Mike999

Flea Market Day! I found Volume 1, Number 1 of a Certain Car Model Magazine.

Lots of options: 1. For those kind of holes, don't even use putty. Glue some Evergreen plastic rod into the holes. If you can't find the right size, go old-school and stretch some sprue to make your own rods. Cut the rods a little longer than the hole, glue them in and sand 'em down. You don't have to worry about putty shrinking. 2. Don't even use putty II: use a toothpick or something similar and over-fill the hole with CA super-glue. Zap it with hardener and sand it down. 3. For small holes, Perfect Plastic Putty is great. It's water-based. Over-fill the hole and run a damp cloth (or finger) over it. Done. 4. The best "regular" putty I've found is Tamiya White. It dries quickly.

For those thinking of selling on eBay for the first time, be warned: no more PayPal for eBay sellers. Now eBay uses a "Managed Payments" scheme, where all the money from your sales goes thru eBay. I think eBay has been plotting this move ever since it sold off PayPal in 2015. PayPal was quick and easy. Your buyers' payments showed up in your PayPal account immediately. This new system is not quick and not easy. First, you must have a bank account with an account number for your eBay sales. (I set up a new, separate bank account that's only used for eBay.) If you don't have a bank account, you can't sell on eBay. It's that simple. When you get paid, eBay holds onto the money for a while before it goes into your bank account. The fanbois in eBay Community say this is definitely not a "float," with eBay making interest off your money. But I suspect that's exactly what it is, in some form. A search on "ebay managed payments" will give you more info.

Dragon kits can be impressive. But like other companies, Dragon keeps jacking up prices while de-contenting the kits. Their "Black Label" kits have become known to some modelers as "Black Plague," for their errors, omissions and general goofiness. But here, let me help you spend some money! Rye Field Models has done 2 impressive kits of T-34's modified into self-propelled guns with the Russian D-30 122mm howitzer. The Egyptian T-34/122 with the huge turret, and the turretless Syrian modification, the T-34/D30 122. The only drawback: neither kit has an interior, but you can't see much in there anyway. If I get crazy enough, I might try to open up that big turret and drop the side panels. Now I'll stop hijacking your thread...

At Stalingrad, T-34/76 tanks were still rolling out of the plants while the German army attacked the city. Not only unpainted, but sometimes missing unessential parts like headlights and fenders. In some cases, plant workers drove tanks from the factories straight onto the battlefield. Which was probably right across the street. Incredible. Youpey did a nice clean build of a later T-34/85. For anyone else who gets the urge and wants to build a different T-34, check out Dragon Kit #3318 from 1997. It's a late model export version of the T-34/85M. The kit is in the "Nam" series and the box calls it "NVA." But there's more stuff in that kit not mentioned on the box. For one thing, a U.S. M2 .50 caliber machine gun and mount. Besides the Vietnam version, it has FOUR more options for T-34's used up thru the 1990's: Croatian National Guard, Dubrovnik, 1991; Yugoslav People's Army, Karlovac, 1991; Angolan Army, Namibia; and Somali Army, Somali-Ethiopian Conflict.

It sure is! More like a chrome rope, if that makes any sense. Right up at the top, you see 8 stanchions; those poles with holes in the top of them. You string the rope thru those holes. That keeps 1/25 scale visitors from getting too close to your car. ?

The same vice grips (and tool set) are in Revell Parts Pack #C1157 "Accessory Display Items." Along with 3 small gas/oil/water cans, a creeper, 8 pistons, jack-stands and a bunch of other useful stuff. This is the Parts Pack I'd like to see re-issued! Sometimes they're available on eBay, but not for 69 cents...

That's a tough one! Franklin Mint made a couple of die-cast '55 Cadillacs in 1/24 scale. They're expensive but you might luck out and find a junker with the dreaded "die-cast rash." Or a parts seller. JADA also did some die-cast '55 Cadillacs that might be cheaper and easier to find. This is sort of like trying to find '59 Cadillac Series 62 hubcaps. I think the only source for those is a Danbury Mint '59 Cadillac.

It's just pure luck of the draw, whether you have a "good" or "bad" body. I have a '55 Stepside like yours and a '55 Cameo. Both have the "bad" body with the slanted windows. At some point in the kit run, AMT caught the error and corrected it. But as Gregg said, it's a pretty easy fix with some narrow strip plastic. Or look for a cheap AMT '57 Cameo, it's the same body and all those had the right windows. If all else fails, get a resin body and convert it to a panel truck!

Andy's Hobby Headquarters is also a good place to order from. Sometimes they run special sales, but not like HobbyLinc. They stock some useful stuff like Aoshima detail sets, Uschi van der Rosten decals, etc. Tip: don't click on the "Cars" category. That will return all the 1/35 scale military cars/trucks plus everything else. Go to the search bar and enter "1/24 scale." Andys Hobby Headquarter | Official Onlinestore — AndysHHQ

It looks like the usual confusion is breaking out. Hobbylinc.com is based in Atlanta, GA. I've ordered from them many times and never had a problem. These guys: Hobbylinc Hobby Link Japan is based in Tokyo. I've also ordered from them with no problems: HLJ.com - The Worlds Largest Online Hobby, Toy and Figure Shop

That's interesting. My '68 Fury kit didn't. I just checked. It only has the green-tinted clear plastic glass. No vac-formed glass in there at all. I bought it open at a kit swap meet, so it's possible the vac-form glass got lost. But it's otherwise complete. And molded in baby-blue plastic.

Great score! And as Snake said, great trade fodder. The '68 Plymouth Fury 4-door appears to be an original Jo-Han kit, not an Okey Spaulding re-pop. It looks like it has clear glass. All the Spaulding kits had green-tinted glass, as far as I know. I have one built (by somebody else) and one still in the box. Both have the whole glass piece tinted green. Several resin outfits made a '68 Belvedere "Adam 12" conversion kit for the AMT Road Runner. Check the interior. The kit from R&R Vacuum Craft had corrected 4-door interior side panels. Some conversions just included the body and hood. R&R Vacuum Craft has been gone for many years, so if that's what you have, it's a rare one. That Buick sure looks like it was copied from the Maisto kit. I just checked and I have a set of glass from that kit, if you want it. It's 2 pieces, the windshield and back window.

They might be trying to keep up with their debt, using eBay sales as a side gig. Next time follow them home, jot down the address and wait for the big Foreclosure Yard Sale. You might even be able to pick up one of those nice trucks, when they get repo'ed. ? Around here, the flea markets are cluttered with Ollie's kits after they have a sale. Prices are usually deleted with a black marker. A sales pitch I've heard more than once: "This model kit will cost you $30 at Hobby Lobby!" LOL! Thanks, already bought it for $9.99 at Ollie's, same as you.

A couple of realistic but very grim foreign WWII movies. "The Bridge" (Die Brücke), Germany 1959. IMDB synopsis: "A group of German boys is ordered to protect a small bridge in their home village during the waning months of the second world war. Truckloads of defeated, cynical Wehrmacht soldiers flee the approaching American troops, but the boys, full of enthusiasm for the "blood and honor" Nazi ideology, stay to defend the useless bridge." https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052654/ "Come and See," Russia 1985: Partisan war against the Nazis in Belarus. Director Elem Klimov fought Russian censors for 8 years to get this movie made. When he finally got it made, Russian officials took it over and used it as a propaganda movie celebrating the Russian victory in WWII! I'd call this one "unforgettable." However much you might want to forget it. A caption at the end of the movie reads: "628 Belarusian villages were burnt to the ground with all their inhabitants." https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/

Those Surburbanites came in the original MPC issues of the Jeepster Commando (with the Shell service station truck on the box). On the box side they're called "Snow Tires." They must have been in other kits too. I've hoarded a bag full of them over the years. The '71 Jeepster kit also advertised "Snow Tires" on the box, but the tires in my kit don't have any sidewall markings. Don't know if Goodyear squawked or what. The '71 kit was decontented in other ways too. It doesn't have the "long" interior side panels, only the short ones. The Commando kit has both.

"With an ingredient originally found in jellyfish! Healthier brain, better life!” Prevagen and all other "brain supplement" commercials, with smug and annoying old geezers spouting off about brain science. (Full Disclosure: I'm an old geezer myself.) That stuff is taken orally, just like the sandwich you had for lunch. It travels the same path as that sandwich, and most likely never gets anywhere near your brain. It's made of compressed fish oil and calcium, stuff you can buy a lot cheaper without the trade name...and aggravating TV commercials...attached to it. And it is expensive. Just out of curiosity, I checked the price of Prevagen in pharmacies and almost had a heart attack. For some fun, do a search on "Prevagen" and "FDA." The Food & Drug Administration has been chasing Prevagen and similar companies for years over deceptive advertising. But Prevagen is only one example of "miracle cure" quackery in TV advertising that irritates me. These are the modern version of Dr. Feelgood's Medicine Show back in the 19th century. Except that in the days before we had an FDA, Dr. Feelgood's medicines contained opium and cocaine. They did make the patient feel better, at least temporarily.

Adding more confusion...this guy wanted to build a detailed 190E using the Fujimi body and Revell chassis. The Revell kit he describes must be a re-pop of the ESCI. You have to cut out the hood: "...even the Revell version has you manhandling the body to cut the hood out, the only difference is that the grille isn’t molded on so cutting it open is a lot easier. So the hood won’t open and it’s hiding a very well molded 2.3L 16v inline four, which I wish you could see cause credit to Revell – it’s wonderful!" 1990 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16v – Revell/Fujimi – Rays Kits

OK, got it. Thanks!

It isn't. I just checked my ESCI #3046, the basic 190E stock sedan. The good news is that it does have an engine, and a separate radiator bulkhead. The bad news: if you want to show that engine off, you'll have to cut out the hood yourself. That was an ESCI peculiarity, their Mercedes 450 kits are the same way. They have engines but the hood is molded in place. It doesn't take much work to cut it out. Another thing all ESCI Mercedes hardtops seem to share: a great big, ugly plug of plastic hanging down from the roof, just about where the rear-view mirror would go. Remove that thing carefully or you'll leave a big dimple in the roof. Don't ask how I know that...

Great work and thanks for posting. I wondered how those Aoshima police bikes looked built up. Yours looks fantastic. For anyone else who might want to build one...Aoshima released those kits with the flat windshield, like yours. Or with a streamlined cowling, as shown below. The boxes said "Windshield Type" or "Cowling Type." Both types came with decals for either the San Francisco Police Dept. or LAPD, with optional California Highway Patrol markings. See if you can spot the typo on the kit box...

Thrift stores are great. The little town near me has 6 or 7, including a Goodwill and Salvation Army. A purchase sort of like your rock tumbler: for $2.00 in a thrift store, I found a metal embossing kit. Some of the embossing plates and tools were missing but I didn't care about those anyway. The kit has bunches of very thin metal sheets, aluminum, brass etc. I'm pretty sure I can use those for something. Maybe dented fenders and such.

Thanks. I see it on everybody else's posts and the flyout works fine. But it's still not showing up on my posts. I'm using a PC running Windows 10.

The "Like" button is not showing up on my posts. I logged out and back in, but that didn't help.

I think Scalemates got it right on this one, and all the M-B 190s are the same kit. It originated with ESCI in the early 1980s, then went to Fujimi and Revell-Germany. At some point body cladding and other parts were added to make an AMG version. I remember reading reviews of that kit, saying it was obvious the new parts came from a different source. They didn't fit very well. Mercedes-Benz 190 E, ESCI 3046 (198#) (scalemates.com)