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Monday, November 25. 2019

Do Not Knock My Truck or You Can Walk Right Now

When Trail of Lightning was pitched, it was referred to as "an Indigenous Mad Max Fury Road." I didn't really get that, though, as the way the story unfolded seemed more akin to a classic detective novel with a loner hero narrating a tale of unfolding mystery and dangerous situations. It even had the requisite cool "not cool" car (see also: Columbo's Peugeot, Rockford's Esprit, or Spenser's '68 Chevy).

Posted by Bill at 12:47 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, November 15. 2019

WHO ARE YOU?!

So, technically my Mall Monkeys Security Vehicle is too new - the second generation Fortwo wasn't introduced until 2007, but the comic finished its run in 2003. My reasoning is that the mall's higher-ups signed a 10-year deal with Smart back in 1998, and as part of the deal would get a new one any time it was updated. If I ever find a first gen Fortwo, I'll simply expand their fleet (hence the "Car 2" license plate).

Posted by Bill at 20:43 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, November 6. 2019

No, He Said It was a Ghost

After the labor-intensive Misery Machine, I was looking to take a break with some relatively simple builds. So of course the first one I choose is technically a curbside but still requires a scratch built turbo system and custom body work. Not very smart, but the end result is pretty.

Posted by Bill at 19:39 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Sunday, October 13. 2019

We've Got Some Work To Do Now

At long last, the Misery Machine is complete! Although the project wasn't unusually difficult, it was one of those where it seemed like adding more and more "stuff" to it was way too easy. That, and it was my first attempt to paint a realistic human figure...something that worked out well enough that I think I will be trying it again on future projects.

Posted by Bill at 14:42 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, September 27. 2019

You Were Right, This Place is Fantastic

My original plan was to build the Misfile cars in order of appearance, which worked fine up until James' 3000GT. The only models available in 1/24 were first generation, while his had the later fixed headlights and revised hood and bumpers. It wouldn't be the most intensive project I'd tried, but it was just enough for me to put off the project in favor of others. With Misfile classic wrapping up, I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and get on with at least one of the kits I'd set aside. James' car was still more than I wanted to tackle at the moment, so I simply skipped it and went ahead to Brent's M3.

Posted by Bill at 20:38 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, September 11. 2019

A Scene from Trading Places

The World Trade Center as seen in the movie Trading Places

Most of the time, when the World Trade Center was used in movies, it was simply part of the skyline - either incidental to the story taking place in New York City or as an easily identifiable landmark to set the scene. But the "Trade" part of the name was more than just a catchy moniker: 4WTC was home to five commodities exchanges and had one of the largest trading floors in the world.

This became the setting for the final act of Trading Places, where Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy get their revenge on the tycoons who set them up in the beginning of the movie. As they cross the plaza and walk past the Ideogram sculpture, we get this rare street-level view of Tower 2 with its distinct facade and 3WTC visible in the background.
See more scenes ➡

Posted by Bill at 10:16 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, September 2. 2019

When a Zombie Apocalyse Breaks Out on Halloween Night...

An example of the "didn't age brilliantly" I mention in the build of AMT's Ferrari 250 GT SWB, note the "beore" and "after" of the kit's wheel knockoffs:

Wheel detail showing original and modified parts from AMT Ferrari 250 GT SWB


Posted by Bill at 13:15 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, August 19. 2019

All New Illustrated City Slicker Packaging

I briefly worried that this may be cheating a bit. My plan for 2019 is to build models of stuff from books, comics, and other static art pieces, and while box art technically counts as art, it also leaves an almost obscene amount of wiggle room. Like, anything that appears on the box could now be considered fair game.

But then I had two counterpoints: first, a photo of the A-Team van dropped onto a tilted background isn't quite the same thing as a piece commissioned specifically for box art, created by veteran AMT/MPC artist Don Greer (car) and Round 2's Senior Designer James Hood (background, composition). Second, I set the rules for this theme; I get to interpret them however I want. The matter now settled, I went ahead with my plan for the City Slicker '69 Charger.

Posted by Bill at 22:27 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, August 9. 2019

The Engine is a Bit Old, but the Body is Still Good

In the early 2000s, Fujimi released several kits as licensed tie-ins with special resin figures of characters from the series. Among those was the manga Over Rev!, and this repop of their MR2 kit. It took some doing to track this down, but in the end I'm glad I did. There's something kind of nice about having the complete set...even if said set is "two kits."

Posted by Bill at 08:19 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, August 2. 2019

Two Creatures Who Shared a Love for Motorcycles Naturally Spoke the Same Language

So there I was, working on the tiny stuff for the It's Walky! truck, and my mind went wandering in search of more project ideas. Since it was already thinking small, it wasn't too surprising that it came back with a miniature from one of my favorite series from when I was a kid: The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

Posted by Bill at 18:08 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, June 28. 2019

Black 1986 Dodge Ram 50. Parking Level 4C. Keys?

Sometimes I have to chuckle at what cars have made it to kit form and which ones are still waiting. There are no boat tail Rivieras available despite their popularity in movies and TV, full-sized pickups stopped being produced sometime in the late 1990s, and there have been something like two Aston Martins kitted ever. But want a model of Chrysler's quirky rebadging of the Mitsubishi Forte? No problem!

Posted by Bill at 12:52 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, June 14. 2019

Well, now here's a scene you wouldn't find in 'For Better or for Worse'

Pears Before Swine has remained one of my favorite newspaper strips for years. Stephan Pastis has kept up a stip that has at times been dark, funny, wrong, right, stubborn, sweet, stupid, and insightful...in other words, relatable to all of us.

Posted by Bill at 10:47 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, May 27. 2019

Memorial Day 2019



Posted by Bill at 15:45 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, May 24. 2019

How Did You Get Here with Only a Car?

As I was wrapping up the last few projects, I realized that the Lamborghini from Murcielago would be my 400th project on this site. Part of me wanted to make a bigger deal out of it - a big round number for such a quick and obscure project and all - but then I considered two counterpoints. First, I've never made a point to post important projects on round numbers (#200 was Mudflap, FFS). Second, that number doesn't include most custom toy projects or eBay sales, and does include a couple of items that I don't own any more. So...happy random number day!

Posted by Bill at 14:49 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, May 10. 2019

Everyone in Town is Looking at My Celsior and Fawning Over It

I'm not as well-versed with Shakotan Boogie as I am with most of the other cars I build, since there has yet to be a translation of the series. I can still enjoy the art, though, and thanks to online synopses I can follow along with the broad strokes...including where on the timeline to put Hajime's Toyota Celsior.

Posted by Bill at 23:00 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
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