larrygre

Izzy, YOU DA MAN! Thank you so much!

Am looking for 1983-84 Monte Carlo SS interior photos - they only came one way, blue with white trim, regardless of whether the exterior was white or blue. Can anyone point me in the right direction here? Thanks!

My daily driver is a 2006 White Diamond Pearl Acura TL with navigation system. This car is probably the most well-rounded automobile I have ever owned. And, for a front driver, it's fun to drive and handles VERY well. By the way, did you know that the Acura TL is only made in the USA? Yep. Marysville, Ohio. Despite its Honda parentage, it's more American than most "American" cars these days. Now, for my weekend ride, there's my Badass Black '96 Impala SS. Two tons of fun. Acceleration like the muscle cars of the Sixties, with four doors and a full size trunk. Primitive as all get-go next to the TL, but it WILL leave it - and may other cars - in the dust! Truly a four door Vette! ;-) The above photos are not of my actual cars - they are representative of them.

Izzy you were right on the money. The color goes by several names, I found it as Medium Dark Royal Blue, GM CODE 27U WA-7686. Duplicolor lists a 5 ounce spray as DS GM 328. Thanks!

You read it right, folks. Fujimi is following Tamiya's lead and producing 1/20 scale historic Formula I cars. The first kit is expected by June 2007, and it is the spectacular Ferrari 126C2, the last ride of the late, great Gilles Villeneuve. Go Fujimi!

Not yet, Chris. HLJ says they shipped April 13th so I figure bare minimum 15-25 days from leaving Japan. I'm anxious to see the differences also.

The Fujimi kit is a curbside.

There's enough room under that seriously domed hood for the huge valve covers of a Ford 427 SOHC and man, would THAT be a righteous sight in that 'Stang's engine bay or what! BTW Andy's right about the SOHaCk motor in the AMT '33 Willys. It's the best representation of that classic mill.

Hey guys - anyone know the name and factory code of the steel blue color used on the 1984 Monte Carlo SS? First year Monte SSs were only available in white or that blue. Thanks!

Many of you will not remember Pyro kits. Pyro had a very extensive line of 1/32 scale cars, many of which were never even considered in 1/25 scale. Unlike the popular AMT, Jo-Han, and Revell kits of the time (1960s), Pyro's 49 cents (yes, 49 cents!) kits did not come with customizing options, black vinyl tires, or chrome plated parts. In the early 1970s, Pyro's molds were sold to Life-Like, a hobby manufacturer most known for their train sets and accessories. In the late 1970s, Lindberg purchased the molds from Life-Like. In general, these kits are very nice, needing only a bit of care and patience to get them looking splendidly. And, with Alclad II Chrome paint now available, the argument that the kits lack chrome plating is unimportant.

Bob, I'll get them anyway. Probably two sets or so, and try dechroming and "sleeve-ing" them to a 20" tire. But I have to admit, those Pegasus rims on Izzy's 612 look great. Wonder how they would look under the Fiorano?

Bob, last I heard, the Fujimi REs were not yet available in Japan. Did you somehow manage to get a set?

Bill, RC2 themselves are not for sale. They are dumping Racing Champions (the company they started with) Ertl, AMT, and JoyRide Studios. RC2 is staying in the toy and baby/infant business. I have also heard that J.Lloyd (parent company of Hawk and Lindberg) is in the running to buy AMT from RC2. They have one visionary already - Lindberg/Hawk head honcho Ernie Petit. Hopefully, should they be successful at acquiring AMT, they will be able to reunite some of the visionary car guys that made AMT/Ertl a force to be reckoned with - guys like John Mueller, Dave Carlock, Tom Haverlind, and the rest of the engineering crew that put such passion into the last real AMT/Ertl kits.

Beeee-youtiful!

Lee old buddy! How ya been? Good to see you too! Those BBS REs are close, but you might be better with two other options to fill the Fiorano's wheel arches. The Museum Collection's metal Challenge rims for the 360 are pricey but they have the look and are the right diameter. (http://www.hlj.com/product/MCLTK-01), OR you can take the rims right out of the Fujimi F430 Challenge kit (http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ12268) and still have an F430 to build! Hope that helps some!

Man, how we love to trash the manufacturers when they don't live up to our expectations. Note I said the MANUFACTURERS, not the PRODUCT. Manufacturers make mistakes too. The fact of life is this: every manufacturer of plastic models has its crown jewels and its turkeys as well. Vaunted manufacturers like Hasegawa and Tamiya have some kits that don't quite live up to the hype of the reputations. When I reviewed the original kit in SAE (I can say that here, SAE no longer exists) in 1995, I also critically panned the Lindberg '40 Ford coupe (which has just been reissued) and the AMT '65 Pontiac 2+2. All three are not examples of bad people or bad manufacturers; they are examples of product planning that did not quite reach the standard of excellence. Should Revell have done a new-tool '70 Cuda kit? Absolutely. Pre-RC2 AMT/Ertl would have done just that - in fact, that's why we got an all-new '70 Camaro kit instead of the 1990-vintage rehash that was never quite right. An all-new '70 Cuda could be designed to produce a Hemi, a 340, an AAR, a droptop, a 440, and with some creative toolmaking, a '71. Like I said before, it would be an out of the park home run. Perhaps a post-RC2 AMT/Ertl would fulfill just such a wish. Just my .02, amigos.

Peter, Very nice indeed. Excellent workmanship and a fine "what if" scenario. The '77 Monte really does look better as a droptop!

Bob and everyone, Just as an FYI - the Fujimi 599 is now available in Japan. Mine has been shipped from HLJ so hopefully I'll have it within 15 days or so. Looking forward to comparing it to the Revell offering.

Zeb, The Protar S500 is the same plastic as the Revell Germany S500 and the Italeri S600 (except the Italeri kit has different wheels). I did a full review of the Italeri kit in MODEL CARS a couple of years ago, I don't know exactly in what issue it was published at the moment. It's very workable, but the "back-less" seats aggravated me a bit, and the flimsy axle pins will need replacement by some metal items. The Fujimi gold wire wheels look good, but they might just look a tad small in the wheel wells of the big S. I used Fujimi's AMG 18 inchers on mine, and those meats filled up the wells real nicely. FYI, Protar was bought by Italeri three years ago.

Thanks for the info Ryan. This kind of problem is not uncommon in the model aftermarket, be it car, airplane, train, whatever. Almost all of these are part time "cottage industries" working out of their garage or something similar. And the story with all the cottage industry failures is the same: they all start out with good intentions and then, when the demand for their products outstrips the time they need to do business in a timely fashion, they find they cannot deliver on their promise. Looks like I'm out some money. Sometimes lessons can be expensive - for the buyer AND the seller. Word of advice to fellow modelers: be very careful when you order from someone you are not familiar with. Check the reputation of the seller before you send them your money or credit card information - including asking all of us on this forum. Word of mouth is the best advertising there is - and the quickest way to let people know of bad business dealings. And - never forget this, friends - customer service is KING, far more important than the quality of the product you have ordered. Nobody should have to wait a year for anything they have ordered from anyone. Six to eight weeks should be the maximum turnaround time for your transaction. For example, Don Holthaus (The Modelhaus), for example, states a very similar time frame on his order forms and on his web site. That is called, in business terms, "managing expectations". Resin casting is not a service to modelers - it is a BUSINESS. And in business, the customer is KING.

It's been almost a year since I ordered one of A/FX's '71 Dodge Demon bodies. I've purchased from them before a couple of years ago and their quality is amazingly good, easily one of the best out there. But I have yet to receive the Demon body, and all e-mails to Wendell and Monica go unanswered. Has my money flown the coop? Have any of you had similar experiences recently? Clue me in please.

Zeb, That 300SL-24 indeed is Revell Germany, vintage around 1990. Revell USA issued the kit also for a short time in a short-lived "Premium" series around 1991. It's quite a nice model indeed. Besides Revell, Tamiya and Fujimi also did kits of that vintage Mercedes SL. The Japanese kits are of the 5 litre V8 powered 500SL version, while Revell Germany's piece has the 3 litre 24 valve straight six (hence 300SL-24). If you really wanted a hardtop on the Revell kit, you could swipe it from Tamiya's or Fujimi's and make it fit.

Removing mold release agents can be a bit of a bother, especially on resin items. The other night, while cleaning up a resin body, I decided to experiment a little - and with great success. Many of us wear eyeglasses, myself included. I've gotten into the habit of keeping a spray bottle of eyeglass lens cleaner both at my computer desk and at my modeling workbench. This stuff works great on eyeglasses, getting off everything from sweat to skin oils. Feeling the soapiness of the resin body, I decided to try the eyeglass cleaner on it. The stuff worked very well. Spray it on, wipe it off. The stuff contains isopropyl alcohol and it seems to cut right through surface oils. It works great on regular styrene also, and because it's alcohol based, it should not cause any damage to the resin or plastic. Eyeglass cleaner spray is available at every large drug chain such as Walgreens, CVS, Eckerds, Drug Fair, and more. Give it a try!

Zeb, its a Canadian truck. F-100s were rebadged and sold north of the border as Mercury pickups for some time during the 1950s. There was a good article in Collectible Automobile magazine in the recent past about the Mercury trucks - not sure which issue though.

For those of you that did not make it to NNL East and see it up close and personal, Jeff Watlington of Time Machine Resin has updated his 1970 Charger R/T transkit to include the correct stock interior tub, dash, and front seats. For donor kits, use any AMT/Ertl (MPC) '69 Charger kit (Daytona, 500, Dukes of Hazzard) for a drop on chassis or, for better detail, you can adapt AMT/Ertl's 68 Road Runner or Revell's '69 Charger chassis. Alclad Chrome the bumpers and you're on your way. TMR's casting are very nice, always done in white resin with very little (if any) flash, and I have yet to see any imperfections on any casting I have bought from them. Here's a shot of the parts: TMR's web site is at http://www.timemachineresin.bravehost.com.