Mike999

Tamiya for fit and quality, as others have said. That also applies to their aircraft and military kits. Military modelers joke that you can just pour glue into a Tamiya box, shake it up and a perfectly-built model will fall out. Monogram for 1/24 scale nostalgia. I'm still looking for an original Yellow Jacket '30 Ford (but not at eBay prices!). Found an original '40 Ford pick-up not long ago. Heller for variety, despite their wonky ideas like molding interior parts in clear plastic along with the glass. Who else would have released a Mercedes 170 4-door sedan (and its companion panel truck); a Citroen Hotel Taxi; a Renault 4CV police car, etc. etc. The long-gone ESCI also for variety and 1/24 weirdness. Not just one but TWO Mercedes 450SL African Rally cars; Land Rovers and Range Rovers; Ford Transit van; Mercedes G-Wagen; and the Toyota BJ-44, released as a safari truck and as the totally bonkers Philippine Taxi (one of the few ESCI kits with chrome parts), etc.

I hate to be nit-picky, but this is the "What Did You Get Today?" section. The "Car Kit News & Reviews" section is...over there somewhere.

"Say hello to my little friend."

I just opened a Model King '59 Imp and looked thru it a few days ago, thinking about starting Incomplete Project Number 5,215. All the original parts were still in the MK version, including the rear deck "toilet seat" and the full Continental Kit. The instructions are even a direct copy/re-print of the original from 1959. With customizing tips and the part about using blocks of wood to support the tires while you hammer in the wheels. That was a real trip down Memory Lane... Can't speak to the latest Round 2 re-issue, I don't have it. I stocked up on the MK re-issue and don't need any more. I did recently get the Time Machine Resins convertible up-top for this kit, with plans of building a junker or barn find.

The '37 pickup/panel trucks are 1/25 scale and the '37 sedan is 1/24. But right here on this board, IIRC, some other people have said that truck chassis is a pretty good fit under the sedan, despite the scale difference. The trucks also have stock '37 wheels. So even more possibilities for you.

Yep. I did exactly that when mine got old and started thickening in the tube, and I'm still using it. It's a water-based putty, not petroleum/solvent based. IIRC, I read the tip about adding water somewhere on this board. ON EDIT: I found these tips about using Perfect Plastic Putty at the Hobbylinc web site: "The putty is for filling small gaps, according to the label, but I have used it to mold small parts and add detail to existing parts. Usually I build the putty up in layers, let it dry, sand and shape, then add another thin layer if needed. Once the desired shape is obtained, then the paint seems to soak into the bare putty, giving it strength and allowing a final sanding to a very smooth finish. The putty will dry out on you quickly at the top of the tube and in the cap. When unstopping the neck of the tube, one has to make sure all the hardened pieces are removed or you will get streaked applications when trying to create a smooth surface."

That's a great idea! When I lived in Egypt from 2005-09, Omar Sharif was still a national hero, to everybody from senior citizens to little kids. Wandering off-topic here, unless we count the sight of burning Jaguars and Rolls-Royces in the streets of Cairo. But for history fans - Omar Sharif was in the 2006 BBC documentary series "Suez: A Very British Crisis." Well worth finding on your favorite video queue. Made for the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Suez Crisis. That was the British plan to take back the Suez Canal, with help from France and Israel, and remove Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. All 3 nations actually thought they could keep that a secret. Epic Fail. The series uses some "re-creations," with the great actor James Fox playing British Prime Minister Anthony Eden. But even those are based on original meeting transcripts etc. This DocuWiki entry only shows 3 1-hr episodes: "Betrayal," "Conspiracy," and "War." There's also a fourth episode, "The Other Side of Suez," that interviews Egyptians from all walks of life who lived thru the Crisis. https://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Suez:_A_Very_British_Crisis

TCM recently showed a vintage car movie...sort of...that I'd never seen: "The Yellow Rolls-Royce" from 1964. It follows a 1930 Rolls Phantom II Sedanca de Ville as it passes from the Hooper showroom thru 3 sets of owners: stuffy British diplomat Rex Harrison and his cheating wife Jeanne Moreau; American gangster George C. Scott and his also-cheating moll, Shirley MacLaine; and wealthy American Ingrid Bergmann and Yugoslavian freedom fighter Omar Sharif. Plenty of eye candy if you like vintage cars, especially Rolls-Royces. And in one Italian car showroom, a gorgeous red vintage Alfa-Romeo. According to the ImDB Trivia page, the twisty mountain road in the Yugoslavian story was also used for another movie in 1964: "Goldfinger." https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059927/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Thanks for the heads-up, Agent 008, and keep us posted! Last year when HL had that big scale-model clearance sale, the HL closest to me had just opened. As I remember, HL didn't mention that model sale in the e-mails they send me every other day. I just walked in the store one day and BOOM - lots of great kits marked way down, in some cases to $7.29.

In Oct. 2017 t.m. resin (Time Machine Resin) was selling them on eBay, for $10.50. I bought one, it looks good and fit very well on the AMT kit. t.m. doesn't have anything on eBay right now, I just checked. If it helps you search, from my eBay Purchase History, here's how it was listed: "AMT 1967 IMPALA NON SS FLAT HOOD 1/25 SCALE RESIN"

Sort of the same at the 2 Hobby Lobbys closest to me, except no '68 Chevelles or '60 Chevy pickup yet, at either one. I just stopped in the nearest HL about an hour ago. It still doesn't have the Revell Boss 302 Mustang. But a HL about 20 miles away had a bunch of them last week. The nearest HL is in a very small town. Maybe that has something to do with it; stores in smaller towns are at the end of the supply chain, or something.

I do sort of the same thing in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Categories are 1/25 cars, 1/25 figures & accessories, 1/25 resin kits, 1/35 kits/accessories, 1/32 kits, big trucks, motorcycles, aircraft, etc. And finally a Miscellaneous spreadsheet for kits that don't fit anywhere else. I only inventory complete kits. If I remove parts, I take them off the inventory. (Or sell them on eBay). Columns in the spreadsheets are: Manufacturer, Kit Number, Description, Quantity, Price and Notes. Under "Notes" I put down where I got the kit and the date. All this comes in handy when I'm looking at eBay "Ending Soonest," and only have a couple of minutes to figure whether I already have a certain kit or not. It's a lot quicker to call up a spreadsheet than to run downstairs to the basement and check the stash.

TMI, tl;dr, etc. etc. Any other geezers in here remember Forrest J. Ackerman? Editor of "Famous Monsters of Filmland" and sci-fi collector extraordinaire? Years ago, Forry used to conduct tours thru his amazing 18-room home in Los Angeles, which also housed his collection. You didn't need any special Hollywood connections, you just called him up and scheduled a tour. A friend and I did that one Saturday morning. It was one awesome experience. His collection included the "Maria" robot from the 1927 silent sci-film "Metropolis." And a fan letter from a 10-yr-old boy who wanted to write horror stories when he grew up. It was signed "Stephen King." He showed us a photo from a 1939 sci-fi convention in New York City: Ackerman, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and some other famous names. Forry said: "The steak dinner in our hotel cost $1.50, and none of us could afford it." And we got to hear this great sci-fi related story: Ackerman's grandfather was an architect who helped design the Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles. (Not named for Ray, but a 19th-century L.A. real-estate developer). The Bradbury Bldg. was designed from the descriptions of future buildings in one of the first American sci-fi novels, "Looking Backward (From the Year 2000)" by Edward Bellamy. (His cousin Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance.) With its exposed elevator machinery and soaring atrium, the Bradbury has always been a favorite filming location. It starred in the original "Blade Runner" movie in 1982, and the "Outer Limits" episode "Demon With a Glass Hand," written by Harlan Ellison. Not sci-fi, but we also see a lot of the Bradbury Bldg. in the creepy 1951 re-make of the classic crime movie "M." That was a day I'll never forget.

I've also used the Bragdon powdered chalks; "shaved" chalk like Tom suggested; the Rust-All system. Also have that Vallejo "Rust & Chipping" set, but haven't used it yet. I got it with a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby. You can also make your own very fine real rust. Soak some steel wool in salty water for a while until it gets rusty, then put it out in the sun and let the water evaporate. I have a bunch of rust I made that way. A little Dullcote or Tamiya Clear acrylic paint will hold it in place. I store the rust powder in old 35mm film canisters, if anybody remembers those.

This should get you started for Southern California. All these stores have websites. Pegasus Hobbies, Montclair, CA (San Bernardino County): huge store often mentioned on this board. Located right off of Interstate-10. Brookhurst Hobbies, Garden Grove, CA (Orange County). Kit Kraft, Studio City, CA (L.A. County): family biz open since the 1950s. Smith Brothers Hobby Center, Reseda, CA (L.A. County) Burbank House of Hobbies (L.A. County): in business since 1952, with a great display of vintage built kits. No, none are for sale.

Except 007's car was an Aston-Martin DB-5, not a DB-4 (different front end and other stuff). Pic below of some guy with a DB-5. And my usual "More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About These Kits..." Something to keep in mind at kit swap meets, flea markets, etc.: Aurora made 2 different Aston-Martin DB-X kits in 1/25 scale that have nothing in common. Aurora originally released its DB-4 kit in the early Sixties. Like all the Aurora sporty-car kits, it had full engine detail and opening hood/doors and trunk. The trunk is even fitted with 4 suitcases and a spare tire. It's a really nice kit. The re-issue in the mid-1990's, like Eweto's kit, used the original Aurora box art. Aurora did release a 1/25 scale DB-5, but called it the "Aston-Martin Super Spy Car." That DB-5 was a curbside, no engine and nothing opened except the roof hatch for the ejector seat. Aurora didn't have a license for the 007 franchise, so they didn't mention Bond on the box. (Airfix did have a 007 license, and released a great Bond DB-5, but in 1/24 scale.) If anyone finds an Aurora Aston-Martin Super Spy Car for a reasonable price, they're very lucky. It was only released one time in the mid-Sixties and never again. Rumors say the molds were destroyed, either in the famous Aurora train wreck or just in the normal course of business, retiring old molds etc. It is Unobtainium today. Even back in the 1980's, that kit sold for serious money. Here's a link to a Britmodeller thread about restoring a seriously glue-bombed Aurora Aston-Martin Super Spy Car. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234949840-auroras-super-spy-car-james-bonds-db5-wannabe/

Here's one of my faves from the original Parts Pack days: #C-1157 Accessory Display Items. Jackstands, very nice hand tools, a crawler, a floor jack, an engine stand, gas cans. Chrome crankshafts and pistons! Even stanchions for the car show, and a chrome rope to hang between them.

According to Spotlight Hobbies and Mr. Internet in general, the R-M engine Parts Packs were re-issued in 1998. The copyright notice on the box also says "1998," and lists the addresses for both Revell USA (Morton Grove IL) and Revell-Germany. No mention of where they were molded. As I remember, the re-issued engines didn't sell any better than the originals. I still have a couple from a Los Angeles hobby shop with red "Discount" tags on them. For anyone who might need to know, here are the Revell part numbers for the re-issued engines: 85-7251: Chevy 283 85-7252: Cadillac "354" 85-7253: Pontiac 421 85-7254: Ford 427

Sure enough, Thomas Graham's Aurora book says the U.N.C.L.E. figures are 1/12 scale. And so was your Wen-Mac Mustang. James Bond, like most of the Sixties figures/monsters, is in the bigger 1/8 scale. I'm sort of surprised Napoleon and Illya aren't 1/8. Maybe because their bases were designed to interlock and create that neat diorama. And doing them in 1/8 would have just been too big. Several years ago at a kit swap meet, I saw a Polar Lights James Bond kit for $10. I whipped out my wallet and didn't even dicker with the seller. That kit hasn't been issued since 1999, AFAIK. It had a neat bonus inside - a resin nameplate, and a resin head that looks a lot better than the one in the kit. Here's a quick and not very good photo, but I didn't want to unseal the bag it's in. EDIT: Ha! Just noticed that the bag is already ripped by the corner of the nameplate. I'll still leave it alone, since I'm less likely to lose it, if it sort-of stays in the bag.

1/48 scale. If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby, keep an eye out. A couple of years ago, the original Revell Stearman kit (kit #85-5264) was in their Clearance section for about $10.

The Karmann Ghia was in the Revell "Cadet Series," circa late 1950s-early 1960s. Those were neat kits of unusual subjects (for Americans), like the Morris Traveler and Ford Consul. The scales seemed to vary, though I'm not sure of that, and seemed to be somewhere around 1:43-ish. On the internet, I've seen the Traveler listed at 1:46 scale and others listed at 1:43. One auction listed them as 1:32, but they all seem much smaller than that. Here's a bunch I found on a non-eBay auction site.

In case you don't already know this: AMT/ERTL released that '66 Olds 442 as a hardtop and convertible, with 2 different engines. The hardtop has triple 2-barrel carbs, a (very nice) W-30 Ram-Air setup and no air conditioning. For a Toronado, you probably want the convertible kit. It has a single 4-barrel carb and air conditioning belts, compressor etc. This might not matter to you, but for anyone who doesn't know it: the original issue of the 442 hardtop, with the photo of the red car on the box, has the Ram Air scoops in the wrong place under the grille. AMT/ERTL fixed that in later re-issues.

Yesterday I went to a big Hobby Lobby, about 25 miles from me. Along with the Round 2 '32 Ford Panel Truck and '34 Ford pickup, this store had the Revell Boss 302 Mustang. So the Boss 302 seems to be getting into the HL bloodstream, at least. No Revell '68 Chevelle yet, and no Round 2 '60 Chevy pickup with go-kart (the one kit I'm really waiting for).

According to some real experts...the cops and detectives on the ID Channel...your second guess is closer to the truth. Over and over I've heard the same 3 reasons for almost all homicides: greed, sex, and revenge. Or some combo of those 3. Having said that, ID Channel used to run a show called "Fear Thy Neighbor." It was a real eye-opener. Some of the most petty things imaginable led to murder, houses being burned down, etc. I guess those come under the "revenge" category in the Big 3. Here's one of the worst examples, from Minnesota in 1996. A minor property-line dispute led a 72-yr-old man to kill his neighbor, the neighbor's wife, and 2 of their kids, aged 11 and 12. And himself. http://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-23/news/mn-17755_1_survey-stake

Here's some inspiration for you; Francois Verlinden's 1980s diorama of a California Highway Patrol garage. IIRC, he went to a real CHP garage and took photos. This diorama is a great example of "the more you look at it, the more neat little details you see."