Harry P.

Time for a hint???

It's not unions I have an issue with... it's the "system" that cheats self-employed people. Labor Day is just a painful reminder... On the bright side... I can never be laid off!

Here's an alternate take on Labor Day: I'm self-employed (have been for over 20 years). I have the "privilege" of paying double the Social Security tax that an "employee" does. An "employee" pays only part of his SS tax, and his employer pays part. Being self-employed, I have to pay in both the "employee" portion (me) and the "employer" portion (once again, me. ) ) And so while I am required to contribute twice as much, I will only receive the same amount on retirement that everyone else gets. That's assuming, of course, that SS will not be bankrupt by then. And being self-employed, I have no benefits, no employer-provided health care or paid days, no sick leave, etc. And no union to represent me. Don't mean to rain on the Labor Day festivities, but I thought I'd remind you that not everyone sees Labor Day quite the same way.

How about this? Real or model? The answer: REAL! It's a 1998 Subaru Samba.

oh, so I see you're also into publishing! What a coincidence... I am too!

The Nissan front end doesn't look all that different from the Magnum's front end. I'll bet if you didn't tell people what you did, a lot of them would never realize that the front end is from a different car! The ultimate "stealth" styling exercise! Sometimes the best restyles are the ones where people don't immediately realize what it is you've done... it just looks "right" without hitting you over the head. That's exactly what you've achieved here. And as usual, your workmanship is superb.

I'm sure that seeing his latest work is fine, but the way the post is presented, if you don't know who he is and what he's doing, it sure looks like a legitimate announcement. I suspect a lot of people don't think it's so "funny" if they thought it was the real thing, only to find out later that it was just a joke. Personally I wasn't bothered by it... not at all. But after reading George's comments, I just wanted to know what the deal is, that's all. God knows I've posted my fair share of goofy stuff here, so I'm not trying to take away anyone's fun...heck, I like fun! I was just wondering what the story was, that's all. From George's comments it sounded like he was some sort of scammer. I had no idea that Luke posts his builds this way. Sorry about being clueless... but now I know better.

Well, I'm far from a newbie, but I had no clue what was going on. I guess not quite everyone knows the story yet. Anyway, thanks for the explanation. Consider me "in the know" now...

Ok, so it's some sort of "inside joke" regarding AMT. I was on the outside looking in and didn't get it. I'm all better now...

That's not done in your usual style. I wouldn't have guessed that it was your work! Oh wait, there's the signature...

Ok, I'm confused... Somebody 'splain it to me... Is this "announcement" a hoax or a joke? If so, why?

Did you forget to fill the hole where the rear-view mirror was attached?

Look at it this way: yeah, it comes "late"...but in the end you're still getting a new magazine every month, right? Just don't pay any attention to the cover date and you'll be fine! PS: I've been on Gregg's case about getting things back on schedule. We're making progress. Really!

First time wiring and foiling? I'd say you did just fine. It looks great. One tip: go back and detail paint those wipers. They shouldn't be body color..

You're gonna confuse the heck out of everyone with your post title. Aren't we looking at a Ford F-150 here?

It won the prize this year!

They call them "collectible" because that's what they are. But you can also collect old shoes, dirty laundry or anything else. The word "collectible" doesn't necessarily mean "will appreciate in value". All you have to do is go to ebay and search for "Danbury Mint" in Toys and Hobbies. You'll soon find out how collectible they are...

I've always felt that if you're painting a clean styrene body (no putty or anything besides the plastic the kit was molded in), you can spray the paint right over the bare plastic. In fact I do it all the time. Of course, you wouldn't want to spray white over a black plastic body without primer, (or any color over a bare body that's a contrasting color) because you would need too many color coats to get a pure color...but if you're spraying color on white styrene, why not??? However, do yourself a big favor and make your modeling life easier: ditch the enamels and use either acrylics or lacquers. Believe me, you'll be amazed at how bad enamels are after you've tried either acrylics or lacquers. You'll thank me later.

You know I'm just messin' with ya, V... you're the master of this sort of build, nobody does it better!

Maybe he had an old Ferrari up on blocks that he's raiding for parts?

All you have to do is divide the full-scale measurements by 24. 1 foot 2.75 inches = 14.75 inches (the full size measurement). 14.75 divided by 24 = .614 inches, or a little over 1/2 inch. 11 inches (full size measurement) divided by 24 = .45 inches, or a little less than 1/2 inch. So the scale size would be .614 inch tall and .45 inch deep. Or to round it off into "regular" numbers, about 9/16 tall and 7/16 deep.

What's really scary is that this thing won the Grand Prize! If this one was the best, I wonder what the "losers" looked like?

A rat rod with twin electric cooling fans?

Very close vote... I fooled about half of you. It's REAL! "Beatnik" was an extensive, four-year project from Gary Chopit Kustom Cars, Inc. and started by completely removing the roof from a '55 Ford. It uses a mix of Cadillac and Lincoln components, including canted quad headlights for the front fenders, and Cadillac rear end. The powerplant, which can be seen through a large hood opening, is a highly polished Chevrolet small-block V8 with six carburetors. The "Beatnik" won the coveted $20,000 grand prize at the Darryl Starbird's National Rod and Custom Car Show this year in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The "Beatnik" is estimated in value at $350,000 - $450,000. Next ROM coming MONDAY!

Very nice! I like your level of detail on the chassis/engine/interior. BTW... is there really a "Hooterville"??? I thought it only existed in 60s-era sitcoms...