Harry P.

That's kind of what I figured. I did find a few diecasts out there, 1/43 and this one in 1/18: http://www.replicarz.com/1911-Marmon-Wasp-Indy-Winner-Ray-Harroun/productinfo/R18003/ But for $230, it's a little pricey to buy as a 'reference!" I think a nice long google image search and a pile of styrene channel and sheet will get me started.

They can be anywhere, on any part. And by the way, that second photo cruz posted is not a mold seam line, but an ejector pin mark. Ejector pins are steel pins that pop out from the surfaces of the steel molds to "pop" the plastic pieces out of the mold. The plastic is still very warm when it's ejected from the mold... that's why the round steel ejector pins will leave an indentation in the part. Ejector pin marks are like mold seam lines... they aren't there on the real thing, and should be sanded off on the model pieces.

Wherever you see a raised, thin ridge on a part that wouldn't really be there on the real thing (like a raised ridge or line on the body where the real car has no such line)... that would be a mold seam line. Good, basic building technique includes always sanding off any visible mold seam lines before paint and assembly.

Injection molded plastic kits are made by injecting molten styrene under pressure into two (or more) piece steel molds. The plastic fills in the hollow cavities in the molds. These hollow cavities are the "reverse," or negative shape of the finished parts. The molten plastic fills those voids and that's how the plastic parts are formed. (The molds are in separate parts because they have to be opened up in order to eject the finished plastic parts once the styrene has cooled and hardened). Wherever two parts of the steel mold meet, there is a seam. The more wear on the molds, the sloppier the fit between the mold pieces becomes, and that joint between the mold pieces might not be quite as tight as when the molds were newly machined. Molten plastic will fill any gap or misalignment between the steel mold pieces... causing those "mold seam lines" that you see on the finished parts.

I'd like to do a large-scale model of Ray Harroun's 1911 Indy winning Marmon Wasp. I know I'm in for a ton of scratchbuilding, but is there any kit out there that would be a logical choice for a starting point? I'd prefer 1/16 or larger, don't want to do anything small (1/24-25).

Go with Kit Basher (two words).

I can't do it. I always have several projects going in various stages of completion (or to be more exact, incompletion! ) My problem is that I get bored with a particular model after a while... usually long before I finish it. So after a while I'll put it aside and start on something else. Then I'll get bored with that project and start something else! Eventually, though, most of them do get finished... but I could never do the "finish this one before you start another one" routine. No way.

Yeah, that's a problem. I very much disagree with that rule. Yes, it was put in place to try and stop the bashers from doing their thing, but I don't agree with it being there. If I see a legitimate comment or critique that's directed at the model ("I think you should try to tighten up your foil work in the future"), as far as I'm concerned that's perfectly ok. If I see a comment directed at the person or the person's style ("I really think your model looks stupid," "I think your building style is dumb"), that's not ok, and if I see a comment like that I'll delete it. That's why we have moderators... to moderate (and delete when necessary). To make a blanket rule saying "no comments allowed, period" doesn't make sense to me. Other mods may feel differently, but IMO comments and critiques are the whole point of posting photos of your work.

If you post photos of your work on a public forum, your work is legitimately open to comments and critiques. Period. That's how a forum works. If a person doesn't want feedback they shouldn't be posting their work in the first place! Like I said earlier, there is no "magic bubble" that protects one's work from comments, nor should there be. If a person doesn't want feedback, they should not post pictures, simple as that. It's completely unfair for someone to post photos of their work and then expect everyone else to not say a word, or worse yet, offer false praise and meaningless "attaboys." If a person can't handle comments and criticism, they should not post their work. Makes sense to me.

That's true... but one of the benefits of posting photos of your work and being open to comments (especially if you're pretty new to building model cars) is that you might learn something that you didn't know from someone's comments. And you can then put that new knowledge to work on your next model, and make the next one better than the last one. It's fine to be happy with how your model turned out, but it's even better to learn a thing or two that you can use to become a better modeler.

Well, that's something everyone has to decide for themselves. So far I haven't gotten any flak. And if I ever do, I'll just point out to that person that when they post their work on a public forum, that means the public is allowed to comment. I'll never understand why some people think that if they post photos of their work, there is some sort of "magic shield" around their work that "protects" their work from being commented on.

If I see a model that I think looks especially well done, I'll say so. And if I see a model that has obvious flaws or mistakes, I'll point them out. My opinion: If you post photos of your work on a public forum, anyone has the right to comment. I don't like the idea of false praise, and I don't like the idea that some people have-that if you post pictures of your work, your photos are somehow magically immune to comments. Forums don't work that way. In my opinion, posting photos of your work on a public forum means your work is open to comments and criticism. If you can't take criticism, if you can't take other people's opinion... don't post photos of your work. And if you do post, realize that forum members have the right to make comments.

What a pleasure to hear someone tell us that they like the forum, unlike those few who are always tearing it down...

Since you built that model specifically for an upcoming contest, you might consider replacing that belt. Any judge worth his salt is going to see that...

But even so, the worst that can happen is your order won't be processed. That's better than having used a credit card, having no money to cover the cost, and getting the bill anyway. Then you owe money you don't have plus interest if you can't pay it off. I swore off credit cards a long time ago. I do have one, just for "emergencies" and I use it to rack up gift points for large purchases, but 99.99% of the time, when I buy something I use a debit card. I never even carry cash anymore! It's all debit card, even if I stop at the gas station for a cup of coffee.

Ok, yeah... it can get you in that kind of trouble... But at least you know that what you bought is already paid for and you won't be getting a bill in the mail! Just think of the trouble you'd be in if you used a credit card without any self control!

No it can't. That's the whole point of a debit card. It only works if you have the money sitting in your account. So the minute you use it, whatever you bought is paid for and you don't get a nasty bill in the mail a few weeks later. Unlike a credit card, which lets you spend money you don't actually have, a debit card is only good if you have the $$$ sitting in your account to cover the transaction amount.

I have an unbelievably huge, well-stocked hobby shop incredibly close by. They have a selection like you wouldn't believe... new releases, vintage and collectible kits, diecasts, all sorts of aftermarket stuff... the widest selection of paints, tools and supplies I've ever seen. It's really amazing. And to top it all off, it's open seven days a week, and they even deliver to my door! Oh, and the prices will probably beat your LHS price. So what's the name of this incredible place? The internet.

Yes, he's the product development manager, and he does post on the forum pretty regularly... mostly with updates on upcoming Moebius kits, or in regards to comments and suggestions we have made regarding Moebius products. How many other model company execs do that? None that I know of. That's what makes Moebius different from all the other model manufacturers, IMO. And I mean different in a very good way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombala

Yeah, I know. If I have time tomorrow I'll take some shots and post them.

I've never posted that one here.

I've never built just cars. I've built mostly cars up until about 10 years ago, when I got bored with cars and branched out. First into highly detailed wooden ship kits (it was a blast working with wood and a real nice change of pace from all that white plastic!) and then other things. In the past 3-4 years, besides several Pocher car kits, I have built: several highly detailed wooden ships (including the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria) 2 stagecoaches a covered wagon an 1880's era "doctor's buggy" a San Francisco cable car a paddlewheel riverboat a bunch of 1/32 scale WWI fighter planes a few antique locomotives including the first successful steam locomotive a 1/9 scale WWII large-scale motorcycle a 1/9 scale custom "bobber" bike, and more. I've actually built more "other models" lately than car models.

Here's an idea of how thin the belt should be. Look at the belt where it passes over the top of the blower pulley.

Nice job, but that blower drive belt is waaaaaaaay too thick...