Harry P.

Hey, I'm just trying to fool you guys. I don't endorse/condone/authorize/approve or pass judgement on the car in the picture. If I think it'll fool you, I'll use it. But for the record, I think that's one of the goofiest looking things I've ever seen, real, model or imaginary! I absolutely don't get the whole "donk" look, unless the idea is simply to attract attention..."hey, look at my bad taste!"

Thanks for the info, guys...that explains the "Trans Am" situation. (I LOVE the idea of including the individual letters to spell out "Trans Am" on the decal sheet. Now THAT'S my kind of thinking! Hey, why not. Nobody holds the rights to the alphabet...right?) But what about the generic tire story? Are kitmakers not allowed to use Goodyear markings anymore?

I've been there several times. The biggest problem, to me, is that there are WAY too many categories. It just goes on forever! Right now there are SO many categories that sometimes days or even WEEKS go by before anyone stops in at any particular area. There's not much sense of immediacy or interaction. The best thing they could do is consolidate things so that there are maybe half as many areas to post it...maybe even less.

I was just reading Larry Greenberg's kit review column in the October issue of MC, where he goes over several recent re-issues of older kits. A common thread linked every single review. To quote Larry from several of his reviews: "...and the tires are no-names that were Goodyear Wide Tread F70-14s in a former life.." "...the tires are no-names that used to be Goodyear Radial GTs..." "...turbine style wheels on no-name (formerly Goodyear Eagle VR50) tires.." You get the picture. So what happened here? Obviously these kits were originally released with correct logos and markings on the tires...but no more. Did Goodyear start to play hardball with the kit manufacturers and jack up their licensing fees so high that the kitmakers can't afford to pay them anymore? Or are the kitmakers now flat-out prohibited from using correct markings on kit tires? And if so, WHY??? And on a similar theme, Larry mentions in his Buick GSX kit review that the decal sheet includes correct GSX markings and stripes, but in the Firebird Trans Am kit the Trans Am logos are not included due to "that pesky licensing thing". A Trans Am kit with no Trans Am markings???!!! Huh??? Both the GSX and the Firebird kits are representations of GM cars...so why can the Buick kit include the correct markings, but the Trans Am kit can't? How is it that a model of a specific car can be released, but the correct markings for that car can't be included? Is there any logic to this? Someone please 'splain it to me...

Oh yeah, right. What the heck was I thinking????

Too bad Terry didn't ask to see our Model A's too, because that would have made for an interesting topic title... Anyway, a few of my T's, both of them built from re-released "Big T" kits:

And now for the last ROM of 2007... The answer: REAL!!!

Welcome aboard, Don! I think you'll like it here.

Close vote, but you got it. It's REAL! Next ROM coming MONDAY!

Since this edition of ROM ran through Christmas, not as many of you have had a chance to respond...so I'll leave it up the rest of the day. I'll post the answer later this afternoon. Close vote so far!

With nail polish, maybe???

I have the exact same compressor. As stated, it's tankless, that is, it runs all the time (no air storage capability). But so what? All you're going to do with it is paint models...you're not sandblasting graffiti off of underpasses! It's perfectly suited for painting models, it's pretty quiet, it's a reputable brand, and best of all...you already have it! I see no reason to trade it for anything else.

I think you're being a little paranoid. Your name and birth date is a matter of public record and already exists in more places, online and off, than you can imagine. If you have a driver's license, ever registered to vote, ever used a credit card, ever paid a utility bill, etc., etc., your "identity" is already all over the place. Everyone's is. That's not to say you shouldn't be careful. You're right to watch for non-secure sites, and to be careful what info you give out to who...but it's far too late, technology-wise, to try and keep your identity all to yourself.

Here we go with the "Christmas Edition" of ROM! The answer: REAL!

Mr. Moto-yes. you have found the source for this one! Many thanks for keeping it a secret. You're right, I may go back there for future ROMs...they do some incredible work, don't you think?

URGENT BULLETIN FROM THE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT : I actually found the photo a long time ago, so I forgot the details. For the record, YES, I did black out the background (but didn't touch the car), and it's not 1/8, but 1/5 scale! I don't have any other photos of that particular model, but here's another one from the same source, weathered to look raced. They do pretty nice work...

It may have been retouched at some point, but not by me. It's as I found it.

That is the unaltered photo, and yes, it's 1/8 scale!

HA!!!! Got you good this time! It's a MODEL! Next ROM coming MONDAY!

Usually you see these in two-tone. I like your understated look. Very classy!

Jeff, I used to do it the old-fashined way myself...acrylics airbrushed on illustration board, so I know what goes into producing work like yours. Unless a person is familiar with airbrushing, it's hard to realize just how much work goes into something like your illustrations. Very impressive!

Wow, I'm flattered! Thanks, man!

Don't worry about it...this whole "computer" thing is just a passing fad...

Trim detail can be "off" whether it's a separate piece or molded together with the body. It all depends on whether the kitmaker did it right. I'd prefer chrome trim as separate pieces (assuming of course, that it's accurately scaled and that it fits!). The chances of messing up a finished body go up the more that body is handled...and foiling a body can't be done without a lot of handling of the finished paint. And then there's always the chance of the blade slipping... I built the old AMT kit of the 58 Impala, and foiling it took almost as long as building the dang thing! But to each his own. Happy stripping, filing, gluing and foiling, Mr. O!

Huh??? Man, I wish every kit had separate chrome trim, like the Lindberg Cutlass. It makes for a much sharper look, and takes away the pain of fooling with BMF. Foiling a finished painted body always requires way too much handling of the body.