Harry P.

That looks cool already! BTW... I love the jack stands you use in your photos. Nice touch...

I'm working on it...

Ditto to what everyone said. Amazing model, fantastic photos. Now that's how its done!

Yeah, I can see that. But for me, the biggest kick I get out of model building is the building. To me, that's the hobby right there, that's why I do it. How I stack up against others holds absolutely no interest for me, it's just irrelevant. I build models strictly to amuse myself. I enjoy the process. Competing, or even just displaying in an NNL type event, plays no part in the hobby for me. To me, building a model for relaxation and enjoyment and competing in contests against others are two totally different hobbies, one that I like and one that I have absolutely no interest in. But like I said, I totally get that competing and taking part in contests and shows is a big part of how other people enjoy model cars... heck, for some people competing against others is the entire point. Diff'rent strokes, right?

I like that Magnum!

Yeah, that's it. I don't want to embarrass everyone else by so totally outshining them all... Actually, it's not a fear or even a dislike of contests... I just don't have that competitive urge. I understand it, and I get that a lot of guys like to compete... I totally see that and have no complaints about it or look down it or anything like that; it's just not my thing. Competing against other modelers doesn't interest me in the least.

Aluminum foil (which is what BMF is) can't yellow. It's either the clear yellowing, or something settling onto the surface.

Nice interior detail!

Judge's bias plays a big part in "Best of Show." And to your second point... I agree 100%. Even though I do have opinions on how a contest should be judged, I couldn't care less what any "judge" would think of my work. That's why I would never enter a contest.

I never said I was "offended" by the Enola Gay. I was just pointing out that many people would be, if it were to take part in some sort of "barnstorming" exhibition across the country, given its history and the mission it was used for. Therefore not a good idea to break her out of mothballs and fly her again, given that history. If you actually read my posts and pay attention, you'll see that I even said that the plane itself isn't at fault. I never said that I was "offended" by the plane. And I never said the plane should be destroyed. Where do you get this stuff? Do you see words in my posts that I didn't put in there??? This isn't the first time you've come after me with misguided anger. What's the deal? Dude... read my posts more carefully before you come at me. Disagree with what I say, that's perfectly fine. I have no problem with opposing views. But don't criticize me for something I never said. With that, I do have a problem.

People aren't impartial. That's the whole problem, and that's why, IMO, the best way to judge a contest is to judge each entry in several pre-determined areas like paintwork, realism, cleanliness of build, etc... each category on a 0-10 or 0-100 scale or whatever. The model with the most points overall wins. This method forces judges to look at several aspects of each model instead of just looking at it overall and judging it. It minimizes bias and judge's personal likes/dislikes regarding the subject matter. For example, a judge may not like "Street Rod" type models, but if he/she has to judge the model on its merits... paint, detail, realism, basic construction technique/cleanliness, etc... there is less room for judge's bias. Even if the judge didn't personally care for Street Rods, he/she would be judging based on a given set of parameters... not personal likes or dislikes.

So..... will you guys be doing this tomorrow, too?

The problem with using real wood veneers is that while they are thin, the grain pattern is still "full size"... not 1/24 of that size. Sometimes you can get away with a thin veneer that has almost no grain pattern visible (like basswood) and stain it to look like "oak" or "walnut" or whatever... but you won't get that in-scale grain that makes oak look like "oak," for instance. I used real veneers on my Mercedes (it's actually birch, stained with oak stain). It "works" because the birch has a very small, tight grain pattern that will pass for "real" in 1/8 scale.

That works great for flat surfaces like truck beds... not so much for curved surfaces like some woodies, or dashboard and interior trim.

Is this rumor or fact?

The best way to replicate wood in 1/24 or 1/25 scale is by using either decals that are to scale, or by using paint and drybrushing techniques. Drybrushing wood grain is sort of an involved process that takes practice and skill to do well. Basically what you do is lay down the base color... say a light tan for "oak" wood... then using a fairly dry brush, you add the wood grain using both lighter and darker tones than the original base color. Getting a convincing look takes practice, but if you do it right you can get the "wood" looking very real. Try doing a google search for a picture of the type of wood that you want to duplicate, match up your paint colors to the photo (base color, lighter and darker tone for the grain detail), and give it a shot. Most woods can be replicated using three colors: the overall base color (reddish brown for mahogany, tan for oak, a lighter yellowish tan for maple, etc.), and a darker and lighter shade to create the grain pattern. Use the photo as your reference as to how the grain looks. Try practicing on some scrap styrene first.

It's not the plane itself that people would find offensive... it's the act that the plane was used for that many would find offensive. Also, you have to remember... in any war there are always TWO sides–both who believe that they were on the "heroic" side... the "right" side of the conflict.

I agree with both Andy and Christian. As an historic artifact, sure... ok to have the old bird on display somewhere, I suppose–as long as the accompanying plaque describes just exactly WHY the plane is historically significant (for better or worse). I mean, after all, it's not the plane's fault what happened. But to polish it up and fly her around the country in some sort of misguided "tour?" Like Christian said, would it be appropriate to fire up Bergen-Belsen then, and relive a few of those memories, too?

Ok, how about this one? Real or model? The answer: REAL!

I think you mean the SHAH of Iran...

Erik, that Edsel needs a longer rear... needs to be stretched a little bit between the rear window and the back end. But a cool idea!

Without doing a google image search I have no idea how accurate this model is, but it sure looks cool! Nice work, I love seeing models of cars you don't see every day...

Yeah, kinda what I was getting at. I'm not so sure an Enola Gay "tour" would be such a good idea, given what happened as a result of that plane's mission. Not exactly something to celebrate.

What if GM didn't kill Pontiac?

Here's a Pacer I did a few years ago. Not quite as radical, but still an improvement on the original, IMO...