Ace-Garageguy

So far, it doesn't have any effect on me anyway, 'cause I always paid as I went. What a concept. Funny how nobody minded screwing P-bucket out of revenue, but everybody screams when the free lunch is taken away. But it's still THE WAY THEY WENT ABOUT IT that's reprehensible.

We've touched on this before, and agreeing to the "terms of service" gave P-bucket an unlimited free license to use the content however they wished, but it did NOT negate the user's ownership of the content, nor did it give them power to destroy the user's ability to access said content via links, etc. (assuming I understand the wording of the agreement correctly).

You are confusing contract law and the blatantly unethical, unreasonable and reckless actions that PhotoBucket took when they destroyed the content of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of blog and forum users WITH NO OR VERY LITTLE WARNING. Suing PhotoBucket for causing emotional distress to so many people on such a wide scale has to do with how PhotoBucket's conduct affected people, not whether the service was fee-paid or not. Recovering damages for "emotional distress" usually requires that some physical harm can be demonstrated as well, but a case could possibly be made that the sudden destruction of vast amounts of peoples' web content can constitute "physical harm". Laws governing the definitions of ethical conduct and reckless behavior vary from state to state, so you would be well advised to consult a competent attorney before you make any judgments as to the viability of a suit. If the fine-print in the user agreement that nobody ever reads specifically states that P-bucket can change the terms of service at any time with no notice, restrict access to 3rd party sharing, and in so doing destroy the value of any web content containing links to their storage and sharing service, the free users may all be SOL. Otherwise, maybe not. Far as the "cloud" goes, I'll never use it for anything critical. If I'm ever engaged in an activity that's so Earth-shatteringly important as to require me to have access to all my data 24/7 from anywhere on the planet, I'll set up remote access my own server...not somebody else's of dubious security and integrity.

Pets really DO tend to help make you happier. Unconditional affection (as long as there's food, shelter and a warm lap), no bitching, no criticism and comparing to the neighbor's house, car, husband... They also say that married people live longer as well, but if I still had to coexist daily with any of MY exes, I'd shoot myself. I seem to have replaced smoking with eating too much. All these emotional crutches... Time to start meditating.

Absolutely beautiful. A real stunner, and your work on the headrest fairing is top line. I have one waiting in the wings, along with a couple of the curbside Lindberg D-types, and bought some of the Archer and Micro-Mark rivet transfers to experiment with. Your solution to the rivet problem looks very very good.

Since I usually only buy stuff off of Ebay that's unobtainable anywhere else, I just figure the shipping cost as part of what I HAVE to pay to get what I want. Like the man said, nobody is forcing anybody to buy anything, and with careful shopping for the best total price on non-one-of-a-kind items, you can usually do pretty well pricewise. And I really don't mind somebody making a few extra bucks for packing something carefully. It's a PITA to do it right, and I don't expect anything for nothing (which is why my Photobucket images still work, for the time being anyway).

There are a couple of good clues if you're intimately familiar with its brethren.

Usually the way these things play out. But I wouldn't mind seeing P-bucket slapped pretty hard, just on general principles.

For anyone wishing to upgrade the engine, here's a couple of shots of the intake manifold for the Bora (probably the same as the old Quattroporte too, as the engines are basically the same). The intake port-runners are evenly spaced like some Ford and Chrysler and the Chevy LS engines, as opposed to having paired runners like the old smallblock Chebby. And Mr. Bacon, the crackle-finish you came up with for the cam covers is very believable. Nice trick.

Doesn't get much better than that in my own present world-view.

Correct...except the Merak, being a V6, only had 3.

Great job on this one. Definitely one of the best builds of this kit I've ever seen. Your door fitment just goes to show what some care, patience, and intelligent scale engineering can accomplish.

I have to agree. There's nothing more perfect for proportion and line among front-engined cars than a real 427 Cobra. Kind of a shame so many of the kit-car versions mess with the looks...and inevitably spoil them.

I agree 100%. The GT40 does it for me visually like nothing else on the planet. This particular car is the CAV version out of South Africa, and it has some deviations from the real-car specs that I disapprove of, like using stainless steel for the chassis structure. This car has already had a major structural failure due to metal fatigue. The fiberglass body panels are unnecessarily thick and heavy. Also, the NACA duct in the center of the cowl is fake, and the gearbox is Porsche 944 Turbo / Audi truck. Still, I could somehow suffer through having to drive it every day. When I was testing it recently, I thought the clutch was slipping as I pushed it hard going into 4th gear. My chase-car driver said no, the rear tires were smoking. The Superformance version, also from South Africa, is much closer to the real cars...so if you have a choice...

Please be advised that none of the 3M cartridges, so far as I'm aware, are certified for isocyanates...which urethanes will contain. ANY paint that uses a hardener will most likely contain isocyanates, including the "hardeners" made for Imron and old-school acrylic enamel. As I noted above, a 3M rep is quoted as having said their cartridges should only be used for isocyanates for total exposures of 8 hours or less (and none of the cartridge labels state they're safe for isos). After that, throw it out. That's the deal for use in a professional booth, where the air is moving through and is changed frequently. The old saw about "if you can't smell paint, you're OK" can get you in trouble with isocyanates...as they're entirely smell-free, and though you can't smell other components of what you may be spraying, it's entirely possible you could still be getting dosed with the iso. Painting models where the concentrations are low, and the exposure is brief...you should be able to run a respirator a lot longer than 8 hours total, but it's good you have a new one coming. If you have a way to work up a filtered-air-supplied full mask to wear while spraying urethanes, please do it. Life is short. No sense making it shorter, or unnecessarily painful.

I recycle other people's old builds. I don't have any of my own yet that need it (having lost all the stuff I built earlier in life)...but I would, definitely.

Just an FYI...rattlecan paints sold for "Homeowner applications" have lacquer thinner, acetone, and a host of other petroleum distillates, the exact same solvents you'll find in automotive paints if you read the MSDS. Same solvents in Testors, Tamiya, etc., in varying concentrations. It's always best to READ THE INGREDIENT LABELS ON THE MATERIAL YOU'RE SPRAYING TO BE SURE YOUR RESPIRATOR IS RATED FOR THAT PARTICULAR CHEMICAL. An automotive-material-rated respirator is mandatory if you're shooting any TWO-PART clears or paints, as these contain isocyanates and can cause severe respiratory distress. Be certain to check the particular rating of the cartridge you use if you shoot that stuff. (You really need gloves and an air-supplied mask if you spray that stuff, too...seriously. It's bad stuff.) An "organic vapor" cartridge is NOT enough unless if fits tight, has no more that 8 hours exposure time, and you have no facial hair. While it's just fine to use automotive respirators for everything, you'll be wasting money if you don't get one with replaceable cartridges and particulate pre-filters. It's silly to have to throw the entire unit out just to get new cartridges...and 4 years is WAY too long to go between changes. Speaking of which...ALWAYS let your respirator dry out thoroughly before you "put it back in the package and seal it back up". Moisture from your exhaled breath can support mold growth in a respirator, and breathing in the stuff later can cause headaches, runny nose, scratchy throat, and even flu-like symptoms. Ask me how I know.

X2 BUT...of HUGE importance to staying healthy as we age is WATCH YOUR WEIGHT, and STAY ACTIVE. As Lee mentions above, diabetes can be controlled before it's really out of hand with "diet and exercise", so why not head it off by losing the pork and working up a sweat regularly? The quickest way to get yourself in really bad shape is to become sedentary and pile on the pounds...and I speak from personal experience. I'm in my late '60s, and I can tell you that it's a whole lot harder to get BACK in shape than it is to watch your poundage and get regular aerobic and weight-bearing activity BEFORE these things become serious issues. Just like parking a car out in the weather and never using it will quickly turn it to a useless pile of junk, your body goes by the "use it or lose it" dictum too.

Here's a partial build review from Masscar done in 2014. http://www.masscar.com/uploads/2/0/9/1/20913414/nl_masscar_winter_2013_2014_newsletter_publication.pdf I'll add that the parts are no longer "glued" to cardboard for shipment, but are carefully packed in bubble-wrap and foam inserts. Nice. The resin is very thin compared to a lot of the poor quality krap that's floating around, and the details are mostly crisp. The feel of the thing is much more like a styrene kit than typical resin. Most of the parts are well-formed, and things are mostly more symmetrical than what I'm used to on a lot of resin. There are a few slightly warped parts, unfortunately the cab in mine, but nothing a little care with hot water won't resolve. There are also some incorrect angles and lines on the cab, but they're fairly easily corrected if you can do that sort of thing. My cab came with a section of the RH drip-rail missing, and somebody at the factory had glued in a section of the appropriate diameter wire, rather than sending the cab casting to the trash...which I don't mind at all. A little putty and primer would have her at 100%, but I'll put in a piece of styrene instead of the wire. There ARE some air bubbles in a few of the parts, and the centers of two of the rear wheel hubs (out of 4) are not usable because sections are simply missing. Not too much of a problem, as the other two are fine, and I can make quick molds of what I need. Speaking of the wheels...they leave a little to be desired in other areas as well. They're not especially round, and there's something of a visible gap between the tires and wheels after assembly. I figured I'd true the wheel rims in my lathe, and add a styrene strip to simulate a bead and fill up the gap. Not really a problem, but a little disappointing. I'll probably do the firewall mod the guy above mentions, as well as substituting a larger 1/24 scale GM six from one of the old Monogram kits. All in all, I'd say it's definitely worth the money considering how unique the subject is in 1/24, and the overall quality is really very good, as is and potential to build an out-of-the-park-home-run model from it. I'll add photos of the parts as time permits.

Depends on how you define "reasonable". Last time I looked, lungs were pretty expensive, and nervous system damage can be a real drag too. This is about the best deal going for something that actually works, and has replaceable cartridges. Because I only paint infrequently these days, I mostly use this one in the big-car shop too. Less than $30. http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Medium-House-Hold-Multi-Purpose-Respirator-65021HA1-C/202080143

Yes. Get a respirator.

As an engineer and a guy who's been using fillers, primers and paint on high-end real cars for closing on 50 years now (and standing behind my work) I have to clarify a couple of points here. First, it's cooling that causes condensation of atmospheric moisture, not heat. That's why water droplets form on the outside of the glass your cold drink is in, but not on the outside of a hot cup of coffee. Second, bondo is porous and absorbs moisture. That's the main reason for seeing rust pop up under filler work on real cars...that, and having pinholes in the metal that allow moisture ingress from the backside, or improperly treated rust down in pits and other sheetmetal imperfections. If rust isn't completely neutralized with something like phosphoric acid prior to filling or priming, it's almost guaranteed to pop up again. Third, applying bondo or or any 2-part filler over EPOXY primers is generally highly recommended (because the epoxy creates a layer of material that's impervious to moisture and actually improves adhesion of filler to metal), and filler should be sealed with epoxy primer as soon as the work is completed...again, to inhibit moisture absorption. But applying most 2-part fillers over wash-primer, urethane primers or lacquer primers (yes, some people still use it) is something the paint manufacturers have been warning against pretty much forever. Sometimes you get away with it, sometimes you don't. I don't risk it, as I really REALLY hate doing work over for free. When advising "prime the metal first" before applying fillers, it's good to specify WHICH primer to use to avoid confusion and unpleasant surprises. And when in doubt, READ THE MANUFACTURER'S DATA SHEETS AND INSTRUCTIONS. You'll often find that the people who MAKE and TEST the stuff disagree with the legions of internet "experts" and even sometimes the people who SELL autobody materials. I know who I'm gonna believe.

Like the other kids said, if you gotta strip bodywork, pretty much figure on doing ALL the filler work over again. One-part putty comes off just like lacquer, but it's rarely adhered as well to the substrate. Two-part fillers usually wrinkle around the edges first, but they're porous, as mentioned, and will soak up whatever stripping medium you elect to use. Even epoxy can be affected by stripper. Chemical resistance varies wildly with epoxies, and the stuff sold for models is towards the bottom of the scale usually.

Anybody interested in seeing a review of this resin kit?

I have a late-model Challenger sportwagon on the bench. Thread here.