Harry P.

Here you can see how the rear springs look installed on the chassis. A different way of doing things than was typical in the early '30s. Notice the twin holes in the gas tank for the filler tubes. Yes, two of them, one on each side. You could pull up to the pump in this car from either side and "fill 'er up." A nice feature!

And here you can see how the springs attach to the (almost finished) rear axle. It's different, that's for sure!

Up front this Bugatti had a fairly typical suspension setup... solid axle and leaf springs. But in back they went a different way. Instead of the typical leaf spring setup, they went with quarter-elliptical springs, mounted "upside down" to the way leaf springs are typically mounted. Here are the parts for one of the rear springs. Spring leaves are real spring steel... Here are the completed rear springs...

The frame on this kit is metal... very stiff and sturdy, and when you bolt it together it's square and flat, unlike the soft, wiggly plastic frame on my Pocher RR woody. The metal frame is a much better way to go. Lots of detail on this one, including all of these little pulleys located on the inside of the frame rails. Cars of this era had mechanical brakes (not hydraulic), and different manufacturers had different approaches as to how best to design a braking system. My RR woody has an incredibly complex rat's nest of rods and levers to make up the braking system, but on the Bugatti the brakes were actuated by cables. These pulleys will ultimately be threaded with brake cables. A much cleaner and simpler approach than Rolls' way of doing things.

BTW... I also thought a phone was supposed to be a phone. Not a device to write letters on, or watch movies, or play games. Silly me. Remember how just a few years ago cell phones were hyped as being small? Smaller was better. Now just the opposite... the bigger the screen, the better. All these new functions and capabilities. And oh yeah, just in case you need to actually make a phone call, the thing can act as a telephone, too! I think...

That is the winner of my "Best Post of the Week" award. I love it. Every word. Well done, sir!

Homonyms...heteronyms... Can't we all just get along?

I bet the casinos are still seriously watering down the drinks...

Wrong! An artist or sculptor is creating his or her vision, not attempting to accurately recreate reality. Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is not an accurate reproduction of the way the night sky actually looks. It is Van Gogh's personal interpretation, and it doesn't necessarily have (or need to have) any direct connection with reality. On the other hand, a pattern maker or draftsman's job is to create an accurate reproduction of the original. There is no room (or need) for "artistic interpretation" if the goal is to create an accurate scale version of a full-size subject.

Much of the "jellybean" look has to do with aerodynamics. If you're going for the most aerodynamic shape, you're going to wind up with the jellybean look, no matter who you are. And these days, if an automaker can squeeze another tenth of a mile per gallon out of their EPA rating, they will. And that means rounded contours.

Like I said... if we only knew what our government was actually doing....

A good pattern maker and/or draftsman doesn't allow for an "interpretation" of the subject. They deal with actual numbers and dimensions. Pattern making and drafting are arts that are supposed to be based on fact, not "interpretation." If "interpretation" was involved, the person wasn't doing their job correctly.

Not really. Every Tucker is a collectible, so the owners obviously keep them in as pristine condition as possible. It has nothing to do with Tucker quality. They are cared for and treated like the valuable items they are.

If we actually knew what our government was doing, we'd all jump off the nearest window ledge.

I don't think he was trying to replicate a "used" look on the chrome. If you actually read his post, he says that he built this model many years ago and the chrome is a little worse for wear... not an intentional look.

That concept is what the new Charger should have looked like from the start. Instead we got a "Charger" that looks like a brick on wheels. As far as a new Barracuda... it only reminds me of how stupid it was to kill off the PLYMOUTH brand. We could have been looking at new Road Runners, new Barracudas, new Furys, etc.

And they say spelling doesn't matter...

The exhaust manifolds are incorrect. There are no mounting flanges or mounting bolts. First step is to add some short lengths of styrene tube cut off at a 45 degree angle to each of the individual pipes... The joints were filled with Bondo... The seams were sanded smooth, and flanges were created with sheet styrene, bolts are pieces of hex-shaped styrene rod...

Works for me...

I realize that the lake is a result of damming the Colorado. But the Colorado has flowed for centuries without any "help" from us. Damming a river that runs on and off through desert and expecting it to maintain consistant flow (and for Lake Mead to remain at a constant level) is foolish. Remember the old margarine commercial? Don't fool with Mother Nature...

Love the interior. And your foil work is among the best I've seen. This should turn out to be a pretty impressive model.

Very nicely done, Tomo. But to be honest, every time I look into one of your topics I get sidetracked by your avatar. Holy krap, that is one fine looking human being...

I went to see the Hoover Dam maybe 10 years ago, as a side trip while visiting Las Vegas. Amazing, awesome. This was back when you could still drive (and walk) along the top of the dam –I assume that's now gone due to "terrorism?" We took a guided tour of the dam, stood at the top of the dam and leaned over to look straight down along the gently arcing 600 feet of concrete. It was an amazing sight (and more than a little scary for a guy like me who isn't exactly fond of heights!). And we toured the inner workings of the dam, the generators... way cool. What an engineering marvel. It's a trip I'll never forget. Anyway, I remember then seeing the water level of Lake Mead, and the different colored stone along the shore where the water level used to be about 30-40-50 feet higher... so a disappearing Lake Mead is nothing new. Like jb said... create a lake in the middle of the desert and you get what's coming to you...

Charlie, you are a true craftsman in every sense. Just beautiful work, And I for one really appreciate the subject matter you bring to the forum... we don't see nearly enough antique/vintage trucks here, so your choice of subject combined with your skill is a real treat that raises the bar in the Trucks section by several notches..