Tom Geiger

Tom, that primer looks pretty clean. If you can get it otherwise buttoned up--glass, interior, trim, and so forth--and fit to show in one piece by the end of the month, we'll give you credit for DONE. You can always go back and lay pretty paint on it later. Too late! It’s now red! I painted it between last night and this morning. Letting it out gas. I should be able to BMF in the morning.

eating peanut butter

The minute I floored my cousin's Tesla I knew the game had changed completely! Like it or not!

He does have a bunch of different cars on eBay... the 74 Buick wagon is interesting!

You know what will be the death of the magazine? The people who should be supporting the effort, but are sitting on the sidelines with that “wait and see” attitude! Seriously guys, for people who use this message board for free daily, a subscription is a $30 show of faith… the price of one kit.. think of it as paying for all the fun and camaraderie you have on this board!

Back in the day when airbags and anti lock brakes were new, an idiot I knew professionally rented a car and wanted to see exactly how anti-lock brakes worked. He got the car up to speed and jammed the brake pedal. The car lurched to a stop and the airbag went off! He got smacked in the face (because he deserved it!)! He brought car back to Avis complaining that airbag went off while he was driving. Big apologies, free rentals!

Welcome Josh! Build to a level you are comfortable with. This is supposed to be fun!

Finished power washing the house! Being on a wooded lot, we get the green moss growth on the vinyl siding. Took me 5 days at about 4 hrs a day to do the front walk, driveway, deck and siding on a 4,000 sq ft house. Near three stories tall in the back, up and down a tall ladder. Neighbor said a local company gets $500 for this so figure I earned $100 a day / $25 an hour…

Waiting for the rant… “Why isn’t there a stock version in that Henry J kit?” ?

Progress report- Chassis done. Engine done and in chassis. Interior done. Body primed and acceptable. The old “one step forward, one step backward” still going on.. after looking at this body 25 years, only yesterday did I question the gas filler door on left quarter panel! The chassis has a gas tank in trunk with filler cap on top of it! So I filled, sanded and reprimed! Broke a wheel mount getting the wheels on axles.. drilled and pinned, inserted some round Evergreen for a new mount. Time stealers! Still looks like a lot more than four days work to finish. But it’s further along than it’s ever been!

Been there! Acceleration lane Turnpike on ramp. Right at the end, where you should already be going 65-70… the woman in front of me STOPS! From that point at a stop there is no way to safely merge into traffic going 70-80 mph !

Nine cans of Tamiya paint! I don’t have any local sources anymore but I was at my daughter’s in New Jersey yesterday. I took a trip to the last hobby shop in the area. It was actually sad to go there. They literally had less than 2 dozen kits on the shelf. Half of those were Revell of Germany flat boxes of very common American releases that their distributor dumped on them. A huge area of the shop was turned into a small RC car track. Another large area was cleaned of retail, and was full of long folding tables and chairs. This was full of young guys, high school age and maybe into their 20s. They were all playing some kind of card game. The rest of the place had been reduced to being a toy store. I guess it works for them, but sad for hobbies.

Weekend drivers! Every Saturday and Sunday it’s amateur day in the NJ and PA Turnpikes. Especially last weekend for Father’s Day they were out there! People driving 50-60 miles an hour out in the passing lanes holding everyone up. It just clogs up everything! PA Turnpike speed limit is 70 in my area. Last night on our way home we were dodging slow pokes all the way home. When we see the sign that it’s one mile to our exit we get in the slow lane. We wound up behind a guy who must’ve taken his foot off the gas at that point. The line of traffic slowed down progressively, he must’ve been going 45 by the time we hit the ramp. There was a car coming up rapidly behind me and I feared I was going to get rear ended. He hit his brakes hard! Did the clown think he was driving a train or ship.. braking a mile ahead? It wouldn’t have been the first time I witnessed an idiot cause an accident but toddle off unaffected!

Actually you can! There are only so many show attendees which equals how much money is in the room. If a show expects to attract quality vendors and the aftermarket they need to make sure that it will be worthwhile for those vendors to spend money on travel and accommodations.

In their pants

Thank you everyone! I knew you guys would understand!

Here’s some photos I saved of some rugged survivor Internationals. This one is Stan’s truck from Mountain Men. I believe it’s a Traveller cut down with a Dodge pickup bed. And this one was on Alaska Last Frontier. I think it was a Scout.

Very nice Chrysler Sam! ? I’m in New Jersey today so I hit the hobby shop here for my Tamiya paint fix. This VW Thing was in the lot.

Which was borrowed

My first early eBay lesson was back before most of the auctions had pictures. It was an IMC VW for $12. Plus $2.99 shipping which was normal for 1998. I get a regular business size envelope in the mail.. inside is the instruction sheet! I email the seller and he’s refusing a return saying it was clear in his listing it was just the directions! I look and at the end of a description of the kit was “ins”. Clearly meant to deceive. Back then you could see everyone’s email addy so I emailed the two other bidders I beat out, asking if they needed the instruction sheet. Nope! They too thought it was a whole kit!

No pix because I’m at my daughter’s today. My Studebaker Gullwing is coming along. Chassis is sitting on the bench with all four wheels mounted. Of course one axle mount broke.. twice, and I had to do some corrective surgery. I believe all body parts are in final primer. Every time I thought so, I’d find more little things to fix. At this point, I don’t think it will get any better! I gave the underside of the hood first coat of red to test out the paint. There are still fit issues from it being my first major kit bash nearly 25 years ago, but we’re just gonna rock with it.

No doubt planned but maybe no longer coming with the change in ownership.

Did that trailer ever come separate, like a Blueprinter Special? I have one all by itself in a heavy plastic bag, with printed instruction sheet. I bought it at a show years ago.

From Roccos’s Pizza ?

Great story! That Merc is just screaming to be built in scale!