. International offered a 4x4 pickup in '53. GM started offering "factory" 4x4 trucks using NAPCO conversions in 1956 (GMC) and 1957 (Chevrolet). These were factory built trucks, using NAPCO conversion kits installed by GM factory workers on GM production lines. So if you are really picky Studebaker beats GM by 3 years since they did not offer a 100% GM developed 4x4 until 1960. This is a rather nit picky point since most 4x4 trucks use outside sourced parts (Dana/Spicer, Rockwell, Borg/Warner etc). Ford didn't offer a factory 4x4 until 1959. It is still a nice truck even if Studebaker was #4 1/2 and they definitively beat Ford to the 4x4 market (kind of ironic since Marmon Herrington built one of the first light duty 4x4 trucks in 1937 using Ford trucks). I saw one of the 1960s Studebaker trucks in the 80s and was really surprised to see how modern it appeared compared to other US trucks from the 60s.

I'd like to see a Chevrolet / GMC steel tilt cab truck. We have the nice AMT Ford C-600 and the adequate Lindberg L-700, so it would be nice to have the third of the big 3's medium duty cab over trucks to add some variety.