Tom Geiger

Both I collect... I was a stamp collector so I learned I needed to collect "one of everything". When I discovered I had a complete run of full size Chevys except a 1972, I was on the mission to find one. Not that I planned on building these, just felt a sense of completion once I acquired the missing model. I do like spending an afternoon or evening amongst my hoard. I like opening the boxes and groking the kits, imagining how I will build it someday. I'll get out donor kits and size up my ideas. I enjoy owning them. Spending this time is indeed spending time in the hobby, although no kits have been harmed! I build... I get crazy ideas of a rod or a light commercial subject, and many times I go for it, if nothing more than to see if I can actually do it. I follow the voices in my head and try to have my own definite style of building. This is my art, and I need to get that idea out of my head and love the feeling as it materializes in 3D on my workbench. I seldom build anything that I don't feel, I need an attachment to the project. Lately I've been building cars I remember from my life. I know some guys will build a red Camaro because they have the kit and red paint but have no connection to the car. I have a difficult time doing that. I enjoy sharing my projects and work with my peers. It's very cool to make a connection over a model!

A few quick and dirty photos to give you your answer. Above is the AMT Ghostbusters chassis on the left, and Revell Caddy convertible one on the right. They are quite different. Your question is doable, but you will need TWO Revell chassis to accomplish this. The Revell chassis is also 8 scale inches more narrow. You can add plastic on each edge to fix that and it wouldn't look any different than the AMT chassis at that point. The 26" in length was done on the center section of the X Frame. Measuring it off, if you cut one Revell chassis at the tail end of that straight section, then cut the other one near the beginning of that same member, you should be able to get that extra length into the chassis. That center section is 30" long. You may have to fiddle with what the chassis will actually look like since you have those seat buckets in the section you will be adding. Depends on how accurate you need to be. I work in scale, so I will tell you that the ambulance is 26 scale inches longer as you can see in the above picture.

I have a Canon Power Shot A2500, which is also a 16 megapixel camera. I got it on eBay for $61 with free shipping last December. The one thing I like about this one is that it automatically picks the right lens. You just let the auto focus do it's thing, and you'll see the macro lens symbol appear. That's great for me since I have shot half a model show before I realized I forgot to set the macro lens! The key to getting that perfect shot is to take many photos and just keep the good ones! Digital pictures are free so don't be stingy like we had to be with film. If you take 25 photos, you should get a handful of perfect ones.

Nice work as always Felix. I especially like the Brick Township Police car. Nice decal work there!

Our annual postcard mailing will go out on Monday, right on schedule! The club did the stamp and label operation at our meeting yesterday! So look for your card in the mail this week! If you aren't on our mailing list, please send your address to nnleast@aol.com

My day went just spiffy! We had our club meeting today and everyone chipped in and got the NNL East post cards all addressed and stamped. Then we ate pizza and chicken! Cards go out Monday... watch your mail!

Tim- Do you still mentally hear the track changes on albums you had on eight track? I still hear them on the Yes album!

REALLY IMPORTANT - Before painting a model with automotive paint, you will need to buy Duplicolor primer and paint the body with that first. Auto paint is too hot to go directly onto the plastic, so it will etch into the surface and make a mess. Auto primer, like two coats, seals in the plastic so your auto paint goes on smooth. It's perfectly OK to use Duplicolor from the spray can on models, in fact I do mostly that because you will get a really nice finish.

The majority of cars will meet this fate. Doesn't matter whether they are common sedans or exotics, most cars die. And that's fine because the lucky few that survive, some due to extreme care, others due to dumb luck, will be worth appreciated and collected. And if most didn't get scrapped we'd be about three cars deep everywhere by now!

I agree 100%. I see too many models with rust in places cars never rust, and pristine parts where that specific model rusted every time! I'm a student of rust and notice these things immediately. When I was building my '59 Chevy junker, I copied the rust patterns exactly from my 1:1 '60 Buick, which essentially is the same body structure. I opened the doors on my Chevy and took a door panel off. I copied the door inner structure from the Buick. People did notice. Guys who had experience with the 1:1 cars were happy to tell me I had it right!

Right! I wouldn't give a dime over $89,000 for that car! But if it had a "Buy It Now" for $15,000 I would've already hit the button!

There are a lot of 1956 models... just a quick list off the top of my head, I'm sure others can add more.. AMT Ford Victoria Jimmy Flintstone sedan delivery (resin kit - needs above Ford Victoria as donor) Jimmy Flintstone wagon (resin kt- needs above Ford Victoria as donor) Revell Ford Pickup Revell Ford Panel Van Monogram Thunderbird Moebius Chrysler 300B Excel / Johan Desoto 4 door sedan (promo style curbside - I'm told Moebius Chrysler chassis fits under it like it was made for it!) Excel / Johan Plymouth 4 door sedan (probably same coment as the Desoto) Excel / Johan Oldsmobile 4 door hardtop Excel / Johan Pontiac 4 door hardtop R&R Plymouth Wagon (resin) Revell Chevy Delray Revell Chevy Nomad Modelhaus Chevy sedan delivery (resin kit) Modelhaus Pontiac sedan delivery (resin kit) Modelhaus Dodge Custom Royal hardtop (resin kit) Modelhaus Dodge Custom Royal convt (resin kit) Modelhaus Lincoln Premere Hardtop (resin kit) Modelhaus 1955 Metropolitan (resin kit) '55 Met is probably same as '56 Modelhaus Cadillac Coupe Deville (resin kit) Modelhaus Mercury Montclair Convt (resin kit) Modelhaus Mercury Montclair hardtop (resin kit) Modelhaus Mercury Monteray wagon (resin kit) Gunze VW Oval window Beetle Revell Ford Fairlane convt (1/32 scale) Revell Buick Special 4 dr hardtop (1/32 scale) Revell Lincoln Mark II (1/32 scale) Revell Cadillac Eldo convertible (1/32 scale) There is also a lot of resin kits available, some promotional models made back in the day as well as a bunch of Franklin Mint and Danbury Mint cars done in 1/24 scale. R&R resin did a lot of varied kits, many derived from original 1956 promos. They are out of production but appear on eBay regularly. The above list is just the tip of the iceberg, hope this helps! I was born in Sept 1958, so I collect 1959 cars as my birthday cars since those were coming down the assembly line on the day I was born!

Cool car and a great survivor. Still it would be cooler if it was actually used in the moonshine trade

I believe that's where I got my second wagon! Maybe I need a third, hmmmm..

Cool build Dan! Glad you kept the original stripe!

I have two old china cabinets. Dust does get in, but no where near the dust models attract sitting on open shelves. Well worth the trouble to glass them in.

We were at a friends house... and we had all the beers lined up on the deck railing.

Something a bit disturbing on my way home from dinner... a car with US Government plates.... a Hyundai. Yea, I know it was probably made here but still...

Talk about a captive audience...

Nice flocking Geoff... I wasn't sure if a Trabbie had carpet. With the bare bones utility it has, I'd assume it had rubber mats

It's frickin cold out! I got a 64 ounce bottle of Coke from the refrigerator in my garage... it was all ice slush! Enuf Already!

Very cool model! I've worked with that Jimmy Flintstone body so I know how thick the resin is where you cut out the windows and doors! Nice work!

New Jersey doesn't allow tint on the windshield or the two front windows. That's for police safety, so they can see the driver as they approach the car. I see the point. But all you need to do is make sure it's legal in the state of the license plate you put on the car. No state can issue tickets on equipment violations for cars licensed outside their jurisdiction.

On resin casting those door handles. I'd suggest burying a short length of straight pin on the button side to make it easier to install on the finished van. When I do door handles and mirrors this way, I glue them from the inside of the body so there is no danger of marring the exterior finish. The above photo are manifolds that I drilled out and glued in the pins, but you have the opportunity to mold around a pin with resin. You'd only need one pin for a door handle.

Allen, I really like the concept of the magnetic pad to hold things in place and true. I'll have to make myself one! And now I'm off to find a parked car with a sign on it!