deja-view

Well, it's not like we're considering Tonka and Hubley from the 1950's.....although some of those old gasoline tanker trucks would make great subjects for restoration with detail or custom trucks.

First, the theme for the Chrysler ad....as misguided as it certainly is....was a take-off from the uber-inspirational "Morning in America" speech by Ronald Reagan many years ago. The problem is, of course, Chrysler is propped up by borrowed taxpayer money and mediocre to bad products. Not even Dirty Harry can overcome that. But then there's the Fiat Abarth ad. Car is ugly as a warthog.....but the commercial was a lesson in fantasy and transformation. Breathtaking!

Those are both great! My mother bought a little light green Rambler American wagon just like it when I was about 7th or 8th grade. I was always a little embarrassed by our "little pig" until I started driving her in high school and realized what those reclining seats could do at the Drive-In. The "pig" was virtually indestructible and that 2nd gear overdrive with the ugly flathead could just wind and wind. I'd love to have one again to make into a mild street rod with a/c and a little power.

Did they move this show from the fall when it was with the Good Guys car show in Pleasanton?

I just ordered several sets of special stuff I had been meaning to get for some time. They do have some inventory that is for sale, so get it while you can.

I've bought and sold a lot of large scale kits over the years, and the size of the boxes has always been a challenge for packing. When I ship I reinforce the original box on the inside first....especially the center. Everything that can move is packed in whatever medium works best (sometimes it's just plastic grocery bags). Between the oem box and the outer box it's packed tight with air packets or styrofoam beans/snakes/pellets. If necessary I also place flat styrofoam panels around the inner box. I have never had a box arrive damaged on the inside. When I buy, I demand the same. Reinforcing the oem box from the inside to protect the plastic is critical. Every older Monogram 1/12 kit that didn't have the extra cardboard arrived with broken roofs or other parts. I was a jobber for a store chain for a few years and all the models that are shipped as wholesale lots are not usually reinforced because they are put in a larger box by 6's or 12's. So, naturally the oem boxes are very thin and weak.

The idea is to buy Revell models....whether you build them or not. :-p

You didn't have a problem with the paint/primer chipping off without using the self-etching? That's been a sour issue for me...and the careful handling required if the primer doesn't bond to the metal.

I started collecting diecasts in the mid 1990's because many of the cars I wanted were not available in plastic. Some of them I disassembled and modified just to suit my taste (like chromies/baby moons, white interior, and wiring on the '64 Impala SS vert because I knew of a classmate with one like that in high school). When good 1/12 subjects started coming out I got as many as I could of the cars I liked. They are hard to work with, being metal and having no instructions or aftermarket parts, but make good stuff to use your imagination with. I've had some of my 1/12 scale win contests years ago, and will occasionally take them just for display so others can get new ideas. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki The only downside is that some of the very high quality cars have goodies we really can't make ourselves. I was part way into a 1/12 '57 Chevy convertible project in that gorgeous turqoise when Danbury Mint released theirs...fully workable top, tons of detail, and the same color combination. It took my incentive away to do it because my goal was a unique model. OTH I have been collecting LeMans winners and favorites, the latest being the AutoArt 1/18 Renown Mazda 787b. It is an exceptional presentation no matter what the medium. Hosted on Fotki This Viper had virtually no suspension or undercarriage detail or real engine bay detail. It now has everything the 1:1 has. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki And a 1/18 Mercedes project with custom wheels, ghost flames, a Viper engine and custom interior I would like to finish someday: Hosted on Fotki So, yes...a diecast section would be great, or at least acceptance of the medium as a legitimate model that takes just as much skill to build/rework into quality pieces.

I've had success with Scaledetails for well over 10 years. They are in Georgia and on Ebay.

Or kitbashing. What do you need?

For some reason at the time I was trying to get started on the Stratos I remember doing a lot of reading and looking at pics of the engine. Doyusha made the cam covers in the shape of the Lancia or Dino's with the deep valley in the middle and the more pronounced cam chambers. I could never find that shape or labeled covers in the red/orange, so i started with the darkened aluminum look I had seen on many of them. The red/orange covers were more rounded and smooth with no emblem or script. If someone has a pic of a set that was used at that time to show orange on the Lancia/Dino/Ferrari covers I'd sure like to see it. I remember some explanation of that...having to do with a particular race or race season or sponsors for the car, but not sure where I have the reference. So, as much as I like the orange I'm not sure if I should use it. I want the whole car to look driven, raced, or at least utilized. I spent the day looking through well over 1500 pics of the Stratos' of that era, along with reading about the development of the car and engines. What I found is that the Dino engine that was adopted has th esquared cam journals/valleys and are almost always aluminum, black, or just plain grungy. I only found one set of red cam covers of this type, but I couldn't identify the car. The red covers were from the 4 valve engines/heads that were only allowed to race for a very short time at the end of 1977. I found 3 or 4 pics, but again could not identify the specific car. It looks like the Duyosha engineers couldn't decide which way to go so they went half way and totally incorrect. The Dino covers have a very deep valley for the plugs, and have easily seen bolts. I'm not sure where they got the Lancia script on the kit covers. The kit covers are neither squared with a deep valley and the Dino script nor rounded with no center valley. I may try to alter them to be more correct....but this is exactly the kind of stuff that keeps me from finishing projects like this. I'm almost 100% that the #1 car I'm going to present used the normal 2-valve deep centered cam covers. I have no idea which car was allowed to use the red 4 valve covers. So---I have a little work ahead. Or, I could just forget all that and use the totally incorrect kit parts.

The Skyline I could build fairly quickly (that might be a month or more for me), but the Stratos would be so much more detailed that I can't imagine finishing in less than 4-6 months. Of course, neither are getting anywhere right now. It's a matter of me putting other things aside and just doing it. I have so many models WIP now that it's overwhelmed me. Of course, every start had the intention of being finished in a reasonable time. Yeah, right. Most of them have at least been painted or ready to start component assembly. My biggest challenge to be honest is that I'm so OCD I get bogged down in detail and quit if I can't get it right. The big Porsche got stuck because the engien was presented incorrectly and I couldn't duplicate the real alternator/fan drive bracket....almost 10 years ago. Stupid, huh? I just can't help it. I was excited about the Camaro (again). Got out my decals and PE parts and ref pics, then considered the whole painting/polishing issue. Getting cold feet on that one. Last night I found another 100 reference pics for the Porsche. Good Lord! But they do answer questions I had about many of those tiny details I was stuck on. But, you're right about the Stratos. It is different and really cool. And, in 1/12 scale it's a great piece on the shelf or at a show. You're not gonna believe this, but what stopped me on the Stratos is whether the cam covers should be red or black. My ref pics show both, so I actually quit because I didn't want to be "wrong". I know...ridiculous. Maybe I just need encouragement to finish whatever I started. To make things worse, I started a USS Missouri last year, a 1/32 Atomic Cannon I have wanted to re-build since I was 10, a 1/15 Walker Bulldog, two mre versions of the Revell 1/16 '34 Ford (the one in the pic was a magazine car), and a custom 1/18 Mercedes 300 street rod. Also bought several more that I just couldn't resist. I thought retirement would allow me to do all these long desired projects, but health and grandchildren have created additional roadbumps. My wife doesn't complain, but she thinks I'm overdoing it. I can't disagree. Oh....and the cars on my Fotki site? Yeah, total restoration of the Mustang, bigtime mods and maintenance on the ZR-1, too much time spent on the others, and all the regular maintenance on the rest of our cars. And, I clean house. OK....maybe that's why I only sleep 4-5 hours a night. It's gotta be some kind of insanity, but I see other modelers with lives who build really, really nice stuff. So, I should be able to at least finish something....right? I'll go through all the kits again and pick by the weekend. I think. I'll sure try. God help me. This started when I was about 10 years old. Sigh.

Really clean build, Liam. Really clean and sharp! Really fast, too.

I'm leaning there if I can solve the bleed through problem. There's this version: Hosted on Fotki Or, this: Hosted on Fotki Or, going to the Yenko version: Hosted on Fotki

Does anyone know what car this is? It has a Ford engine, and there's a Lotus emblem on the steering wheel. Hosted on Fotki

Ya know what? After putting up those pics I can't help but drool over the prospect of doing a recreation of one of Grumpy's '69 Camaros. I have lots of pics, but no really good ones of the engine and interior. I guess I could "wing it". But here's the rub: The rest are already in color and one of my limitatins now is being able to paint. If you notice, the Lotus and Nissan are set up to use oem body color (I polish the plastic to remove imperfections). I have pretty bad RA and it has affected my lungs and heart. I'm not usually able to do much painting except outside...but it's too cold most of the time. I have actually taken my paint box into the sun on 60 degree days, but it's a lot of work. I could spray in the garage if I cover my Mustang and set up dust prevention. I'm a total whacko when it comes to perfecting the paint with no dust or flaws, but that takes a really clean space. I do have a method but it means still air and sucking fumes. If I can overcome this part of the process I'd love to do this rare build. The other issue is something I may get help here with: covering the orange with white and having it stay white. The last car I did with white over a bright color was this Revell '34 Ford. It took a ton of work and recoating to stop the bleed through. In fact, I finally added pearl and clearcoat and gave up on pure white. Hosted on Fotki If someone has a foolproof method of sealing off the orange so it won't bleed through I'd appreciate the information.

Oh...this control panel? Now I have underline and line through. Now, underline. Now.....back to normal. Whew! OK, I looked at each of them and as much as I'd like to say I could do more than one I'd be lying to myself. The Calsonic is decaled and has one coat of Future to seal and protect the decals, but nothing else is done. I'd probably do an almost box stock on it, so it would be the easyist. The Stratos was painted in the basewhite and some of the black added, but nothing else. That's a much more complex build, though, and I was hoping to superdetail it....lots of time required. I also have a 1/12 ERTL '64 GTO that I took apart, painted red, and have some simple mods I was going to add for a mild period street custom (but that's not a race car, and I don't think they made them in convertibles). Actually the easiest of the 4 because it doesn't have to be exact. The one I have been trying to get back to for years is the Porsche. It would duplicate the one in my avatar. It's been painted, and I'm trying to work with the old decals and an incorrect engine. Lots of hard work to go, but I hate to leave it sitting and sitting. Maybe all the "crew" can suggest which one I should do. I have pics of them in their present state on my Fotki site on the "my models WIP" album. I think if I post a pic of one or each it will open the link for the rest. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fot Darn....more that I forgot. You see why I can't finish any of them? I need a vote. Hosted on Fotki Was gonna make a stock version and a race version: Hosted on Fotki And this one (I have two) that I have both Yenko and Grumpy's Toy decals in 1/12 for: Hosted on Fotki

This is a really great CBP with so many possibiities. I have several dead projects that I have wanted to restart for years (1/12 Doyusha Lancia Stratos, 1/12 Fujimi Calsonic Nissan GTR; 1/8 Entex/Revell Lotus 72D), but the one I really want to get back into is my 1/8 Entex Porsche 934 RSR. I did a little bit of decal work a couple of weeks ago, and because they were so hard to work with (old) I stopped again because I hadn't prepped the body enough. Maybe a CBP like this would keep me interested and going if I could join in. I'd sure like to get it done before I can't build anymore. It is painted and the engine is started, but that's about all. is this acceptable? What's with these lines through my post?

That's the culprit. Doncha love the door fit. We can see how much it took to get your GT-350 so straight. If this kit had the styled steel wheels that came with many of the real GT's I'd get one for the parts to convert another 1/12 ERTL convertible to a GT.

David...and all others who build this model; There is another error in the kit that should be corrected as you build: the GT series Mustangs with front disc brakes (Shelby or not) all had a larger, flat-topped master brake cylinder/reservoir. They did NOT have power brakes, and therefore would not have a vacuum booster. It is just one of the proper things to verify when looking at any Mustang claiming to be a real factory GT. I suspect this kit was adopted from the mid-sixties Renwal/Bandai kits of the NON-GT Mustang fastback. Without checking I don't believe any power brake option was available on these early Mustangs, and came into play on the Thunderbirds before the Mustang. But still, power DISC brakes were not available....and of course, ALL GT Mustangs had disc brakes up front. FYI: they really don't work all that well. The Mustang could get up and go, but didn't stop very well. This is the correct brake line routing (with distribution block) for GT Mustangs: Hosted on Fotki This is the flat cap that is a quick giveaway to the disc brake reservoir: Hosted on Fotki And, here's the correct control arm/spring/brake line/shield/spindle detail at the wheel: Hosted on Fotki With the brake rotor/hub assembly in place. Note the pwer steering rack to the upper right of the shield: Hosted on Fotki

I've had a couple of these sitting on the shelf for years. It's actually a nice kit with lots of parts that are great for kitbashing if you don't build the whole car. I was thinking of trying to reshape the body to make a copy of my '91 ZR-1 but just never got started. Recreating the LT5 DOHC engine was going to be a real challenge, too. Hosted on Fotki

BINGO! Thanks Andy. You have to refresh the whole "change" page after clicking on the "done" box.

Aaron; Check this out. Unbelievable. http://travelb.priceline.com/travelguides/tglistings.do?attrType=cheap-hotels-cat-lo-khanh-hoa&pageType=A&prms=c342414&rdr=1

I picked one that fit all the little blocks and was apparently accepted. It shows up in all three places when I make the change, and it seems to work when I clik on "done", but when I go back to (or reopen any page) the original page the same pic of the Mclaren is still there. I wonder if I'm gonna have to completely take out my profile and start over.