Harry P.

The amount of your disposable income has nothing to do with the price of a product. Manufacturers price their products based on expected sales, and how much they need to charge for that product to make a profit. They have no way of knowing how much disposable income you have, and they don't care. Their numbers are based on their expenses and their projected profits.

American Graffiti. Duel. The Love Bug. Le Mans. Christine. There are a ton... depends on your definition of a "classic" movie.

Now it's official...

First assemble any parts that will be the same color (engine block halves and cylinder heads, for example). Then paint the assembly as a unit. Any parts that will be different colors, paint them first, then once all your parts are painted, assembly is the last step. As for what type of glue, I prefer liquid cement. Others will tell you otherwise because it's a personal preference. There really is no one "right" answer.

I agree. When it comes to "bang for the buck" it's hard to beat model building.

If we could talk politics here I would gladly debate you on that topic. But without getting into politics specifically, I would say that "on paper" we do have a very good system of government... maybe the best in the world. On paper. Reality is quite a different matter.

You think the way they govern here is any better???

Second power outage this week. Every clock in the house is messed up, have to reboot my cable TV and wireless internet, etc. What a PITA.

I think Dave A. got closest to the bottom line real reason for the "more than inflation" rise in kit prices: dramatically reduced volume due to a dramatically reduced customer base. Think about it. Back in the '60s and '70s, building plastic model cars was a huge hobby that many, many more people participated in than they do today. A popular Tom Daniel kit might sell a million units, whereas today, a kit is considered a big hit if it sells a couple of thousand units. All the same costs existed back in the '60s for the kit manufacturers that exist today, and adjusted for inflation I'd guess they still are about the same size slice of the pie: the cost of tooling, licensing, manufacturing, packaging, and distribution. Nothing much has really changed as far as the physical process of manufacturing a model kit. But when you're selling a few hundred thousand (or even a million+) of a particular kit back in the '60s vs. a few thousand today, it's obvious that the per kit selling price has to be higher today (in proportion to the overall numbers) than back in the "good old days." When your manufacturing, production, and distribution costs are still pretty much the same % of the total cost per manufactured kit (factoring in inflation), but you're selling just a tiny fraction of the number of kits that were selling in the '60s, the per kit selling price has to be much higher if you're going to be able to make enough money to stay in the kit manufacturing business. That's the real reason kit prices have outpaced inflation: a far smaller customer base.

There sure were!

I'll try that, thanks.

It's 17" long.

That looks cool, but I don't get the raised moldings on the body sides.They obviously aren't meant to be doors, so I'm wondering why they're there and what they're supposed to be?

Wow, that is a beauty. The paint is flawless. I wish I could paint half as well!

I got the grille shell logo detailed and the steering wheel/column installed...

Let's call it 47.

When I was a kid things were so simple. My weekly allowance was $2. A model kit cost $2. Guess where my friends and I went most Saturday mornings? The world was perfect.

Got the radiator/grille installed, and finished off the left side of the engine today...

https://www.google.com/search?q=houndstooth+car+interior&biw=1253&bih=793&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0idrQi6vOAhWEJiYKHeugD_MQsAQIOg#tbm=isch&tbs=rimg%3ACV2burJTRyk-Ijgt5PYilzOgIm0gDCeob8YZDs47dPo359OvymMIRG9zGDOWgi2qRxiFnwStBxGfN9Fud_1ROlEOFASoSCS3k9iKXM6AiEXUTtK_1E6GpgKhIJbSAMJ6hvxhkRZHIN8MWhvcgqEgkOzjt0-jfn0xGs4CYZooTFyyoSCa_1KYwhEb3MYEY_1Ew7mrStpQKhIJM5aCLapHGIUR_1KkS02zR0mAqEgmfBK0HEZ830RHhMjguMTL6QCoSCW539E6UQ4UBERw3Iw8Ojphb&q=houndstooth car interior

Sounds like they're trying to sell you an upgraded account, or maybe one without ads. Isn't there a small X somewhere to click on and remove that upgrade ad?

The foil work isn't perfect, but looks pretty good. A nice looking model.

Yes, I'm saying I like a yellow woody! That's why I posted one of mine... to prove to you that I wasn't kidding! BTW... I guess you missed this comment I made on your chopped '31 highboy... Very cool! I especially like the way you did the rust and peeling paint on the visor. Very realistic. How did you do that?

The kit includes a die-cut acetate template for the builder to spray the FIAT logo onto the grille. I wish they would have molded the grille shell and the grille itself as separate pieces, but it's all one... which means I had to first spray the shell "brass," then do some really careful masking and spray the grille black. Tamiya masking tape is a must for masking this kind of thing. It creates an absolutely sharp line with no paint bleed, yet removes easily without damaging the paint. Great stuff.

All you need now are some scale lobsters...

Tim, don't misunderstand me... Pocher kits are the bomb! Nothing else comes close. True, their level of engine detail isn't always up to snuff and a detail nut like me needs to scratchbuild what they left off. But at 1/8 scale, they offer a perfect opportunity to go nuts, detail-wise. True, in this particular case, the engine in this kit outshines most Pocher engines. But the reason Pocher prices are so high is simple... they aren't being made anymore (well, not the "classics")... so finding a complete, unbuilt Pocher classic is becoming harder and harder (and more and more expensive) to find as time goes by. This kit was just released last year, so it's going to be easy to find for many years.