Harry P.

Unless I hear otherwise from Art, looks like the evidence would suggest that Ford was still using white tires in 1913. Thanks for the help, guys.

Not if you put enough tape on the bit and tighten down the collet. There's not a lot of torque being generated with a pin vise. The tape trick works just fine.

He has made a career out of dogging me and jumping on me every chance he gets. I have no idea why. I don't take him seriously. A question about when the Ford Motor Company switched over from white tires to black ones is clearly a "general automotive" type of question, not a model building question. If he doesn't understand that, I can't help him. Like I told him, if he's that upset, sent in a report. If anyone here knows the proper place to post things, it would be me. Ok, then that would pretty safely put a 1913 Model T in the white tire category, I would think. Thanks.

It's not a question about model building, it's a question about Ford history. If it bothers you so much, file a report.

I sanded the leading edges of the upper wing so that they're all round in profile, and added the trailing edges of brass rod and aluminum tape straps (included in kit) to hold them to the ribs.. Too bad all of this cool looking structure will be covered... never to be seen again!

Thanks!

Wrap the bit with some masking tape. I lost my smallest collet, but the masking tape trick works just fine when using the bit in the next biggest one.

Found at your typical auto parts store, I assume?

?

Is there a paint that could be used to paint black kit tires white? A paint that will actually dry on the vinyl and not still be sticky six months from now, and not flake off when the tire is flexed (as when putting it on the wheel)?

So going by the photos Bill posted, looks like a 1913 Model T would still have had the white tires. That's what I needed to know!

Remember... do not post hints or answers here! PM me with specific year, make and model. The answer: 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina Transformable

Now there's something I agree with you on 100%!

Yeah, that much I also know. But I need to know when the switch was made, by Ford, specifically.

And the answer would be.....???

I'm not down on hobby shops. In fact, I wish there were more of them! But when it comes to going to a store that has a limited inventory of kits, or going online and having literally the whole world's inventory at your fingertips, nobody is going to convince me that it's more convenient to shop at the LHS!

A: How can you make a "direct judgement on product quality" by looking at the box? B: A google price search for a model (or anything) takes just seconds. Then clicking on the store where you want to buy takes, again, seconds. And actually buying, seconds. Total time spent? Maybe a few minutes? It's more convenient to drive to a hobby shop and buy? You can say you prefer a hobby shop for the "human interaction" or what have you. But you can't tell me it's more convenient to buy at a hobby shop than online. And 9 times out of 10, the internet price plus the shipping is cheaper than paying the hobby shop price, plus sales tax, plus the gas (at over $4/gallon here) to get to the hobby shop and back. Total cost is the bottom line.

It's supposed to be voted on tomorrow. Nobody can say whether or not it will pass.

Yes.

When did Ford switch from white to black tires?

Or you could have done that yourself in the first place and saved yourself the time and gas to drive to Ypsilanti and back.

Agreed.

Top wing done...

It all depends on your perspective. I've always been the type of person who does my own research before I buy. I almost never rely on a shop owner or a salesperson to "help" me. I usually know more about the product I intend to buy than the guy who's job it is to sell it to me. When I buy a car, I walk into the dealership with a file folder full of data. I know everything about the car I want. I know all the options, I know what the dealer paid for the car, etc. I'm a car salesman's worst nightmare. When it comes to something as relatively inconsequential as buying a model kit, yep, I think I can figure out what's what on my own, without the friendly guy behind the counter needing to tell me what it is I need to know. But again... that's just me. Your opinion (and mileage) may vary...

When you talk about model cars and customer service... tell me how the most efficient, the friendliest, the most knowledgable LHS owner you've ever known has anything to offer that can't be found online? Best price? I can do a google price search in 30 seconds. Special orders? If I can't find what I'm looking for online, it can't be found. Personal service? OK, that one I have to give to the old guy who runs the LHS. It's true, you can't replace that one-on-one personal interaction online. And if that's what you want when you shop for hobby stuff, then the LHS is the way to go. Me? I shop price. Period. I want a kit, I want to pay as little as possible for that kit. So I shop online. I don't need the "personal interaction" or the "hobby shop experience." But that's just me.