Ace-Garageguy

That's gorgeous. I think a 330 P4 is one of the most beautiful things ever made by humans, and it looks like your model is going to do the design justice. Few things say "racing car" so eloquently.

I agree entirely...that's an important part of what it should mean to be a "parent"...but it's not happening for a variety of societal reasons, the biggest one being that not enough people give enough of a damm about it to address the issue publicly and loudly. I think a lot of people believe I'm just a nasty, grumpy, spiteful old SOB who likes to complain and be mean about younger generations, but the truth is that I love this country...and what I'm seeing is everything that made this country a wonderful place to live (not perfect, but about the best for a long time) is being eroded and forgotten and marginalized, while stuff that is of no lasting importance whatsoever is worshiped and revered.

Yup, measuring and dividing is really really hard.

I'm kinda curious about just what the "understaffed and underpaid teachers" ARE doing, when 19% of American high-school graduates can't read (and don't know what 19% means anyway), most of them can't write a coherent sentence, can't make change from a dollar without a computer, have no idea who America's allies (or enemies) were in the second World War, where England is on a map, and have no clue as to what makes a car run or why the lights come on when you throw the switch. I WAS taught all those things in school. Elementary school. 80% OF NEW YORK HIGH SCHOOL GRADS CAN'T READ DESPITE BEING NO. 1 IN SCHOOL SPENDING 2013 article here: http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/180507/80-new-york-high-school-grads-cant-read-despite-daniel-greenfield

I think the price is entirely reasonable considering you get machined rims, PE centers that appear to correctly represent machined centers on as-cast spokes, what looks like lug nuts, a good representation of the wheel bearing / center cap machined as part of the stub axle AND a 3D printed spoke section. The only gripe I have is the somewhat vague sizing on the site page: Bigs are 1:24th scale Littles are 1:25th scale It would be nice if the exact dimensions were given so the buyer could determine the scale diameter and width, and decide if they accurately filled his needs, and what tires would be appropriate.

Yes, I am correct in that first case, which I know from many years of first-hand experience on real cars as well as models. You are also correct in your assertion, in your second post, that roughness or blotchy color (unless it's simple blushing) will only be exaggerated by clear, but the post of yours I responded to failed to make that point, seemed to suggest sanding immediately before clearing, and failed to mention the frequent need for additional color to smooth metallic colors out after sanding, before clearing. Thank you for clarifying your advice for the benefit of the original poster in your post immediately above. Clarity and complete information are very helpful when giving advice. Assuming someone can draw the correct inferences from incomplete information can be counter-productive. I've found that even when every detail is spelled out clearly and precisely, in English, it's often still not enough.

Hey...it's your money. If you don't mind spending more of it than you need to, go for it, and enjoy!

Thanks for the frequent reminders.

I would have had to dive for that...or at least hire someone like this guy... http://www.wnyc.org/story/what-lies-below-new-yorks-east-river-and-the-diver-who-braved-its-depths/

Well, now more people know they're not actually "implement" tires. Just trying to correct misinformation, one little bit at a time. Far as whitewalls go, of course you can't tell from these photos if these front tires are recapped with straight tread grooves, but they COULD have been...or the tires could have been painted (unlikely, but possible) or they could be passenger car takeoffs. The point is...whitewall casings COULD have been capped with straight-grooved rubber. Hurst STILL builds re-capped racing tires on used vintage casings. http://www.realrodderswheels.biz/TIRES.htm There are a LOT of things I've never seen, but that doesn't prove they never existed.

No offence, but when I want to see crazy money, I just look at the pharmaceutical industry. Just sayin'.

With the power of social media, it shouldn't be too hard to make everyone in the barely-literate universe aware that he's NOT the guy you buy parts from unless you're really REALLY desperate. But people are generally afraid to speak out and name names, so the bozos of the world keep on keeping on.

You might be amazed at how fast you can design something in a CAD program these days once you get used to using it, especially something that doesn't have to actually WORK, or suffers from pre-3D printing manufacturing constraints. For instance, it's possible to design a hollow part in CAD and print it...a part that couldn't be manufactured any other way without at least having seams or glue joints, etc. There are even printers now turning out human body parts from living cells. It's pretty magic stuff and I LOVE it...which may seem odd perhaps, considering that some of the younger guys here seem to think I'm a past-it old fossil, stuck in the past somewhere.

Ummm...but nobody here is going to be BUYING. That's the point.

He's kinda thin skinned. I mentioned his piggy greedy business practices a few years back on a board, and he tracked my then-partner's name and phone number down from our website and called him up whining about me being mean. Or something to that effect. Whatever. It doesn't seem to have cost him any sales, so I guess there are still plenty of suckers in the world.

Yup. You don't necessarily need SolidWorks, you just need a CAD program. But since HE works in SolidWorks, it ought to be a piece of cake for him to download the existing CAD files of the parts you want and convert them to STL format. Once you have your STL files tuned to the degree of resolution you want https://i.materialise.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-perfect-file-resolution-when-turning-your-3d-model-into-a-3d-print/ you simply email the file for each part to somebody like Shapeways. http://www.shapeways.com/ They print it in any scale you want. The effort on your part was going to be getting a real handle on how this stuff works, getting a CAD program installed in your computer and learning what to do with it. You've neatly sidestepped the learning process. Congratulations.

It'll take some effort, but it's not curing cancer. There's a lot of free information out there, and all you have to do is search it and read what you find until you understand the concepts and processes. Here's an engine block, LS3 Here's the web address to download the CAD file. https://grabcad.com/library/ls3-engine-block-1 Once you have the CAD file, you need to be able to manipulate it, or have someone convert it to an STL file, which is what 3D printers need. Here's a printable PDF article on doing that with various CAD programs, including SketchUp. The info is out there. http://www.cimetrixsolutions.com/downloads/SSYS-BP-CADtoSTL-10-11.pdf

Depends on what you're printing, and in what scale, I guess...

Heck Ray, those things are made to be tough. You get good at it by doing it. Give it a shot. The little airplane will be a lot happier trying to fly than just sitting in the box.

If you're interested in broadening your horizons, google SketchUp is a free 3D drafting program that you can learn on your own. Files developed in SketchUp can be translated into 3D printing-compatible form, or once you're comfortable working in this media, you can go on to more powerful drafting programs. http://www.sketchup.com/ Scale-able drawings of the outside dimensions you'd need to create a file for the LS engine are available online. Or search "STL file LS engine" or "CAD file LS engine" for existing files. I found these CAD files in 30 seconds, downloadable. Plenty of opportunity to learn how to go from CAD to STL for printing, if you really want to. https://grabcad.com/library/ls1-race-engine http://www.3dcadbrowser.com/download.aspx?3dmodel=95292

Man, they sure climb out faster than the real ones . How about a large-scale model rocket launch?

Yeah, but you can fly smaller balsa ones, with props and glow-plug engines, wings covered with heat-shrink plastic, only 4-channel radios...all pretty cheap today (and even electric ready-to-fly models, which were simply impossible to make before modern battery tech and micro motors, receivers, etc.) and have about as much fun as the multi-thousand dollar airplane guys do. The two I'm rebuilding from dumpster saves have about 5-foot wingspans, so you get a pretty good impression of them being real airplanes, even though they're just prop jobs. This is the really expensive part...

Just beautiful.

2013