Harry P.

I've built it. No problems whatsoever. I don't see why the multi-piece body would be an issue... after all, aren't all model kits multi-piece?

Dave... it's about quality, not quantity. And you have that covered.

Your tank models are just about the best I've ever seen. Very impressive work.

I'll let my children's children's children worry about it.

Speaking of dealers... got a recall notice in the mail regarding the driver side airbag that may go off at any time without warning. No choice this time but to go to the dealer... but at least the repair won't cost me anything, aside from the inconvenience and hassle of actually going there and getting the darn thing replaced.

No kidding. They operate as highly organized customer rip-off centers. I really don't like being played for a sap, like when they charged me for eight times the actual time spent replacing that broken mirror on the wife's minivan. That's why no dealer will ever see my business again unless the car is still under factory warranty. Out of warranty? No freaking way would I ever again take my car to a dealer for service.

Yes, they always seem to get hit by the bad weather. What a weird weather pattern we're having... tornadoes in late December in the south, up here in my neck of the woods we are in the 60s when we're "supposed" to be in the 30s... and then we got our biggest November single snowfall in 135 years last month... a month when it rarely ever snows around here. Things are really screwy...

And besides... who cares what's gonna happen 250 years from now? We'll all be long dead!

I found one. And he's not at a dealership. He's the owner/operator of his own independent shop.

Lincoln Cadillac?

I remember not too long ago that Atlanta was "paralyzed" when an inch or two of snow fell. Hilarious.

I say bring it on! Today's high temp was 61. Not too shabby for Chicago in late December. Of course we had a boatload of rain to go with the warm temps, but hey... you don't have to shovel rain! All I can say is that every day this time of year I'm not shoveling something is a winner in my book.

Wow, your wife is really strict.

Wow, that's quite a compliment. Thank you. Yep, we're practically neighbors. Well, adjoining suburbs at least!

I'm impressed.

I hope this doesn't offend anyone who works as a dealership mechanic, but I really don't like the way dealerships charge for a repair based on the "book," not on reality. This happened to me several years ago. The outside rear-view mirror on our minivan got broken off, so I headed to the local Dodge dealer. Once I saw the minivan had been taken into the service area, I sort of hung around the showroom, looking at the new cars. I went outside after about 20 minutes or so to check out the new cars that were out in the lot. That's when I saw my wife's minivan, mirror already replaced, sitting in a back part of the service area (I could see it through the window). I was surprised to see the van had already been fixed, so I went back inside to wait until they called my name on the PA. Well, they didn't call my name. Some time passed, and I was getting curious. I figured I would just hang out and see how things unfolded, because I had a feeling what was going on. Had a cup of coffee, checked out more new cars in the showroom, etc. About two hours passed before they called my name and told me my van was ready. Obviously they billed me for two hours worth of repair time (at that time they were charging I think $80/hr labor). That was the "book" time for that specific job. The actual time was about 15 minutes. I didn't say anything, because I knew it would be pointless to argue. But that was literally the last time I have ever taken a car back to the dealer for repairs (unless it was under factory warranty). Out of warranty, I will never take another car to a dealer for repairs. I found a good local, independent shop with an owner who has served the community for 35 years. His reputation is his lifeblood, and he treats his customers fairly and honestly. I even buy my tires and batteries through him instead of the chain stores. Dealerships are nothing but ripoff joints.

Why did the cookie go to the hospital? He was feeling crummy. Why was the baby strawberry sad? Because his mommy and daddy had gotten themselves in a jam. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why should you avoid trying to write with a broken pencil? Because it's pointless. What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches? A nervous wreck. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was out standing in his field. What did the disappointed smoker get for Christmas? Clothes, but no cigar. Why did the cup of yogurt go to the opera? Because it was cultured. What did the traffic light say to the stop sign? Don't look, I'm changing.

Q: Why was the mermaid wearing seashells? A: She grew out of her B shells... Q: How did the hipster burn his tongue? A: He drank his latté before it was cool! Q: Why did it get so hot in the stadium after the game ended? A: All the fans left...

That would be funny if it wasn't so true!

"But if I finish all my chores and you finish thine, then tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699":...

It was a simpler time...

Amen. Dave is fixing messes and figuring out how to solve problems all the time, and all done "behind the curtain."

Moderator Schmoderator...

BTW... the kit is missing the water pump. If you want to be accurate you'll have to scratchbuild it. I remember doing a rather exhaustive google search when I built my Fiat... visual references were very hard to come by, but eventually I found enough to be able to scratchbuild a reasonable recreation of the pump.