Lunajammer

The thought of them not being there has never occurred to me. They're such a fundamental and deeply rooted figure in the modern modeling hobby that they seemed immortal. I hope their business has enough value that another high quality, knowledgeable and reputable caster will buy it from them and let Don and Carol walk away feeling good.

With the revival of steampunk, I could see this one having an appeal, if only for the parts.

Quite odd, but the bodywork is fair and it has potential. I'd keep going on it, lose the hearse trim and really play up the bat theme.

The internet said I'd be fine.

This I can relate to. All the details ring true and you did a wonderful job. Probably one of my favorite 49's.

I get what you're saying but 2nd is something to be proud of. It's hard to place 1st. Fond childhood memories though. I looked into the cost of a good 4 lane setup with electronic timers and it's just under $2-thousand. That's expensive, but not out of reach for many organizations; commercial, fraternal or non-profit. For the kind of attention it generates, the interest and commitment of entrants and fundraising potential, it seems completely doable. If it wasn't already in my community, I think it wouldn't be too difficult to drum up interest in getting one going.

Well I appreciate that Andy. Fun story about your brother. I don't really have a place to make a dusty mess so I'd like to try another one in the summer when I can work outdoors and take some time. I'd like to try one for pure speed and one for looks. A pinewood rat rod? Now that's the spirit of rodding, crude but fast. Actually that's shaped pretty nice.

Games People Play, by one of my favorite symphonic rockers Alan Parsons Project.

Thanks Ray, it's about the fastest project I've ever done, didn't have time to think. Even cutting the wood, I just drew some curves and started cutting... like total freeform art. The spark plug packaging I'd been saving for something unknown. I guess this was it.

A few more... And the first and second place, husband and wife winners.

Seems to be growing in popularity. Face it, dads bite their knuckles trying to keep their hands off their kid's Pinewood Derby car, craving to make it a kick-a$$ dominator. Enter the 21-and-over (bar league?) derbies where anything goes as long as it's within the basic Boy Scouts of America rules. What I found was a phenomenal fundraiser and a sport that brings models to life. Last Saturday our local VFW (#762) hosted its 3rd adult Pinewood Derby and raised over $10-thousand with 100-percent of proceeds going to the VA. I first heard of it Tuesday and made my $15 donation that day. The annual event included a silent auction and door prizes. Local dignitaries and press attended. About 67 cars raced with entries almost doubling each year. My donation included a kit consisting of a wood block, wheels, axles and rules. Wednesday I shaped the wood with a jigsaw. Thursday I sealed it with Bondo, sanded and primed. Friday eve into the wee morn of Sat. I painted. Saturday morning I polished the axles, mounted the wheels and headed downtown for a 1pm start. This was my entry, completely made up on the fly. Included some spark plug blister pack jet engines. I called it "4th Grade Revenge" in reference to my heartbreaking and embarrassing last place finish during Cub Scouts 1972... the last time I raced. A little online research made it fast and it joined a table of almost 70 of the most imaginative Pinewood Derby cars that grown men and yes, women too, could come up with. Since it was an over 21 crowd, I guess I should have expected the static best of show winner was, um... a male genitalia on wheels. All puns and innuendo allowed. I was in awe of the staggering crafting of this one. It had some go too, finishing in the middle of the pack. The creativity and execution crossed all skill and humor levels. A local artist put the afternoon on canvas which was auctioned off at the end of the day. The races were electronically timed and computer tabulated. Cameras, including two at the finish line, brought the race to all the VFW TVs. Each car raced 4 times, once in each lane. I finished about 20th. I only post this here because our local VFW is hoping to expand this event as far as it can. There is a national competition in Omaha, but it's different, more technical than BSA rules and I'm not sure there's a named beneficiary. This was a blast and I can't think of a better way to bring life to modeling, enjoy some action, let out your inner child, have a beer and a laugh and help our veterans. Look into it for your area.

Harry, your stuff might have some real monetary value. We're not talking Dodge Chargers or 57 Chevies. Meticulously built models of niche subject matter draw pretty good prices on ebay. Your survivors might do well to sell what they don't want. Your association with the magazine also gives you perhaps a little higher profile that could be reflected in the prices they could get.

The gaps seem a little too wide for a meticulously manufactured sportster. I'm going with model.

X2. Niko you're 18? You sir, are a modeler beyond your years. You should be proud.

X2

When it comes to masking that fine, I still find Bare Metal Foil to be as good as anything.

What else can I add? A beautiful, progressive, modern hot rod. Details are spot on, and that finish... wow.

>>The choice of a '41 Plymouth as a kit series is an interesting story as well. Model Cars journalist/builder Bill Coulter acted as a go-between with AMT and Richard Petty, and as thanks, AMT told Bill they would kit a pre-war Mopar of his choice. He picked the '41 Plymouth, but the Sedan Delivery, not the coupe. AMT thought the coupe would sell better (they were probably right), and that's how the kit came about. And now you know...the rest of the story (or something like that). TIM<< I never knew something like subject selection was as fickle as favor passing. Too bad he didn't choose the aerocoupe if that's the era he liked.

If you really want to see him as a delightfully cool and self involved character, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Wish his part bigger, neat character.

She's boning up on the engineering, so when it's smashing time she'll know their weaknesses.

I'm sure you do good stuff, but one man's treasure is another man's garbage. We have a pretty good air museum. Among the displays are a couple cases loaded with more pathic glue bombs than should be in public view. I'm sure whoever did them was proud of them, died, willed them to the museum and to be sympathetic to the family's wishes the museum displays them. There may be benefactor/membership money involved, or he may have been an honored volunteer. Same goes for our county museum. People die and dump their treasures onto the museum with expectations that everybody else will value their junk as much as they did. Donating your stuff to a museum is simply passing a problem onto them until your models get so abused they get trashed 15-years later unless you have a personal connection to the museum or you're a significant community figure. Your models will never be more treasured than by other modelers. I'd say keep them in the modeling community.

I wouldn't get too hung up on comments. The number that counts is how many views. I pretty much only comment on builds that connect with me at some personal level. But I still enjoy looking at almost all of them. Sort of like models on a contest table, you can't expect every looker to flag you down to offer you their comments but they love seeing what you brought. Your modeling post is still being appreciated and since you're primarily building for yourself, what does it matter what other people say? But if you seek feedback, you can stoke the discussion by requesting feedback on specific things. There are plenty of folks on here who would love to tell you everything they know.

Hey, I'm in already. (Ref. Cannonball 2013).

A real trophy piece John.