Hi Rowan and Damian!
I have never seen 1/48 scale before either.
1/32 scale cars that could be converted to slot cars are common.

Can't say I've seen the 1/48 cars before. But, I recall back in the early 70's getting hold of what I dimly remember as being 1/43rd scale cars. Wonder if that was to go with O gauge railroad stuff?

Richard: A first one for me as well, never seen those 148's before. Very cool.
The big scale model would look awesome in a post race weathered state.

Nice haul Damian. Never let a good deal pass you by. With the amount of am parts, in 135,available out there, you could fill those trucks a million times.

D., I see the coincidence you were talking about. Nice "savings". From all that stash I will take the MB any time. Yes, the Russian trucks are beautiful in their simplicity and begging for dioramas. Don't be disappointed with Zvezda quality ! You did very well to buy the spare wheels!

Gabriel

Lord Vader, your car has arrived.



Ok, so the postman actually had nothing to do with this one. Picked it up today at one of the LHS here in Syracuse. When I was stationed at Ft. Knox, one of the guys never stopped talking about his Grand National, then I saw this a few weeks ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE2OLOANR7g&t=1398shttp://put.url.here

It really is a slick car for 1987.

Jim

Jim, I never knew such car existed. Pity me!
Looks mean indeed - I love it.

Gabriel

It's a hot ride, Gabriel. I'm sure you would do some fantastic things with it.

Jim

Slick indeed, very nice!

Cheers, D

Jim,
Now that's impressive. One doesn't see many Grand Nationals these days. Come to think of it, back in the days, we just didn't see many of them on the road either. My good buddy at college had one, and it was a real beast. It could beat just about any Chevy except maybe a 396 SS Chevelle.

Looking forward to your build.

Joel

Slick and brutal. The GNX, with it's 3,8 l V6, did 0-60 mph, in 4,6 seconds and a 14 mile pass in 12,7 seconds.

Jesper,
Like I said, it was brutal and quite a surprise for many a Ford & Chevy street racer. Alan (my buddy with the Grand National), always won enough cash from these pick up races to pay for a nice dinner for all of us.

Joel

My first order in 6 months just arrived today.

Modelling supplies, painting supplies, tools and kits. Almost enough to start the hobby again!


From Alfa abrasives I picked up an assortment of lavabile abrasive clothes (grit 3500 to 12000). From Zona Tools I've got some micro saw blades designed to fit the regular hobby knife. I haven't tested any yet, so I cannot say more


I always like to experience new paint ranges and this time it is the Alclad II Candy. I ordered only a small batch (indigo, cobalt blue and ruby red). Not tested yet, I cannot say much. I've seen a recent build (Alexandra's on TCC) using Alclad Red over gold base with spectacular results but the Alclads there are made in Ireland so I'm not sure we have the identical product.
Mr. Levelling Thinner I use for almost everything, including as an airbrush cleaner. I won't be surprise if one day I'll add it to my coffee for extra flavour. That's why I need large stock.
Testors Transparent Amber came late. It was intended for the F100 I just finished. Again, I like very much Testors lacquers, but I never tested the transparent version. No comment on it yet.
The Surfacer 1500 has accompanied me since I have discovered it. Hands down the best primer I've used.


This Italeri kit I wanted badly some time ago and I couldn't find it. Now that I found it and I opened the box, I don't think I want it anymore. Clunky old Italeri! To the bottom of the stash it went already!


I'm a big bug fan and one can see it The first one is a Staff Car 82E - not to use Volkswagen denomination, mind you! Very nice detail, full interior, trunk interior, poaseable doors and bonnets, choice of plastic or rubber tires, PE parts and all that. Good buy but no time for it. I marked it because I have a feeling I will make a civilian KdF out of it


Next bug it's an Aoshima bug. Great molds but curbside. I knew it, but the choices on the market for 1303s Cabrio are limited to 2: so better Aoshima than Italeri!


Now the queen of the day is definitely the Hasegawa's 1995 Suzuki Jimny This one it's going to be a build for my heart, since I am the proud owner a 2 Jimnys, a 2003 and a 2007 one.


Cheers!
Gabriel

Gabriel,
Nice haul for sure.

As for Mr. Leveling #400 thinner, I truly love the stuff, but please don't use it for cleaning your air brushes. Much to expensive for that job. I use any old store Lacquer Cleaner for that job. Save the #400 for it's intended purpose as it's more like fine wine or in my case, very well aged imported Scotch.

I've yet to buy an Italeri auto kit as everyone seems to be a rebox of a not so great kit. Sorry that your Mercedes fits into that category. Will be following your Jimmy build as I did own a Chevy 1999 Tracker which was made by Suzuki. As for the Bug, well, I owned one for 6 month back in 1969 then traded it in for a 1967 MG Midget, which I pulled the two SU carbs and installed a mild cam, and a side draft two barrel Webber Carb. Didn't like to start on cold days, but once it did, the sound and performance was like heaven to me.

Joel

Thank you!



I normally use Xylene to clean my AB which has the same strength as lacquer thinner, but it is a little "greasier" and lubricates quite nicely. For some reason, Tamiya acrylic lacquers and xylene are not friends - it results a cruddy mess - and then I use a few drops to spray empty the cup & paint channel, after which I clean with xylene.



Well, you know, it is still workable, but with so many Moebius, Tamiya and newer AMT I own, I just don't feel like wasting my time correcting manufacturer faults. Maybe, one day, its turn will come.



Yes, Suzuki pulled back from American market because they found that complying with the American regulations will make their cars too expensive, and Suzuki now it's what Toyota used to be: all about reliability and mechanical simplicity. Chevrolet used to rebadge Suzukis. Suzuki Grand Vitara as Chevrolet Tracker and Suzuki Jimny as Geo Tracker. Jimny it is also rebadged in Spain - I forgot the name - and India as Maruti. I just love my little Jimny: it starts every time and cope just perfect with the harsh Caribbean conditions. 4x4 option and solid axles are exactly what you need when the roads transform in minutes into muddy torrents! There's no confort or speed performance to speak of but myself I am not a snowflake nor a speed demon, my Jimnys and I are happily married

Gabriel

Gabriel,
I've never seen Xylene in my local big box hardware store. So it's a 1st for me.

I had no idea that your a Suzuki man. My Tracker was a rock solid 4 wheel drive SUV, but I sold it when I got my only truck, a Mazda B200 with a 5 speed. Now I loved that truck, when it was time to trade it in, I got my wife's car as she wanted to the new Ford I bought for me. Just didn't work out as I planned.

Joel

Suzuki Vitara and Grand Vitara are quite popular here and I see a lot of them on the roads.

Cheers, D

I find it pretty much in every hardware store here, by quart or by gallon. Odorless mineral spirits are very hard to find instead.




Well, I am a Suzuki fan boy by conjecture. Originally I was a VW diehard fan, but in the last decade VW had me dejected. They have strayed away too much from the original concept and the meaning self of the name. First time I entered my Jimny I was laughing, actually. Everything seems so diminutive, even in comparison with the Golf IV Estate I was driving in EU, which is not a big car by any means. And so I thought for a few months that my Jimny was a kind of half joke, until the hell broke loose one day and the sky opened. A friend of mine (which drives a Nissan Frontier) couldn't make it home and asked me to help her rescue her dogs. So I went. I couldn't quite believe it how easily I climbed a 15-25 % incline, with the murky water flowing against the car passing above the front fender! The car got some damage in the occasion - the belt tensioner took water and was afterwards squealing like mad first 30 seconds or so (sometimes) after starting the engine. Now its fixed. It cost me 14 dollars for the tensioner, 9 dollars for the belt, 2 hours work and some scratches on my hands from the radiator blades But that was the episode that convinced me that I bought by mistake the right car. And when I found another cheap one to buy, I jumped on it just for good measure!

And, from all the trucks around, I will take a BT50 single cab before any Ridgeline or Tesla! The thing is I don't need a truck - I have at work a Tucson that is big enough to be used as a van.



... and so it's Jimny! I am following two Jimny owner threads for tips and one it's in UK, the other one in 'Stralia. OK, your bushmen there are doing crazy things with them, most often lifting them with 2-3 inches, deleting the rear seats and making campers. The fuel economy it's quite good on these 4 banger 1.3l engines and they have the good habit of not letting you stranded somewhere off the map.

Gabriel

Joel, I got this one from the local (Blue) big box, but the Orange one carries it also.
I think I've also seen it at Wal-Mart and Ace.

Mark,
Thanks for the picture. I'm betting that Home Depot has it on the shelves, but I just over looked it. Will be picking some up my next trip there, and testing it out.

Joel

It's usually in the paint department along with the sandpaper and superglue. I keep threatening to go there and try for odorless mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil.

Some oddball stuff that just appealed to me.




And some of my usual fare to balance the books.



Cheers, D

D,
You really surprised me with those 2 BMW kits and the Mazda one as well. I've never seen any of them before. I'm really hoping that you do build at least one BMW 507 while I'm still not pushing up Daisies.

Maybe we should consider a GB for our dream road car, or a road legal car that we dream of down the road.

Joel

D., how can you ever put BMW and Chevy in the same sentence?! Now that was a sneaky move! - just teasing! Very nice additions - I love European and Japanese roadsters and I will gladly make one of these myself.

As for Mazda Cosmo Sport, I find it has a very appealing design and I am eye balling it since long, I just never convinced myself to buy it.

Some very interesting builds looming in the horizon, that's for sure.

Gabriel

I've never seen them before now either. I'm lucky that I have a friend who buys and sells collections, and he tends to give me a look through the photos before he lists them on his sales site.




That is actually a really good idea, a "Dream Car Group Build" would give total freedom and I'm sure would throw up some very interesting and varied subjects.

Cheers, D