EH225M

Uh oh, I just bought this kit for my Godson. He's 6yo and this will be his first kit. The box art has the car facing in the opposite direction to what has been posted above, so it's a reissue. It's the only snap kit they had in the shop at the time, and now it's wrapped up ready to give to him in the morning!. I was hoping it was going to be 10 minutes of quality time with him, then 30 minutes of playing with his new model before it breaks I guessed that all I'd need is to borrow his mothers nail file to smooth out the break from the sprue and help him build it. Will it be that easy???, or will I have a crying child on my hands??? BTW, I've never ever heard of Mach 5 before untill I read this post. Wish me luck!!!

My daughter gave me the Revell Balwin/Motion '70 Chevelle kit. The box said it scaled to 1:24 While building the kit I bought the Revell "heavy Chevy" '70 Chevelle kit. The box said it scaled to 1:25 Both body and chassis were the same mould, same scale!

Tony, Don't give up!! You're doing well! Barn doors would be more appropriate for a garage built in the 20's anyway. I have a tilt - a - door in my garage that has a fairly simple mechanism, although I look at it in 1:1 scale!! I can email you pics of it if you want.... I can't post to the board, I just don't know how. I need someone to hold my hand while I attempt it. James.

Virgil, I've been watching this build with glee over the past week or so. While I haven't read every reply to your pictures, I haven't seen any power outlets and/or compressed air lines on the walls. Yes, I know the doirama isn't finished yet - and when it is, you can send it to me!! I just wanted to say that every mechanical workshop I've walked into has a power outlet within easy reach and a compressed air line not too far away either. I just wish I had your skills at building something like this! James.

Could I suggest a color wheel? At least to see what a lighter or darker shade of green would look like compared to the body color. Maybe even a contrasting color?

I qualify to join this club! That's me all over. I guess the shelf models dont help when they sit on a tricycle attitude because the 'one ' wheel your looking for is already employed!

Ryan, I've been reading a book titled D-Day, by Stephen E Ambrose which is a historical account of the events and planning leading up to the invasion. As I read the book, the picture in my mind is of your diorama. It is simply amazing work. My father was a member of 467SQN RAAF. He was a bomb aimer in Lancasters during that period. On the 6/7th June '44, he was on a sortie flying over Omaha (at night) when the canopy of the Lancaster became iced over. The pilot reported that he would have to descend out of the bomber stream into warmer air because the glycol wouldn't squirt through the nozzle to clear away the ice. They descended from 18000ft to approx 8000ft to witness what was going on below them. Dad said never again would that happen in history, and here he was circling above it. After the ice had cleared from the canopy they went after the bomber stream. Thousands of Lancasters had swept through the area just minutes before, but Dad spotted a radio mast still standing and told the pilot to head toward it. The Lancaster emptied its payload on the run up, and through the radio mast. Another Panzer division without contact. Job done. Head for home.

great job Chris, It looks driveable Can I have the keys please? By the way, is there a flat hood available for this model? James.

That looks great!! Don't forget to tie down the load on the traier tho!! James.

Mike, The Z28 looks awesome!! I really love the interior, my brother has a 1978 'HZ' Holden GTS that has the same plaid pattern although in beige / red colours. You're doing a great job!! James.

I've owned a 1963 'EH' Holden since '03. I paid $900 for the car, and it had a little bit of rust in the body, but the floor and chassis were perfect! The car was mostly original from the factory when I bought it. After a little welding / bog / painting ( 4 years ) it went back on the road in '07. It's still registered and running perfectly. I live in Sydney, and I've driven it north to Brisbane, nearly 2000 round trip, and to Adelaide nearly 3200 kilometres. After all that, it needs a new water pump. Not bad for an old car!! It still behaves like it was designed to. Happy days with the Holden!. The most dangerous car I've ever owned was a '97 Ford Transit 1 ton van. I purchased the van in '02 to be a courier running around the suburbs of Sydney delivering freight from dawn till dusk. It was regularly serviced and cared for as much as my finances could allow. Pretty much, all my money went back into the van to keep it going. In about '04, I was walking accross the road toward the van, running accross 4 lanes of traffic, I looked at the van and thought the only thing I haven't had to fix on this thing is the brakes... I unlocked the van, and jumped in to do the next job. Out of habit, my right foot would rest on the brake pedal while I would write up the paperwork from the previous job. My foot went to the floor! Typical bloody van!! Suck all the money I make outa me!! And I was a long way from home, or my mechanic. The best I could do was pump the pedal which did very little for the confidence. Sydney has very steep hills around it, it aint all wonderfull harbour and opera houses! So I had an inch before the pedal hit the floor, so, off I go. Intensely watching the traffic in front of me I was able to survive the rest of the day and got home. The next day I jump in the van. Full pedal! Everything's good again for the next two weeks untill they decide to go again when I'm furtherest from home again. How did the van know it was as far from home as it would get for the day? On top of this, the 5 speed box wouldn't hold 2nd gear when slowing down. If I put it into second to accelerate, yeah it'd hold the gear, but on trailiang throttle, it'd just put itself in neutral, so you couldn't use the gears to slow it down. Lots of confidence inspiring driving when you've got a loooong pedal!! So anyway $1500 later, my months profit went into the brakes. Cool, I've got brakes again. I started the van the next day and when the engine fired, rattle rattle rattle.... timing chain was going on me! Grrrr In short, I put the van on the market and sold it for $1400 with 2 months rego still on in. It paid off my loan! 2 weeks later I saw it on the side of the road with the bonnet up and smoke pouring up from the engine bay. I did warn him to drive it gently.....

Aw, the magic of Christmas! I wish my daughters were still at that age Great photos James

Now that's a great looking truck!! It looks just right, perfect colour scheme Are you going to tie the load down? James.

Brian, What everyone else has suggested will work. What no one has suggested though is to speak to a spray painter in PHX!. If a profesional spray painter worth his salt cant tell you how to get rid of orange peel, then he / she / or it shouldn't be working! I dont use polishing kits either, if I get orange peel from a rattle can then let it dry out. Use wet/dry paper with plenty of water and gently block sand with 1000 grit all over the body, then rinse clean.For a block, I use a cut down pencil eraser. Once dry, shoot again - lightly. keep doing this untill your satisfied that the surface has enough coverage and is flat . Then you can polish and wax. Dont sand the last wet coat, that's the glory coat where the metallic will shine and everyone will drop their jaws on the keyboard when they see the results of your fine work! Dont use silicone polishes untill you're sure there's no more painting required. Dont even open a silicone polish product in the same room as your model is in while there's painting going on. DONT!! Practice, practice, practice. James.

SCRAPE!!! Great job, James.

This is a beautifull build! It looks ready to roll out of the pits and warm up on the track! Very impressive!! James

R.I.P Mr Sims, Happy trails to you sir, Your posts were a pleasure to savour. I loved your photography, you certainly had a knack of making a model look desireable!! This board, and many others wont be the same without you. God bless you,and your brother, and all your relatives. I'll see you soon, mate. James McGowen

HI Phil. I was just looking at this build in the WIP section. It looks as if it's ready to be driven away! You've done an amazing job on this! Where's the keys? James.

Wow!! I wish I had your hand / eye coordination! I'm getting too old for this game. Well done mate!

Super touggh truck! the scratchbuilt items are awesome, I like the ratchet strap on the roof I agree, it needs a trailer!...

That's an excellent job on the Chev! It looks fantastic

Dear Mr Cranky, If you'd never mentioned the air cleaner being on backwards,I'd a never noticed it! I guess your eyes aren't as bad as you thought! James.

John, This and all your other builds are awesome!! I always look forward to seeing your name in a post. The thing that blows me away the most is your photography!, you've got one hell of a camera there. What camera do you use?

That looks great! You shouuld make a mold of it and sell 'em. I'd buy one!!

Hey Chuck, Great truck!! It looks fantastic. Tell me, that bug sitting in front of it, ... did that make a cameo appearance in the 'cars' movie? Right at the end when the credits were rolling??