Harry P.

You betcha!

That's the last person I would ever think would say that!

I like it, too. I always like to see the old guys built in stock form.

Beautiful! Very clean and sharp. I like it. (and the girl, too!)

If you are talking about 1/24-25 interiors, in my opinion they are too small to worry about any texture other than carpet. Whatever texture you're talking about, like cloth seats, vinyl seats, etc. can be created very convincingly by using the correct level of gloss, not actual texture. Any cloth or leather texture would be literally invisible scaled down 24 or 25 times. Take note of the various levels of gloss on the interior of a real car. Leather can vary from flat to shiny, same with vinyl. It's a matter of looking at photos of the real thing, and then doing your best to recreate the different levels of gloss to get a realistic interior. About the only item that I think would actually have any visible texture in 1/24-25 scale would be carpeting, and even there, flocking is (in my opinion) grossly out of scale. Real automotive carpeting is almost always fairly smooth in real life, and again, if you scale that texture down 24 or 25 times, it virtually disappears. A lot of people like to use flocking to simulate carpeting in scale, and most people, when they see it, are so impressed by the fact that there's real texture there that their brain fools them into thinking it looks "realistic," when in fact it's actually out of scale. A better choice for scale carpeting is embossing powder, IMO. And remember, carpet is not shiny, your model's "carpet" shouldn't be, either. Of course, if you're talking large scale, like 1/12 or 1/8, there are various materials you can use to create realistic texture, like fine muslin or silk cloth, velour for carpeting, various vinyls to simulate leather, even actual thin leather, etc. But what looks "right" on a 1/8 scale model would be completely out of scale on a 1/24 scale model.

Nope. Tim DeLaughter. I assume he pronounces it "de-law-ter," but after seeing them in their getups, I'd say "de-laff-ter" is more appropriate!

There were soldiers in that video? I missed that part...

I agree that the bottom of the model will rarely, if ever, be seen once its built. But some modelers want more accuracy than the manufacturers provide. But like Art said, mainstream 1/24-25 kits are manufactured to appeal to a "lowest common denominator"... to appeal to the widest range of customers. So simplification is usually the answer... the "good enough" theory. That's why wipers and door handles are usually not separate parts, but just molded as part of the body, and why usually the radio antenna is missing, the inside rearview mirror is missing, the brakes are missing, the suspension systems are simplified, etc. There is no reason why the manufacturers couldn't make better, more accurate and detailed models. They could. But they don't, because most car model kit buyers are perfectly happy with kits as they are and aren't pushing for anything better. Status quo. Like the Cubs!

Call it "Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe" and really confuse people!

I think I'd trade our horror for your horror.

Where did I say anything about cost? It's all about cutting corners–because they know that most model car kit buyers are willing to accept sub-par kits. It's like the Chicago Cubs. As long as Cub fans continue to fill every seat at Wrigley Field, no matter how bad the team is... why bother to field a competent team? In the end, the consumer gets what he's willing to accept.

Same reason as the "magic floating alternator" and wipers and door handles molded onto the body... the corner-cutting "good enough" mentality.

Leaf spring hangers are pretty easy to scratchbuild out of sheet styrene. Give it a shot. No problem with the sheet plastic hangers being able to support the model. What does a 1/24 scale plastic model weigh? A few ounces, maybe.

Just adding all the missing oil lines and the mechanical distributor linkage on the engine is a project in itself. Which I did, BTW...

Even sitting on a mirror, the sides of the gas tank will be almost impossible to see. But hey... I filled the seam too, so who am I to tell you anything?

I have a grandson...

If there ever was a good candidate for Auto ID... that would be it!

We're gonna need some photos here....

As far as steering working from the steering wheel, yeah, that's not gonna happen. Even if the steering box gears meshed perfectly, the way the steering wheel mounts (basically held "tight" to the column by a single nut under the horn) pretty much guarantees you that after a few turns lock to lock, the wheel will just spin on the steering column with absolutely no effect on the front wheels. And just so you don't go getting any grand ideas, you can kiss the working brake system goodbye, too. No way can the Pocher system ever be made to actually operate. For starters, the braking system on that Rolls is mechanical (rods and levers), and given the large number of moving parts, there's just too much slack in the system for the movement of the brake pedal to be able to transfer movement to the brake shoes. Even if built perfectly... even with Marvin's aftermarket clevises (which I'm sorry to say were a total waste of money because they won't make the brakes work any more than the kit parts will)... there is literally no way to incorporate the kind of tight tolerances into the system, while at the same time allowing for freedom of movement of all the parts, to actually allow for "working" brakes. Ain't gonna happen. Unfortunately the sides of the tank will never be seen on the finished model.

Believe me, it's a record I could do without, too! And the funny thing is, I'm already getting flyers in the mail from lawn care companies. Hey... we still have snow on our lawns!

From the Trib today: 0.1 inch at Midway Airport brought the snow total at that location to 85.3 inches — tantalizingly close to the Chicago all-time record of 89.7 inches in 1978-79.

Yes, if we haven't already passed 80.

I don't know if I should be proud or bummed out! But mom, dad and baby are doing great. This will definitely take time to sink in. My baby just had a baby! Man, time really flies.