Tom Geiger

one of the worse sounds I heard against a car was in Utah. We went to Antelope Island, which is in the Great Salt Lake. The marshes around it breed gnats like crazy and you couldn't walk outside your car without breathing them in. In fact when we got out of the car to take pictures, every time a bunch of gnats got in. It was awful. As we drove on the island maybe going 35mph, it sounded like a rain storm. It was us driving through the gnats. Thick as soup!

My little bit of red... I don't like black interiors in models, especially on cars with roofs. The dark color just cancels out light so the interior is almost not there. So I experiment with different lighter colors. This one came out to my expectations.

In the 1971 Sears Wish Book, the V8 is $9.85 and the chassis is an additional $16.99. So the entire thing was $26.84 which was a lot of money back then. No wonder I only got the engine! In comparison you could've gotten the Testors gas powered dune buggy for $12.99 and Mattel Vac-u-form was on sale for $6.99 Back then I was 12 and had no idea how big 1/4 scale really was. The catalog doesn't state scale, just saying that the chassis is over three feet long. In my mind, if I got both, I'd have a running car that I could drive around!

I have some of the DM plug wire and upon pulling it from the package, I thought it look mighty thin. Then this past week Lyle Willets went to a rod show and posted a mess of photos of street rod engines. That's when I noticed that the actual wire was thin and the DM wire was about the right size.

And it's Palmer-mania!

Very cool model, I've always liked those. Back when I was a kid and lived on an army post in Germany, our next door neighbor had one of those!

I was listening to the morning radio on my way into the office this morning. The two morning idiots were discussing the upcoming storm and noted that since we are now officially into spring, that the snowfall doesn't count towards the year's winter totals! But also noted that we'd need something like 10" to match 1st place.

My irk of the day... a stupid company and the UPS! I ordered a neat logo imprinted item for NNL East. The order came on March 3, only they sent me the wrong order! I got the right item, but imprinted for a Yoga Studio in Virginia. The company sends me a prepaid label for the package. They tell me to hold onto the package and when UPS delivers my right order, the driver will pick up that package. Sounds easy. Only it never happened. So I email them last Friday the 14th and they tell me my package will be delivered on Monday the 17th. Great! I'll be working from home so I'll be here. So I wait.. and wait. No UPS! So I email them on Saturday asking where the heck is my order. They call me today and say that yes, my package was delivered on the 17th. She notes that UPS says delivery location was "Garage". I go look by the garage door, which I usually enter and exit the house by daily... and by chance I look under my parked car that hasn't moved... and yes. Not only is my soggy package there, but a few more pieces delivered later in the week (because they weren't wet) are there as well. So not only did the UPS idiot slouch out and not walk up to my front door (never mind his instructions were to pick up an outgoing package too), then he did a second delivery on top of the soggy package. Argh! So I've filed a complaint. Not much to do since the items were wrapped in plastic and were okay. Good thing because all the paper work in the box was wet. And we have the doo dads in time for the show.

Maybe this one? After looking at my builds I got to thinking that yea, I use mismatched beat to heck tires on my vehicles!

I'll sweeten the pot! ONE of those tires is a whitewall!

Fer Trade... 1. Set of old tires with gooey melted wheels in 'em. Some paint and glue on 'em. One got chewed a bit by my dog but is okay if you turn that inside. 2. 3 hubcaps. Don't know what they went to, still has some of the chrome on 'em. 3. Brush painted Palmer body. One side missing, build okay if you put that side against wall. I Need... MINT, SEALED ANNUALS.... 1969 Impala, 1967 Ford convertible

No, that was a Tucker brand recycling bin that came just as you see it. It came with a clear/opaque lid and had a front flap on that to put things in. I got it at Home Depot (maybe 20 or more years ago). I carved out the back to accept the bathroom fan, which I bought new at the same time. I have replaced the vent hose once. As for sticking it out the window, I always meant to either cut a hole in the wall to vent it outside or at least have a board the size needed to wedge in the window with a hole in it to hold the hose / outside vent. As for air flow, yes it does suck everything out. Back in my old house in NJ (this photo is from there) I worked in a corner bedroom down the end of the hall. It had two windows, one on each exterior wall, so I would close the door, put the hose out one window and open the opposing one to create once through ventilation. As such no fumes went near the door. In my PA house, I also work in an upstairs bedroom, but it's a long narrow room. I shut the door, which has a good undercut to bring in air from the hallway. It's just the wife, a dog and me, so I'm not worried about kids as I was when I first started. They grew up and don't live here! I think the flow works here too since I don't hear grief from the wife. Per your question about drafts coming in through the vent window, yes I really need to make that board to wedge in there. When it's been very cold outside or breezy, I've actually filled in the void with a towel. Disclaimer- Note that this has worked for me for a long time without mishap. There are concerns about using kitchen or bathroom fans with paints and such. So I'm not endorsing doing so, I'm just reporting my experience. Also- I keep a fire extinguisher in the model room. You should also, paint booth or not! It's just good to have.

Speaking of pets.... A model builder is walking in the woods and hears a small voice. He looks down and there's a frog on a log who says, "Help me! A wicked witch turned into a frog. If you kiss me I'll turn back into a beautiful princess and I'll be yours forever and do anything you want!" The model builder picks up the frog, looks at it and says, "I'm a very busy model builder, I don't have time for a girl friend, but a talking frog is cool!" So he put the frog in his top pocket and continued his walk.

Very cool Mike! I will need to get a copy of that kit. I do have a few of the Suzuki Carry vans. This one I cut down into a pickup.. There were a lot of these small Japanese pickups sold in the US as 'in plant' vehicles since they don't qualify for license plates. Here's one that was used on the Rowan University site in New Jersey. I remember that Disney in Florida had a huge fleet of these that they used for a variety of tasks on the property. I've worked for three different 100 acre plus sites that were occupied by pharmaceutical companies. Each had a large fleet of Cushman and like electric vehicles on the sites that did everything from personnel transport to maintenance staff work. I once had my own very rusty Cushman pickup that I used around the facility. At the last one, I tried to introduce these small Japanese pickups. It made a lot of sense because they are in the same price range as the smaller electric vehicles. The maintenance department was all for it, and I had a dealer engaged that loaned us an evaluation unit. What happened? The whole thing got squashed by a lady in Environmental Health and Safety who wanted only electric vehicles on site! I'll be watching this build Mike! Great idea and I love your daughter's business! Is this the same daughter who drove the Chevy van?

I did nothing! I was paying insurance to keep my NJ Historic tag active. The car was in the garage and hadn't been out in a year or two. When I asked they said their disclaimer says they can investigate me and use any means, which includes hounding your neighbors. I wasn't keen on that at all since it implies to the neighbors that I may be doing something wrong. Later on I bought a 1963 Studebaker. They sent me an insurance card and billed me to add it. The following year, I get my policy and no Studebaker is listed. So here I am actually driving this one, and it had no insurance on it! For that one I ditched them and found a better company.

I got the two latest issues of Model Cars Magazine! January issue 183 and Feb/March issue 184. I got their last copy of the January issue and it has a big dent in the edge of the spine... might as well had it mailed to me! I read some of 183 but haven't gotten to 184 yet. Guess I have some reading to do. What gets me? Check out the cartoon page. The character says in the first frame, "I'm not taking any chances this year. For last year's NNL East, I built a dynamite custom rod and somehow it was broken before judging!" Thanks for the mention BUT an NNL isn't a contest, there is no judging! Argh! You think Model Cars would know that!

TJ- that is not a goose. My wife makes a similar error. The second my Ted the dog finishes eating she starts yelling, "Let him out right now!" I yell back that he's not a goose. He doesn't poop as he eats! He can wait a few minutes. Hamster.. hmmm... maybe he is a goose. Those hamster buggers poop all the time.

Gene, here's all I have. It's a plastic recycling bin with a bathroom fan mounted in the back of it. It's lined with newspaper and I have a Styrofoam block in there for height. I set my paint stand on top of that. To use it, I toss the fan hose out the window. I have the fans and the light on a power strip so I can turn them all on or off together. It allows me to paint all the time.

Yes, Dave Dodge is a good guy to deal with. http://mcwautomotivefinishes.com/

You are correct. There were promos of the 1949, 1950 and 1952. Someone pointed out to me that the Galaxie Sedan Delivery and sedan can be built to represent 1946, 1947 and 1948. Prior to that I have a nice 1941 Chevy convertible, then we skip the war years of 1942-45. So you can go all the way back to 1941. And later than 1976 there was the Monogram police/taxi and Impala SS. Those can represent a couple of years. I recently completed my span, mostly in old builtups and promos by buying a rebuildable 1972 Impala kit. That was the last one I needed! Per the 1968, here's the one I own. Built by someone of limited abilities way back when! To be restored one of these days.... I believe the original kit came as both a hardtop and a convertible. Modelhaus does offer the hardtop as a kit for $88. It looks like you'd need to supply your own chassis and engine to finish it.MCW does both a hardtop and a Biscayne 2 door sedan for $40 each, you'll need to supply the chassis and engine for these as well. Much cheaper than finding an original.

I have written a very detailed explanation... twice! and it somehow disappeared before I could post it. First, what you do depends on your intent. I long ago lost interest in contests so I'm just looking to build nice shelf models to please myself and the small band of crazies I call my friends. So I'm not doing the 3000 grit wet sand between primer coats etc. Nor am I a big fan of polishing or clearing a body. My own belief is that too many modelers go for an unrealistic level of shine. Real cars aren't that shiny! I don't do a lot of shiny anyway. Many of my builds are old weathered vehicles. Others like police cars, aren't that shiny in real life. And I've seen some really unrealistic paint jobs on Nascar cars and the like. Honestly, those paint jobs look good from the stands. I had the opportunity to visit the IROC shops and see those cars up close. They had dents, bad bodywork, spoilers that were broken and pieced back together with visible rivets and Earl Sheib quality paint jobs with spray paint looking dull patched areas. So I'm not a big fan of shiny. On the other hand, I'm working on a Chevette that is to be a replica of my sister in laws old ride. This one was the first body I didn't prime, since it was green and I was painting Tamiya lime green over it. That paint job, with maybe 3-4 coats of Tamiya for coverage is seriously shiny and looks great. It's actually much too shiny for the car I hope to replicate! And that's good enough for my shelf. Now my process... In short, I always use primer on a model. I never take a short cut around this... except recently on my Chevette, it was green so I sprayed Tamiya lime over it. It came out surprisingly well. I have a spray booth I made myself that I've used for 20 years. It's nothing more than a 24" plastic cube that was supposed to be a recycling bin. It has the upper half of the front open and full top open. I placed a good bathroom fan in it. I don't have any filter on it, just a hose that runs outside. Maybe twice a year I take the whole thing outside and take it apart. I vacuum out everything in the fan unit. My model room is an upstairs bedroom where I don't have any major issues spraying. That's important since I spray most everything. Even small parts. I prep those, mount them and spray them. I only use a brush for touch up and detail painting. For painting a body, I start with typical body prep. I wash the body and then sand down the mold imperfections. I'll fill in sink marks and ejector pins. I'll use Squadron White Putty on those small issues. I believe the white is the same as their green putty but easier to paint over. I've never had an issue with it, so I see no need to go crazy with 2 part putties. First thing I do is spray the entire inside of the body with primer. I don't worry too much about prep in there since 90% of it won't be visible in the finished model. I'll give it two good coats, more if needed by eye. While the body is sitting on my paint stand upside down, I'll hit the rocker panels and inside of the wheel arches. Once that dries, I'll mask the body a bit and spray in my headliner color. If I'm doing a gray interior, I'll leave the Duplicolor gray primer visible. Once my headliner is dry enough to cover with masking tape, I'll tape that off good to preserve it. Next I flip the body over onto my paint stand. I make sure that I don't have any textured overspray from painting the underside. Then I give it at least two good coats of primer. I start with the roof, then trunk lid and hood areas. Then I work my way down the sides and make sure I cover the rockers etc again. (as others said, paint past the body to achieve even spray on the body) After coat one of primer, I check for imperfections in my prior body work and in the paint coat. You can often see imperfections you didn't see in the bare body in the primer stage. I'll fix what's needed and prime again until I'm happy with the coverage. Once the body is primed, I'll inspect and do some minor sanding if warranted. I generally don't do the whole sanding thing between coats. I believe the primer needs to have some surface to it to accept and hold the color coats. For the color coat I will put my body on my paint stand and actually tape it to the loops inside so it's really secure, since I intend to turn the stand upside down as I work. For spraying my color coats I will again start on the upper surfaces and paint the roof, hood and trunk areas. Then I will flip it over and hold the stand in the air to start the sides at the bottom to get the rockers and inside wheel arch lips. I'll let the paint get into the inside of the body for some overlap. (once my paint job is complete, I generally paint the inside of the body with Testors Flat Black with a brush. I use the spray can product but I spray it in a small cup to use with the brush) Then while the paint on the lower edges is still very wet, I'll flip the body back over and start the sides from the tops, and work down over any paint on the lower surfaces, painting past it for full coverage. First coat again, don't worry about total coverage. That will come with the subsequent coats. After your first coat, check for any imperfections in your body prep work. Sometimes mold seams will magically reappear. Repair what you need to. Sometimes you can just sand some boogers down with 600 grit and cover it with the next coat. Duplicolor does dry fast. In my 24 hour build cars, I was working with those bodies after an hour or two drying. The surfaces were dry to the touch but the paint was still soft enough to damage underneath. I like to leave those until everything feels hard, usually over night. Often my work is done on weekends so it dry a week just because I haven't gotten back to the model room. I don't have a dehydrator, don't feel I need one since I don't paint with enamels. So that's my basic painting process. Right or wrong, it's what I do.

Looks like they've cleaned things up a bit on Google. The first time I searched "Mr Softee" you can imagine the stuff that came up. I just tried it again and got all ice cream trucks! Amen!

I use my juvenile spray cans in my Rube Goldberg spray booth that I built myself! You can get great results with today's spray cans. I primarily use Duplicolor primer and paints, and those always come out well. Lately due to recommendations from the boards, I've tried Tamiya and now the Testors lacquers and am satisfied with the results. I'm no slouch, my models have won awards and have been in the magazines. I do own two air brushes but haven't see to break them out in a very long time.

That would get paint on the dirt and grass!

I can't find the site I'm thinking of, but try this link. There are many sites with doll house printables. Some of it is cool and some of it is downright hokey. There are many fabric, blanket and flooring patterns that work well. But you can salvage pieces of the hokey stuff. I didn't want to fold up cardboard appliances, but the controls on them worked good on my scratch built ones! and remember full size doll house is 1/12, half scale is 1/24. https://www.google.com/#q=doll+house+printables&start=0