Ace-Garageguy

Yes, seeing the old airplanes cut up always makes me sad too. I worked at a small airport in Arizona for a while that had been a de-commissioning center for B-17s and B-24s after the war. This is what it looked like in 1946. Almost all of these aircraft were dismantled and melted down on-site for scrap, and in a few cases, were sold for the value of the fuel in the tanks. You can still walk the un-paved parts of the field and pick up parts of machine-gun ring-mounts, hydraulic fittings and even an occasional data plate. Ghosts everywhere. And at war's end, many of these airplanes were flown directly from the factories to the boneyard, still brand-new.

Not a great sucess, but a real aircraft, that flew...

Here's a bunch of BUFs getting de-winged... ...and a buncha Hueys and Cobras sans rotor-wings... A nice pair of A-26s... ...and a very sad DC-3...

Even WITH wings, there wasn't much of 'em on an F-104...

...and a sculptural tribute... ...made from scrap...

...and the award for Best Upholstery in a gullwing Merc...

eeeeewwww...a Bradly GT? Yuck. Here are some other turkeys.

Seeing your work has been a continuing inspiration to me. Happy Birthday, and many many to come, I hope.

And the Mig 3 was a development of the Mig 1 (designed in late '39) which looks very much like the 3. The airplane has always looked like a Russian cross between a Mustang and a Spitfire (first flew in '36) to my eye. Similar tail feathers and plan shape to a Spit, with similar-appearing tapered wings and rounded wingtips, but with the Mustang's wide landing gear and belly scoop. Good looking airplane in any case. And surely influenced by the Spitfire, if not the Mustang. The Mustang also had a laminar-flow wing which helped its speed, and which the Mig 1/3 lacked. And though the Migs appear to have a similar belly scoop to the Mustang, they also appear to lack the remarkable ducting through the radiator that eliminated almost all of the drag associated with cooling (and some claim actually provided additional thrust by efficiently managing the flow of heated and expanding air after it passed through the belly-mounted radiator). There are a couple of these in the US, at least one in flying condition, I believe. Some acquaintances of mine brought one in, maybe 20-25 years ago.

I love unusual trucks, and well done conversions of diecasts. This really shines.

I didn't know it was coming back. I have a couple of older issues that have been cherry-picked, so I'll have to be havin' a couple of these.

That's just too cool. Biggest grin I've had in a long time.

Using salt in a similar way to what you describe is a popular weathering technique.

I have a great deal of respect for what you do, Rob, but that's not the point. Nobody is diminishing the value of what smart guys like you do to move the world forward. What I'm saying is that not everyone is able to produce at the intellectual level you're on, and SOMEBODY is still going to have to do the dirty work. There's NO SHAME in working up a little sweat to put bread on the table, but nobody wants to do it any more. My work is a combination of the two. I have to evaluate problems and design solutions and then physically implement those solutions. Besides physically creating steel engine and trans mounts, headers, brackets and drives, frame members, suspension parts, etc., I'm currently integrating electronic vehicle systems that were never intended to be compatible to work together in a single car. BUT, we've tried to hire entry-level apprentices to start by sweeping the floor, putting things away, cleaning parts, all while being exposed to a high-tech-low-tech environment that can evolve into a good income-producing technical career for someone who's not college-bound. We've had no takers. The kids who do come in think they'll be building 1000HP hot rods like on TV the first week, but haven't the mastery of "quality workmanship" required to sweep the floor well. Add to that that we don't have AC in the shop, phones get left at the door (because I've spent all the time I'm going to spend chasing down dweebs to get a little work done, only to find they're hiding somewhere furiously texting the girlfriend) and OMG...we actually get dirty...well, nobody wants the job.

Innovative combination of things I never would have thought of. Very nice. The cross-ram setup does a great job of disguising the underscale engine from the last Ala Kart issue. Diggin' that crazy 45 rpm platter spinner in the back seat too.

Right you are sir, and that's also a very great part of the problem bringing low-cost illegal laborers into the country. There seems to be a widespread sense of entitlement among many Americans, thinking that if they can't "work" in air-conditioned comfort making a living wage for doing essentially nothing, they won't work at all. What we're ending up with is a "workforce" that has few manual or physical skills, a growing number of un-employables who don't really know how to DO anything, and a fantasy idea that somehow, everyone is magically going to become computer programmers, web-designers, software developers, marketing mavens, or CAD-based engineers in some mythical "service economy" that has no need of tangible reality.

Likin' this lots.

Good to see someone as crazy as I am, putting a lot of careful work into saving a body that many folks would ashcan. Nice challenge, looking good.

It's really a treat to watch someone with your obvious skill and attention to detail tackle a project like this. Thanks for making the extra effort to photograph and post your work.

In my post #42, my implied definition of "dangerous" comes from the idea that ANY 3500 pound vehicle made mostly of steel, with many hot, spinning and jagged parts in its makeup, containing at least 15 or so gallons of highly flammable gasoline fuel, and traveling at 35 miles per hour on non-divided highways (where the impact with an oncoming vehicle traveling at 35 MPH is the same as driving into a solid concrete wall at 70...depending on how you actually define the solidity of the wall), being operated by almost totally-untrained drivers who are easily distracted by text and phone communications or screaming children...well, that should seem to pretty well fit any thinking persons idea of "dangerous". Knee-jerk safety legislation DOES NOTHING TO ALLEVIATE THE INHERENT DANGER AS DEFINED ABOVE. Lives could be saved and injuries minimized if more time was spent on hammering home the inherent danger of operating a vehicle, ANY vehicle, and reinforcing the idea that attentiveness and actively taking personal-responsibility for safe conduct is absolutely necessary at all times. But THAT wouldn't make everybody feel good about being taken care of.

While that sounds all warm and fuzzy to outsiders looking in to the automobile industry, or any other over-regulated business these days, the simple truth of the matter is that, in most cases, the government agencies entrusted with "watching out for us" don't have the technical grasp of the "problems" they're "solving" to devise rational and well thought-out solutions. In many cases, the designers and engineers of the vehicles themselves lack the hands-on experience to make valid technical decisions (as should be pretty obvious by now), so how do you suppose government office paper shufflers know BETTER?? The knee-jerk pass-a-law-to-make-cars-safer mindset is slowly removing the idea of taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for the safe operation of motor vehicles...vehicles that are BY NATURE DANGEROUS, especially in the hands of the inattentive or poorly trained driver. Take the mandated rear-view cameras that will be required in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds in 2018. Yes. people continue to not pay attention and back over children, but requiring EVERYONE who drives a vehicle to PAY FOR THE INATTENTIVENESS OF A FEW is ludicrous. And the NHTSA's cited figures don't even agree with each other. In one sentence, NHTSA cites an average of 210 annual fatalities as a result of someone backing over someone else, and in another sentence the same agency says the cameras "will save 58 to 69 lives each year once the entire on-road vehicle fleet is equipped with systems that meet the specifications outlined." Anybody see the disconnect in that? When NHTSA's own figures contradict each other, how are we to take seriously the validity of anything else their infinite wisdom puts forth?

And who bears a large part of the responsibility for that? Business OWNERS looking to save a buck and hire illegals who will work for peanuts rather than legal immigrants or citizens who can demand higher wages. If there wasn't a HUGE market for low-cost illegal immigrant labor, much of the problem simply wouldn't exist. Blame for the current state of affairs needs to be laid at the doorstep of ALL the participants involved in gaming the system.

Have you ever seen a pearl? Pictures on the computer screen or in print just don't show what it is. If you've never seen a real pearl, go to a jewelry store and look at one. Then you'll understand. BUT...the sheen of a real pearl is semi-gloss, almost flat. Pearl paints are usually gloss-clear coated. Handle it like a metallic, because it has tiny particles in it that may be disturbed and turn blotchy if you touch, rub, or sand it before you shoot your clear.

No. If it's the product I'm familiar with, it's a thickish, rubbery, flexible coating for tools, etc. It's NOT paint, and it will most likely make a mess of your model. From the Plasti-Dip marketing info: "Plasti Dip Spray is a multi-purpose rubber coating that's great for home and garden use, automotive applications and more. This flexible coating won't crack, chip or become brittle. It insulates against electrical shock, vibration and heat and deadens sound. Plasti Dip Spray, Black: Multi-purpose rubber coating Flexible Insulates Provides non-slip grip Resists weather, chemicals, impact and abrasion 11-oz can"

According to my understanding of published Social Security regulations, a non-citizen authorized to work in this country by the Department of Homeland Security still needs a social security number to legally do so. Being a business owner myself, I'm well aware of paying income taxes on the BUSINESS income with an employer identification number (Federal Tax ID number), and of substituting a valid ITIN (individual taxpayer identification number) for a SS # when paying other taxes, but I'm not aware of the ability to make social security contributions with it. I'm sure your son in law is a fine fellow, but if he ever needs his SS benefits, he'll most likely have a hard time getting them with no SSN. I just double-checked my sources, and found this: The issuance of an ITIN does not: · Entitle a recipient to Social Security benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). · Create an inference regarding the individual's immigration status. · GIVE THE INDIVIDUAL THE RIGHT TO WORK IN THE U.S. Caution: An individual with an ITIN who later becomes eligible to work in the United States must obtain an SSN. The ITIN is not valid for employment purposes.