Tom Geiger

Remember that the Fiero was conceived during the energy crisis as a high mileage commuter car, using a lot of parts from the GM parts bin from cars like the Chevette. Once the crisis was over (or so we thought!) they twisted it into a personal sports car. I think it turned out well overall, but there is a limited market for 2 seaters so GM didn't put a lot of further development, like V8 power, into it. The MPC kit came with both a four and a six.

I understand that Steve. I was just pointing out that Moebius has their details right, better than old school kits.

The roof detail looks good, as long as you don't glue it down so it can be taken off to show off the details.

I don't think the kit manufacturers care, as said above the parts etc that are made are either from out of print kits or modified to be something else. With the small headcounts they have, the resin casters aren't costing them money, so they're not worth chasing. In fact, overall I think the cottage industry probably helps the kit makers by providing additional body versions of their kits resulting in more kit sales to build them. The auto industry is uneven in their trademark protection, even within the same corporations. For instance GMC seems to be more strict than say Chevrolet. You'd think GM would have one licensing department for all their divisions. But most of the aftermarket is too small for them to bother chasing. Think most resin parts are sold in less than 100 pieces lifetime sales. It's not a big market.

I'll chime in that I like the body too. I've been working on '34s with sectioned bodies but full tops. I think the big glass look is cool, almost reminiscent of the Tall Ts. 1930s Ford rods have been done to death, so it's interesting when we can do something different!

Wow! These are going to be just too cool. Especially that six banger! The body looks great, and they got the windshield height right at the top. The old AMT truck was way off! That windshield glass should be up there parallel to the side glass!

Nice build Tom!

Aha! I believe I saved the photos of that when Lyle Willets showed pictures from one of the Central PA Club meetings! Very cool rod that has that 'just right' look!

I don't think it's all tires, just tires from a specific era that had that chemical make up. Someone once said you could avoid the melt down by putting a layer of BMF on the inside of the rims and then just painting over it. I haven't had this experience with any of my good builds, but I have noticed some tires shrinking on their rims over time... cars I built 15-20 years ago.

I have friends who score big at flea markets, swap meets, car shows and thrift stores. My friend Gary and I can walk the same car show flea market and he will find some neat old kits and I find nothing! LOL My own luck is along the lines of this... I am at a flea market and I spy a model box on a vendor table. As I get closer I see it's just one of those AMT snap truck kits done from the last generation promos. You know, the ones that are still plentiful in the hobby for $5-10 each at shows. Of course this one looks like it's been sitting out on a vendor table in the sun for the last 20 years. The box is all faded and sunken in, with a dented corner. The shrink wrap is waving in the breeze. The vendor spots me looking at the kit and tells me, "Dat Dere is a geniune antique! They don't make 'em anymore. Gimme $50 because dat's whut I'd get on eBay". I walk away chuckling to myself.

I remember seeing it advertised as a kid, but I wanted all car kits and the clubs seemed to mix it up between cars, military, space and other models so I never signed up, I do have a couple of the Revell kits from a club like that. They were full glue kits but came in a flatter heavier mailer type box. I have two cars from the custom series with Corvair engines like the Patent Pending and the T-Bone. I bought them unbuilt at shows in the last 20 years.

Nice Valiants! And a great story about how things can work out on eBay.

Great work on the upper level! Turn the desk around so the boss is looking down on the shop floor. Then he can sit up there and yell at the workers

Thanks Mike! Casey almost had me with that Photoshop! I love the look of your '32!

There's a TV commercial for a company called "We Buy Any Car" which says they'll buy anything from a '63 VW... and they flash a picture of a 1970s VW convertible.. and they're ads are soooo annoying!

Here's two of those with the garages. I got these at Toledo a while back for $5 each.

The Ollie's closest to me still has some of the Lindberg stock.

Five years is like yesterday for most of us! We have unfinished projects older than some of the guys on this board!

I got this neat little promo recently. I went to a facility management trade show and the Got Junk? company was there with a 1:1 of their truck right out on the show floor. They were giving these away, that makes them promotional models in the true sense. The truck is Matchbox car size, is an accurate version of their truck, the bed dumps too. The only marking on it is Made In China on the base. I should've passed by the booth a couple of times to grab a few!

When I was cleaning out my parent's house, I found the painting above that I did in art class in high school. I had forgotten all about it until that point. Irony was that I had built the very same car as a kit as an adult! Maybe this painting was in the back of my brain? I remember we had to paint a picture to match one we cut from a magazine. Of course I used any excuse to do something with cars!

When eBay started, USPS shipped Priority Mail for $3.99 for up to 2 pounds. That made eBay what it is today! Then with all their losses, the postal rates have gone up significantly. That killed all the $10 or less items. Swap meets will vary by area, size of show and who is attending. There are dealers who want eBay prices for stuff, but they may take it home with them. And there will be regular builders who are happy to get rid of some extra kits for $5 a piece. Like someone said above, tour the room before buying anything. You'll find the very same kit for $25 at one table and for $5 a few tables away. I love going to swap meets to find stuff I haven't seen before, old built ups and being able to paw through junk boxes. I always come up with something that makes my day. Good luck.

Neat stuff and right up my alley! I know you are local since many of your photos have NNL East cards under the models. I'd probably recognize you if we met. Make sure to seek me out to say hello at NNL East this year! I'm pretty easy to find.

You know how when you go to a swap meet and there's always the one scuzzy little seller that you walk wide around his booth to avoid him? Remember, he's on eBay! There's always gonna be one, but the market does sort out the bad sellers in time. I've been on eBay both as a buyer and seller since it was new. 99% of my deals have been good and some of them have been fun, learning that you provided a needed car part to a guy with a Cadillac in Switzerland or that I sold a bunch of antique postcards of dams to the authority that built and still owns them. Cool stuff like that. I once sold some old medals I found in a junk box to a museum for the black fraternal order that originally issued them. They were rare but I was very pleased to send them home! I'd say overall, hobbyists have been great to deal with. Whether they were modelers, coin, stamp or postcard collectors, there is a camaraderie and sense of fairness between people with the same common interests. Every issue I've had with purchases, I've calmly written the seller and they in turn took care of the issue right away. The problems I've had have been my encounters with the general public buying consumer goods. Once my bro-in-law, in the computer business, gave me a huge box of stuff to sell. Every buyer was a problem, so after I listed the first grouping, I returned the box to him! They all complained like they were dealing with Walmart. No more consumer junk from this seller!

Just call you Casey Dahlmer? I actually felt really bad when I cut the foot off a broken up figure to put a shoe in my camper!

It would be cool if all the 1/32s were there. I've collected a bunch of them. I have the Ford Granada and Cordoba too. I remember the last hurrah for these maybe 20 years ago I found a few in the grocery store. I bought the 77 T-Bird, a Corvette and a Gremlin for $1 each. The Gremlin I got was missing the grill and someone in my club wanted it to make a race car so I gave it away. I still have the Corvette. I don't know if any others were issued at that time, I bought one each of the ones the store had.