62rebel

t-birds had different pans than the regular cars. their front suspension and crossmember and steering is unique to the two seater 'bird and requires a rear sump pan.

just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

pics of my '78 Rallye T-Top model are here somewhere... great job on yours.

my guess? wheeled sex. that is a beautiful car. trying to "spot the parts bin donors" for a clue to the builder..... not working for me.

Joker, that's a bear of a kit to do OOB much less customize. great job! I don't even think i'd attempt using one of those bodies when Revell has their new version out. impressive work.

very interesting and well thought out. impressed especially by the placement of the fragile parts inside heavy sprue shields. lots of detail as well; looks like a real builder's kit.

the pintle for the MG isn't fully pushed into the mount, and the MG itself is backwards in the swivel (easy to get that mixed up due to MPC's less-than-brilliant instruction sheets); the MG was intended for anti-aircraft use primarily and needed to swing through a high arc for that. with the receiver positioned properly behind the swivel, the muzzle would easily point high for the gunner. traveling locks would have been used to keep the MG fixed in place so it wouldn't inadvertently knock the driver unconscious swinging around during driving! pretty well done for someone absent from building for 20 years, Amanda!

that's the way I've always heard it; big blocks and small blocks except Chevies looked pretty much the same. it made for some deceptive sleepers "back in the day" when a Skylark badged for a 350 was toting a 455......

make sure you're not putting pressure outward from the inside unconsciously, compensating for the pressure you're putting on the outside. to prevent doing this, try taping a folded up piece of cardboard inside the body where you're sanding, and keep the pressure light. you'll develop a feel for this as you go.

beautiful job; is this the old MPC Grand National series kit?

prototype for the stillborn Greaseslapper Mountain Goat XSV.... (excessive; get it?)

the Ford Escort 4x4 crossover. so many dead giveaways to the Escort lineage.... poor panel fit, wavy plastic....

what scale is that kit?

I have seen a lot of photo-etched parts added to model cars that simply do not look "right". they may be 100% accurate and in scale, but they just don't LOOK right. if the intent of the CAR modeler is to draw attention to a specific detail, it should come across as realistic as possible, not just scale accurate. there are compromises we accept in building models, at least I do. if the kit maker went to the effort of making a detail a separate part, I applaud them for that. if they're limited by old technology, then I accept that and if I can, I make an effort to improve on the kit offering. many resin parts (not KITS, just detail parts) that I've seen just don't seem to be worth the cost for the amount of labor involved in adding them to a kit. then again, I don't use a lot of resin and my experiences are limited. I used to build armor, and when people started drilling machine gun barrels in 1/35th scale I lost interest. functional tracks were lost on me as well. ninety percent of what can be added to a tank interior will never be seen again once the kit is done. same with many aircraft kits. who can see the separate rudder pedals in the cockpit of a 1/72 p38? not my aging eyes.

it even looks like they tried tossing in a little bit of Edsel at the last minute, hoping the soup would turn out better. well; it didn't work. it simply looks like what it is, a cheap Chinese knockoff of a substandard design cribbed from styling cues found "unique" by present-day would-be geniuses trying to be Harry Lyons.

don't place all the blame on the cashier. seems like management did NOT do enough training on coupons for that person. besides, being diplomatic helps to reinforce that you ARE in the right and not simply whining over a few bucks (which is, unfortunately, how many people see us when we're faced with kits over 30bucks and bottles of paint around 3...). however, once the manager realizes you COULD simply leave without buying ANYTHING because of a cashier's attitude.... well; you get the picture. three times in as many months I've scanned the shelves at HobbyTown and left emptyhanded.....

impressive and beautifully done.

a styling exercise from the School For The Blind?

you even got the oil stains on the ground done well!

another excellent piece of work. very convincing!

dang. hurry up, Ira....

the automotive equivalent of "The Peter Principle". sooner or later, everyone gets promoted to a position entirely unsuited for their capability, and it becomes their downfall. stick to what you're best at is the moral.

I recall seeing the article somewhere that instructed on using a hot knife to open doors, etc... well; FIRST off, they said you needed at LEAST two bodies to start with, cutting "good" panels out of one and using the other by cutting inside the shut lines.... !!!!! I wanted one horribly, but my Dad vetoed this one item (wisely).... at that age, I regularly sliced divots out of my fingers just using Ex-acto knives.... a red-hot soldering iron with a razor sharp blade on it? naaah.

Porsche should never have strayed from 2 doors, 2 seats, and a maximum of six air-cooled cylinders.

considering that I only drop by every 3-4 weeks anymore, messages to me, if any, have probably lost their relevance by that time. it's the same at work; anybody that REALLY needs to talk to me has my cell number. otherwise, catch as catch can.