Harry P.

That outdoors shot is killer! Beautiful!

But licensing was also in effect then, right? Why is licensing such a problem now? Have licensing fees gone up that dramatically? Maybe the higher licensing fees coupled with the smaller customer base is the problem.

On the Fourth I went down to Champaign to see my two daughters. My older daughter is currently without a car, so she has to take the bus, or rely on a ride from a friend, to do her shopping... so she asked me that since I was there, would I mind taking her to Walmart so she could pick up next week's groceries and save herself a bus trip. So we're in Walmart on the Fourth of July at about 8 PM... the place was deserted... there were maybe 10 customers in the whole store. There were probably more employees than customers in the building. But somehow we kept running into the same elderly couple in the aisles. My daughter tells me "those people keep staring at us." I told her it's probably because they figure that girl is way too young to be with that guy!

My technique for avoiding the terminally clueless at the supermarket is to shop early in the day. I get there usually before 9, sometimes before 8... long before the hordes descend... For the life of me, I can't understand who goes out shopping on a Saturday afternoon, when the whole world is out shopping.

Yeah, that must be the case... because the business model itself couldn't be all that different today than it was then.

I got the flyer, too, but quite a while ago. DM is now officially out of the diecast model car business.

Wow! That's a real beauty! The paint is smooth as glass, the chrome side trim is nice and clean and sharp, and I like the engine detail. I'd say this is one of your best yet!

Yes, I think the list reflects worldwide sales.

The technology is advancing and being refined at a very quick pace. We are so close to the day when owning a desktop 3-D printer will be as common as owning a "regular" printer.

Check their website. "We're sorry, this product is no longer available."

For a lot of people, that's all the "entertainment" they can afford.

So then how did funny car and TF dragster kits sell so well in the 70s and 80s? A ton of big name FCs and dragsters were kitted, all with full decal sheets. I assume licensing was then, as now, in force. So what has changed so dramatically from the days when we had new kits of the Garlits dragsters, the Chi-Town Hustler, Gene Snow's Rambunctious, the Blue Max, and on and on and on? They could (and did) do it then. Why can't they do it now? Is it really a mater of that much less interest in such kits?

You kind of went overboard on the panel lines where the front and rear fascia meet the body panels. On the real car those seams are very tight and almost invisible... you shouldn't have made them so black and noticeable. Aside from that, nice work!

I would never have guessed the VW Passat would be on the list.

According to autoguide.com... I wonder how many of you would be able to guess them all. As of September 2013: 10. Chevrolet Impala: Over the course of its life, the Impala has sold 14 million units since its introduction as the Bel Air Impala in 1958. 9. Volkswagen Passat: Despite a shorter lifespan than the Impala, the Passat has moved 15.5 million units since its debut in 1973. 8. Ford Model T: The Model T helped set the benchmark for mass-production cars. During its lifespan (which began in 1908), the Model T sold a hugely impressive 16.5 million units, making up a significant portion of all cars on American roads at the time. 7. Honda Accord: The Accord garnered a strong reputation for reliability. It was originially released as a compact, but has morphed into the ubiquitous sedan we see today. It has sold 17.5 million units since 1976 and is still going strong. 6. Honda Civic: Just ahead of the Accord is its sibling, the Civic. It debuted in 1973 as a subcompact and has since moved 18.5 million units in the last 40 years. 5. Ford Escort: Escort found far more fans in Europe than it did in the U.S. It’s lifespan lasted from 1968 until 2000, during which Ford sold 18 million of the cars worldwide. 4. Volkswagen Beetle: With one of the longest lifespans of any vehicle (that’s still in production), the original Beetle was released in 1938 and has since sold 23.5 million units. A significant redesign occured in the 1990s, which saw putting a modern spin on the beloved classic. 3. Volkswagen Golf: The Volkswagen Golf, with its 27.5 million cars sold since 1974, has proven to be a more popular model than the Beetle, offering a more straightforward look that a wider range of people are likely to find attractive. 2. Ford F-Series: The second bestselling vehicle of all time hasn’t been showing signs of slowing, either. Ford’s F-Series trucks have sat at the top of the best selling list each month, usually by a margin of twofold over the second place finisher. All told, the F-Series has 35 million sold since its debut in 1948. 1. Toyota Corolla: 1966 saw the birth of the Corolla, the world’s bestselling car at the time that this list was made. In the nearly 50 years since, the Corolla has moved roughly 37.5 million units, and the company has just recently unleashed a refreshed, redesigned model, while the older model was still breaking into the the top-selling cars monthly on a regular basis.

...or sentence structure. Some of the best newspaper headlines... When Baking Cookies, Include Your Kids Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers Iraqi Head Seeks Arms Prostitutes Appeal to Pope Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands Local Teacher Strikes Idle Kids Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Suspect War Dims Hope for Peace If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus? Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge Kids Can Make Nutritious Snacks

Why?

A like the wheels, too! Pretty slick.

Well, technically i saw these on the 4th... three Corvair Monza convertibles driving down I-57 caravan-style. I can't remember the last time I saw a Corvair on the road. Also saw a Lamborghini Diablo on the way home... in the lane right next to me. Bright yellow. And a Tesla... first one I have ever seen in real life. A beautiful car! And just this morning on the road, a '66 or '67 Charger (can't tell from seeing just the outside). Again... what a beautiful car!

The Hudsons had appeared many times on modeler's "most wanted" lists, so there was a known demand. The others you posted? Not exactly a loud cry from the masses to see them in kit form.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/07/03/local-motors-3d-printed-car-could-lead-american-manufacturing-revolution/?intcmp=features

I have a sudden urge to go to the deli...

More than almost gone. They're gone, at least as far as producing diecast model cars. The only way to get them now is on the secondary market.

Yes! Ditto on the people who pull their cart right up to the cases and stand there like they own the place. Park your cart away from the display cases, morons! And if they're serving number 14 and you're number 38, could ya back off a bit so people who are actually being served can get up there? Must be those same people who stop their cart right in the middle of the aisle while they stand there and look at the shelves deciding what to buy. And those must also be the same people who have two month's worth of groceries in their cart and get into the "Express Lane" 15 items or less checkout line. If you ever want to see a "clueless wonder" in their natural habitat, check out your local supermarket...

June was the 8th wettest on record here. We're getting plenty of rain! More tonight, and most of all next week too.