What I brought home from the 2016 NNL East

I normally wait and post the things I got after the show pictures, but I decided to do it a little differently this year.

This is my 16th NNL East, and for the first time ever I made a shopping list of things I wanted to purchase. This was sparked by last year wanting to get something and, by the time I got to that dealer's table, it was sold out. This year, I made sure that didn't happen by making sure to go to that dealer before I even put my models on the table!

The #1 thing on my want list this year was the new Edsel Roundup from Jimmy Flintstone. He just came out with it recently, and as I am a huge Edsel nut, I had to have it. I already know what color I am going to paint it and as soon as I can get my hands on another AMT 1958 Edsel kit (you supply the hood, and a Revell 57 Ford Wagon for other parts, which I will also need to procure) it will be started. I dream of owning a real Edsel wagon, albeit in 4-door form, but I will buy pretty much any Edsel kits that are made.

The kit I missed out on last year was also from Jimmy Flintstone, he came out with a 1957 Ford Ranchero, which is a drop on conversion for the Revell 1957 Ford sedan or wagon.

I didn't realize he did two versions, with different trim levels. I couldn't decide which one I wanted, so I ended up getting them both!

I still can't decide which one I like better. I will attempt to build both of them soon. (my attempts to not always lead to success, and sometimes I do buy stuff to stash for later hoping my skills will improve)

I also got a resin conversion for converting 1989-92 Luminas to 1993-94 Luminas. The 1993-94 kit is much rarer than the earlier kit, and all that's needed to change them is the bumpers. These have fill pieces on the back bumper, because the kit bumper, which this is based on (but modified) is a horribly inaccurate piece. I didn't even notice that the extensions were there until I got back to my hotel room where these photos were taken.

I also got all the decals I planned to get, and then a couple more I didn't plan to, but once I saw them, I could not pass them up. I have not scanned them and I forgot to photograph them (I was working on 2 hours sleep and 10 hours of model show by this point...) so you'll just have to wait to see the builds! :)

For kits, I didn't plan to buy any, but, well, anyone who's been to a model show knows that planning to not buy any kits and not actually buying any kits are two different stories!
I didn't buy this one though. A friend who I met at the NNL East several years ago won it at a door prize and knowing how much I am into building NASCAR, gave it to me! I was not expecting that at all, but it's much appreciated!

AMT cheaped out on the decals and didn't include the yellow striping on the nose! Typical of all AMT 1990s NASCAR kits, the decals seem to be sized more for the 1/24 Revell kits rather than their own 1/25 kits.

Another friend of mine saw a previous post, where I mentioned getting my first Hubley kit. He gave me a Packard from Hubley that's started but all there. These kits are daunting, and I don't know if I'm quite up to building them yet. I have two now and I'm going to have to try at some point!

Ollie's stores have models, and they are on sale for $8. We don't have any Ollie's around us, but a friend and fellow TNMCC member does, so he grabbed an El Camino for me. I am known as El Camino Billy, but I never got a copy of this issue of the kit. (I have built one of the original issue, and have another in progress, but this boxing is new to me). This is not the first time he has helped me out when I needed it; years ago when I destroyed the windshield for a Tamiya Volkswagen Beetle, he hand delivered me a replacement!

Having friends in the hobby is awesome, truly.

I wasn't planning on buying this kit at all, ever. But, Revell was there at the show and talking to them, I didn't get a very good feeling that the non-prepainted NASCAR kits we were promised are actually going to happen, so I got one from Mike's Decals, the #1 source for NASCAR kits and decals. (This is not a paid advertisement- it's the truth!)

I'm going to have to learn how to strip plastic...

Lastly, but the first two kits I bought....were two of the Revell Highway Pioneers! I've wanted to get my hands on them for a while, and was literally just thinking about them the night before the show. Low and behold, there they were...the first time, in my 16th year at the show, that I've ever seen a single unbuilt one of the kits, and then there were two of them!
They use a single box for 5 different kits, I got the 1909 Stanley Steamer and the 1910 Buick.

The Series II kit dates to 1952...making the Series 1 kit the oldest kit in my collection, I believe. I don't know what year it was issued- I would have to locate my copy of the Directory for that- but it has to be before 1952. My oldest kit before yesterday's show was from 1954, I believe, but I do have some old ones that were not dated anywhere on the box or instructions.

The kits are still sealed inside, but I would really like to build them. The question is, can I? The tires have melted and may have taken a few parts with them. Between the two kits I have only a few usable tires. I will need to find out if anyone makes replacements.

Not pictured: I also picked up another Dinner Bell kit, also from Mike's Decals. I've got a bunch of them, and I needed more. I love the 1988-92 Oldsmobile and I want to build a lot of them. I added a new set of decals from Mike for the kit, so I got one- he only had one there, or else I would have gotten more. I will probably mail order some from them if my skills hold out well enough for me to not get frustrated and say "The heck with it" for a while.

Every person who went to the NNL also got a cool mug celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the show. We got two of them as both my mom and I went to show. At least one of them will see regular use for years to come; I rarely drink anything that's not water but when I do this will probably be my go-to now.

I didn't think to use both for the pictures though, I took three photos of one mug and combined them with PhotoScape. I also used one of them to get the resin Lumina bumpers home safely as well (resin still in the bag!). It worked perfectly.

And that's it! It's a far cry from my earliest years of the NNL- I once brought home 45 kits from a single day- but my days of buying things like crazy are well past. I came home with everything on my shopping list, and then some, but I didn't spend more than I wanted to.

Model Cars Magazine hits issue #200

I went to the local hobby shop today and got the two latest issues of Model Cars Magazine...I was surprised to see that issue #200 has been reached!

That's quite a milestone. I began reading it around 2000. May have been 2001, but no later, and I know not earlier for sure. I don't remember my first issue number but I do remember the cover feature was the "Las Vegas" lowrider model. Someday I'll get my magazines out and scan all the covers and then I'll know for sure.

I think my first issue number may have been in the 50s or 70s or something, It was before #100, that's for sure.

I just wanted to get a post up to congratulate MCM for hitting 200. Here's to 200 more!

I haven't actually read it yet but I will have it read within 24 hours.

New Glue = Woo Hoo! (Liquid cement review)

My first Product review on the blog and a Progress post.

Several years back, I don't know when exactly but it was after I joined the TNMCC in 2002, I began using Ambroid Pro-Weld liquid cement. It was a huge upgrade over the Testors tube glue I had been using exclusively beforehand, and it made my model building much cleaner. My best work was done in the era of the first Amrboid Pro-Weld.

Then it went away. I never found out what the problem was, although I did read much speculation no facts were ever supplied.

I had to switch to the two different versions of Plastruct Bondene which are neither as strong as Ambroid Pro-Weld was. It was the best I had access to, but it was not as satisfactory as Ambroid was.

Amrbroid then came back, but it wasn't as good as it once was. It was also nearly impossible to find. it was only marginally better than the Bondene and it seemed to evaporate faster than it did before, even though I made sure to keep the lid extremely tight.

I was only able to find two jars of Ambroid the last time I was able to find any, and that was 3 years ago at the AMPS East vendor room. I am just about out of it now, and the hunt was on to restock.

It seems Ambroid is gone again- I could not find it anywhere, even online. The hunt moved to finding a replacement.

First I ordered some of the Squadron brand liquid glue...and after it arrived, it was pretty disappointing to me with how badly it smelled- it was too strong for me to use.  I didn't even try it on a model because it smelled so bad.

I then ordered Micro-Mark's Same Stuff, and it arrived today.

YES! This is what I need! It works like Ambroid did the first time- fast and solid, pretty much perfect. I have finally found the perfect glue for me again. I have not had anything this good since the first Ambroid went away years ago. I don't remember exactly when that was, but I think my supply of the original ran out in 2009 or 2010.

I tested it out on a Trumpeter 1/144th scale F-86F-40-NA Sabre that I had handy. I don't remember when or where I got this kit, but I had it in easy reach so it became the test subject.

All the work seen here was accomplished in roughly 50 minutes using the new "Same Stuff". The pictures aren't that great but they get the job done.

Note that on the top of the aircraft you cannot see where the two halves of the fuselage are joined. You can see where it was in the area that will be covered by the seat after I get some paintwork done. You can see it a little on the bottom but I put much more effort into the top of the plane, just like my car builds.

That's good stuff! 

I would have accomplished more but the temperature was dropping and I had to close my window.

This marks the first time I've ever modeled the open panels on the side of an aircraft. I think they are called air brakes but I am not totally sure, I am still learning about aircraft. I'll be sticking a rod up it's exhaust area and getting it into paint/primer soon. The decals it came with are Japanese Home Defense Force but I'm not sure they are going to work, they don't look promising on the decal paper, but I'll give them a shot as I have absolutely no aircraft decal stash to pull from.

Here is a picture of the Same Stuff next to the last remnants of my Ambroid.

Finished my Torino!

It's been a long time! I don't know exactly when the last time I finished a model was, but it was sometime in May 2014. (I know this because that is when I uploaded pictures to my Fotki) Until today, that is! My Ford Torino, which was shown in my progress post last month, has now joined the ranks of finished models. I will get some "studio" Photos soon but for now I'm going to enjoy these outdoor shots....

There was zero chance I was going to build this as the Starsky & Hutch car that it's labeled on the box as. I love 70s cars and am waiting patiently for the wagon of this bodystyle to become available in resin. A 1974 wagon was our family daily driver until 1991 or so.

March 2016 TNMCC Meeting

Made it to my first Town of Newburgh Model Car Club meeting of the year tonight, March 7th.

March 2016 HVHMG Meeting

I made it to my second HVHMG meeting in 2016. That is a big improvement over 2015 where I didn't make my second meeting of the year until October. 

I also took part in a dry-brushing seminar. I've never actually done it before...but I enjoyed it and I don't think I did all that badly!

We also got to see a genuine World War II radio which was very interesting. 

My first ever dry brushing attempt...not perfect but not too bad either!