Harry P.

I agree. Military modeling has always been more adult-oriented and seen as "serious," while model car building was a kid's hobby back in the "golden days." And many (most?) of today's model car builders are those same people who started building model cars as kids... and they still see/remember/associate model car building with their childhood. Heck, how many times have people posted here that they were building kit X because they built it as a kid, or it reminds them of their childhood, etc. Not many military modelers build kit X because they built the same kit as a kid. Completely different mindset.

"Babe, tomorrow's so far away... there's something I just have to say... I don't think I can hide what I'm feelin' inside another day, knowin' I love you"...

Many have never opened the hood. Or even know how to.

Yes, there are specific cards that offer specific rewards where you can actually come out ahead if you're paying attention and understand how things work.. But that excludes about 95% of the population. Credit card companies that offer "points" or cash-back awards rely on the fact that most of their customers are clueless and will pay the freight for the relative few who actually do know what's going on. Congratulations to you for being one of the few who actually "get it." For me, I'll stick to my debit card.

Very smooth and clean. I suggest a black wash on the wire wheels to bring out the detail.

Exactly my point! When the bottom line is hitting a certain price point, corner cutting and compromise is part of the equation. When the bottom line is manufacturing an accurate scale model, you do what you have to do and price the model accordingly. Again, that is the basic difference between model cars and military models... and their respective builders. In general, model car builders have a willingness to accept mistakes and/or mediocrity, plus an expectation of a low price. Most military modelers, neither.

I don't mind the side pipes either. Just add a white roof and a white interior...

Paint the roof white and you've got something...

Beautiful! Where did you get the girl on the grille? You usually see that on mudflaps, but on the grille is good too!

I had to edit out one of the photos you posted. Forum rules...

Because it's a tradition?

Seriously? That question has been discussed here about a bazillion times. Maybe two bazillion.

I don't use credit cards, only a debit card. That way, the moment I use it, the bill is paid for. No monthly bills, no interest. I keep a Visa just in case of emergency, or if I should ever need to charge more than I currently have in my checking account, but so far I've never had to use it. And as far as credirt cards go, I would never even consider one where they charge you a fee just to have it. Heck, if anything, they should pay you to use their card, as they make $$$ on every transaction.

Casey, that's a pretty long and very specific, detailed list of what you think is coming. Based on what? Or do you have some sort of super ESP skill?

Yeah, most military modelers take things way more seriously than most car model buiders. You won't see any "magic floating alternators" or missing mirrors in their models! And to all of you people who keep making excuses for the stupid mistakes we keep seeing in car models... how is it possible that they can't get a model car correct, but they can get a model plane (thats 10x more complex than a model car) correct? The answer is simple. Manufacturers of model cars kits know that most model car builders are willing to accept mediocrity. Manufacturers of military kits know that their customers demand better. And are willing to pay for it.

OK... with the Bugatti chassis finished, I'll put it on the back burner and get back to the woody. I'm working on the right side doors. First step was to cut the mortises in the door post for the triple hinges, then transfer those locations to the front and rear door's hinged post and cut the corresponding mortises. To cut the mortises I first lay the hinge on the post and trace around it with an X-acto, making the cuts just deep enough to match the thickness of the hinge leaves because I want the hinge leaves to fit into the mortises flush with the surface of the wood. Then I carefully remove the waste within the mortise outline with the X-acto, being careful not to remove too much... I only want to remove an amount equal to the thickness of the hinge leaves. This is slow and tedious work, but I have to be careful because if I mess up, I have to start over by making a new post and cutting new mortises. So slow and steady it is. Once I had the three hinge posts mortised (central door post and front and rear door posts), I clamped them together in place, and cut each individual part of the front door to fit the opening. Once I had the outer frame pieces cut, fitted, and glued, I removed the front door frame and made the center wood panel and glued that into the frame. Then the front door went back into place, and the rear door was built using the same "one piece at a time to make sure everything fits" method. Here you can see the rear door frame taking shape. Only after I have both the front and rear doors finished will I then attach them to the center post with the hinges. I have to be sure the doors fit the opening as perfectly as I can make them before I permanently attach them to the hinge post.

Well, the angels always were jealous of those red shoes... seems like they wanted to wear them...

You mean Tamiya Holy White...

Hey, I was glad to be able to help. Your Harley turned out great! You even "out-fringed" me! Nice work, Harry.

Yep, that sounds like a place I could have spent some quality time in! The shop me and my buddies hung out at on a Saturday when we were kids was Bill's Hobby Shop on Fullerton Ave., a few blocks east of Pulaski on the NW side of Chicago. But Bill's never sold Pochers. In fact, the first time I ever saw a Pocher kit was in a Sharper Image catalog! And the very first Pocher kit I ever bought was at a Sharper Image store in the loop in downtown Chicago... maybe around 1980 or so. I remember telling my wife (GF at the time) to just keep driving around the block (no way you could find a parking spot downtown, even back then) until I came out of the store. A few laps later, I had my first Pocher!

I agree that going to a hobby shop in person is a different experience than shopping online. Of course it's different. And most all of us have those pleasant "misty watercolor memories" of when we were kids and would hang out at the LHS. I used to do it, too. But the stuff I like to build you're not going to find at any brick and mortar store. For me, the internet makes buying the kits I prefer to build not only easier... it makes it possible.

I don't see how sitting at home in a comfy chair and pressing a few keys on your keyboard is a "pain in the butt." Seems easier to me than going out to the car, driving to the hobby shop, buying the paint or whatever, and driving back home. Especially if the weather is bad, snow on the road, traffic, etc., etc. Yeah, by going to the store and buying something, I get it right away vs. ordering online. But if you keep track of what you have and what you need as far as basic supplies go, and plan your orders, not only will you never run out of paint or foil or whatever, but by combining several small ticky-tacky orders into one large order every 3-6 months or whatever your building schedule/activity dictates, you'll only pay once for S/H. You don't wait until your last bottle of flat black is empty... you order when you're down to your last bottle or two. That way you never run out of anything. It does take a bit of planning ahead, but it's not exactly hard to do.

They look good here too. But out of focus isn't an uploading problem, it's a photography problem...

From Wikipedia: However the first actual production wasn't until the 1913 model. So in essence there were no 1911 or 1912 production models, only the 1 pre-production model was made and fine tuned throughout the early part of 1912. Then in the fall of that year (1912) the new (and first production) 1913 model was introduced at the New York auto show. So while Chevrolet the company was indeed founded in 1911 and would be the baseline year for any anniversary of the company, the first actual auto branded a "Chevrolet" for sale to the public was the 1913 model, designed (and production beginning) in 1912.