Harry P.

I like the chrome rims on the wheels. Overall the car looks good... but missing all the mirrors, so it screams "model" and not "real."

I think you might be exaggerating just a tiny bit....

What Tom said is right on point. The people who shoot the models at the contests we feature in the contest issue are not professional photographers, but in most cases just "regular guys," maybe club members. They don't have a professional lighting setup, they have to shoot a lot of models under less than ideal conditions, and they aren't paid for their photography work... they are volunteers. I try to do my best to correct every image, but Photoshop isn't "magic." There's only so much I can do. Yes, the photos in the contest issue aren't exactly Ansel Adams quality... but given the reality of the situation we are dealing with, I think we do ok.

Whenever I drive downstate to visit my daughters (one lives in Champaign, the other in Urbana, Illinois–about 3 hours south of me on I-57), I obviously have interactions with a ton of truckers on the road. And from what I have seen in person, over many, many trips to Champaign-Urbana and back over the years, truckers are the best drivers on the road. They obey the speed limit, they always signal when changing lanes, etc. Are there bad apples in the bunch? Of course. There are bad people in every profession. But based on my personal experience, truckers are very professional and courteous on the road.

Congratulations...

No way is that "dimensionally correct."

YES! We have a WINNAH!

Is that supposed to be a serious cover or a comedy act?

ok guys... I'm getting tired of posting lyrics that nobody has the answer for... , so put on your thinking caps (or listening caps!) and figure this one out. I'll even give you a big hint: This band is huge... one of the biggest of all time. "Now I have seen the warnings screaming from all sides. And it's easy to ignore them–God knows I've tried. All of this temptation, you know it turned my faith to lies, Until I couldn't see the danger or hear the rising tide"...

I'm not really a big fan, but for some reason I remember those lyrics. Weird how some things just stick in your head for no apparent reason.

Actually Fabrizio asked me if it was ok. I told him it was, as long as he's giving them away and not selling them. Nothing wrong with our members using the decals as they see fit. A little free advertising never hurt anyone! We're all family here.

Pensitive people look back in lament... another day's useless energy spent... Empassioned lovers wrestle as one... Lonely man cries out for love but has none... Cold hearted orb that rules the night removes the colors from our sight. Red is gray; and yellow–white. But we decide which is right... and which is an illusion... (done strictly from memory, no googling!)

Remember, don't post any hints or answers here. PM me with year, make, and model. The answer: 1959-65 Hongqi CA72

Another cool cover of "American Girl." The sound quality isn't the greatest, but this is a very accurate cover, almost note for note, right down to the backing vocals and harmonies.

"Caribbean current, please take me... I hear you callin' me home. Got to get back to Jamaica, I want no more to roam"...

"You can take a man's money, you can take away his gun. But he'll always come back to what it was made him run. Well, they try to protect you from the things you read... ain't no tellin' where a little music might lead"...

That's a good idea.

Let's hope so!

There is no reason why a model kit should have inaccuracies, The fact that so many of them do is basically the result of the "it's good enough" mentality that's become pervasive in our society. Different people will trot out different excuses or "explanations," depending on whether they are in the industry or not, but the bottom line is that "good enough" has become acceptable. Don't ask me why, because I'm not a sociologist and don't know the answer... but for some reason our society today just accepts mediocrity. Mediocrity is the new excellence.

I agree on the landau bars. I mean, come on! Fake is fake! I also agree on the side mounts. An early attempt at aerodynamics? But to me it looks like they're melting!

I knocked over an open bottle of Bondene liquid cement. Of course I would knock it over when the bottle is open instead of closed... When I build, I keep my scratchbuilding materials (aluminum and brass tube, Plastruct and Evergreen styrene tube, rod, etc. laying out where it's handy and right in reach. So not only did I lose most of a new bottle of liquid cement, but the spill literally fused all of my styrene scratchbuilding materials to my cutting mat! All ruined. I don't even want to know the amount of $$$ I lost in styrene...

Yes, they do need a certain amount of "TLC." But I like the challenge of taking a mediocre kit and turning it into something more presentable.