Harry P.

Paint the battery caps!!!

Well, I've had my share of angry PMs regarding this thread. Enough already.

Once again the question is... how much freedom do I give you guys? Do I let a thread run its course, or lock it? Tough call sometimes. I swear, if I lock a thread I get people complaining about it... if I let a thread run, I get people complaining. Hey, anyone out there who has all the answers and knows exactly what to do in every case, you can have this moderator job. The hours are long and the pay sucks, but if you know better than I do, please feel free to take over. You want the job, James?

The problem is, any model car price guide is obsolete the minute it's published, because prices constantly change. The best way to get an idea of what a particular kit is going for is to watch ebay. That's the most current indicator of "value"... and remember, any kit is worth as much as a buyer is willing to pay for it.

Well, maybe I was wrong to trust you guys to use common sense. Guess you didn't get my point, apparently the bashing goes on. No more. This thread is locked.

I think you're right. Although I have to say some of you guys are pretty funny. I actually laughed out loud all day long reading this thread. Who knew we had a whole Second City troupe right here?

This thread is freaking HILARIOUS! Who knew we had so many funny guys here? I haven't laughed so much in a long time, these posts are something else. But... (you knew that was coming)... I think it's time to cool it. We all made our points (some of you very well, I might add!), but it's getting a little "uncomfortable" for me. We're all family here, and we shouldn't get our kicks at the expense of one of our own... know what I mean? I know there was no harm meant by anyone, and like I said, some of you guys are too funny! But really... time to quit. I don't want to be "Mr. Moderator Guy," so no locking. I'll leave it to the rest of you to use common sense...

He just did it again!!!

I know this is totally OT (wait... is it possible to be OT in this thread??? )... But Jeff, what's the deal with your posts? You quote someone, then there's like 20 returns before you start your reply. Lots of dead white space that I'm getting tired of going in and editing out...

Yeah, baby!!!

Right, they are "mass produced" to an extent, but the originals, the masters, are all created from scratch and from raw materials. The "original" is completely scratchbuilt, no kit or ready-made parts are used.

Don't know how you could possibly simulate stitching in 1/24 scale, but for piping I use aluminum wire (found at craft stores in the jewelry making aisles). It comes in various thicknesses (diameters), is soft and easily flexible, and can be painted any color you like. I shape the needed piece to conform to where I want to apply it and attach it with very tiny amounts of CA... you have to be really careful when gluing. You might try a white glue (that dries clear) instead of CA... it wouldn't stain or discolor the surrounding leather. This photo shows how I used wire to create the piping around the shift boot of this Jaguar. It's not on the seats, but it could be used on seats just as easily. By the way... the "leather" seats here are nothing more than semigloss paint. Plain and simple, painless and realistic (At least I think it looks pretty much like "leather").

Christian, check out the photo Mark just posted. That looks a heck of a lot more like leather than real leather would in that scale.

Door panels are easy enough to make out of styrene sheet. Do a google image search, find some reference pix and you're good to go. Don't know what scale the model you're talking about is, but I still say real leather would be out of scale. I use real leather on my 1/8 Pocher kits... I think I can get away with it at that size, but anything smaller and the illusion of reality (which is the whole point of a "scale model") is lost.

Send me a PM with your email address.

Kit? KIT? We don't need no stinkin' kit!!! It's scratchbuilt, no kit involved. And I can't tell you who built it, because I don't want to give away my sources. After all, I have to find a photo to try and fool you guys every week!

Exactly! And in the photo of the wheel you can clearly see that the panel lines are only inscribed, they're not real joints.

Yep, Bob just said exactly what I think, too. Real leather just doesn't look "real" on a 1/24 scale model. Most leather car seats have very little surface texture, some are in fact completely smooth. Any texture the leather has would virtually disappear at 1/24 scale. A much more realistic "leather" appearance can be had with paint. That's not to say I don't appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that goes with installing leather interiors on a model car... but it just doesn't look realistic, IMO. Impressive, maybe, in a "wow, I can't believe you did that" sort of way, but not realistic.

That's the way to go... unless you can find 1/24 scale leather!

A few more photos...

ok, people... you lose!!! Final vote: 33 REAL, 24 MODEL. It's a model! (1/8 scale, custom built). Ha, got ya again! Next ROM coming MONDAY!

It was the real car that hit 200... not the model!

Whoa there... take it easy! Everybody wants their share of the pie... postage rates have gone up like everything else. Unfortunately there isn't a darn thing we can do about it. By the way... great plan you have there. Assuming that you actually have 300 boxes that need delivery to Belgium...

1962? I was barely out of training pants!!!

Oh... ok then...