Harry P.

Well, that's different! I built a paper model of the Eiffel Tower... did it as a kid. I remember it was fun to do, but so much work cutting out all of that intricate ironwork. Looks like you had less cutting to do here!

A little more progress... A racing plate and a street plate? What's up with the "belt and suspenders" approach? Well... that's how a few of the cars in my photos are set up, so that's how I'm doing mine. Was this a race car that was also street-driven? Who knows? I'm just copying my reference photos! I lost one of the taillights, so until I find the other one (that is, if I find it!), this car will be a one-light wonder. I made "bezels" by sawing thin rings off of aluminum tubing. After I sanded the cut faces smooth I laid each bezel down on a piece of polyethylene plastc (that "greasy" type of plastic that nothing sticks to)... and I put a bit of 5-minute epoxy in each bezel to make the "lens." Once the epoxy cured, I painted the back side either transparent red and then silver (the red taillight lens and the two reflectors on either side of the car) or white (the two side lenses in the taillight):

The green bracket is simple enough to cut out of sheet styrene. The red bracket, a piece of sheet styrene cut to a strip and glued to a length of styrene rod (or aluminum rod or even some scrap sprue the appropriate diameter). You could even skip the flat strip part, it would be almost impossible to see anyway... just go with a length of rod between the block and the alt. The tough part is the orange piece. That can be made by cutting the two surfaces out of sheet styrene and gluing them together at a 90 degree angle (the front surface being the part with the adjustment slot, which is at 90 degrees to the top part which covers the alternator and is screwed down to the block. Forget about that curve you see on the edge of the top, just make it straight (easier that way). You don't have to get every single angle and curve 100% correct... just approximate it as best as you can. In 1/25 scale nobody will ever notice anything "wrong" if you don't get it exact.

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with kits like this! I don't know how you managed to work with such tiny pieces, but the end result sure looks good!

"The new phone book is here!" is a quote from the movie "The Jerk." Try to keep up with the tour group, willya??? (BTW... I'm with you. What does that have to do with MCM?)

I don't have access to that function, otherwise I would have done it. I've asked Gregg a few times already... but so far nothing. Which tells me that the rule as he wrote it is how he wants it. Which I disagree with. But he's the boss...

You sure don't take the easy way out, do you? Totally scratchbuilt models of cars never available in kit form... that is pure modeling! I guess creating a Tatra wasn't enough of a challenge for you? Keep going, I love this stuff!

Crower, Thrush, Hoosier, Jardine, Doug Thorley...

One day not so long from now, having one of those printers on the workbench will be as common as having a Sherline lathe or a milling machine. Like Skip said, the technology still needs to be refined a bit and the cost needs to drop a LOT... but it will and it will. I remember the very first VCR I ever bought. (For those of you too young to know what a VCR is, look it up! ). It was a pretty high-end unit, stereo, and it cost $900. A few years later you could buy a decent VCR for $100, maybe even less. The same thing will happen with the RP technology. Prices will drop, and we'll all have one!

Ach du lieber! That's one fine looking M-B! Paint is flawless, I wish I could paint half as well!

You'd have to paint over the flour logo, but... http://www.dollhousecollectibles.com/Dollhouse%20Accessories~General~IM65099____SACK_OF_FLOUR~IM65099.html

In simple terms: This site has gotten too big (too many people connected at once) for the server (the computer where this site actually originates from). Sort of like if you overload an electrical circuit... you turn too many things on at once, the circuit can't supply enough power for everything, and the fuse blows. We need to upgrade to a better/bigger/faster server. Or get rid of a bunch of members...

Dave Ambrose got back to me. Here is part of what he said: "It looks to me like our hosting company had some sort of systemwide failure. Not sure what, but I'm hoping things are better. Yes, we've outgrown this host -- in several ways. With our current host, it's the number of simultaneous connections to the database, which causes the SQL errors that people are seeing. There are some other, more technical, gotchas too. I've been hesitant to recommend us getting our own virtual server, but I think this is the way we need to go. Fortunately, we have many more options than we did 6 months ago. I'll be talking to Gregg as soon as I get back to California (I'm currently in Toronto) if not sooner. I hope people can be patient while we work on this, and I'll post something as soon as I can. " So there you have it. That where it stands as of now.

I think I explained it pretty clearly. Let's not try to create a problem where there is none. You know we have an "Other Models" section... right?

Gregg added that rule after we had yet another flame war, and I guess Gregg had seen just about enough. However, I think Gregg worded the rule the wrong way. What I think he means is that we need to keep our comments directed at the model, not the person. Example A: The engine detail looks good, but the ignition wires are a little out of scale. Try a slightly thinner gauge wire next time for more realism. That comment is directed at the model, and is perfectly legitimate. Example B: Your engine details are all wrong. Are you too lazy to do basic research? That comment is directed not at the model, but at the person, and is the kind of comment we need to stay away from.

1982 Mustang engine specs: 2.3L 4cyl 88hp 3.3L 6cyl 94hp 4.2L V-8 120hp 5.0L V-8 157hp 2012 Mustang V6: 305hp.

Was it an "adults only" show???

I agree 100%. Which is why I said in a previous post that "Tips, Tricks and Techniques" needs a full time moderator (an experienced and knowledgeable builder) to edit out the junk and keep the info legit. But if we don't have a person to do that, then what? I can't stop people from posting their tips. It's an open forum, and unless I have someone who will take on the responsibility of keeping the tips section clean, what can I do???

And that's a good thing, because today's cars are light years better than the cars of 20-30 years ago. Safer, better handling, better braking, better fuel economy, better reliability, more comfort... why in the world would you want to go back to technology that's so inferior to what's available today? And if it's "performance" you're talking about... you can buy a V6 Mustang today that has more HP than a V8 Mustang from 30 years ago had! And that's just one example... there are literally dozens more.

After looking at this model you're asking for logic??? Since the driver's head would be sucked into engine 1 at startup, the question of whether or not slicks are needed seems a little besides the point!

Exactly. We wanted to put all of the "how to" type stuff in one location. Right now people post tips and "how do I" questions in the "General" section, in the Tips section...all over the place. I want to have ONE place to go for all questions and answers. Of course, having a specific place to post isn't going to guarantee that people will actually do it. There's always that certain group of people who either don't know, or don't care, where to post what... but at least if we do have the place for it, most people will get used to it and know to post there.

Can I assume then, that you play the lottery the day after the winning numbers have been revealed?

"Modeling Q&A" is a new section, comprised of "How Do I...?" and "TIps, Tricks and Techniques." Step1: We created the new section so that all of the "how to" content would be found in one place. Step 2: The content from the old "Tips, Tricks and Tutorials" was supposed to be merged into the new TT&T section, and then the old TT&T header was supposed to be deleted. The problem is that Gregg did Step 1 but still hasn't done Step 2. I hope that answer meets your desired level of management elucidation and edumacation...

There's no IQ test required to sell on ebay... you're dealing with the general public in all its glory.

The non-toxic Testors glue is basically useless. The reason that it's non-toxic is because it lacks the "toxic" chemicals in "real" Testors tube glue that act on the plastic and actually create the bond! You're better off using liquid styrene cement for general assembly. Liquid styrene cement is a much cleaner way to build. You either clamp or tape or just hold the pieces you want to glue together, and then "flow" the glue into the joint with the applicator brush. Liquid cement is very thin, like water, and will flow by capillary action into the joint. No more glue squishing out from between the joint and those annoying glue strings like you get with tube glue. I do use tube glue in a few specific instances, for example, if I'm trying to glue a tiny part onto a larger assembly but can't easily hold or clamp that part as the glue dries (example: gluing a fan onto a fan pulley). In a case like that, the thickness of the tube glue is actually a plus, as you can put a tiny dab of glue where the part will join, and the thickness of the glue will hold the small part in place while the glue dries. You have to keep an eye on the part for a minute or so, as it may sag a bit or move slightly off position... just gently push the part back into alignment, the glue alone will generally hold it in place after a minute or so. Along with liquid cement, I also use CA for general assembly, but usually only if there are definite locator pins or some other positive locating device, because CA glue doesn't give you much time for alignment of parts (there are slow setting CA glues available, but that sort of defeats the whole beauty of CA, which is that it sets almost instantly). The fast setup time can be both a plus and a minus, depending on the situation. Experience will tell you the best glue to use in a given situation, but in general I use either CA or liquid styrene cement for 95% of general assembly...CA when I want/need an instant bond, liquid cement when an instant bond isn't necessary), tube glue only in certain circumstances, and not very often, and epoxy also in very limited and specific situations.