Ace-Garageguy

Me too. Sometimes it's a distinct advantage in today's world.

It would probably get me jailed for ripping the head off the fool who didn't secure the damm backdrop properly...insurance or not.

One of those dying skills that old-fart draftsmen had to master in the time of the dinosaurs (it's hard to keep the compass steady when you're worried about being lunch).

I sincerely hope it works. I've had back problems intermittently for many years, and though never on the scale of Gregg's, it's no way to live, and sometimes makes it a major accomplishment to just get through a day.

for a cheeseburger

Sorry. Not true. SOME metallics will polish to a high gloss just fine with no clear, and no blotching, and you won't know which ones work until you try. And back in the lacquer days on real cars, we routinely polished metallic lacquers with no need to clear them first.

Woke up with a kink in my upper back below the shoulder. All day, I'd forget about it until a particular movement would feel like getting stabbed with an ice pick. A long hot shower did no good, nor did a handful of aspirin. I know it'll probably go away, but it's currently a royal PITA (well, upper back actually). I was looking forward to some bench time this evening, but I don't feel like it now, as reaching and holding are uncomfortable. Maybe just to bed early for a change. EDIT: Well, a little bench time was just what I needed to relax. Time to sleepy-bye.

again and again

of the beginning

back and forth

The real big deal-breaker is that by many metrics, for most accepted processes for fermenting, distilling and distributing corn-alcohol fuel, it takes more energy to make the stuff than you get back when you burn it in vehicle engines. (There's also the little problem that ethanol contains less energy than an equivalent volume...like a gallon...of gasoline, so vehicles not specifically optimized to work most efficiently on alcohol get reduced performance and worse fuel mileage...and there are unfortunate side effects that can damage older vehicles' fuel systems over time.) I worked with a pilot solar-distillery program back in the early 1980s that could have gone a long way towards turning the balance sheet from red to black. I ran my personal Triumph GT6 on solar-distilled ethanol for some time. There are also better feedstock-plants available for making ethanol that are NOT foodstuffs, grow fast, and are cheaper than corn. But as with most things humans are involved in today, there's FAR more hand wringing, posturing, politicizing, arguing, foot-dragging and finding reasons why NOT to do something than there is just getting down, getting dirty, and making the dammed tech work. NOTE: Last time I looked, Brazil was doing the best job of getting alcohol fuel from biomass: sugar cane.

but Scottish eggs

is never enough

because toe fungus

herring juice extract

and gerbil hair

Exactly...and cheap. And I always think it's interesting and worthwhile to put this kind of stuff in historical perspective. Loads of folks think electric cars are something new, but the first production one was built in 1884, and electrics held the land speed record until around 1900. Lotsa folks think gasoline-ethanol blends are something recent too, but ol' Henry Ford was pushing the idea in the 1930s (in part to help depression-hammered farmers find a market for their corn).

Which is why I put "bellytank" in quotes. Still, the basic shape and layout predates real postwar bellytankers by 44 years.

AMT '51 Chevy Bel Air comes with an up-top that's an excellent starting point. I just checked both kits. It'll work. Definitely. Well...depending on you.

Not only did humans never visit the moon (fake NASA everything) but the moon itself is fake...or flat...or something.

CLICK HERE >>>>>>> http://www.rokemneedlearts.com/carsindepth/wordpressblog/?p=1028

If you're going to airbrush anyway, I'd strongly suggest you get your paint from one of the reputable model-car aftermarket paint suppliers. They can mix your color with smaller metallic particles than you'll get in real-car paint, and will look MUCH more scale correct. (Steve Guthmiller...please chime in here) In general, there are no hard and fast rules for metallics. Some cover better than others. Some may require 5 or more coats to get an even color and full hiding. Some CAN be polished with no adverse effects, while some REQUIRE a clear-coat prior to color-sanding and polishing to avoid blotchiness as the metallic particles get uncovered irregularly during the sanding-polishing process. You won't know until you polish it...unless you specifically buy a "basecoat" which absolutely DOES require clear. If you try to polish metallic paint on a model and you DO get blotches, no real problem. Just lightly scuff the whole thing, shoot a couple more color coats, let it flash, and clear it. If you DO see defects on the metallic paint, like orange-peel or graininess, the clear will only accentuate the problems and seal them in. Metallic that's going to get cleared needs to be as close to perfect as you can get it. So...if you see peel or graininess in your last coat, sand it flat with 800 wet (or finer) and shoot another perfect color coat before you clear. This may take some experimentation and practice. With some metallics, higher air pressure will make the flakes stand up more, producing a brighter appearance. Best advice is to arm yourself with extra material and experiment to determine the best process for the color and paint you use.

The tip is called a "ruling pen" or a "bow pen". http://www.comic-tools.com/2009/03/this-week-what-is-this-thing-and-what.html

Thank you, sir. If nothing else, at least it will probably get me to finish the other 1/32 Spit I was doing (back in 2012) in the prototype sky blue livery. Unlike car models, I usually actually finish an airplane before I start another one...but I never unpacked the airplane stuff after the last move, figgerin' I'd either be gone pretty quick, or be too busy renovating this dump to get to them. As it turned out, neither option came about, and they'll have to wait 'til I get to sunny Az. My luck, the day I unload the last truck out there, I'll fall off my perch.

Here's a case for example. About 5 or 6 years back, I found an '89 GMC 1500 longbed pickup, 305, 5-speed, AC. Running, barely. On its way to the crusher. I offered $100 and dragged her home. The body was very straight, no rust, no accident damage, kinda ragged interior, evidence she'd been brutally and repeatedly overheated by a total moron. Long story short, she required almost an entire engine rebuild, 2 cylinder heads (both cracked), a radiator, battery, exhaust work, serp belt, fluids, brake hoses, etc., and some EFI work. She ran great after that (I did all the work myself, of course), and when I totalled up all the parts, I had more in the thing JUST FOR PARTS than the same truck with a better interior was going for locally. In that case, I wouldn't even have made $1 per hour for my effort. I advertised her for what she was worth including a lowball number for my labor, and all I got was idiot tire kickers who wanted to pay $2500 less than I was asking. Good thing I liked the truck. I'm still driving her pretty much daily, she runs fine (the EFI died and I converted her back to a carb), and she's one of my all-time favorite vehicles. But no way to make money. None. Zero. Period.