Faust

Wow! Now I want to bust out my K-8! Actually, I sought out the K-8 specifically to do the light blue/dark grey cammo. I don't know if it will help, but I think I'm going to just make custom decals with a Testor's Ink Jet kit when I get to it (whenever that is). You can download graphics for most airforce roundels, and then just find a font that's close for call-numbers and print them out. Even if it's not perfect, it's what I will do when the time comes. A lot of decal companies are missing the boat when it comes to making insignia/number sets for some of these more esoteric subjects and little-seen air forces. Sadly, I don't know of a good commercial source, either.

Sometimes you get it… sometimes you don’t. We’ve all had off days, but it’s one thing to mess up on a model, and another to mess up creating the actual subject in real life! Well, despite their success with the Schneider Trophy races and the immortality of the Spitfire, it seems that, after WWII, the good folks at Supermarine just kind of threw in the towel. They went from creating some of the world’s fastest aircraft to creating one of the slower, more lacklustre and undeniably more porcine jets. Early jets, of course, weren’t all successes, but the straight-winged, tail dragging, chubby-boddied Attacker is one of the most prevalent losers of the immediate post-war jet cohort. Of course, because it’s such a substandard loser, I love it! It’s not just loser cars that get me going, total failures of aeronautics also make me smile! That’s why I was glad to get my hands on the Trumpeter Attacker! At the time, there was no good 1/72, so I was even willing to go up a scale and out of my normal comfort zone to build one! Check out the 1/48 Trumpeter Attacker at the link below, and let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/trumpeter-1-48-supermarine-attacker-f-1/

Don't weep for me. It could be way worse! :) At least it's a different subject you don't often see. I'd rather that than a tri-chevvy or a gasser; too many of those if you ask me. Now, is it going to be a pain? Yeah, I'm sure it will be! Will it tempt me to fling it against a wall? Sure will... several times, likely. Is it going to be awesome to have my own welfare-Nova in the collection of Dark Ages losermobiles? Hell's yeah!

When it comes to the Automotive Dark Ages, there are a few certainties you can almost always rely on. One of those is that it was a bad time to be a storied nameplate, because the chances of you surviving with your name intact was pretty much nil. That’s why I love that era, from about 1973 to about 1987 so much; the cars in it were so lacklustre and neutered that people can’t help but want to forget them. One good example is the Nova. While most people will choose to remember the late ‘60s and early ‘70s muscle-era pocket rockets, the truth is the Nova died a long and slow death, wasting away until replaced by the exciting, modern and much-ballyhooed Citation! (Nevermind it’s resurrection as a badge engineered Corolla…) For me, the thrill isn’t the early Novas that everyone remembers. Nope, it’s the cruddy, wheezy late models, the shadows of their former selves, that turns my crank. For that reason, I was very excited to finally be able to get my hands on a copy of Round 2’s version of the MPC 1979 Nova – Squad Rod! As if the last Nova wasn’t sad enough, the MPC attempt to create a Police Hot Rod is just, well… disquieting. Check out this loserly last stand at the link below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/mpc-1-25-1979-nova-squad-rod-out-of-box/

Despite building them very rarely, I really do like space ships. On one hand, they really let you use your imagination, since they’re not real. On the other, most ships of which there are kits are so famous that to paint them in other than their “accepted” schemes can often be considered akin to heresey! I’ve always wanted to build my “own” ship, with its own back story. However, I’m not up for that kind of scratchbuilding, so that left me high and dry. That was until I came across the Wave kit of the Solvalou, a non-scale kit of the main fighter from the video game Xevious. Since I’m no gamer, and never was, I had no connection to the ship, nor did I have any preconceived notions about how it should look, scale or anything else. So, I finally had a chance to get imaginative! I had great fun paying tribute to my two favourite books, the Usborne Book of the Future and the original TTA Book (Spacecraft 2000-2100AD) with this little model, which turned out to be a great kit! Check out my personal addition to the TTA universe at the link below, and let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/1-1500-cam-1228-p2-super-gunship-wave-non-scale-solvalou/

No worries, my friend, no worries at all! Glad you liked it!

Thanks, man! I'm honoured that your first post here was to compliment my build! Welcome to the forum, too! I hope you find lots here to enjoy - there's all kinds of great things going on here!

They're all a scream. The big trucks really amaze me; there's a lot too them, and you can more or less fit an EXP on the back deck of one! They're HUGE! (Well, for three-wheelers!) I think the original Midget is a lot like what you see used for Tuk-Tuks... now, there's an idea!

When most people think of a collection of vehicles from the mid 1950’s, they think of T-Birds, or Tri-Chevies or at least something with fins. Barring that, at least most people think of something with four wheels! However, I am not most people. For me, while they’re visually interesting and neat in real life, cars of the Fifties have never really “done it” for me as modelling subjects. No, I like the weirder stuff, so when I got a collection of vehicles from the mid-‘50s, it was a bunch of Japanese three-wheeled commercial vehicles! Thanks to LS (and Arii thereafter), my lust for oddball automotive subjects can be at least somewhat appeased! Check out my collection of 5 three-wheelers from the fun and simple 1/32 “Owner’s Club” model series. You’ll never see a Big Wheel the same way again! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/arii-1-32-owners-club-three-wheelers/

Wow... that seems like a lot of effort for a Pinto. Now, the Le Mons race... that sounds more like a good place for one! :)

Thanks, guys! Of course, Ben, it was metallic brown. That's sort of the most appropriate colour for those things anyway! Hmmm... I'm not sure who should be feeling good about that drag race. :)

Thanks man!

It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I like the oddball subjects. Loser cars and automotive failures are one thing, but I’m also a big fan of Street Vans and custom trucks too. Normally, I prefer to get my custom juices flowing by building a model of something, but once in a while I come across a die cast vehicle that’s just what the Doctor ordered! A perfect example of this is the Zylmex “Datsun Sunshine” custom mini-truck. Chock full of the Hong Kong version of late ‘70s custom trickery, this little customized Datsun 620 is a cool little piece that looks great on display. At 1/43, it also doesn’t take up much room! Check out this recent toy show find at the link below. It’s an early present to everybody, because everybody likes Sunshine on Christmas! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/zylmex-1-43-datsun-sunshine/

If there’s one word in my car modelling vocabulary that is worth a thousand images, it’s “Van”. When I was growing up, it was the waning days of the Vannin’ craze, and I can remember all kinds of totally awesome, mega-tricked out vans at car shows we’d go to in the spring and summer. Most of us remember those mural-bedecked rolling pleasure palaces as perhaps the most expressive automotive customs ever, even if they weren’t your thing. However, one thing I don’t ever remember seeing was a stock custom van. If you’re asking “What?” then you’re like me when I first heard of the Ford and Dodge factory-made, custom-ready street vans. As it turns out, AMT even gave us a kit of the 1977 Ford Cruising Van, complete with very loud factory striping! It’s been a long time since it was available, and despite bringing out the custom Econoline “Phantom” van a few years ago, Round 2 has seen fit to resurrect this long-gone piece of model kit history. The new version features some improvements too, like better tires and two kinds of striping! I love vans, and I love wacky production cars. This is both! It doesn’t get much better than this, despite this things flaws. Check it out at the link below, but if it’s rockin’, don’t come a knockin’! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/amt-round-2-1-25-1977-ford-cruising-van-out-of-box/

Being a fan of science fiction generally means liking spaceships. I grew up with all kinds of cool spaceships to hold m interest, including, of course, those in Star Wars, Transformers and the various anime series (Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada) that make up Robotech. By the same token, while there were always cool space ship toys to get, as I got older I was a bit disappointed by the small number of mainline space ship model kits that were available. When I got into anime, I thought that would be rectified, but even then, kits of spacecraft weren’t easy to come by in North America, at least. Still, they say that good things come to those who wait, and after waiting for about 22 years to get a kit of my favourite Gundam spacecraft, the Albion from 0083, I finally managed to grab one of the reissued EX-Models. Check out this interesting low-volume kit from Bandai’s specialized EX line at the link below. Be warned – it’s not like other Gundam kits! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/bandai-1-1700-ex-model-mobile-assault-ship-albion-out-of-box/