Faust

As modellers, most of us are familiar with aftermarket stuff. I mean, there’s almost always some kind of extra detail sets, conversion kits, decals or weapons sets that you can buy for a kit, regardless of what kind of model it is, or how much it cost. We’re used to it and we accept it. However, it’s a bit different when you’re talking about toys. It seems to me to be asking a bit much of parents to create a toy specifically to go ONLY with another toy, especially when the one being accessorized is the biggest and most expensive toy in the whole line! Maybe that happens more than I think it does, but regardless, I know that practice has been going on for a long time. A perfect old example is the Dinky No. 667 Missile Servicing Platform Vehicle from the early 1960s! This good-sized vehicle existed only to go with the No. 666 Corporal Missile Launcher, the largest and most expensive Dinky of the time! So, while it might not be a model in the strictest sense, it’s a pretty cool replica of a very oddball vehicle, and worth checking out. Also, while it might not be an accessory in the purest meaning of the word, the fact it it’s really not that functionally valuable without the Corporal. So, take a peek at this old-school piece of British iron and remember that complimentary goods have been around a long time! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/cool-stuff/military-dinky-toys/dinky-no-667-missile-servicing-platform-vehicle/

LOL! When it comes to something like this little zit, does anyone even want to own up to it? :) While I can still build them, I really enjoy the small tanks. They take up very little space, are fast to build, and look more than decent when done. I also get to improve my groundwork skills on the Matchbox diorama bases, so it's win all the way around!

It’s not only in cars and planes that I have a love for the weird and wonderful; I also like to get kits of oddball armoured subjects! While there’s nothing wrong with Shermans and Panthers, it’s nice to have a few less common vehicles to compare them too. Thankfully, when it comes to 1/76 armour, both Matchbox and Fujimi seem to have covered a lot of the bases! A perfect example of this is the 1/76 Fujimi Type 97-Kai “Chi-Ha”. This was one of Japan’s “heavier” tanks of the war, and it makes an interesting, if not anemic, counterpoint to its much more powerful contemporaries. I managed to pick this little old gem up at a model show, so I didn’t even have to pay much for it! Check out the kit out of box at the link below. Even if it’s not your thing, you’ll have to admit it looks pretty good for its age and size! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/fujimi-176-type-97-kai-shinhoto-chi-ha-oob/

See, I didn't like the Mystere (that's what we called the MX-6 up here in Canada; I don't know if you guys called it that in the States or not) that much. It always looked oddly-proportioned, and kind of like the Buick Wildcat concept of the late '80s combined with a bit of a squished frog. However, I WOULD love a kit of one! :)

White with blue would actually look pretty nice, given how ugly the car actually was! Lolz! That's a good point! Sorry to hear that happened. My dad's '89 Escort's timing belt went, but it was the 1.9 and thankfully no damage was done!

I grew up in the “Automotive Dark Ages”, among throngs of gutless econoboxes and the rusting hulks of the last survivors of the ‘70s. As far as being interesting for an automotive enthusiast goes, that era was pretty much a wash. However, I do remember as the ‘80s wore on that things started to change, and as I watched a new breed of “economical” performance cars came into being. These weren’t the rip-snorting muscle cars that my Uncle had raised me on and that I’d seen at car shows, but they weren’t the wheezing, soul-destroying, square-cornered beaters I’d seen for the last 10 years. Rather, they were some interesting mix of the two. They had modern aerodynamics and front-wheel drive (unlike a true performance car, I still feel), but tried to recapture some of the fun of driving. A perfect example of such a car was the Ford Probe GT. I remember when it came out that it made quite an impact on me. Clearly, it did on others, too, since I remember seeing lots of them around. A sporty car for the masses, then, and one that helped to pave the way for it to be okay to want more than just a beige hatchback. Because I remember the car so well, I was really happy to get my hands on one of the AMT Probe GT kits. It’s one of my earlier builds, but it still looks pretty good, so I thought I’d share. Check it out, and if you ever drove one of these, let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/cars/125-amt-1989-ford-probe-gt/

Good point. It's not all just Pr0nz and l33tspeek! I love it when there's a place like that, where the sum total of human knowledge can be collected all in one place. That is the truest equalizer of people; their access to information!

Oh, that'll help me supremely! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I can see that the cab is actually a custom cab, despite not having the right B-pillar moulding, and I can see that the bed wood is BLACK. Shame, I was going to do it as polished natural wood, but black does make more sense. Great site, I'm going to keep that one referenced for a long time!

Every now and then, I get motivated to take a look at building a kit of a vehicle I might not normally consider building. In this case, it is a mid-‘60s pickup truck. This isn’t a subject I know much about, and it isn’t the usual thing most people would expect would turn my crank, so to speak. However, the kit itself is actually really nice and I wanted to try something different. I found this Revell 1964 Fleetside at a local swap meet and couldn’t resist. It’s actually a really nice kit, but it’s giving me trouble trying to figure out some things. It’s almost impossible to find examples on the net that AREN’T customized somehow, so if anyone has any links or info they can share with me I’d appreciate it. 1.) Is the engine supposed to be Chevy blue? They say orange on the instructions, but I’m sure that’s wrong. 2.) I think I read that if you got two toning, you got the whitewalls and body-coloured wheels. Is that correct? 3.) There is a chrome group for these trucks, but I think it’s separate from the side trim. If you got chrome grille and bumpers, is it true you got the chrome hubcaps too? Could you get this without the side trim? 4.) The box shows that there’s some kind of paint/chrome around the grille. However, I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be chrome or white paint. Not all examples seem to have it. Any ideas? Check out the kit at the link below, so you can see the exact model of truck I’m talking about. I want to build this one next, so I’m hoping you guys can help me out! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/revell-125-1964-chevy-fleetside-pickup-out-of-box/

I've got all four TTA books, plus some others I came across recently, to help me. Oh, and the Usborne Book of the Future (my fave when I was a kid, and it still kinda is!), so I think I can see some coolness approaching. :)

I wondered about the nose! Nicely done! Oh man... that Space album cover is AWESOME! it's so much a product of it's period - great stuff, I can taste the TTA vibe! Wait... that's it! I'll TTA this ship! Oh yeah... Now it's rockin'!

Wow... That looks stunning in the "low viz" scheme! Nice work! I was thinking maybe Jolly Rogers paint, at one point... like on the VF-1S in Macross. Now that I see your tactical scheme, though.... now my head's really moving in high gear.

One thing I’m not into, and never really was, is video games. I never got the allure of spending lots of time and money standing in crowded arcades when I could stay home and work on a model. However, one thing I AM into is cool-looking spaceships! It doesn’t matter to me if I know their backstory or not, for me spacecraft provoke a very deep and immediate response. In this case, I was drawn to the Wave Non-Scale “Solvalou” fighter from a famous (well, not to me, but…) videogame of the ‘80s. This game was called “Xevious”, and while successful here, it was a huge hit in its homeland of Japan. To honour the game’s anniversary, kitmaker WAVE issued this model a few years ago. I’m not sure about it’s origins, but man, it’s a neat looking ship with all kinds of potential! For something a bit different from the usual Star Wars, Star Trek and Gundam ships, check out the link below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/wave-non-scale-solvalou-fighter-oob/

Everybody’s got to start somewhere; that’s just a fact of life. For the German Army of WWII, the most basic frontline tank used in great numbers was the Panzer II. Far from the complex and fire-breathing tanks of the Heer’s later years, the “little training tank that could” nonetheless was an important vehicle in Germany’s early-war arsenal. For me, the Panzer II was my start, as well, into building armour kits for real. Now, I don’t bother with all the fancy photoetch and stuff; I just want to have fun and make some neat tanks! For this, the 1/76 Matchbox tanks are perfect. They’re small, simple, but well-detailed and they go together with a minimum of fuss. Check out my beginning below, and see what you think of my efforts on this old-school armoured featherweight. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to Matchbox, now I’m hooked on 1/76 armour! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/ships-and-tanks/176-matchbox-panzer-ii-ausf-f/

Since the -107 wasn't really a "Trumpeter" kit (they bought, used, whatever... the Monochrome kit) it's not really a surprise that there was only the one "available" scale. Man, in 1/48, this would be a big bird!