Ace-Garageguy

I found this and posted it a while ago, but it disappeared. We'll try again.

My first thought is that a single light source and fiber-optics might be the best way to go for that. It's a common solution for multiple small lights on sci-fi models. Or...are you wanting to illuminate the gauges from behind with diffusers to they appear to be back-lit? You have options in 1/12 that wouldn't work in smaller scales, anyway. What size LEDs do you have?

Glad to see you back, r-us. I always thought you had a great eye for this stuff. ^^^

Looking good. I've got a couple gloo-bombs of this one, so I'm interested to see how the resto goes.

Interesting, and in your capable hands, I know it'll be a fine build. It looks like the proportions are good, even though it may be underscale somewhat. At this point in time, having seen so many scaling and proportion mistakes, I can deal with a little scaling error if the proportions are good and the model actually looks like the subject...as this one appears to.

Another one for considerably under market (possibly because it was incorrectly listed as "Franklin" rather than "Danbury" Mint): '48 Buick Roadmaster. I'm beyond impressed with this one. It's a real jewel.

^^^ Good stuff...both the advice and the Dolphin Glaze.

You're very welcome, sir. Beautiful work.

Some of the slickest, cleanest custom work I've ever seen. Very nice.

I've seen that from time to time. Nice clean used Lexus Hippopotamus XSE daddy bought the little girl to drive to college. Engine starts rattling, warning lights on, she keeps driving. BANG !!!

I've got old-school 7" round Hella quartz-halogens in the Spyder, and vintage 7" Marchal halogen driving lights (NOS race car stuff). 100 amp alternator, 10 gage wiring. With everything lit, it's so bright the birds in the trees think it's dawn and start singing as I go by. EDIT: Snagged a pile of NOS Cibie and Lucas bulbs and housings last spring while cleaning out a friend's basement. Should have enough for at least one Jag and the 911.

Tri-5 Chebbys and Camaros for some reason. Not that I don't like 'em...I do...but I don't have much desire to model one after I pick the box up. Very strange. EDIT: Though I'm kinda getting a hankering to do gassers based on a '55 Nomad and a 210.

Happened to a friendamine's Miata. "Economic total", but he bought it new, loved the little car, so I fixed it for thousands less than the estimate, and it's running still.

Correct. But I think it looks a whole lot mo' better like this...

Excellent...though it often requires uncommon courage.

According to what I'm finding on the interdweebs, that's not the case. There are multiple threads about what Bronco owners who don't care for the scrap-parts-pile look (posted above) are doing about retrofitting covers from other stuff to tidy up the mess somewhat. Here's one: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/2-7l-engine-cover.23185/

That's quite a piece of work. molto impressionante

All 3 US manufacturers still have testing facilities, Chrysler's being not too far from my place in AZ., and at least one other is in the same general area (I think). But having a facility and testing pre-production vehicles to destruction to eliminate weak points are, however, two different things. With a corporate culture that pushes rush-rush-rush, cost-cutting over quality, and individuals often reluctant to stick their heads up, you have another recipe for disaster. Anybody recall GM's little ignition switch mess that resulted in a $10 BILLION class-action lawsuit? https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/new-10b-gm-ignition-switch-class-action-lawsuit-filed/ Apparently the final settlement was much less, but the cost of recalls, wrongful death settlements, etc. isn't included below. https://reverbpress.com/gm-ignition-switch-economic-settlement/ Things like this, and engines going boom in new vehicles aren't just oopsies. They're indicative of management failure, period.

There's a lot going on both here and globally that we are forbidden to address on this forum. Suffice it to say...without, I believe, breaching any rules...that we're seeing Idiocracy, Atlas Shrugged, and 1984 beginning to play out simultaneously in reality.

Here's the problem a large part of the problem: when you hire and promote your engineering and development staff for any reasons OTHER than ability, competence, and experience, you're doomed to fail eventually. All engineers are NOT created equal, and anyone who believes they are is a fool. Then when you fail to implement brutal-beyond-real-world testing before you sign anything off for production, you're doomed to failure too. One more thing that's simple common sense: vehicle designers and engineers should be required to work hands-on in the "lower" echelons of the industry, see how things break, what it takes to maintain them, and how body and mechanical repair procedures operate in reality, before they're green-lighted to design and develop ANYTHING new.

And they were right. Early in the commercial development of the automobile, their horse and buggy WERE more reliable. We're headed that way again. You might want to read through the whole thread, as there seems to be some confusion as to what this thread is actually about; the subject here is the poor reparability of overly complex vehicles as they age. But there's also a worsening problem with the OEMs not being able to get their stuff ready for market prior to putting it ON the market. For the most recent example, see the thread over on "off topic" about the brand new Ford Bronco engines blowing.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/2-7l-blown-engine-fail-list-38-so-far-feb-21-update.31951/ https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/update-on-failed-2-7-engine.33149/ Lotsa other QC and design issues surfacing apparently too.

Critical thinking? What's critical thinking? Sounds hard to me...kinda like rolling up windows, ya know? Just accept everything you're told and sold and be happy.

Mmmmm...toast.

Friendamine went outta town a while back, rented a car, went to a mall to get something, left his phone in the car while he ran inside "real quick". Came back out, the central locking system wouldn't respond to the fob, and naturally this oh-so-mo'-better POS had no keyholes in either door. All kindsa grief getting somebody out to rescue him when he didn't know where he was and couldn't phone from beside the car. When the the driver from the rental company finally got there hours later, after my guy had missed his meeting, the rental guy had to smash the window to get in the damm thing. Man oh man. How about those wonders of modern technology, huh?