Tom Geiger

Ha! My morning! I had a job interview scheduled for today. As I got ready, and was shaving I noticed small hairs on the outer rim of my ears and gave them a quick swipe. I must've nicked my left ear because suddenly I was bleeding. And it wouldn't stop! I figured it would stop while I showered, but it was still dripping, and this went on for about an hour. I'm looking for Band Aids, and not finding them. I look my my bathroom, my wife's bathroom and the kitchen closet, all while holding one hand on my ear and searching cabinets with the other. I check our guest bathroom that's between our two guest bedrooms and guess what? That's where my wife keeps Band Aids! Finally I gave the wound a dab of CA cement, put a Band Aid tight over it and waited 15 minutes. Bleeding stopped! I move forward with just a small red spot on my ear. That was enough to put me off my game. I was leaving the house later than I had wanted to leave. So I quickly dressed and left the house. I got a block away and realized I left my suit jacket at the house. I had put a coat over my white shirt in case my ear started bleeding again and forgot my jacket. Turn around, got the jacket. Then I got about halfway there and realized that my tie wasn't on the hanger with the jacket! Too far to turn around but I remembered there was a Walmart across the road from the office park. I always plan on being an hour ahead and sitting in the car to wait, so I had time to stop in Wally's to buy a tie. Guess what? Walmart doesn't sell ties! After fudding around the store maybe 10 minutes I came to that conclusion. I get back in the car and remember my wife always shops at Kohls... so I put that in my Waze program. It comes up as 3.8 miles away... so we head to Kohls. I run in the store directly to the men's department. I pick out and grab a tie. I get to the sole register and there's someone finishing up, and a lady ahead of me with a full basket of stuff... I tell her I'm late for a meeting and ask if I can go ahead of her. She agrees! (Thank you nice lady!) I take the store tags off the tie and put it on standing next to the car. I put on my suit jacket and race back to the office park for my interview. I get there with 10 minutes to spare! Whew! The interview did go rather well. I'm hoping for a job offer. It would be interesting to have a job working for a company after 8 years of consulting. I get home and I find the tie I left behind... and notice it's exactly the same tie that I had bought! Imagine that!

And even then you need to be careful. I remember one flight where some nood-nick was trying to cram a too large carry on into an already full overhead bin with people screaming at him. He certainly would've damaged anything fragile in soft luggage.

A couple things. First, note that the companies selling kits today are not the same companies that created the tooling for the straight reissues. Both entities bought that tooling in recent times, so the argument of "bought and paid for" doesn't apply. Round 2 especially is doing a lot of work on that tooling to bring back missing parts etc. and adding other new value to the kits. What I can say is that Hobby Lobby probably buys by the container load so they get the largest discount of any customer. I can see that they probably still make money at the 40% off mark, but are probably losing money on those $7.99 clearances. They can absorb that loss due to the size of their "machine". The local hobby shop doesn't deal directly with the manufacturer. They are buying through a distributor like Steven's International, so there is a middle man adding markup. Note that few hobby shops get full cases of each kit, so the distributor does do work to provide that service.

We all identify with that one. You can have 12 feet of bench space and still wind up working in a 12x12 inch square! When I'm nearing completion of the build, I'll clean off the work bench. I have a rolling cart with a white top. I lay out all the parts on this, so I see everything I still need to do. Then I take my surface and clean it from sanding dust and such. I'll often scrape my glass surface I work on clean from paint and glue. Then I'll set to finishing the model. This can be the stage where you can only glue one item at a time, with a drying break. I can run up to the model room, do this, then go back downstairs for an hour or two, return to model room... repeat! Once the model is finished, I take a set of photos. This is where I see the final details that you don't see when looking at the model directly. I see what I need to touch up and do so. Then the model goes in the place of honor... sitting right next to the base of my big screen TV in my den so I can gaze at it! The model stays there until I finish another one... which can be a long time! LOL

Amen Tommy! Modeling is meditation! When I build I shut out the world and concentrate on the task in front of me. I usually leave my bench after an hour or two feeling like my stress from life has melted away! And it's in the small triumphs! Finishing a small assembly, seeing something mocked up for the first time... these are the things that draw you back to the bench every evening!

skin really deep!

Revell only got the Mustang and Chevelle to their larger distributors. Small vendors couldn't get them directly. The smaller vendors I know all bought their stock from Steven's Distributors. Hobby Lobby isn't a good thing for the hobby in the long run. People are now accustomed to buying their kits there with the 40% off coupon that brings the $30 kits down to $18. And those 7.99 sales are bewildering! My local store hasn't had those. When Avenel Hobbies in New Jersey closed their doors after 30 years, Randy stated that he gave it up because he couldn't compete with Hobby Lobby. This was a store without RC, mainly catering to model builders. He said people would come in with the HL 40% off coupon and demand that he matched it. He said that they were selling kits below his cost! And now a good shop is gone!

If you also like light trucks, First Gear has done some amazingly detailed vehicles! As you are buying older diecast models, look carefully at the paint surfaces. Some of the vehicles are "rusting", as in the metal under the paint is deteriorating. It affects different brands, even the premium ones. Others can elaborate. Automodello will be at NNL East this year. Check out their fine finished models at the show! Oh, if you are collecting finished models, don't overlook plastic models built by others. There are always built models, some with amazing details, for sale on eBay. A guy in our club no longer builds, but is always buying these. I'm amazed that some of them were sold fairly cheap!

Wow! You gave it a Euro Ghia treatment! Very cool!

The old truck I had modeled my Foose pickup after reappeared out of storage recently and has been sitting next to the barn. Every time I pass it, I think it would be cool to take some photos of the two together. So the other day I stopped and did it!

Thank you everyone! It probably would be a scary little ride. Lotsa power, no weight and stock chassis and brakes under it! And loud!

There is nothing wrong with walking away from a project. There are times I lose interest in a build or as Tommy said "get fed up with it". There are times I've painted myself into a corner and don't see a solution. Instead of hitting the wall with it, pack it up and put it away! This isn't work you are forced to finish, it's a hobby! Lately I've been taking those unfinished projects and revisiting them. I've finished a number of them recently. There are projects I didn't see a solution for, and now pulling it out of the box, I immediately solve the issue that had stalled me. Either greater skills learned over the years since then, or just fresh eyes on the project. So put it away! There will always be another day!

It's a noble thought worth exploring. I bought an extra Foose pickup with the intent of stuffing that chassis under something else. I just held my built Foose pickup up against a built '50 Ford pickup and the wheelbases match pretty well. Just eyeballing it, the chassis appears like it would sit in the same space as the stock '50 chassis. I was wondering since it was mentioned that Foose had moved the front axle on the 1:1 truck. Give it a shot!

This was my Ted. AKA TJ, Teddie depending on what family member was calling him.... Ted and I in the pool. He loved to ride on the float with me. My daughter gave me this mug for Christmas the year Ted died. I wasn't expecting such a thoughtful gift. I cried. And that forever cemented my youngest daughter and I as soulmates!

Time has not been kind to most of us! If this is Pam today, she's doing better than most folks, and any of us would be lucky to have her! I remember my grandfather at 87 telling me that he still felt 18 inside. So be it.

There is no right answer, we are all individuals with different perspectives! Personally I am a one at a time guy. I like to feel the model as if it's a 1:1. I sit back and sweat the small details and make sure I am okay with the process as art. I've had a dozen sets of tire and wheels on it. I've spoon tested a number of different shades of the same color. Once it's done, I place the model in the place of honor (in my den up next to the big screen TV) so I can revel in the final product. I have to "feel" the model, like a car I'd want to own in 1:1. I dunno, that's just me. Lately I've had time on my hands so I've been finishing up models that have long been on my unfinished model shelf. At a pace where I want to slow it down to process it all! It's like that models don't sit in that place of honor next to the big screen long enough for me to fully enjoy them! I know guys who will build a load of models at the same time, spray four of them the same color until the can runs out. It almost seems like they are assembling puzzles, they don't add details or wire engines. I don't get that. But it's not me. Note that I'm not downing anyone, just trying to understand the process and motivation. What do you think?

What a great send off! We should all be so lucky! A testament to the man and his reputation!

The last time my friend Bill land I went to GSL in Salt Lake City, our return home flight to Newark, New Jersey as via Texas. We're sitting in the airport in Texas (which is the opposite direction than New Jersey) waiting for our connecting flight back to New Jersey and it hit me... hey, the airline is doing to us the same thing USPS does to our packages!

Distance.... It was Gregg Hutchings that taught me that there was no model show more than a $100-200 air ticket away! Back in those days there were tons of $99 flights if you booked right. Steve, as others said GSL is more about the camaraderie and meeting people from across the USA and Canada, as well as the rest of the world! Each time I've gone there's been another amazing experience, like drinks with Tom Daniel or a conversation with Bob Paeth. I've always had a blast. I've always tucked one model in my carry on luggage just to participate and have never won an award. The sad fact is that the aura has scared a lot of people away from GSL. Fact is that there will be those two dozen amazing pieces on display. And the rest of the stuff is just models like you and I build!

Very nice and clean work! I still have this kit sitting up next to my bench and the voices in my head are screaming into overtime with ideas for it. I have saved your build thread for inspiration. We will see what I do next!

Very cool story! Watch the video!

I've traveled from the east coast to GSL in Utah a number of times. I've only taken one model each trip. I carefully packed it in a promo box with ample padding, and then put that in my carry on bag that went under my seat. Even in the overhead, I've watched dolts crush everyone else's luggage by shoving theirs into too small a place. Never ever in checked baggage! One year one of the guys in my club asked if I'd take some of his models to GSL. "Gee, take my tractor trailers and my race team please!" Um, nope!

The model companies don't only not care, but they cooperate with legitimate resin casters. It's actually good for their business when someone pops out a body variation on a current kit. After all, the person who buys that resin piece also needs to buy the kit to complete it. It's known that Modelhaus resins have been used by model companies for design work, idea models and actual box art models in more than one occasion. Model companies have given legit casters preproduction samples so they could get a jump on producing products to compliment them.

Thanks guys! I'm amazed that I actually got that many projects done! Bruce, yes that's the Flintstone van body. I did cut out the side windows. One suggestion is to draw it on the body first, then drill a small hole in each corner. The body is pretty thick. The front door panels need to be shaved down a bit to fit since the van body is much thicker than the pickup doors! I found out the hard way when I couldn't get it all to sandwich together!

Lately I've been on a tear to finish a lot of my long outstanding projects. I am now working from home, so I'm no longer doing my 90 mile each way commute to my client in New Jersey. That frees up a considerable amount of time, and I'm no longer tired much of the time. So I've been spend an hour or two a day at the bench. It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do this regularly. Anyway, here's what I've been up to: December 2018: 1963 Valiant stock car This one was started back in 2007 and never got to the point of having paint on it. I picked it up as my 2017 Christmas Amnesty Build and didn't finish it, but it never left the bench! Chuck Rehberger kept on me to finish it, so I had to make him happy! December 2018: 1958 Chevy Old Custom Rebuild This was an old custom that I bought as a finished model. It wasn't built that great, and it was missing some parts. One thing I thought that was cool, is that it has thread engine wires. Those were left on the model. I took it apart, cleaned up the build a bunch. For instance all the glass had glue on it, so I added new kit glass. Suspension parts were broken, mirrors, antennas and grill were missing, so we sourced all of this from a fresh kit. About two weeks of relaxing work brought this one back from the dead. December 2018: 1930 Ford Phaeton TROG Racer This wasn't a old project of mine, but an original 1962 issue kit that someone started back in the day and didn't get that far. This past year I got on a kick with the old Monogram 1/24 Model A's and I have been following the TROG (The Race of Gentlemen) racing series. I got this image in my head and decided to build it. Part of that decision was that most of the necessary parts were in that box, and not in more recent issues of this kit. For instance the tonneau cover, roll bar, frame mounted headlights and cycle fenders. The four cylinder engine was missing, so I did buy a whole new kit just to acquire that. I made the "60" decals to commemorate my recent milestone birthday. It needed to be built and I'm quite pleased with the results. December 2018: 1957 Ford Old Custom Restoration This one was the last completion of the year, in fact the photos were taken on New Year's Eve! This was a destroyed old built up I found in the bottom of a junk box at a show. The seller told me to either take it for free or he was going to throw it out. So of course I took it! It had no suspension at all. It had no roof. But there was something very cool about it, so we sacrificed a new kit to bring her back! I made the matching roof decal, painted the roof gold since we weren't going to match the green and gave it all a clear coat because the ancient decals were flaking off. It had no grill so I added the Canadian Meteor grill that comes as a custom grill in the '57 Ford kit, and added an Alberta plate as a tribute to my many Canadian friends. I'm glad to restore this relic for future generations to enjoy! January 2019: 1930 Ford Woody Pickup (24 Hr Build) This was my 2019 24 Hour Build that actually got finished! I started with the Monogram Woody wagon and honestly, the conversion to pickup wasn't hard at all. More like cutting parts off, and adding a second tail gate as the back of the cab. I am quite pleased with this one and it's on the list of cars I'd build in 1:1 when I hit the lottery. January 2019: 1966 Dodge A100 Pickup (was an unfinished 24 Hr Build) This was my 2014 24 Hour Build and again, one I didn't get finished. I over estimated the buildability of this ancient IMC kit! In the end, it was at the 80% mark and just had a lot of fiddly little details to complete. In my haste during the 24 Hour Build, the rear got glued in place crooked, so I had to fix that and some other silly 6am building errors! But it's complete and now sits on the shelf next to the van, which was completed back in 2014. January 2019: Dodge D-50 (Mitsubishi) US Navy pickup (was an unfinished 24 Hr Build) This truck was my 2017 24 Hour Build. I didn't complete it in the allocated time and pretty much put it away. I was having issues lining up the cab and bed on the chassis and some road height issues as well. I was probably half done when I packed it in. I pulled it out in January and decided it was getting finished! And so it did! March 2019: 1950 Ford Pickup Rat Rod The latest off the bench! Again a long unfinished project. I first sectioned the body in 2008, and it spent some time on the bench around 2012. But the final push was pulling it out in January. It had been stalled when I couldn't get the interior panels to line up in the sectioned body, nor could I figure out how to complete the Falcon bed. Wouldn't ya know, I figured those both out in my first bench session this time around! So it's complete! Already this year I've completed four projects, which is more than I did in whole years! Part of it is that I'm finishing up old stuff that was at the 50% or greater mark, and I'm also not fretting and going crazy. I've been keeping my overcomplicatius gene in check.. for instance the voices were telling me to build a whole new chassis for the 1950 Ford.... the old Tom would've done it! Today, nope! I will continue with my unfinished project hoard, I have a ton that should be finished.