Ace-Garageguy

Hey Bernard...I just came across these as I was doing some research on a Fiat Comp Coupe project. Love these old drag cars of yours.

Thanks Matthew...I didn't even know Revell did a static NYC Hudson too. I have a couple Big Boys, need some Hudsons to keep 'em company. No room for a running layout, but I thought a heavily weathered, weedy scrap-line dio might be interesting in a sad kind of way.

A couple o' parts were missing from the first Revell '29 roadster kit I got. No biggie...stuff I probably wouldn't have used ever anyway. Still, it would be nice to have had everything there in the first place.

And right there, boys and girls, are two of the primary reasons I don't really bust my butt to make money anymore. I can live relatively comfortably on what little I make as a mechanic / fabricator / sometimes consultant and tech writer, enjoy the work for the most part, and usually have a lot of time off with a relatively flexible schedule (though the last two years have been way too demanding for the money). The less I make, the less I have to give to Uncle, and that suits me fine. I love this country by the way; I just despise the government.

Man...so glad you put this up. I only found out this thing had been re-issued a few days back, and I was pretty happy about it. I NEVER thought we'd see this one ever again. Man oh man. Good times for model car guys, fo' sho'.

From the same article I linked to above... "You don’t pay gains taxes on your investment revenue while it’s in the shelter of your IRA, but when you begin receiving distributions, the funds are fully taxable. You pay ordinary income tax – which is typically higher than capital gains rates – on all money you receive from an IRA, regardless of whether it’s investment income or funds you contributed from your wages on a pre-tax basis."

Just like doctors, lawyers and mechanics, you gots good ones and you gots dem dats passed da test but don't really know squat.

I dunno...all my old man ever did to his cars was change the oil every 3000 miles. That's it. Well, he kept them clean, rotated the tires, greased the front ends (which of course we don't have to do anymore, and which is why they wear out), didn't drive like an idiot, washed the salt out from under them in winter. Not exactly like maintaining a steam locomotive.

Harry, I think you may want to get another opinion on your little IRA problem. I don't claim to be an expert by any means, but my understanding was that you don't pay any taxes on IRA gains until you take cash out. What you're saying amounts to government double-dipping, and I really don't think that's how it's supposed to work. Again, I could very well be wrong...but you owe it to yourself to check this one out very carefully before you send them a check. "Stock gains within an IRA are taxed as ordinary income when they're withdrawn"...at least, that was the rule in 2000. More...http://finance.zacks.com/pay-capital-gains-traditional-ira-4110.html QUOTE FROM THE ABOVE LINK: "Any money you contribute into an IRA is fully sheltered from taxes while it remains characterized as an IRA asset. This sheltered status means that any stock trades you make in your IRA aren’t subject to gains taxes ..."

Oh yes. That grille opening looks like it might kinda want a Bugatti insert.

Man, that apartment is just perfect. Open, lotsa light, lotsa books. Cast-iron fireplace too. Man. Damm. Nice.

I have one, and it is.

Yeah, a 20.000 square foot shop, and a 1500 square foot living area. My kinda life.

Interesting idea, and a sure-fire way to strike up a conversation with the pretty girls working the cosmetic counters. Oh wait...I'm old. Should have thought of this 20 years ago.

There's an unfortunate disconnect between the perception of old cars and the reality, and a denial, from several perspectives, of some sad truths. Many people don't like what I have to say on the subject, but it IS true, and I see it every day, day in and day out. All old cars were NEW cars once, and after we arrived in the era of the relatively modern car, they were mostly very reliable. When they did need maintenance on systems that required fairly frequent adjustment, like point-type ignition systems and carburetors, it was simple work for a competent mechanic. Competent is the key word here. As noted above, people routinely went cross country in '36 Fords, '52 Beetles, '66 Dodges and '74 Oldsmobiles. Old cars became old crapp cars because so many of the people who worked on them were morons. Had the old cars been correctly maintained, they'd still all be going strong. There is nothing inherently, catastrophically wrong with most of them...they just didn't get repaired correctly when things inevitably wore out. My own old man kept his cars well past the 100,000 mile mark, and they were still very good cars when he traded them. Today (and for a large portion of my previous professional life) I make my living working almost exclusively on "old cars", I know them upside down and backwards, and even the ones that are "restored" are mostly crapp from a usability standpoint...because many of the same morons are doing the "restorations" who were doing the "repairs" and "maintenance" that allowed them to deteriorate to the point of being junk in the first place. It's appalling to see what passes for "work" in most of the old-car business, and most service businesses in general. If you're lucky enough to find an old car that hasn't been ruined by chimps with wrenches, it will give you faithful, reliable service, and when it fails, it's relatively easy to diagnose and repair...for a competent mechanic...unlike the majority of EC-laden vehicles that will NOT be repairable when they're "old cars", without ripping all the onboard electronics out and refitting with new systems, or retrofitting with old tech. And always remember...just because somebody gets paid for doing something, you have absolutely no guarantee he's doing it right.

...because everyone knows that computers are 100% reliable, never ever malfunction, GPS always works perfectly, and mobile information-management systems are perfectly secure and totally invulnerable to malicious or criminal hacking. Yeah, so you can get yourself out of the way of an oncoming bus that's running Microsoft-based self-drive systems, built in China, to the lowest bid.

People then were obviously smart enough to avoid pointy things attached to two-ton vehicles coming towards them. Further proof of the devolution of human intelligence.

To me, this is one of the best racing films ever made. It's about the development of the 3-liter Cosworth-Ford V8-powered Lotus 49. Nice to see Colin Chapman and Keith Duckworth actually in the shops, supervising some of the work. From my own perspective, this was the absolute golden-age of F1. The cars were clean, elegant, relatively simple and starkly purposeful...but still sensuously beautiful.

GREAT concept! Fine execution too. I seriously wish I'd thought of building something like this in 1:1 back in the mid '90s when I could afford it. Sure would have been cool to travel around in a rig like this, seeing the country, with a fast little 4-wheeled canyon-carver loaded on the back.

That's very true. I've seen more than a few copycat kit breakers trying the same carp. And then along comes somebody selling a group of five kits for less than ol' Mr. Piggy wants for ONE PART, one of them happens to have the exact part or parts I need, and the rest are a bonus. But patience is a large part of the equation. Piggy Jerk Toys had something up the other day I almost seriously considered buying. Nah. I can wait.

Thanks for your interest in this one, and thanks again to everyone who's commented earlier. A few things had me a little stumped...not forever, just waiting for the muse to start talking to me again. Problem 1: I want to make a separate windshield frame, removable, in the true "roadster" tradition. Nothing from other kits, like old Corvettes for example, is close enough to the right shape. So...I'm working on a way to make a fiberglass frame that fits the 'glass' I'm using, and is tough enough to shape, primer, sand repeatedly, and Alclad. It is the definition of "fiddly" work, and though I think I know how to do it, I've been putting it off. Problem 2: The prototype OHC engine I've decided to use runs a toothed-belt to drive the overhead cams. That's fine and would work in reality, but I don't like the idea of the belt being totally exposed. It'd be way too vulnerable, and likely to mangle hands or get tangled in ties, pony-tails or timing-light cords. I need to make up a timing belt cover that looks the part, and doesn't spoil the unique appearance of the engine. Problem 3: I'm still debating the best way to mount the taillights. Problem 4: Ive been considering doing Lambo-style scissors doors from the beginning. I've already made molds of the door-skins and located a set of hinges that will work, but I just can't commit to cutting the body. It seems like that mod will only drag the build out much longer, and I'd really like to finish it before I die.

I knida have to disagree. My experience may not be typical, but this is what I've found over the past 7 years. I routinely find what I want on ebay for good prices, shipped to my door, no BS...because I refuse to pay stupid money and I shop around...NEVER getting caught up in "OMG this is the last one in the universe" hysterical bidding. When the NNL event comes to town, or when there are local swap meets, I STILL find great deals on stuff that would probably bring stupid money on ebay. Swap meet venues always have their share of sellers offering kits for twice or three times what they're going for in the non-dream-world, and other people who love the hobby and would rather see a builder get something really cool for $50 than lug it around for years with a $200 sticker on it. Just like ebay. The only thing I find really unfortunate about the pig-greedy sellers like PJ Toys is that, with their thousands of listings over and over and over, they're using up server space, essentially for free, but in effect making the whole ebay operation cost more to support their stupid greed. In the final analysis, nobody HAS to buy anything from ANYBODY. If there were more informed buyers (who took a little time to learn something about what stuff is really WORTH), the pig-greedy kit-breakers asking way too much for parts would soon be gone.

The materials you're using aren't in my particular arsenal, but your problem is another very good reminder of why it's so very necessary to practice and test materials for compatibility BEFORE committing to painting a model. I keep several old bodies around and repeatedly strip or re-primer them just for this reason. The extra work saves a lot of disappointment when it comes time to paint an important model. If you don't happen to have extra bodies, a plastic soft drink bottle, scuffed and primered, makes a very good practice / test substitute.

X2.