deja-view

Is this a "barn find", a beat up survivor, or just a really bad build? http://www.ebay.com/itm/360352703133?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Seriously! I used to make it from Coos Bay to Las Vegas in about 12 hours...almost non-stop (gas only)..at night...in my ZR-1. Chunked a few rabbits on the way To Roseburg, to Shasta, to Suisanville/Reno, to Las Vegas. Very beautiful drive. Watch out for slow Indians if you go down Hwy 50.

Ummm, yeah. My experience with Mark is that he flat doesn't like large scales. Which is why I haven't gone back to the GLS in over 10 years. Period.

Chuck; That's a very nice looking F40....but who is "NOVA"?

Dang, Charles; Your builds are outstanding. Someday, I really need to learn that weathing stuff...or at least how to make a car look "raced". Or, maybe just finishing one or two that I've started.

Mufflers, for sure!

Hmmmm...kinda like the vents on the back of my '73 vette coupe, I guess. I never thought of them as being for the flow through, but that makes sense. Thanks.

That's really nice. What are the vents in the rear deck for???

I think you could get a quick $500 for it. That's quite a prize for a model show. Heck, that's quite a prize for a real car show.

Ain't it the truth, though. Even the most "powerful" Vegas execs or enforcers who were dancing with the mob were never safe. Most got what they deserved (especially Silotro). Probably the only "safe" one around is Oscar. He probably has more damning files and photos hidden in safe places than all the FBI and other agencies combined. Junior; You gotta come back and ride the ZIP line under the canopy. If I weere still young and insane I'd give it a go. Much safer than hanging off the top edge of the Stratosphere.

Clifford, you did a great job on this Lola. I love the color/theme you picked. I started one of these about 10-12 years ago, and while trying to build the tub in aluminum I got bogged down and never fiished it. Then, when I got interested again I found out that the version that Tamiya presented was supposed to have the Aston Martin engine rahter than the Chevy. Major ptoblem there for sure. I thought of doing a Chevy-powered version like you did, but of course, that requires a color and markings change (which YOU did so very well). Then, I thought I'd go ahead with the Aston Martin powered version....but just try to find any pics of that engine. Nyet, nada, zip, nothing. At least nothing useable. Tamiya screwed up on the originality of this Lola, and it's a darn shame because the T70 has to be one of the best looking race cars EVER. KUDOS to you, Cliiford, for a job very well done.

Yeah, there's ones like this with all the RC equipment, too. It looks like there's a big "club" of enthusiasts for military in hige scale...with an aftermarket of hundreds of extra parts, figures, guns, etc. If one had the space and time it probably would be a lot of fun, but I have a feeling it gets a little like playing Dungeons and Dragons with 1/6 scale pieces...total over-involvement after awhile. I'll bet they'd love to take over the skate parks and redo them for tank battles.

I've seen those advertised (yeah, I look at all kinds of stuff because I build all kinds of stuff...or, at least I START all kinds of stuff). They are HUGE. I would expect a fun build, but you have to have a place to put it. It's not standard shelf item. I have 1/15 scale tanks, and they are about 16-18" I think. Figure about 2-1/2 times that(?). Not quite as crazy as this one: http://www.ebay.com/...=item27be62e332 My first thought, especially if you're not into building military...or very LARGE military models...would be to sell it. You could use the $$$ to but more of what yoiu like to build. Like that classic truck you have there. I have one of those I started in 1971 when I was stationed in the Azores, and I STILL have not finished it. sigh. BTW: That's a White Freightliner, not a Peterbilt...not that it matters 'cause it's a really nice model. Oh..that tank would fit easily in the back of my Suburban. Hmmmm...how much would it cost to get that beast to Las Vegas? Probably as much as a flight here from Sweden.

I'm new on this forum compared to most of you, but I've been doing all sides of this for about 50 years. I have only once "stiffed" a guy on a trade, but that was because no matter how many messages I sent him HE didn't respond. I finally gave up, but would look for his name periodically and try again. Nothing. I don't recall him ever bringing it up on the forum, but I'm not sure he even continued posting at all...just sort of disappeared. But if you have a member who is currently active, and is doing trades with other members....and STILL continues to ignore you when he owes you a model (or something) it is right, fair, and the moral thing to do to let everyone else know what has happened. After 5 months it's time for the offender to explain himself, to make good on his promise, and to give other members a better basis for whether or not THEY should trade with him. NOT disclosing the questionable trader is immoral and unfair to everyone else....and it destroys faith in the forum's systems. There is a reason our culture relies on honesty and rules to back up the obligations of us to each other. Without enforcement and exposure, there cannot be a fair marketplace or trust in any part of it. SO...give both parties a chance to bring it to the table (one already has in this case) and allow the "offender" a chance to make good and explain himself. Now, THAT is the only fair way to do it. Hiding it is not fair to anyone.

YES! Now, that's a subject I could put some time into and feel good about displaying. Love that GTO, and I'm not even sure why. I have a pretty nice 1/18 version, but a 1/12 would feel much better. I'd rather do the work myself though....."when" is another matter. Anyway, I shouldn't be thinking about buying anything until I see how much it's gonna grind me to find another 1/12 GMP Gulf GT40.

Yes they are, Wayne. Yes they are. Although, most of the time it seems more like the circle just keeps rolling. I'd love to see all the books on how much money was absconded out of the several $BILLION projects that are dead or laying fallow. Lots of investors got hurt for sure, but I'd bet all I have that many guys at the top still made their pockets full. Anyway, that model is one of the best Vegas tribute cars I've ever seen. I'll also bet that Oscar would pay some big, big bucks to have it on his desk. Ooops. I mean Carolyn's desk.

The Riviera is still wheezing along, but I don't know how. They might have picked up a lot of the old loyal Sahara clientele. Back in 1984 I was VP of Marketing for a company that sold electronic safes. The Riviera was one of the first to install them in the rooms. The CEO was Jeff Silver. He was one of those with actual foresight and willing to try new things....just what the old Riv needed. When he told me he was being hired away a couple of years later by Caesar's Palace I warned him that he was stepping into a management philosophy that was just the opposite. They paid him a lot for back then, but he stayed 6 months and said he had had enough. He's still around and still a valuable administrator in the industry, but in dealing with those casinos he was just as surprised as I was at how stone-headed the owners and managers were. Of course, in many caes the real decision makers were in Kansas City, Chicago, and other places. When they made stupid decisions you had to just look unaffected, say "OK", and move on. Usually, the palms were getting greased by someone who was more willing to dive into the corruption. For me, it was just too dangerous to get involved that far. But these CEO's and upper managers could make millions disappear like Danny Gans...or David Copperfield, I guess.

Dang, Fabrizio; That's awesome! I miss the Stardust, too. And, the Landmark. Going up to the restaurant and seeing the city and strip was a real treat. Now, we have "Crazy Bob's" Stratosphere. Stupak was a visionary, but a realllly odd character. The Stardust was just so "old school". Too bad "The Wayner" couldn't save it. That model needs to be in one of our museums....and not the mob ones.

It will look great with the rear treatment. That rear end on the '66 is what sold me on the car the moment I drove up behind it. Yours is gonna look really cool.

Isn't there also a "Thing" in this scale, too? Haven't seen one in a long time.

That's a great subject. Is there a Rambler American in the planning..or actually out there? When I was about 12 or 13 my mom traded our hemi powered '56 Plymouth for a 1960 Rambler American 2 door wagon. Yeah, mint green with the flat 6 cylinder and that famous 3-on-the-tree overdrive transmission (the one that they made the song "Little Nash Rambler" from. The only thing that saved me from total embarassment all through Jr. Hi and into high school was those reclining seats, and the fact that the little wagon was indestructible. Thank God it wasn't pink. We called it the "green pig". I see 'em now built as strip race cars.

The Tamiya Enzo looks like a nice, challenging kit, but I can't understand why Tamiya would put all that into a car with no "history". There are numerous Ferrari subjects that are historically significant and would be far more desireable...especially in that price range. Good resin 1/12 Ferraris with race history are in that price range, but have disappointing detail (except for the wire wheels). Even the F40 is not exactly a high interest car compared to the really amazing Ferraris that were raced or marketed as GT supercars. Same with Porsches. As far as the comparison with the Pocher F40 and TR....not really any there. The TR that I spent countless hours cutting out the vents and other "should-have-been-open" areas is a nice subject, and now that there are many aftermarket parts available, is a mediocre kit at best. I had an F40 and sold it because it was just too much work to get it up to a fully detailed model. The only worse attempt at newer cars by Pocher was the Porsche 993. I hope the Tamiya Enso doesn't require all the scratchbuilding and extra aftermarket parts that those Pochers do. And, the Pocher "classics"? Not so much. I have had several, but only built the Mercedes 500k(?) all the way through. I had to add real leather because that seat vinyl krap was....krap. The radiator shell and other stainless metal parts were horrible..should have been chromed from the start. Pocher paid me to build the Mercedes for the Blackhawk Museum back in the '90's, and I had to constantly bug them for replacement parts. The one I really liked was the Alfa racer in white and blue. But,,,much like the others...the plastic body parts were warped and just didn't fit without a lot of dickering. I sold it (them) after getting disgusted. Too bad because I really like the look of the car. It would have made a really cool street rod! To me, there are too many better kits of better subjects out there in that price range...and less. The Enzo? Eh! Oh...someone mentioned the Protar F40. I had both the solid body and the clearbody. Neither were worth the effort or the cost ($100+).

The trailer diorama is great. It reminds me of when Steve Wynn was preparing to build the Treasure Island and Mirage hotels, and there was a little ...very old...mobile home park in the way. There was a lot of bad words and fussing over moving the residents out, but obviously the big winner was Wynn, Las Vegas, and the tourists who have enjoyed the two casinos. Even though they didn't own the land, and most of the trailers were long past needing to be condemned, there were some folks who wanted to use the shotgun diplomacy approach to stay in their "homes". Wynn paid them a lot to move, but some people just don't get the meaning of "rent" vs. ownership.

If you're building it as a stock or replica car you might want to check the engine color of that time. I had a '67 GTO and a '66 Grand Prix, and I believe the bright metallic blue wasn't used until 1967. The Pontiac blue before that was not metallic and a little darker (though it often looks lighter with a camera flash). The 65 and 66 Grand Prix is a great body style for making a custom or a street cruiser, too. If I had kept my GP it would have been an awesome smoothed out cruiser.

A bit of an odd subject to put all that work into, but realllllly well done.