Harry P.

I love seeing models of subjects you don't see all the time.

Same here. Let future generations pick their own hobbies.

On a sort of related note... I heard the other day that the Marines are instituting special classes in communication and basic social interaction/social skills. Why? Apparently so many new recruits (and young people in general) are so used to communicating and interacting socially via texting and/or social media, that when it comes to actual face-to-face communication and social skills, they need help! Scary.

Amazing. But I don't get the way he paints the details on, but they're only visible as shiny... they're not a color.

Like Art mentioned, back in the '60s building plastic model cars was considered "cool." Many (most?) young boys got into model cars to one extent or another– the popularity of the hobby among boys was pretty strong. I remember almost all of my friends were building model cars back then... in fact, the kids who didn't build model cars were the "odd man out." Of course, there were no video games back then, or cell phones, or internet, etc. There was a lot less to choose from as far as spending you leisure time. As a hobby, building model cars didn't have the competition from other activities that it does today. Today, people have a much wider choice of options when it comes to leisure time, so obviously any one particular hobby isn't going to be as widely popular as it used to be. Just like TV... back in the '60s, as far as nationwide programming, you had ABC, NBC, and CBS. That's it. A hit show had maybe 30-40 million viewers or more every week. A hot show could sometimes draw 50-60-70% or more of all TV viewers! Today, any one program drawing that kind of viewership is unheard of (except maybe the Superbowl or some one-time thing like that). Today, with literally hundreds of TV channels and shows to choose from, plus alternative ways of watching programs (like Hulu and Netflix), a show is considered a huge hit if maybe 8-10 million watch it. And that's in a country whose population is nearly double what it was in the early '60s. Far more people overall, far fewer people watching any one particular show. Same with model cars. Far more people in the country as a whole, far fewer people involved in model cars specifically, due to all the other leisure-time choices available... choices that didn't exist 30-40 years ago I don't have hard numbers to prove it, but my best guess is that there are fewer people actively building model cars than were doing so years ago.

Google search. Three seconds and I found this: http://www.google.com/#q=online+RC+forums&safe=off

Saw that yesterday. Kind of pricey, don't you think? I mean, just for a repro body, no frame, no mechanicals?

Not often, but every now and then.

I agree. Gregg doesn't.

The truck guys convinced us to separate their Workbench and Under Glass areas into two broad categories... Big rigs, and all the rest. Seems to be working pretty well for the truck guys. I can see doing the same for the model cars area... Workbench and Under Glass for Street/Custom/Show Rods, and Workbench and Under Glass for Competition. That's how I wanted to do it for a long time, but Gregg wants a separate NASCAR and drag section.

This topic has to do with rearranging and/or changing the forum, not about model cars.

Looks cool, but those wheels are way too blingy for a cop car. Paint them black...

I think the fact we have a separate NASCAR and drag category makes no sense. And I think that adding even more individual categories for F1, Indy, etc. makes no sense. As it is, we already have too many different places to post stuff, and I have to move stuff constantly because people keep posting in the wrong place. This very topic, for example. Posted in General, which clearly says model car or 1:1 automotive topics only. I think we should have ONE Workbench section for all car models, and ONE Under glass section for all car models.

Remember, don't post any hints or answers here. PM me with year, make and model. The answer: 1981 Ford Corcel II

I had to detail the carp out of it because the forum word filter won't let me detail it that other way...

A few engine shots. What you're looking at may look odd, but remember... the engine is a horizontally opposed two-cylinder. It looks nothing like your typical brass-era four banger. The engine sits low and far back in the engine bay. Without added details, the underhood area looks very bare, so I went a little crazy detailing this one. I found some great engine shots online, and used them as reference to detail the carp out of it... Scratchbuilt items include the magneto and ignition wires, and all sorts of miscellaneous "stuff" that I copied from my reference photos. The engine has four radiator hoses... each cylinder has its own upper and lower hose. I replaced the kit hoses and scratchbuilt my own. The connector ends are aluminum rod, the hose part is real rubber hose (ok, rubber tubing found in the jewelry aisle of Hobby Lobby), and the hose clamps are strips cut from aluminum duct tape. And the underside. I painted the basic engine assembly a metallic steel color and then sprayed it with Testors Transparent Black Window Tint to give the engine some added depth and detail... All of the green parts are Rustoleum Hunter Green.

Here's the chassis at this point. I included the can of paint to remind you how small these "big scale" 1/16 brass-era models really are!

Lots to show you guys on the Buick. The chassis and engine are about 95% finished. First... I scratchbuilt some ignition wires... terminal ends are aluminum tube that I crimped flat and drilled a hole to attach to the plug. The other end has a 90 degree brass elbow that will be glued into the magneto. The spark plugs themselves will be brass rod, with the insulator painted white. Here are the ignition wires:

Very clever... You guys are hilarious...

A weekend at the spa works wonders...

Yup. Back to below zero temps again.

The "aggravation" of paypal? I buy with one click. Find what I want on ebay... log onto paypal. Then literally one click. The whole process is over in less than 30 seconds. And ebay/paypal offer 100% satisfaction or your money back. That's not "aggravation." That's fantastic customer service.

Going by your comments, I just might have to get me one of these bad boys.

As long as you have fun, that's the point. Thanks for playing.