deja-view

Several times. Ya gotta have insurance, and you have to know EXACTLY what your policy covers, and under what conditions.

That's a beauty, Roger. THUMBS UP!!!!!!!!

That truck is just amazin'!

But I'm not done yet: Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki

From one of the best kits ever produced: Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki

Very nice, Clay. Thanks. That's one BIG beer. Paul Bunyon's?

I wish that is all it was. I'm trying to figure how to make that oddball "light" that's set into the right rear fender. I don't even see another car with that. I'm also wondering what was under the rectangular "9" big decal on the doors. Since the #9 car is a year earlier than the #6, it's not like they plastered that big "patch" over the 6. Apparently, the little windscreen was added to the hood in front of the driver for 1969. Oh, well. If it didn't take some figuring out and work it wouldn't be very special.

OK. Here's what I got. It's the GMP Gulf 1969 LeMans winner. Hosted on Fotki Here's what I'm shooting for: Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki My numbering issue could be solved by this application, but I don't know which race this was: Hosted on Fotki

It took me a couple of years to score another GMP 1/12 Gulf GT40. I have the 1966, 67, and 69 winners....so now I can convert the GMP #6 car to the 1968 winner #9. There are a bunch of marking (livery for you Brits) differences, and some other subtle stuff, but if I can get my desk cleared and steal time from other projects I will have th efull GT40 LeMans winning set. Yay!! No pics yet. The "new find" is a bit rough, but it doesn't matter. It's the results that I hope will be rewarding.

I have the 1/72 scale "Dora", and it's over 4 feet long and 3+ tall. The 1/35 kit is over 8 feet long. Entex made the 1/3 scale rotary engine for a number of years. Those would be considered "production" kits. Also, Airfix or someone makes a 1/8 scale Sopwith Camel biplane/triplane. That's pretty big, too. OR...if you want to include these monsters: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Giant-Scale-Fleet-Biplane-Plans-and-Templates-/360480619287?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ee51bb17

A few more from the corall. I met the owner of all these cast-offs, but he was just leaving and we didn't have time to talk much. Here's a couple of Brits in the mix: Hosted on Fotki And this is for the tractor lovers. It was parked at the old one room school where my grandmother began her teaching career in 1910...at the age of 15. Hosted on Fotki

Got a few new ones from my recent trip to NorCal. If anyone can figure out the make of this one they must be fron outer space: Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki

Of course, then there are the buildings that should have been gone long ago, but various civic groups and busybodies keep conning the taxpayers into resurrecting them. Like this hotel/casino that has gone broke many times, been burned at least twice, torn down to the ground once or twice, detsroyed by vandals and bums, used as a political tool for decades, used as a racial statement for decades, and is considered such an integral part of the Las Vegas racial history it just won't go away. I'm not even sure what's there now because I won't drive by the area to see anymore. Hosted on Fotki

I think most of us here are pioneers or pilgrims in our minds. I keep saying I am going to stop along my incredible biways and hiways and stroll around taking pics of stuff that will soon disappear. Sadly, I never seem to take the time...and the buildings and vehicles are fading away. In Nevada, even the huge sand dunes and mineral-filled mountains shift and are cut down by erosion or mining. My last trip of two weeks revealed major changes in landscape that had seemed to defy time up until now. We should all vow to stop at least 3 times and take pics when we see something interesting. That "lost" 30 minutes at our destination would be well paid for in better memories caught on film or bytes. Like this classy hotel in Pioche, NV: Hosted on Fotki Or this $1MM courthouse for Lincoln County. That's $1 Million in the 1800's. Kinda like government today, isn't it! Hosted on Fotki

Looks like a steam tractor, Sam. Really cool! Great old house, too, Sam. Here's what was next to that flatbed out east of Pioche. That little bit of light in the upstairs window is the holes in the roof. Hosted on Fotki

Ah, yes. I should have noticed the barrel was different. I had a flatbed (lowboy) pass me opposite direction on 95 just south of Tonopah with a M1A1 on it. Those babies are WIDE.

Great tank, Wayne. Is that a Walker?

Just as a reference to the last pic of the tow truck, this is the building next to the "tow" garage. Don't let the new signs fool you. None of them are going anywhere: Hosted on Fotki

This is too good to let die. Here's some pics from my last two trips to eastern and western Nevada, and into northern California. The first from a tiny town called Newcastle on I80 between Sacramento and Reno. This is in front of a gas station/garage owned for decades by a man named Al machado. My mother went to school with Al back in the 1920s and 1930s. When we would drive up that old Highway 40 we'd stop in at "Machado's" for gas or water or repairs. That was in the 1950's. Al passed away some years ago and the garage looked pretty delapidated, but apparently someone has fixed it up a bit and parked his cars there: Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki These next two are at a tiny old Pony Express station called Middlegate which sits at the intersection of Hwy 50 and Hwy 361, about 50 miles east of Fallon, NV. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki From Goldfield, NV..a barely alive but once thriving gold mining town a couple hundred miles from any city of consequence: Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki From a tiny "town" called Ursine, about 20+ miles east of Pioche, NV in the Eagle valley: Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki And, from the old mining town and seat of Lincoln County, Pioche, NV. In a long-closed garage waiting for one more call up: Hosted on Fotki

Tom; Is that kit still available anywhere? Is that tiny little black piece the driver??

Here's what I do with any of my large scale cars. I put a folded layer of cotton flannel under the center of the car to hold the weight off the wheels. Then, I fold or roll pre-sized (cut) flannel pieces that go alongside and in the front and rear of the car. All those keep the car from shifting in any direction. Depending on your paint, and whether you want anything up against it, you can add another layer of the rolled flannel along the body. My first layer only goes up as far as the wheels so I don't mark the paint if it sits in the box for a long time. You really don'y need aything above the car, and just doing the sides keeps delicate parts up top from being pulled or broken off. I have been using the 10 gallon aquariums to transport my 1:16 or 1:12 cars, but obviously a 1/8 takes something larger. Since my wife started her dialysis we have an abundance of very heavy cardboard boxes that are about 16X12X12....perfect for 1/12 or smaller. They are much lighter than the glass fishtanks and can be easily stacked or stored. I've done two cars side by side with the flannel around and in between, but I found out the hard way that those plastic bins you get at stores have to be much deeper than just a couple of inches from the roof of the cars because they will bend down and touch the roof or antennas. But the big savior of my large models is definitely the flannel...and getting the wheels off the bottom of the box.

My son bought a 2003 (I think) VW Golf GTI turbo a couple of years ago. It was in immaculate condition....or so he thought. Now, mind you, this was supposed to be their best performance coupe ever. Made in Brazil, all the best parts, highly sought after, blah, blah, blah. Yeah...ok. Part after part after part broke, needed replacing, stopped working, came apart...and everything in between. It was a maintenance nightmare. Yes, it was cute, had a great paint job (a yellow metallic that reminded me of a Coddington car), handled and accelerated very well, and was very comfortable to sit in. WHEN IT STAYED ON THE ROAD! After about 9 months and LOT of money he sold it. He was a big British car (tiny clown cars I say) lover, and he also drove Miatas for dependability. Well, he got another Miata, parked it in front of his girlfriend's house, and it was promptly smashed into by a moron who was never found. Just a trail of body parts down the street. Then, he did this: Hosted on Fotki And, this one started it all for him: Hosted on Fotki This is much better: Hosted on Fotki

Al; Do you always carry your models strapped to the fender? No...seriously....how do you pack to transport your cars?

And you'll need those Pep Boys mirrors.

Very true, and all the Shelby parts can be found in the aftermarket -- some of them pirated or bad copies. As you can see I kinda like the old Shelby's I used to see way back then: Hosted on Fotki