Tom Geiger

I think folks here know I've been finishing up ancient builds on my unfinished build shelf. Some of them went quick, they were at that 80% or greater mark, and literally were coming off the bench every week or two. Then I got into some that needed a bit more. And this one that pretty much needed a whole lot.... CIrca 2008 photo! That's even my old backyard in New Jersey! I took a spare 1950 Ford pickup body and sectioned it just for kicks. Yea. I took out this much metal.... um, plastic. Jump forward to 2002. I decided to do a shorty traditional rod -- rat rod -- who knows what it is. That's a Model A bed on the back. September 2012 I started to play.... Which led to lengthening the short chassis just a wee bit to accommodate the narrowed Ranchero bed. I found this photo somewhere on line. Game on! Which got us to here. I thought I'd "improve" on the 1:1 project by modifying the hood and molding it into the front end. I like it. Then it was sent to the abyss of unfinished projects... Rescued from the box in February 2019! I don't remember all the details that side lined in back in 2012, but I hadn't finished off the Ranchero box. That was the first thing I did. I glued on a front wall, a top brace inside the bed and worked in a floor. I even flattened out the tops of the frame rails so it would sit flat. Then I finished the engine as I had originally intended. It's the flatty with the Ardun heads from the street rod version of this kit. One thing led to another and following the theme of my recent roadster pickup builds, off came the roof. I shortened the windshield a bit to fit into the overall theme. The console is also the floor, as the transmission sits higher than the original floor since the body is lowered on the rails. Console is from the '57 Ford kit. These buckets got superseded. And here's a funky mod that nobody will notice. I did away with the ash tray and expanded the glove box. Don't know why, it just happened! A couple weeks ago we added some color. Guys on anudder board suggested that I go with bomber seats. I didn't want to wait to order some from the aftermarket so I grabbed the set in the most recent Revell Model A chopped coupe. And we went with two different blues for bed and cab. And here we are today. This is still just a mock up but we have color and some of the weathering done. I had raised up the engine on it's mounts a bit so the tri-carbs came up through the hood. Watch this space... I am trying to get it done this week, in time for the Philly NNL on Saturday!

Kewl! I love the long bed stretch! I have a couple of 1950 Ford pickups on my bench right now, but beware! I have a '58 Chevy pickup idea that's been screaming to get out of my head!

I was in New Jersey this weekend and came home last evening, just as the latest "storm of the century" was starting. As we drove west to Pennsylvania we drove into it and it was raining and turned to snow as we watched the temperature drop from 40 to 30 over the 1.5 hr trip. A few inches of snow, no storm by any measure! By morning it was 40 degrees and the snow has been melting all day. I moved some of it off the cars and driveway and it was wet and heavy. The roads were clear for the drive time this morning, waiting to see if it all freezes over night.

I used to have a Vic, mine was a fancy civvy model that was my grandfather's last car. The Chevy on the left belonged to one of the guys from the Liars Club. I do have Greg and Dwayne's resin and plan to build it just like mine!

and Doctor Pimplepopper

The kit are being issued the way the mold was last modified. Then it's up to the aftermarket to give us the alternate body. I have a resin '70 Bonneville hardtop body, I believe it was done by Missing Link

I used Duplicolor primer and clear coat. I didn't buy theirs

Thanks Carl! The past several years we have hired known automotive artists to create unique artwork. This year we have Jimmy Flintstone and here's the rest of the series... Sean Svenson for 2018 Jarius Watson in 2017 Tom Daniel in 2016 And we kicked it off with Trosley in 2015 The response has been great. We sell out our t-shirts every year!

I tried about 10-12 years ago! I wanted to learn Microsoft Access so I created a database. I didn't have a laptop then so I was writing it all down in my various storage areas, then transcribing it into the database. I never finished, it was overwhelming creating all the categories... unbuilt kit, built kit, parts car / rebuilder, resin transkit, etc and I lost count of multiples soon enough. And I wasn't updating it as I bought stuff, which is the killer to all inventory systems! Today I probably have three times the amount of kits I had back then and refuse to count! At last inventory, I consolidated some of my favorite kits into bins. For instance, I like to build the Revell 1950 Ford pickup, so I dumped 3-4 unbuilt kits into a plastic bin to pull parts from. Then I realized I was better off just sorting my kits into cases by car manufacturer. I grabbed up a bunch of model company 12 model cases at shows and from my favorite dealer. I further refined those as I had a lot of kits. For instance "FORD" became "Ford - 1920s thru 1930s", "pickups", 1950s, 1960s, 1970s etc. These cases are all stacked down in a storage room I call "The Model Vault". While not on a list or in a database, I can find stuff pretty quickly. I did this a number of years ago. At this point I can do some sorting and adding in kits bought in the past few years that are all up in the model room.

Welcome Alex! You will find a number of your countrymen here too! This is a great place to get your feet wet. Ask any questions, people here are happy to help!

The big box showed up today! And they look just great!

set a portable heater up under the work bench and build something!

Yes, baking soda is a no-no. Having a saline base, it absorbs moisture from the air. I used baking soda for rust early on, then I noticed a damp spot on the model during the summer. Now I will use fine sand for my rust particles. It's rock so it's inert.

The other day I got tired of not knowing exactly how cold it was, so I went to Lowes and bought an outdoor thermometer. So I know it's exactly 38 degrees out my back window.

Here's a couple of '34s... pretty much the same as '33s with minor changes...

Jeremy try automotivetouchup.com. They literally will put any automotive color in a spray can. I've ordered from them. I just checked their website and the Pontiac colors listed are for 1968 Vedoro Green #1, 1969 Vedoro Green #2, and for 1970 it's not listed but the similar color is called Pepper Green Metallic.

Blink twice and she'll be 30! Happened to me with my daughters! My eldest went from riding in the back of our mini van to driving her own!

I have the Morris and the Vauxhall

Ate my lunch

Rex, my first trip to GSL was in 2001. My friend Bill and I decided we wanted to go once, and we wanted to visit the museum. Once we went, we were hooked and went every two years! We will miss it this year since neither of us will be available. What kept us going? It wasn't the models. The lore of GSL is that the best of the best compete there. Yea, that's true but for every over the top amazing model, there are dozens of average models built by people like you and I. The sad part is, that the "aura" has scared a lot of people away over the years. I've had people tell me they didn't think they'd be allowed to display their models, since they were not worthy! What kept us going to GSL was the event and the people. It's very cool to be consumed with models and among modelers for several days. I once said it was Disney World for car modelers! Everyone at GSL is friendly and in short order you are part of the fraternity. A very talented modeler from the East Coast was hesitant about going to GSL by himself. He asked if he could hang with us.. of course he could! The funny thing was once he was there we hardly saw him! He got pulled right into the tempo of the event and made a whole bunch of new friends who were into the same modeling area he was! Each time we've gone, there has been something new and exciting. Someone to meet. The first time we met the original Revell staff, who did a round table discussion on the old days. Suddenly I was friendly with Bob Paeth and we had some great conversations. The next visit I got some time with Tom Daniel. Another year it was Roger Harney. And I cannot even count the great modelers I've met from all over the country. So if you can make it to one of the last two shows, do it! GSL is an amazing experience!

My Ted never ran away. We don't have a fenced in yard, but we'd let him out the back door and he'd roam the property. He'd never venture further than the sidewalk, and in short order he'd appear back at the door waiting to be let in. He knew where his couch was! He died a couple of years ago. I miss Ted!

Fascinating! Every time I look the art has made another big leap! As we've wined about the younger generation not taking an interest in model building, this will be the medium that brings them in! FYI - Randy and Model Builders Warehouse will be at NNL East this year.

Over the weekend I went to The Big Sit at Mainline Hobbies, as sponsored by the Philly Guys. The owner of Mainline gives everyone a 25% discount on anything on this day. So each year I bulk up on supplies. I bought: 2 cans Tamiya clear 1 can Tamiya white Tamiya tape refills in 2 widths Flexi File starter set - frame and one of each tape... to get an extra frame Flexi File tapes - 1 pack each, 4 different grits Flexi File sanding sticks - 1 each, 4 different grits New set of paint brushes New set of drill bits Bare Metal Foil 1 3 pack of Decal sheet for inkjet After tax that was $86, but my annual supply order. I do it for the discount and to say "Thank You" to Mainline Hobbies for allowing the event.

Reminds me of a story-- Many years ago I had a rental property (the same one my daughters recently occupied) and I had a long standing tenant. I get a town summons in the mail for excessive dog barking overnight. I call my tenant and he's surprised. His dog had died a year earlier. He had no dog. I call the town code enforcement, and they are sympathetic but tell me I must appear in municipal court. So my tenant and I did so. He showed his last dog license, and the bill from the vet for putting the dog to sleep. The judge found us innocent.

David, there are two other area restaurants that willed themselves out of business! One of them had advertised a big buffet for Mothers Day. We had a reservation. We arrive, just four of us.. my wife and I, and our two daughters in their late 20s and we are immediately whisked through the empty dining room to a small dark room in the back. I recognized this as the closet where they kept unused tables and chairs. They had the accordion doors open and had put several tables in there... two huge tables on either side, and one table for four in the middle. The room, er closet, was long and narrow... only one table wide! They had set up this extra substandard area in anticipation of a big day! I ask for a better table and the little snip hostess tells us that is our assigned table and all the other tables are already assigned to other reservations. I calmly ask why people who are arriving late would be given the preferred seating... it was a bright sunny day and the sun filled the main area... she just shrugged and said seats were assigned when the reservations were made. I asked for the manager and she tells me SHE is the manager. I'm ready to let her have it and walk out and my wife and daughters pleaded with me to not make a scene (I am good at that!) and that they didn't want to leave since it was Mothers Day and we would have a problem finding another place to eat. They wanted to make the best of it. So I sat. The large tables on either side of us were filled with large extended families with little kids in tow. So suddenly it became loud with kids chatter and crying. A couple of them ran around the room, bumping into our chairs. It just sucked! As we were there for less then two hours, the main room remained empty. And their buffet was marginal at best. The main dishes they had advertised were quickly emptied and they were slow to refill anything. Note that the restaurant was maybe half full, so they either underestimated the food or were just plain stingy. We vowed never to go there again! And I put a pox on the business! A few weeks later I pass by and notice that the building is empty and the sign is down. Good for them! A short time later I drive by and they are knocking down the building! I didn't know my pox was that effective!