Lunajammer

I learned something new. Never heard of this kit. Didn't know there was a '64 with an opening hood.

Well, FWIW Bill, your starts are more interesting than a lot of completions. It would be cool to see a portfolio of your starts.

Sorry I'm a little late on this Frank, but as you've probably ascertained from other responses, the multi-piece body is no big deal. Seems to fit pretty decent. It can be built with the top up and skip the fiddly mechanicals. If you've been modeling for over four years you'll be fine.

No. The kits are the same old tools regardless of the extra cardboard that got tossed into the box. If you're okay with a multi piece body and don't mind fiddling with the retractible top pieces, then the kit builds up pretty decent. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner though.

My experience is needles were unsatisfactory for detail painting. I too tried to get into grill crevices using one but the heat from your hand expands the air and pushes the paint out when you don't want it. When you push the plunger slightly a large drop comes out so you dab the excess off then you don't have any left for your task, so you push the plunger, etc, etc. Seems to be in constant opposition to what you want. If you use it without the capsule and plunger and just count on wicking action to draw paint up into the needle, then it won't come out in your grill, but it will on anything that sucks it out, like a paper towel. But if you have to see for yourself, variable sized needles can be found in the veterinary section of stockman supply stores that serve farmers and ranchers. Grind the tip off, they're crazy sharp and get in the way.

A banner year Shane. That's a fine looking stable.

It's not quantity, it's quality.

Have a heart D-man, people who love you want to buy you something. So I have a simple solution that works great. The only thing on my gift list is "Consumables." That means a gift I can enjoy then it goes away (and I don't have to figure out what to do with it). They decide what consumables means, so what I get for Christmas are the best home-made cookies I ever ate from an in-law, tickets to events I love, and gift cards to restaurants they know I like. Everybody's happy.

Lately I've been logging my hours. It helps me get a handle on how much time I can expect to invest in projects of various complexity. Model building is one of those activities where time gets away from you and you probably spend more time on them than you think. Among other things, now I can look at my stash and realistically guess how many of them will actually get built within my lifetime.

Oooo, nice tease on the DeSoto. That's gonna be good.

Absolutely superb. Scuff the tires and put it in Real Or Model.

I came across this post from a 2008 discussion about what defines a rat rod and the origins of the term. I think it's worth a look, especially Jairus' contribution. Click here to link to the thread. (Photo cred to Dr. Cranky).

If you're not comfortable with converting the kit's dashboard (and some are tricky) you could just make a basic box dash out of scrap plastic, like a race car dash. Gauges could be paper printed and cutout. In some cases, less is more and as long as it looks good in pics, keeping things simple might help get you to the end.

I respect your opinion a great deal in these races Fred, so for me that compliment is as good as a win. This was so tough to choose but I sure liked Pat Minarick's Smart Car. Working within such tight tolerances boggles my mind. Zenrat's usual kitbashing prowess is always a treat to watch unfold. So many cars could easily have gotten my vote. FWIW I tried to vote but the poll wouldn't take my choices. Either the poll doesn't allow the moderator to vote or there was a conflict between my aging computer and this site. I didn't dare try voting again in the event it might then double up my vote and I'd be a multi-vote offender. Still no option to change votes once they are committed.

Congratulations TFChronos and DeeCee for tying for top honors in the 2015 Cannonball Run Sleeperball. Jonathan's Dodge wagon was every bit the sly-as-a-fox beater you'd expect to see in a devious race. And Dale's 40 Sedan Delivery was engineered to the nines with spectacular results. Jantrix's Pacer wagon came in third with a very respectable effort on an interesting and seldom seen subject. With Rob's blessing we're closing the polls after two weeks and popping corks in Redondo Beach. This was one of the most competitive Cannonballs I can remember and a hard one vote on but the attitude and spirit of the participants continues to prove that the modelers in this CBP are some of the best bunch of scofflaws on the net. Well done my friends. See you in Oz.

Congratulations TFChronos and DeeCee for tying for top honors in the 2015 Cannonball Run Sleeperball. Jonathan's Dodge wagon was every bit the sly-as-a-fox beater you'd expect to see in a devious race. And Dale's 40 Sedan Delivery was engineered to the nines with spectacular results. Jantrix's Pacer wagon came in third with a very respectable effort on an interesting and seldom seen subject. With Rob's blessing we're closing the polls after two weeks and popping corks in Redondo Beach. This was one of the most competitive Cannonballs I can remember and a hard one vote on but the attitude and spirit of the participants continues to prove that the modelers in this CBP are some of the best bunch of scofflaws on the net. Well done my friends. See you in Oz.

Frankly, I'm amazed at how much of it was able to come back across the Atlantic. I often wonder if (or how much of) my '53 Chevy is recycled armor.

Is that a French pastry?

Just so I'm clear, are the green and gold decals going over black paint or is the black background part of the decal. My experience with using BMF brand laser print white decal paper is the laser ink flakes off when cutting tight curves, even after a layer of sealant. If that color is dark you'll see ragged edges of white. No problem with straight or lightly curved cuts. Can't speak for other decal brands. As far as coverage, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

I wonder if you would do as well just scuffing the existing paint with fine grit sandpaper, priming and painting. My guess is the coloring on prepainted bodies is very thin and it's certainly smooth.

Some of those look pinewood carved. Any more info on them?

So nice to see the old collectible kits finished by capable hands. Beautiful.

Yes, good points. Thanks Zen for again redirecting us back the spirit of the Cannonball and why we do it. Right now it's uncertain I'll be partaking next year since I'm so far behind on more personal modeling projects. HOWEVER, my preference would be 1. Outback Ausieball 3. Exotic/Concept (with the option to embellish).

I don't think there's a set time. IIRC in the past we just called it when participation slowed down to nothing, which was usually about a week or so.