Zoom Zoom

I've got an HO track setup in my basement, have tons of cars from Thunderjets to Magnum 440 X2's, Super G Plus, etc. My favorite cars are by far the Thunderjets and Tuff Ones; they're quick, they hang the tail out in the corners, and don't need monster magnets to hold them to the track. The fast cars are so fast you can barely see them, when they crash they're like rockets. The newer Johnny Lightning Thunderjets that I got from Hobby Lobby run great. The new motors/chassis are fast. There are some great online stores that sell repro bodies and some killer upgraded wheels/tires for Thunderjets. Minilites, Magnum 500's, Chevy rally rims, Halibrands, etc. The track is fun, but I only use it occasionally. It's atop a bunch of storage shelves so it's not taking up floor space. I probably have 50-60 feet of track set up, and four transformers to keep power even (one car won't fly off the track from a burst of power when the other car crashes). It's more fun to race than 1/32, but the cars aren't quite as interesting since they're smaller. Here's a link to the place w/all the cool repros, originals, decals, rims, parts, etc. I got a '68 AMX from them and a '69 El Camino w/surfboards to replace one I had when I was a kid. Far cheaper than the originals. The resin is amazing; looks like molded plastic. http://www.ho-slotcars.com/ My HO AMX sitting next to a Johan model:

I can't say for the standard Mini that you show; but the Stella Bridger version from the Italian Job is a full-blown JCW Mini Cooper S w/LHD and all the various JCW appearance options, bodywork (fascias and skirts) plus the glass roof and BBS wheels (though they're a bit wide and I prefer Revell's that are in their WRX diecast model). It's a really neat model, and I suspect it's the only LHD JCW from Fujimi. The boxart of the one you are looking at seems to show the wipers in a position that's seen on RHD cars. It wouldn't be that hard to convert a Mini from RHD to LHD as the instruments are in the center and the tach is on the steering column. http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ18574

Great pics! I knew it was David that I saw walking through vendor row, I should have stopped him to say hello. I was glad to have gotten the ride back to Wayne's in "No Way" Jose's C6 8) Wayne's Cayman looked pretty sweet from behind (especially when the spoiler went up)...the C6 was begging to get ahead though Who here knows how to pronounce the name of the Canadian guy who sounded like a WWF announcer all weekend...Mr. Hnatiw? Nah. Choo. :wink:

It certainly was a fantastic weekend 8) Glad to have the chance to meet you finally! Glad you and Jose could make it to our ACME club meeting on Sunday, we really enjoyed having you visit. Looking forward to seeing all your C6R pics!

Glad to see you join us here Jason!

See you tomorrow!

I get HLJ orders shipped via SAL; once shipped from Japan it takes about 12-16 days to hit my doorstep (sometimes it takes them up to a week to get the order out the door :roll: ). EMS is much faster, but much more expensive. One of my friends just ordered a number of the B-501/502/503 cans from them. Gotta love the global economy 8)

Beautiful! 8)

Just order them and they ship; I've never had any problem getting spray paints from them w/other orders. Even had preordered a can of Tamiya transparent smoke when it was announced and forgot about it, they shipped one single can of paint :roll: I don't even want to know what that can of paint eventually cost.

The B-501 clear should be safe over anything, as long as everything below it has completely dried. It dries very fast. Any time I'm leery of using lacquer clear, this is what I use. I might use it all the time if it were easier to find and cheaper. I generally restock when I make orders with Hobbylink Japan.

I've only clearcoated two models with it, so I'm far from an expert. I got decent results, and have seen excellent results from others. The Future didn't need any thinning. It worked better when I set it out in the airbrush jar in the dehydrator for an hour or so to let it get a bit thicker. It sprays thin/watery, so you either spray it very lightly in mist coats or risk getting runs with wetter coats. With patience you'll get a nice gloss. Runs are easy to wick out w/a corner of paper towel, though they also nearly disappear when the Future dries. The Future didn't like wetsanding. It held up fine to dry sanding (with Micromesh). It polishes out w/the regular modeler's compounds. And if you aren't happy with the finish, a bit of ammonia and it's stripped. If you're looking for an alternative to lacquer/enamel clearcoats (safer to breathe, safer on decals) a couple other solutions are Gunze/Mr. Hobby B-501 clear gloss (spraycan)-awesome clearcoat in a can, dries like teflon and buffs out nicely. Tamiya clear acrylic (jar) is also good, but dries very slowly, you'll want to use a dehydrator if you need to work on the parts w/in a month of application.

No pics yet; it's on the back burner now (body is mostly in primer) as it was pushed aside by a couple of new kits for reviews and I need to build another IROC Porsche 911 for our show in November. Our themes for '07 are diamonds (cars of '32) and gold (cars of '57), that's why the singlecab will be a '57. I probably won't work on it until November or later now. Actually the safari glass might take some visual weight away from the interior, focus on the glass and not the sparse interior. I'm going to upgrade the seat to the simpler upholstery pattern and split, and the door panels won't be too difficult to make w/sheet material. They're really simple vehicles anyway, the kit glass doesn't fit the resin cab too well so that's why I'm going in a different direction...also will do the sliding side glass.

Those are really cool! Taillights are a problem w/the model, but maybe we can cast some from the upcoming Hasegawa 328 reissues?? I think they're the best but not 100% sure if they're updated from a 308. Just a bit more than a week and we're at the Petite LeMans 8)

I know the basic kits are simplified, but yours look great! They're easy to modify and detail. I'm working on a resin '57 singlecab; AAM's resin body that was done prior to Hasegawa's. Fortunately he did an early '60's body vs. the '67 style in the kit, I'm backdating to a '57 by filling the front turn signals and scratchbuilding them and the taillights. A friend gave me the Hasegawa side/rear gates which are better than the resin pieces. I'm making mine into a mild rat and will also make opening safari windows on the front. Mine will be a bit rusty, with faded paint, a few dents, and it will be lowered in front and use Polar Lights Herbie wheels/tires.

Fujimi makes many 18" wheels, you just have to know what to look for. HLJ's listings usually tell you what size. Or if you wonder about a specific wheel, ask on the board. Many of their older wheels are 15-16", but new ones are often 18's or 19's. And as you've found, if you want Aoshima rims you have to get them when they're released, they only do short runs and don't keep them in the catalog.

*Bump* Gregg and Jairus will be joining us 8) , and our tables are nearly sold out. Should be a great show! Themes are Porsches and Pony Cars. http://www.acme-ipms.com/2005_nnl.htm

ACME/IPMS-ACME Atlanta Car Model Enthusiasts. Great group of modelers, and a great yearly NNL. 2006 will be our 10th anniversary NNL. Check out our website! http://www.acme-ipms.com/

The main reason for the thick sides is the simple fact that a diecast vs. plastic body has to be thicker, not for strength but simply because the inner "male" core of the mold has to have a clear path to pop the body off; plastic kits have an inner core that allows a bit of an undercut, and once the part has been cooled the ejector pins literally pop the plastic part off of the core, even w/the undercut (usually from the midpoint of a door through the rocker panels). The plastic is flexible and they can do that; the metal is solid. The plastic bodies have to have a uniform wall thickness, where metal doesn't. That's why the body sides in diecast are thick, and often the profile of the body is flatter than prototypical because there can be no undercut at all w/diecast. If you look at a lot of Revell's more modern diecast models, they're pretty thin and have the same wall thickness as plastic kits, until you get to the bodysides. Until/unless they use an inner core that could possibly retract (doubtful), diecast bodies will be a compromise over plastic. Certain slab-sided subjects lend themselves a lot better to diecast than the more organic shapes of many cars, especially cars of the '60's and later.

Probably the same thing they've done w/many musclecar kits, and include a second set of big/little pro-touring wheels. Hmmmm, do a '70 Firebird as a Firebird (non-T/A or Formula; flat hood, no spoilers/slats) w/modern rims....hmmmm... 8) Pretty ho-hum list for the most part; hope there is more announced at the hobby show.

You are correct; the decals must be applied over a smooth/glossy surface and then you can dullcoat them to match the surrounding surface.

Magificent 8) It's a great feeling when you finish a project like this! Great design, and the tag fits it perfectly :wink:

Got this horrible picture from their website, taken from a terrible angle. I guess it's close enough, hard to tell, the hood looks a bit "inflated". I see custom potential if nothing else...

Hmmm...really would be cool to have someone cast up the incredibly-rare '69 Rebel. But any cool AMC should be popular w/the resin crowd. They're very underappreciated :roll: :wink:

Brian Venable is building a Z car; it's nowhere near Tamiya or Fujimi-league, but it's sufficient for an overt tuner. The body looks chopped, the body contours are a bit off, the wheels included are cartoonish 26", but it has a decent engine. I've heard a pretty scathing review elsewhere of the Evo, the proportions are "diecast chunky", the wheel openings are huge because of the cartoonish wheels. Basically they're unassembled plastic kits for a Dub City/Jada mindset. Either you like 'em, or not.

That's good news; a few people have been asking where to get the AMX; Kevin had told me @ the NNL East that he'd eventually be doing them again. Now if Testors would get the '69 AMX reissue out as promised :roll: :wink: