Ace-Garageguy

Shrinkflation?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115612734289?hash=item1aeb0e5351:g:Uu0AAOSwCYNjfGIS&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4L%2F7g2n66wgwwHVdSeS%2FL4NdC66dpwj8nhYhxmFQufvmULLMmeXk6sxBur6Zbll65Q66Lto5h89gh4PhuzrUVryU4K64KpAbf5eo5H9LO9jJT6LyAhTTQLYSyX2OwPLdz3aHJSZvn8E7krXFfoJTkKzSW1U%2BsDQc1Oj%2FoDvv%2BFNQ%2Fm4sTraoofTPwI%2B0f1HHO3BVq2S9dO%2B9cNaB3IxSi1%2FGgjmCjdNqTMNjFXx0Ob2Vk5f30gn%2FJyHn%2FuK6d2iEW5vOmDhyepIy2V4pd6w7Dm18ugR0Rrxvm4SXYnbyJf3%2F|tkp%3ABFBMuvW5ubVh

Italeri (boxed sometimes as Revell) has both 1/35 (primarily military) and 1/24 (civilian) Opel trucks.

There's no question in my mind that it fills some emotional need(s). Just taking out and looking through a vintage kit I had when I was a kid immediately takes me back to what I feel to have been better times, with memories so vivid, they could be from yesterday. They also give me something to look forward to enjoying in the future when I have more free time, and I really believe that's helpful in maintaining a positive attitude despite advancing age. And sometimes, when a new kit purchase is the result of having learned something new regarding automotive or aviation or railroad or maritime or military history, the additional opportunities for further learning help to keep my mind relatively young and agile. Learning new things is medically documented to have positive effects, at any age.

Fine looking model of one of the best looking cars GM ever sold.

Always several on eBay, sometimes as low as $50.

Pretty cool truck 348 gizmology mods. Always nice to see somebody sweating the mechanical details.

One more thing: there's absolutely no reason the 1/2 ton pickup couldn't have been converted to a wrecker, either by reinforcing the rear frame rails and fitting a heavier axle, possibly semi-elliptical longitudinal springs, and dual rear wheels...or simply putting the light pickup cab on a heavier frame, and possibly hogging out the front fenders for bigger tire clearance. Lots of "junkyard-dogs" were built from available bits back in those days.

This is a '38 one-ton panel. You can see the shape of the frame rails, which should get you plenty close enough for what you want to do.

Yup, the heavier trucks had the front sheetmetal shown above, and heavier frames, entirely different from the car-based 1/2 ton pickup frame.

Today, as every day, mindless rebleating...

If you've been around for a while, you will have seen a lot of models painted with that stuff, over bare plastic with no prep. The giveaway is usually odd looking panel edges and door lines where the paint has pulled away from the edges and almost puddled, leaving dark areas. HOWEVER...that is not a sufficient reason to assume that a lack of primer in this case is the cause of the problem. Assumptions based on insufficient data aren't usually very helpful. Still, learning to prep prior to paint helps in getting good paint jobs, but TESTING with unfamiliar combinations of products not designed to work together is of primary importance. And don't always believe everything that it says on a can...or what some internet expert says.

So...if Mickey's big hand is on the four, and Mickey's little hand is on the eight...??? OMG !!! OMG !!! GIVE ME A DIGITAL CLOCK !!! OMG !!!

What the eff? Testors "Extreme" lacquer is simply the old "One Coat" lacquer, relabeled with a moronic "extreme" thrown into the name, and a marketing claim that it eliminates the need for primer and sealer because it's not particularly "hot" as lacquers go. For optimum performance, it's always needed primer. This is the stuff, with Testors lacquer clear...all over Duplicolor primer

"Digress" is a female diger...but I could be wrong, as I'm not a biologist, or even a judge.

No mystery here. The solvents in the 2K re-wetted the metallic lacquer underneath, allowing the metallic particles to fall over into the pigmented clear carrier, thus losing their reflectivity and causing local dark blotches. Either (1) the Nason 2K is just too "hot" to be used over the Testors lacquer, or 2) the 2K was applied way too wet, attempting to get it to flow out glossy, or 3) the application of the clear OR the green was uneven and too heavy in only the areas where the dark streaks appeared (which is what I suspect), or 4) the green just wasn't sufficiently dry prior to shooting the clear. If you've used this particular combination of products before with no problems, it's an application issue with this particular job. If you have NOT used this combination of materials before, this is why we continually preach "test any new combination of materials, or any change in technique, on something you don't care about BEFORE you paint a good model". This is also the reason we preach the wisdom of using products that are designed to work together. Big-car metallic basecoats are specifically designed to NOT re-wet and go mottly when urethane clears are applied over them, but without testing the Nason clear sufficiently over the Testors metallic lacquer basecoat, things like this can happen. A good primer under everything, over properly prepared plastic, MAY OR MAY NOT have an effect on the stability of the green metallic, but without testing, you're playing Russian roulette with any paint job.

And any meeting or convention facility where "climate change" is on the agenda...plus the exhausts from all the luxo private jets that fly to them... EDIT: Too bad hypocrisy can't be tapped as an energy source too. We'd be set to the end of time.

STORY HERE: https://www.sae.org/news/2022/12/infinium-electrofuel

I've been looking for beneficiaries who would want my stuff...and are in a position to come get it... in the event of my untimely demise: models, real-car parts, real cars, machine tools and hand tools, etc.

11,000 Ford owners on the waiting list for TCMs, some with cars out of service for over a year, and scalpers offering them for $1000+. But wait...there's a cost-effective ($300) solution. STORY HERE (WARNING: requires reading)... https://www.sae.org/news/2022/12/tcm-supply-woes EDIT: The collision repair shop I work with has ongoing "supply chain" issues, and all manner of other industry-wide incompetence that has become commonplace in the last few years.

Found this:

It's about 5.3 imperial ounces, still used in the UK and Canada. And yes, it's 5.07 in US ounces.