Harry P.

Remember guys... nothing is going to change unless Gregg decides to change things. So far this is all just talk; I don't think Gregg is all that big on reworking things. But even if nothing changes, we can still start using more descriptive thread titles.

I suggested ONE section for all competition cars... NASCAR, drag, Indy, F1, etc. Descriptive thread titles would serve to keep things easy to find. "My latest Indy car model," not "My latest race car."

Let's face it... if we had a forum where everyone had their own section for what they liked to build, we'd have a home page 5 pages long. It just won't work. Like I said before, my intent is to break the site into logical pieces. Fewer separate "main" sections and fewer sub-sections, but still enough separate areas to make it easy to figure out where to post what, and make it as easy as possible within reason to find the stuff that you are interested in. My guess is that most members here are interested in building models that are not weathered. So my opinion would be to put the rusty and crusty stuff into the "Other Models" category, as it's own sub-section. OTHER MODELS: Diecasts Large Scale Dioramas Rusty and Crusty All the Rest What I don't think makes any sense is you guys arguing back and forth about whose modeling area of interest is more legitimate than the other guy's. We all have our own personal area of modeling that we like best. There's no reason to try and knock another guy's area of interest just because it's not your area of interest. That is pretty lame, IMO. Whatever type of model you like to build is just as legitimate as the type of model anyone else likes to build. And all I'm trying to accomplish is to break the forum into sections that make the most sense for the most members, not trying to promote one type of model over another. And Virgil, I'm sure, is also not trying to "convert" any of you to his way of building... he just suggested a new section for the rusty stuff, which is a completely legitimate suggestion. No need for some of you to start up with the personal attacks. How about instead of railing at Cranky and tryimg to make a point of how much you don't care for his building style, you try to make a positive contribution to the thread? Give us your ideas on how to make the site better. Sniping at another member because you don't like him or his building style is fine if you're a third grader... not so appropriate for grown men.

I think we can get by with fewer sub-categories, not more of them... as long as people start being specific in their topic titles! No more titles like "I need some help" or "My latest build." Instead: "I need some help using BMF" or "My latest NASCAR build." If everyone would just be a little more specific, we won't need a ton of sub-categories.

Hey Skip... if you like SA so much why don't you marry it??? (just kidding, of course!)

I don't see any need to break down cars into a million specific categories. As you can see by my layout, I have just two categories: Street cars, which includes factory stock, rat rods, customs, etc. and Competition cars, which includes NASCAR, Indy, F1, drag, etc. The trick is to break down the categories in a logical way, while at the same time trying to streamline things and not have a bazillion separate sub-categories.

It's Gregg's sandbox. Ultimately it's his decision (and only his) whether or not to make any changes.

You mean "Brilliant Strategy?" Gee, thanks!

I know, rght? Hard to believe...

The reason I split Trucks into heavy-duty and commercial, and light duty and street trucks, is again, to make it easier for guys to find what they want. Big-rig builders aren't going to like slammed pickups lumped in with their Kenworths and vice versa. The big-rig guys and the bagged pickup guys are two very different types of builders. Maybe we include street trucks (pickups and vans and SUVS and such) in with the car category, and keep the Truck section strictly heavy-duty, commercial and emergency/municipal. There's always going to be the question of how specific the sub-forums need to be. Does NASCAR need its own section, or can all competition cars go in one category? It's a matter of personal preference, I guess. Like I said, my idea isn't necessarily the only way to do things... but it's one way to do things and it makes sense to me.

Because we have a big group of guys who build pretty much trucks only, I think keeping the car and truck kits separated makes sense. Makes it easier to either find (or avoid!) a review, depending on your own personal building preferences. Believe me, guys... I've actually put some thought into my revision. There will never be just one absolutely correct way to arrange the site that will make everyone happy...that's just impossible to do. But I think my outline works well for the most members. It's broken down into logical categories, it'll make the main page shorter (less scrolling needed!) and it makes stuff easier to find (or easier to avoid, depending on what you personally are interested in... or not!)

I think we have a pretty big group of guys that built pretty much trucks only... so it makes sense (to me) to have a separate truck section... just to keep the cars and trucks separate and easier for truck builders to find the trucks, and guys not into trucks to not have to wade through a bunch of truck posts when they're not interested in trucks.

In my opinion the forum needs a pretty major reworking. I agree with Dave, a separate NASCAR section seems unneccessary, I agree we need just one race section, with specific sub-sections. What I would like to see is a reshuffling of the major categories, and either deleting or combining several of the sub-sections. And I would have no problem with a new "Weathering" category. The interest does seem o be there. We went through this debate a while ago, and I posted my idea of how the site ahould be arranged. This is how I would do things: GENERAL (same as what we have now) MODEL CARS • Under Glass-All categories of CARS • In Progress: Stock, Street, Show, Custom • In Progress: Competition (Drag, NASCAR, F1, Indy, etc.) • Kit News, Reviews, and Opinions • 1/1 Car Reference Photos MODEL TRUCKS • Under Glass-All categories of TRUCKS • In Progress: Big Rig, Heavy Commercial, Police, Fire, Emergency • In Progress: Pickups, SUVs, Light Commercial • Kit News, Reviews and Opinions • 1/1 Truck Reference Photos OTHER MODELS • Diecast • Large Scale (1/20 and up) • Dioramas • All the rest (planes, military, figures, paper models, etc.) THE HOBBY ROOM • Tips, Tricks & Tutorials • How Do I...? • Resin & Aftermarket COMMUNITY • Auto Art • Community Builds • Clubs, Contests, Shows & Events • Real or Model/Auto ID • Swap, Trade or Free • Wanted • Links, Advertisers & Web Sites MODEL CAR RACING

I think a pinch from one of her crab buddies is exactly what she needs! She won't be sitting on their cages so much anymore!

Yeah, most low-end diecasts have those goofy and incredibly out of scale and unrealistic hinges. The better quality diecasts (as in more $$$) have more realistic hinges.

Bart asked me to change the title of his thread. He worded it poorly and implied that he was smacking around his dog, which was not the case. It was just a badly-worded (and misleading) title.

You built that? What's the source of the kit? BTW... I moved this to "Other Models."

You better not ever smack a pet for doing what comes natural! It's up to you to keep whatever it is you don't want the dog to get into away from the dog!

Nice and clean, but... Wipers painted body color? And no mirrors, either inside or out?

You're right, most diecasts are sold as finished models, not as kits to be assembled, so model builders see them as not being "legitimate" models. People confuse the term "model" and "model kit." But of course they are models. They're just not model kits (at least most of them), but they are models. And if you take a diecast and disassemble it and rework it, you're building a model just as much as if you were building any plastic kit.

We run diecast features in the magazine all the time. In our opinion diecast models are absolutely a legitimate part of the model car world. We've run diecast model reviews, features on reworking and/or detailing diecasts, and Bill Coulter has a soon to become regular feature on models available in diecast form that have never been (and probably never will be) available in styrene kit form. At MCM we believe diecasts are very much a part of the model car hobby, and we'll continue to run features about them.

How about some information on the source of all that cool stuff... the wrenches, the phone on the wall, all the bathroom stuff. Where is it all from?

Those are all very cool phots, any of them would make a great diorama. I like the third photo the best (with the Regal whiskey sign). That would make a really cool diorama.

No changes have been made. Are the glue fumes getting to you? Did you click on the "Change Theme" link at the bottom of the page? Maybe you caused the change yourself!

Virgil has written quite a few books (poetry and novels)... but just one on modeling. Click the link in his signature to go to his website, where you'll find more info. And yes, Tim, that was a legitimate question. I didn't understand the "really?" either.