Harry P.

Then let Toyota pay for it!

And on the other hand... if the government (that is, you and me and all the other taxpayers) are now apparently responsible for rescuing a group of badly run, mismanaged and inefficient companies (The Big Three), where does it end??? Who will be the next industry in line for a handout? Who decides who's "worthy" of taxpayer bailouts and who's not? WHERE DOES IT END??? Art, how many more failing companies are you willing to help fund with your hard-earned money??? This is one ride I did NOT want to get on...

How in the world could anyone tell if they did???

Chicago weather: Yesterday in the 50s, rained all day. April weather. Today: 5 degrees at 8AM... maybe got to 10. Tonight's low, 2.

You'll get about a thousand different answers to "how to paint a model"... it's all a matter of personal preference. With the vast variety of paints available on the market, it's impossible to just claim that any one particular way is the "best" way to paint a model. But as a very basic, general rule, I'd say stick with either acrylics or lacquers. They go on smoother and thinner than hobby enamels, they tend to be less problematic, they're not as prone to "orange peel", they dry much faster, and they can be polished out to a real nice shine without clearcoat. Of course you can always clearcoat too, if you prefer. In my opinion, the much faster drying time alone is enough for me to prefer acrylics and lacquers over enamels.

Actually, if you look closely you can see that there's a baseball game going on. The horse just stole home (he slid in under the tag) and the batter, the pitcher and the catcher are stunned by the horse's speed...

All kidding aside, Scott, I agree with you 100%.

Have any of you guys ever vacationed at Sunova Beach? It's very nice...

As a public service to our more vulgar members ... I've taken it upon myself to supply you with a list of acceptable alternatives to the F-bomb and other favorites. Feel free to use these terms as you wish: Balderdash Cheese and crackers Crapola Crud Dadgummit Dagnabbit Dang Darn Durn Doggone it Doo doo Drat Fudge Freakin' Friggin' Gol-durn Great Caesar's Ghost! Horse hockey H-E-double hockey sticks Heck Judas Priest Malarkey Shoot Son of a gun and of course, the classic "egad, man!"

Jumpin' Jehosophat!!! Holy Guacamole!!! Dagnabbit!!! I didn't know that there are words that get automatically deleted here. Must be something new, 'cause it wasn't like that before.

Real or model? The answer: REAL!

The owner of that car must have some deep pockets, 'cause he's running without any sponsor money!

Looking at the angle of that slanted trunk in your summer shot, it was a disaster just waiting to happen...

What about collision repair? Don't bodyshopos need airbags, fenders, bumpers and grilles, etc. all the time? Sure, the demand for OEM components would be smaller if the Big Three went to that big graveyard of automakers in the sky and joined Studebaker, Willys-Overland, Cord/Auburn/Duesenberg, Duryea, AMC, Jordan, Hupp, Kissel, Marmon, Stanley, Pierce-Arrow, etc. etc. But the slowdown would only be temporary. Hey... I never said the transition would be easy or painless... I'm not saying it would be a wonderful thing to see the Big Three disappear, I'm saying that the death of the "current" US auto industry would not be permanent, but temporary, and the resulting new companies could very well be better than the ones they replace. Here's another interesting thought: If the Big Three did disappear, the demand for cars here in the US wouldn't suddenly shrink! Wouldn't the remaining manufacturers who operate here (Toyota, Honda, BMW and all the rest) start to immediately ramp up production to meet the demand? Build new plants, hire more workers? Maybe even ex-Big Three workers, who are experienced and available? Wouldn't it make sense that the remaining manufacturers would increase production in order to meet demand?

It's advertised as 1/20 on some online stores and 1/24 on others!

I wonder if it's a simple typo and they'll reprint the covers?

I'm not predicting a timetable. I'm saying it would happen, and with this country'sl demand for new cars, I'd bet it would happen very quickly. And in the meantime, of course, we would still have MILLIONS of cars on the road that all need parts, service, oil changes, tires, etc. for MANY years to come. Plenty of market for the parts companies and various other automotive-related companies to service while the new companies get up and running. And why does the rebirth of the industry necessarily have to happen in Detroit?

All the government regulations and safety standards, like them or not, have decreased driver/passenger injuries and fatalities by a huge amount. And since ALL cars sold in America, domestic and foreign, have to meet the same standards, the American automakers aren't at any disadvantage. I'll take airbags, crumple zones and antilock brakes any time, thank you very much. I'd much rather be driving a car that will cushion the blow in a collision with a nice flexible airbag that keeps my face in one piece rather than a car where I'd wind up impaled on the steering column (and yes, I've had experience with airbags. They work!) Do those items add to the cost of a car? Of course they do. But whatever premium I'm paying for airbags and crashworthiness up front, I'd say it's cheap insurance in the long run. The CHMSL has probably reduced the number of rear-enders, but not eliminated them totally. Why? Because as of yet our cars aren't totally idiot-proof. There's still the "nut that holds the wheel" to contend with.

Who's making all the arms now? Don't we have plenty of other manufacturers cranking out tanks, planes, helicopters, etc. right now? And if the US auto industry as it currently exists (the Big Three) were to disappear (highly unlikely, bailout or not), you can bet that new, leaner, more efficient car companies would spring up almost immediately. All the car guys currently running (or ruining, as the case may be) the Big Three right now wouldn't all just ride off into the sunset... they'd be gathering investors and starting up new companies. I think we could possibly see a rebirth of a vital, competitive American auto industry that would be impossible to accomplish with the companies (and business models of those companies) that we now have.

Yessir, that about sums it up. Our political system is SO corrupt and SO focused on the "what's in it for me" aspect that America has been left to slowly rot. The financial meltdown, the automaker crisis... these are but two symptoms of a country in serious decline, socially, politically and ethically. That's not "ant-American" rhetoric... that's just the facts as I (and Peter and others) see them. Can we pull out of this mess? Man, I sure hope so, because I live here! But not if our current system continues on doing its "business as usual".

That's a later model, wasn't it the first ones that had the amazing exploding option??? Because of all the bad publicity, Ford reworked the filler tube or something on the later ones (like yours) to fix the problem... if my memory is correct.

What's amazing to me is that you can build so cleanly and precisely at such a small scale. I have trouble doing that well at 1/24 scale... that's why I build mostly 1/8!

Looks great! I like the wheels and lug nut detail. Nice to see a "sleeper" tractor once in a while.

I agree that the quality of American cars isn't the problem. Dollar for dollar, American cars today are as good as, or better, than any others. But the bad reputation that American cars got in the 70s and 80s, (and deservedly so) lingers on. Many people were permanently turned off to American cars then, bought Asian or European, liked what they had and never looked back. Their image of American car quality is frozen in a time warp, to the last time the may have owned American. But in the meantime the American cars have caught up... Detroit wasn't standing still! No, quality isn't the cause of the problems the automakers are having. There are a lot of contributing factors, but I don't think poor quality is one of them, Now, perceived poor quality based on old memories... that's a different story. Too many people still remember the exploding Pintos, the rusty Vegas and the infamous Cadillac V8-6-4.

Don't worry... we know the quote!