Harry P.

Oh, I see...

It sure would have helped to say that up front instead of posting a picture that makes no sense unless you just happened to know exactly what in the world he was talking about...

I don't think most contests are going to accept that model as "Box Stock." I guess you'll find out... depends on how loosely they define "Box Stock."

Generally the kitmakers produce what they believe has a reasonable chance of appealing to the widest audience based on their own research and other factors. They don't just blindly tool up a new kit unless they believe it will actually sell. So if your own personal favorite has never been kitted, there's a reason for that. The kitmakers probably don't think there's a big enough market out there for it. Yes, you may want a 1977 Plushmobile kitted, everyone you know may want a 1977 Plushmobile kitted...but that doesn't necessarily mean that there are thousands of others clamoring for a kit of that particular car as well.

How can it be "Box Stock" if you filled in the T-top???

Even with the "explanation." I still have no idea what this post was about.

Wasn't Phil Jensen the "Tidewater Trucker?"

That's not Bernie Madoff. This is Bernie Madoff:

The last thing a buyer of this car cares about is gas mileage...

Very nice scratchbuilding!

Right. That's my point... right now you are too young to look back on the past with nostalgia. You still have most of your time on this planet ahead of you. What I'm saying is, when you get older you will look back nostalgically. It's human nature, it's inevitable. Once you get to the point where you have less time ahead of you than you have behind you, looking back with nostalgia is inevitable. You'll get to that point. I'll get to that point. We will all get to that point. And then you'll have a better understanding of the old geezers here who are "stuck in the past," as you say... because you'll be one of those old geezers yourself! So don't be so dismissive of the old guys. You're going to be one yourself one day.

It's not an argument. It's a fact. She's 22.

It's completely natural for people to look back on their youth with nostalgia. Your youth is the part of your life where "anything is possible" and you feel indestructible and on top of the world. You'll be looking back with nostalgia one day, too. Guaranteed.

No, actually she's 22.

Yep... being filthy rich does have its advantages...

You sure have a unique system for capitalizing words...

Poor girl... too bad she couldn't find the correct size top for her bikini...

First we get game consoles that let us pretend to "play" sports indoors, now we get a moonroof with fake stars! What next? Flat screen panels instead of windows in our houses so we can select the view that we want to see if the real thing isn't good enough?

Don't know for sure, but my guess would be 40+.

As far as comparing the Japanese and American kits being released... the reason that the Japanese are releasing so many more new kits than the American manufacturers are, is that model car building, for whatever reason, is much more popular and "relevant" in Japan than it is here. In other words, Japan has a larger (per capita) group of people active in the hobby than the US does.

Peter... remember, the social change you talk about has been happening throughout history. Every generation sees their time as "the good old days." I'm sure people a hundred years from now will look back on our time as quaint, innocent and old-fashioned, too. And as far as how people spend their free time (hobbies)... that has also been constantly changing as technology and society changes. In the past there have been all sorts of hobbies or crazes that had their "day in the sun," then slowly (or quickly) faded away. Back in the '20s dance marathons and flagpole sitting were two very popular fads that soon faded away. Bicycle racing was hugely popular back in the early 20th century... people would fill "velodromes" by the thousands to watch the races. And today? When was the last time you saw a velodrome? Apart from the Tour de France, bicycle racing as a spectator sport is virtually unheard of. I could list a dozen more examples of hobbies or pastimes that have come and gone. People will always be developing new interests and discarding old ones. Building plastic model cars is just another one of those things we do that may survive... or may not. But in the overall scheme of things, in and of itself it's no more significant or important than any other hobby people have enjoyed over the years. It only seems to be more culturally significant to us guys because we all have an interest in it. To the rest of society it's no more or less significant than any other activity people may participate in.

Just a guess here, because I don't know the answer... but it could have been that different people were in charge of making the decisions. Different people that had different ideas on how a model should be made. Maybe the people who had ok'd the '65 kit were replaced by different people who were in charge of later kits? Employees come and go all the time...

That's exactly what I was thinking. If the hobby disappears after I'm gone... so what? I won't be around anymore to mourn the loss. I'll enjoy it while it's here, and while I'm here... but I'm not going to waste time worrying whether or not the hobby survives after I'm gone.

Nope.