Harry P.

Correctamundo!!! It's a model. You guys were on to me... Next ROM coming MONDAY!

The old joke about filling the tank on your old beater doubling it's value has never been so close to true!

I'll bet that keeping the tank full on that battleship is a good time!

Unfortunately, there's no way that any consumer boycott of gas can work...no matter HOW it's arranged or carried out. The bottom line is, the oil companies sell a product that all of us basically can't live without. Even those people who don't own a car are still dependent on oil...from the buses they ride to the trucks that deliver the goods to the stores where they shop. Boycotting the oil companies is like a little kid threatening to hold his breath until he gets what he wants. His parents KNOW that sooner or later the kid will have to give in and breathe...so they just wait him out. And the oil companies KNOW that sooner or later we're going to have to go get a fill-up. Botcotting Big Oil Company #1 for a month, then Big Oil Company#2 the next month, etc., might make us feel better, but it isn't going to make the slightest bit of difference to any oil company...because while we're boycotting Company #1, that company can easily sell their product to China, India, and all the other emerging nations...at whatever price they want to, because the demand for it is there. This is a war that we can't win, unfortunately. The oil companies (and our own Administration, to a large degree) have us by the you-know-whats.

I don't know how the poor old oil companies can manage to scrape by when they're only making a few measly BILLION in profit every quarter. I feel so bad for them that every time I get gas, I give the attendant an extra $20 and tell him to send it off to corporate HQ. I know those expensive country club membership dues must be hard on the oil execs, so I try to do my part to help ease their suffering...

Check out the on-line "Show'n'Shine" notice in the Contests and Shows section. The more photos entered, the better! ANY large scale (1/12 or larger) model car or truck is eligible.

Anyone who's into large scale should enter! The contest is open to anyone...any car or truck model is eligible. The only rule is that your entry is 1/12 or larger. Come on, big boyz...let's see those photos!

Cool! Nice combination of "traditional" and electronic art. Man, the things we can do today, huh???

I'll leave that to your imagination...

The JoHan and Monogram Mercedes, Deusenbergs, Rolls, etc. from the 60s/70s are great kits. They'd easily stand up to the best of today's kits... and then some.

Why wouldn't you just go online and buy them yourself??? http://shop.blackgoldweb.com/main.sc etc., etc.

I couldn't disagree more! I also use Photoshop at work all day, and I've found there's nothing I can't create in PS. I don't use a drawing tablet, that's a whole different way of doing things. A pressure-sensitive stylus and a Wacom pad are probably the closest thing to drawing "by hand", but I find Photoshop to be all I need. Jean Harlow here was "drawn" by me totally in PS...

You're building a stock replica, right? If so, one question: Metallic purple????

Is this a real Bugatti? Is that a real swimming pool behind it? Are those real trees behind the pool? Is this really happening? The answer : MODEL!

And I thought the weather here in Chicago was nuts!

OK...you guys were too smart on this one. It's REAL. Next ROM coming MONDAY!

The swastika symbol is one of the oldest known symbols, even older than the ancient Egyptian "Ankh". The swastika has been used by many groups of people, Indian tribes, organizations, etc. for over 3,000 years! You would be surprised at how many different groups or organizations used the swastika as their symbol at one time or another, including the United States Army 45th Infantry Division!!! (yes, it's true!)

It's worth checking out "silent" compressors. They're technically not actually silent, but very quiet...nothing like a typical compressor that sounds like a jackhammer when it kicks on. Prices/brands vary widely. Do a google search. Here's just one source, there are many, many others: http://www.rexart.com/silentcompressors.html

Yeah, that's an image that Mercedes is probably smart not to play up too much!

Actually, you COULD say that Hitler "invented" the Beetle. Well, more accurately, it was he who wanted a small, fast, reliable and inexpensive "people's car" ("Volkswagen" is German for "people's car")...a car that would carry 2 adults and 3 children, and sell for approx. 1,000 Marks. Porsche had been working on a similar idea, and actually had several prototypes built by the early 30s, but it was Hitler's assigning Porsche to design this new "people's car" that got the ball rolling. Some say that Hitler actually sketched out the design of his proposed car and gave it to Porsche with orders to make it. Porsche didn't start out with a clean sheet of paper...the earlier car that he had been working on was used as the basis for the new VW. The car was injitialy referred to as the "Porsche 60", but was changed to "KDF-Wagen" when the project officially began. ("Kraft Durch Freude", or "strength through happines", was the Third Reich-controlled leisure operation that offered concerts, plays, cruises, etc. in an effort to make "culture" and recreational activities available to the German middle class.) Unfortunately, WWII broke out soon after, and German auto production shifted to military vehicles. Civilian versions of the car weren't produced until after WWII ended, and at first in only very small numbers. Interesting factoid: The name "Beetle" was never actually used by VW until the 1967 model year. Everyone called the car "beetle" or "bug", and VW finally made the name "Beetle" official in '67. Class dismissed...

Nice technique on the wires. If this is only one of your "so so" efforts, your "good" stuff must be really fantastic, because there's NOTHING wrong with this one!

How in the world will you know who wins "American Idol"??? BTW Harold...congratulations on your "mid-life crisis". You're right, it's NEVER too late to learn. Yes, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks...

It's getting harder all the time! Every week I have to hunt a little longer for something that I think will work... By the way...remember not to be influenced too much by what's in the background. I can be devious sometimes...

What do you say? Real or model? The answer: REAL!

How much I spend to complete a model varies widely...it all depends on how much the kit itself costs. Paints, glues, sanpaper, filler, etc. are used on more than one model, so their costs are amortized over time. But the cost of each individual kit is the real variable. I've spent as little as a few bucks for a single kit (clearance rack at Hobby Lobby!) and I've bought kits that cost many hundreds of dollars each. There's no preset "spending limit" for me...I go by common sense, taking into account how badly I want a particular kit and how much enjoyment (bang for the buck) that particular kit will likely provide. (or in the case of Pochers, how much torture I'm willing to endure... )