Harry P.

"Well, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night, now they blew up his house, too"...

Looks like you took quite a few shortcuts to "finished." No mirrors... body colored wipers... no black grille or front air dam or side skirts... no side marker lights, etc. A little time spent actually "finishing" it would be time well spent, because the paint looks like it came out nice.

No fair changing avatars in mid-topic...

Paying for a kid's music lessons or hiring a coach for your kid so he becomes a better ball player is one thing, but the actual performance is done by the kid alone... either on that piano bench or out in left field. No matter how much help or money mom and dad have put into Junior or Missy's activity, when it comes to actually performing, Junior and Missy have to perform without mom or dad's help, live, in full view of the public. Mom can't sit on the piano bench at Missy's recital, and dad can't help Junior turn a double play at short. But model building is done in private, behind closed doors... then the finished product is put up for the judges. But the judges have no idea how much of the work was done by the kid or how much mom or dad "helped,"... or if the kid even had anything to do with building the model at all. "Coaching" your kid as he or she builds a model is one thing... actively taking part in the process is another. And how are the judges to know? So it's not a case of double standards. Like I said, you're comparing things that aren't directly comparable.

"I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good. I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood."

That's exactly how it worked when my son was in Little League. The rest of the stuff you described was unheard of.

"Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye"...

You're mixing apples and oranges here. Paying for your kid's music lessons isn't the same as playing the piano for her at her recital. You pay for the lessons because the kid obviously can't... but it's the kid doing the learning and the playing... the parent isn't sitting there at the keyboard with her, "helping" her with the notes she can't reach. But if a parent "helps" a kid build a model, well... that can get touchy, especially in a contest setting where the judges have no real way of knowing just how much of the model is the kid's work, and how much mom or dad "helped."

Wow. Some people take Little League waaaaaaaaaaaay too seriously! Hiring a weight lifting coach? And a batting coach? And a pitching coach? And thousands of dollars in camps and clinics? Seriously???? My son was in LL. He went to practices with the other kids after school, he played in the games on the weekend. He used the team bats. He had fun. End of story. I can't even imagine hiring coaches...

You obviously have the basics down. Time to "take it to the next level" and start foiling all that chrome trim. It will make a huge difference, and take your models from "toylike" to "scale model." Foiling isn't that hard... anybody with average skills can do it. It just takes a little practice. Once you get the hang of it, you'll wonder why you ever built a model without foiling the trim.

"The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death."

Brand New Key, Melanie

And they pumped it for you. And they gave you free stuff like Green Stamps or knife sets or dishes.

What did you use to strip the paint?

Ok guys... no more comments about Art or Tim or anyone else. This topic concerns a specific model kit, not the integrity of certain members here. Whatever any of you think of Art or Tim or anyone else is your business and doesn't need to be posted here publicly. Art and Tim are well known within the hobby, but as far as this forum goes, there are no "saints" here... every member is equal, doesn't matter if you've spent your life in the hobby or just got here yesterday. Everyone has the same standing as far as their membership here. Everyone deserves the same level of respect, icon or not. I believe both Tim and Art would agree with that point. So lay off the personal posts and stick to the topic at hand. This is the second time I've told you guys this. I really hate to play the "moderator card" and act like the stern schoolmaster... so don't make me do it. I really believe in a bit of self-policing here among you guys. We're all adults... time to start acting like it.

Tim, thanks for that. I hope your comments will be read by as many members as possible. You have laid out the facts very clearly regarding your position as far as reviewing kits and your relationship with the kit manufacturers in general... information that several forum members would do well to take note of.

http://www.amazon.com/Quaker-Essential-Puffed-Cereal-6-3-Ounce/dp/B000YPKQ28/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409678092&sr=8-2&keywords=puffed+rice+cereal Everything is available... online...

Isn't generic puffed rice cereal pretty much generic puffed rice cereal? Amazon has a whole bunch of different brands. The Meijer stuff can't be all that special... it's probably made by the same company that makes the other brands anyway.

Why not do a search and just print out to scale? If you have a graphics program you can even erase the current plate and put in any letters or numbers you want. http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=new+brunswick+license+plate&gbv=2&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=pfYFVLuNNIKQgwSKkIDYCg&ved=0CBQQsAQ

http://www.amazon.com/Arrowhead-Mills-Puffed-Cereal-Ounce/dp/B000EVQ0NQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409675917&sr=8-1&keywords=puffed+rice+cereal

Might want to foil all of that painted trim and window surrounds.

Contact the place you bought them from. I can't find any direct contact info anywhere.

Click on the link in the first post. That's where all the photos and the review are.