Ace-Garageguy

This is the kind of thinking that will return manufacturing jobs and the good wages that support a strong middle class to America. And THIS (excerpted from above) is the kind of thinking that put America on the map in the first place: " I wear several hats in my job. I took it upon myself to learn a lot of the processes and procedures of our manufacturing when we were still a 50 person shop. When the economy went bust and overseas outsourcing became reality, I did not get laid off because I proved my worth by learning all the machinery and departments. " Exactly. A critical analysis and understanding of the big picture is necessary. Endlessly saying "it can't be done" and irrelevancies like "Maybe the model companies can get the US taxpayers to help them with the costs of the software and 3D printer like taxpayers did for NASA." accomplishes nothing. EVERYTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL SOMEONE MAKES IT HAPPEN.

I have a couple nominations.

Here's his build thread... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=96752

If the design work and tooling are done stateside and done RIGHT, the tools can be shipped to China for production. Honest, once the CAD work is done, cutting tools is not the major expense. Basically, you feed the data into the CNC machines, and they do the work. Sometimes while everyone is sleeping. There's a bulkhead in the F-22 that's carved from a 700 pound billet. The finished part weighs something less than 70 pounds. Maybe 35...it's been a while. The scrap metal that's left on the floor is almost worth more than it costs to cut the part out. OR. a pre-production set of tools can be cut here, test-shots made, and the verified CNC tooling files transmitted to China to be cut on compatible CNC machines there. That's the way we did it on a vibration-absorbing handle I collaborated on. And as far as 3D printing to verify design work goes...pre tool-cutting...the resolution of the big industrial machines is staggering now, and getting better and better and better. What were limitations just a couple of years ago are dead as dodos now.

Here's a handy thread, Miles. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94794&hl=%2Bradius+%2Bwheel+%2Bopenings

It's always much easier to accept that it's impossible to do things differently, or to do things that haven't been done, than it is to find a way to make them work. Kinda handy for everyone that folks like the Wrights kept on trying to accomplish what everyone else KNEW was impossible. I'm not suggesting that Americans work for Chinese wages. There are many ways to control costs, and one way I've found that works is to hire exceptionally competent people who get a lot of money, but who get things done FAST, and done RIGHT the first time. That can very often be cheaper than hiring lower-wage folks who aren't really as good at their jobs as they could be. I've proven this multiple times to my own satisfaction.

And that's the standard response. But I'm just not convinced YET that there's no cost-effective way to do all the work here. If US companies with the capability are starving for work, prices for said work become more plastic (pardon the pun), and the cost of highly skilled labor in China continues to rise, as do shipping costs and costs associated with lag-times and correcting mistakes due to multi-language and multi-culture communication problems.

And somehow, American manufacturing has been almost totally convinced that the ONLY way to control costs is by offshore outsourcing of the highly-skilled parts of the production cycle. It's a monkey-see, monkey-do situation to some degree...one company's bean counters seem to make it work, so everyone piles on the bandwagon and throws all the skilled Americans who COULD do the work to the wolves. What's interesting to me is that, as my old engineering company still wheezes and rattles along in its final death throes, I'm constantly deluged by American injection molding companies wanting to do prototyping to full-scale production for us, and just begging me to send them drawings or projects for quotes. After the first of the year, I hope to be able to talk at length with some of these folks and see if they're actually doing the work here, or if it's all outsourced. I have a sneaking suspicion there IS the capability to do this stuff in the US, because I just happened to run across a supplier of styrene pellets for injection molding almost literally in my own back yard, while I was searching for "plastics" suppliers for an entirely different material. If they're selling the pellets HERE, chances are good there's injection-molding capability not too far away. Could they be cost effective? Who knows, but time is money, and lag times created by language barriers doing it the way everyone seems to think is the ONLY way are a factor to consider.

I understand. There's a lot to be said for having a good chance of actually having the car start when you turn the key, and of getting to where you want to go.

To some of us old gearhead masochists, the "misery" of having to tinker occasionally is just part of the fun. It also always kinda seemed odd that cars made in a wet country would never start in the rain, and had soft tops and body seals that always leaked water on your seat. Must be a lotta British masochists too.

Got me a big ol' ham for Christmas dinner. Doing an apricot /maple glaze, roasted sweet potatoes with walnuts, steamed Brussels sprouts in a brown butter sauce, and a wild rice mix. Mmmmmm mmmmm. Might need some biscuits to go with that.

I love British cars and have owned many...still have a big ol' Jag XJ6 (last of the REAL Jags). But It just might be prudent to buy yourself a cheap old Honda or Toyota to get you to the parts store to pick up the inevitable relays, carb diaphragms and fuel pump points you're going to need.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it. To everyone, I hope you find the peace, compassion, kindness and generosity this time of year should make us mindful of.

One of my favorites from the wayback. "Just Like a Woman" and "I Shall Be Released" still have the power to move me like they did then. I'm so glad that technology has allowed the work of so many fantastic artists to be preserved, remembered and maybe rediscovered by generations to come.

I understand. Several years back I went to work building hot-rods as a vocation. Many days there IS a pleasant feeling of accomplishment, and I have wide freedom to do things the way I know to be right, but many times, the old buggers of having to deal with crapp work that's gone before us, re-engineering expensive aftermarket parts so they'll actually work and fit as advertised, and juggling the client's often-conflicting wants with their budgets...well, it gets to be just like any other thing you HAVE to do to make a living. At least for the time being, I still enjoy it more than I dislike it...but now that I'm being handed all the higher-tech, late-model electronics because I CAN do the work (I went in there to build low-stress traditional cars, which I can pretty much do in my sleep)...the scales may be turning.

I don't know about anyone's perception, but my own uses of caps ie. GROSS ERRORS, was primarily to get the attention of posters who seemed to think my criticisms were in pursuit of the "perfect kit". Whenever anyone criticizes anything, no matter how politely, he's immediately labeled a "rivet counter" and accused of trying to drive the manufacturers out of business by wanting impossible to achieve perfection. It's difficult to compete with the piling on of those who refuse to see legitimate gripes concerning big scaling and proportion errors, and label them as incessant criticism of trivial things, without screaming sometimes. At least is it for me.

"Best cook in the world" = getting fish fillet in middle of bun. I didn't know it was that easy.

Very nice, subtle custom. Fine craftsmanship, perfect period vibe.

Danke.

I've REPEATEDLY said I have respect for the products that Moebius produces, and a GREAT MANY of the products others turn out. REPEATEDLY. I've REPEATEDLY said I fully understand the problems a manufacturer faces today, when much of the product development and tooling is outsourced overseas. I've REPEATEDLY said positive things about the products of Moebius AND Revell that contain NO GROSS ERRORS in scaling or proportion. BUT, many of you choose to say I "endlessly complain" (when I COULD very well point out COUNTLESS flaws in every kit out there) and name-call me "jack-wagon" (don't bother saying "get over yourself"...that was directed at ME personally) for simply pointing out that many of the "reasons" cited by so many for second-rate products are in reality excuses for just not trying hard enough. Part of the problem with this country today is that FAR more resources and energy are expended avoiding responsibility, spreading blame, covering asses, and making excuses than go into getting things done. I've "done professional project management" and I KNOW what can be achieved if you crack the whip occasionally and hold your people to a high standard, rather than endlessly praising and rewarding mediocrity. My illustrations of a "bad kit" were examples of things that are easily avoided. If you, Tom, had ever had to get the best from a group of people who do things with their hands, you just MIGHT have a clue how a bad example, even an OLD bad example, can be a very useful teaching tool. And I would CERTAINLY imagine Mr. Metzner is a big enough boy to not be "run off the board" because I had the unmitigated audacity to voice opinions based on first-hand multi-national manufacturing and management experience. (Last corporate client Canadian based; market Pakistan, India and England; engineering, pre-production tooling and prototyping done by me; production tooling and production in China).

Even if you're planning to attend a seminar, the videos give you a good oversight of the processes and materials involved, so the hands-on experience and opportunity to ask questions will have more value, because you'll ALREADY know something about what you're learning in the class.

Insurance companies will typically pay up to around 70% of the value of a car to repair it, almost never any more than that. Add up all the parts (large and small), and a LOT of labor (plus refinish materials and time), and consider the main structure is probably tweaked beyond cost-effective and safe repair too, and you have a "total" loss. The insurance will most likely replace the car, and try to attempt to recover some money by selling the remains for salvage.