Modelbuilder Mark

I really like that work you have done with that front end, where did you source the parts? Are you also planning on a patina finish, or more rust?

Welcome!

Because once he buys the truck of his dreams, he may not be able to afford another daily driver. Those things are not cheap. If he does use/need the truck on the weekends, and now cannot have another daily driver, then whamo, driving the big ol truck to work. But to further your point, I do not understand why so many people build "off road" trucks that never in their lives leave pavement. But then hey, most of the the guys that buy a Z series Vette, or any other sports car will likely never drive them the way they were built to be driven. etc etc . SOo..if logic alone dictated what we drove, then commuters would drive primarily only hybrid vehicles. Ultimately, people drive what they either can, or want to. The same way a model builder builds what they either can, or want to. What I think, or understand about their preference is of no relevance.

Welcome back to the hobby. The nice thing about the web, and forums like this, will really help even out that learning curve and make progress easier for you now. Plus, well, you are not a kid anymore. Have fun like one tho!

Cool model. I also like the little stretch of road you go there. Where did you get the rail and stop sign stuff?

nice

Trust me, it's dry. We do have what is called a monsoon season, but to be honest it is nothing to me what the name would imply or what I expected when I moved here. It is what most of us from the Midwest would call a typical spring weekend storm, except the Midwest does not have the sometimes massive dust storms that come just before. The problem is, with all the concrete, and all the sand, when it does rain, there is not a lot of places for the rain to go all at once when it does fall. I have been driving through the desert on the way to Vegas, and there is no rain where I am at, but a few miles away in the mountains it is raining, and WHAM, you are in flash flooding and the rain has not even reached you yet. Interesting to say the least. The last time I checked, our average rain fall here in the Phoenix area was only around 8 inches for the year. As of March 1st, we had gone on a 70-day streak without any precipitation in the Phoenix area, and then it was reported here as a "drencing" at just under an inch. In contrast, the avg US rainfall is 41 inches, and then there is Hawaii at something over 200 inches per year. Now, the super heat everyone talks about, really only lasts IMO about 4-5 months. Today, for example, it was just in the low 70s, and has been VERY very nice most of the winter. As of the Hispanic looks, they are a major percentage of the population. I am sure there are those that have had problems, but as a whole, I would say it is by no means what the news outside the state might paint it to be.

Well then by all means, congrats indeed!!!!

I VERY much understand. If something is in parts, or partially built, no biggie, use it and build on. But, if it is something like I have seen here, where I can see the history in it, then I would have a VERY difficult time undoing it. In addition, over the years I have been tempted to re-work old models of my own. But, the more I thought about it, I felt like they were my own time capsules, of where I was at the time I built them, so I decided against that. I thought it would be cool to keep them just as they were. The sad thing, when I moved about three years ago, almost all of my old models from childhood up to high school, and a few that were completed in the early 90's were lost in the move. I only have a few left. SOOOoo, I lost those time capsules anyway is seems. Build on my friends, build on.

I bought this one years ago, and also have the Fujimi set of tools, for a project I started way back when. I too have run into the same situation others have mentioned. The "where do I put it when done?" The footprint of mine is about 1.5 ft deep and about 2.5 ft wide. PLUS...I look at the diorama work that some others do, and to be honest, I do not want to finish it until it will look decent, and I do not think I am there yet. I still have a lot to learn, but I have to admit, the internet has really shortened that learning curve. That aside, even if you do not do a full blown garage set up, there are a lot of parts that you can use to set up and stage cool photos etc.

I like that look! Great job.

hmm, well I know that Sears will do that http://www.sears.com/eagle-manufacturing-co-eagle-ui-20-fs-red/p-SPM2052231014?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2 And being here in the valley, Amazon is always really fast as well. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=2+gallon+steel+gas+can&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A2+gallon+steel+gas+can

(sniff sniff) smells like Aprils Fools

Yep, a fan keeping it 110 inside same as outside still much better than 110 outside plus the extra heat on the inside from the heat buildup. Attics for example can regularly go above 140-150 and even sometimes as hot as 170 See, in the garage/enclosed carport, you will have at least one, sometimes more, un-insulated walls being beaten down on by the sun. So, quite often, then temperature in the garage is hotter than the ambient air outside. This is one of the reasons many of the new homes here in the valley are build with two vents already in the garage, one low and one toward the ceiling right above it. This also cuts down on vapor issues from gas cans, car exhaust etc.

I bought this kit around the same time you built yours, but have still not gotten to it. I wanted to be sure and do it justice,,and I am certain I am not in a position to lace wheels! LOL Your looks great.

scary, how something as dangerous as racing he can get by with for years...then a simple ski trip that people take for granted all the time, can remind us of just how fragile we really are.

First off, not sure what others do, but whenever I get a kit, I always take the decals and seal them in a ziplock back to help prevent drying them out, or moisture exposure. I do this as I flip through the kit. This is also when I make sure the tires are not sitting against anything they will damage with tire melt. When I first moved to AZ 7 years ago, I thought it was going to be temporary, so all my kits were boxed neetly into packing boxes, and sealed very well with tape to prevent spiders/silverfish etc from getting in while they were being stored by the moving company. My employer moved me out here, and I would be without the bulk of my stuff while living in temp housing for a couple months, and since I had no idea if my unit woud be in a warehouse, or cooled etc, I wanted everything sealed up nice. When we got our first rental home which we thought we would have for a year, I put all my boxes in the garage on shelving. This was NOT my desire, but last option due to space. After four years, it turned out the move was not so temporary. When we finally moved, I made sure I had a place to build. I went through all my kits and everything was fine. The heat in the garage got pretty high, but like others here have mentioned, just make sure they are out of direct sunlight, and I would also suggest that you not store them against the outside wall as that will be hotter of course. One other option, is to possible buy a cheap exhaust fan, like for a bathroom, and place it at a high point in the inclosure, and then have that pulling the heat out of the enclosed area. It will not "cool" it but it will prevent it from getting too hot. How many kits are we talking again? Can you pare that down to those you think you will actually build vs part out then maybe trade out the rest. Otherwise, if you have one room to share for hobbies, consider using the closet in the spare room specifically for kit storage. IF you keep them boxed, (I still currently have 5 garment boxes full of kits, the kind you put hanging clothes in) and several of these will stack into a closet. OR, stack them in the room against a wall, and use the closet as your building space. There is a nice thread on hear where folks show their work space, and someone posted recently their workspace that was the closet. when the door is closed, out of the way, open the doors, build away. Here is the link to their post. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=48712&page=15#entry1135364 Honestly, worst case, yeah they will likely be OK if you take precautions, but you may not build as often if they are out there either. Find to a way to bring them in the house and build away.

try buying it online, but instead of having it shipped to you, see if it can be delivered to the store near you for pickup?

Will be cool

Welcome Rob. I am from Indiana, now living in AZ. Do you know any of the guys from HMCA?

I have had the car hauled bed from a glue bomb I got years ago, maybe or back, and I also had the Coke box truck that I had planned at some point to use as the donor, but like others have said, sooo many projects, but it is indeed cool to see the kit getting released

That is cool Tom. I like manh styles of cars. I see that some folks on here are pretty set to a certain style, or type,and tat is cool for them, but I just have interest in so many different styles, it always keeps me with a fresh subject to model.

Thanks Charlie and Tom. I had some paint problems with the rims, and really that is all that is left. I have had them in the purple pond, and over cleaner, nothing..so today, trying brake fluid. Yeah TOm, I have seen these things in all sorts of roles, including police and race cars. Here are a few that I came across

light bulb reflection test..