We had a visit from actress Angelina Jolie today, in Albany, NY filming a scene for her upcoming film i>Salt. The scene involves a highway interchange, and will supposedly be involving a car chase sequence. Considering the last car chase she was involved in, this could be interesting.
Angelina Jolie Visits the Capital District
Sunday, April 26. 2009Guest Gallery Update
Sunday, April 26. 2009
Jason has sent in a few photos of his latest work, including Bullitt's Mustang, KITT, and a few Hazzard County scenes. Check them out in the Guest Gallery!
ScaleAutoMag.com Coverage of NNL East 2009
Tuesday, April 21. 2009
While I was at the local show, the guys from Scale Auto were at the NNL East in New Jersey. You can see some of their coverage of the show here.
420 for Optimus Prime
Monday, April 20. 2009
Somebody at Entertainment Earth was having some fun today. After all, what better for 420 than a truck-sized source of potato chips and fries?
 | 420 for Optimus Prime...or rather, it's $4.20 for the Transformers Optimash Prime Mr. Potato Head. It's our anniversary, so we're passing some fantastic savings along to you! This Mr. Potato Head-who brings his own helmet-- has the ability to transform from potato to a potato dressed up like a robot. He's awesome, and he includes a tiny, super-deformed truck as a bonus. How can you not love this potato in disguise? |
 |
Some Site Changes
Sunday, April 19. 2009
Over the years since I first started selling my Diorama Detail Sets, personal printers have risen in quality, access to print shops has become easier, and postage has risen in price. So between the three, the professional printer I've been using has become less critical and more expensive than what most modelers require. As such, I will be discontinuing most of these sets as of Friday, April 24. The only ones that will remain are the fan belt sets and the street sign sets, because they still require special components that may not be available to everyone.
In place of these, I will be launching a "downloads" section that will feature ready-to-print components that you will be able to print out at home or save to a disc and bring to your local print shop. Check back next weekend to see what's new!
In place of these, I will be launching a "downloads" section that will feature ready-to-print components that you will be able to print out at home or save to a disc and bring to your local print shop. Check back next weekend to see what's new!
HobbyTown USA Model Show Part 1: The Little Models
Saturday, April 18. 2009
Today's show at HobbyTown USA turned out better than anyone expected, even with the threat of rain all day. In addition to the scale model show, there was a full-sized car show in the parking lot, staff and vehicles on hand from the Colonie Fire Department, historic war reenactors, and more. Part one (click the "continue reading" link below) has over 50 photos from the scale model show, while part two (available here) has photos from the rest of the event.
Continue reading "HobbyTown USA Model Show Part 1: The Little Models"
Continue reading "HobbyTown USA Model Show Part 1: The Little Models"
HobbyTown USA Model Show Part 2: The Big Models
Saturday, April 18. 2009
The HobbyTown USA Model shows have usually had one or two 1:1 cars show up as part of the event, but today there were over 30 classics, hot rods, tuners, and sports cars in attendance. There were also appearances by the Colonie Fire Department with a custom Jeep and classic pumper, the guys from Cars4Cancer.com and 21 Graphics, historic war reenactors and weapons displays, and a professional photographer and models for the 1:1 car owners. Click "Continue Reading..." to see some of the photos of what was going on outside!
Continue reading "HobbyTown USA Model Show Part 2: The Big Models"
Continue reading "HobbyTown USA Model Show Part 2: The Big Models"
Model Show Tomorrow at Albany HobbyTown USA
Friday, April 17. 2009
If you'll be in or near Albany, NY tomorrow, swing by the HobbyTown USA in the Kohls Plaza between 11AM and 2PM for a model show. I'll be there with a couple of models at the club table, and I'll post photos from the event tomorrow night.
The Yellow Rolls Royce
Saturday, April 11. 2009
I saw this over at Hollywood-Diecast.com; it's a newsreel from 1965 that focuses on the star of the film The Yellow Rolls Royce, a 1930 Phantom II. The reel talks about the car's time filming, and goes on to detail a fashion line inspired by the car and the film.
Bad News from the World of Webcomics
Friday, April 10. 2009
Two of my regular stops had some bad news posted today, if you get a chance be sure to stop by each and help 'em out.
First, Google dropped Theater Hopper after someone hacked the site and used it to set up a bunch of Spam links. To help it get back into Google's good graces, try to link to it wherever you can to remind the folks at Google that it's a legitimate site and not a link farm.
Second, and much sadder, Scott Kurtz posted that his Basset Hound Kirby passed away at 11 years old. Not much can be done at the moment, but if you've lost a pet like that you know how rough it can be. If you get a chance, take a second to send him a note of support.
Better news tomorrow!
First, Google dropped Theater Hopper after someone hacked the site and used it to set up a bunch of Spam links. To help it get back into Google's good graces, try to link to it wherever you can to remind the folks at Google that it's a legitimate site and not a link farm.
Second, and much sadder, Scott Kurtz posted that his Basset Hound Kirby passed away at 11 years old. Not much can be done at the moment, but if you've lost a pet like that you know how rough it can be. If you get a chance, take a second to send him a note of support.
Better news tomorrow!
JaAm Session
Wednesday, April 8. 2009
Transformers Universe Hot Shot finally showed up around here, so I picked one up to add to my TFU collection (the first non-G1 to join the ranks). Fortunately, my Hot Shot didn't seem to have any of the quality control issues I've read about...the joints are all nice and tight, and nothing seems to fall apart on him. The one complaint I did agree with for a while was that his back kibble was terrible. The two back halves of the car were in each other's way, and the whole thing was a mess. With a little fiddling, though, I was able to figure out a way to position them that not only makes them look more integrated, they give him a little extra upper body bulk:
It does limit his shoulder articulation a bit, but if I really want him to move his arms I can just swing the offending part out of the way, move his arm, then move the part back to where it was (or at least as close as possible). As an added bonus, it puts the Minicon hardpoint more or less exactly where it was on the original Hot Shot figure.
All in all, I'm still happy with the TFU line. Ratchet/Ironhide was the only design I really didn't care for, and I'm still using Cybertron Smokescreen instead of TFU Smokescreen (mostly because I already had him), but otherwise the rest of the line has been all winners. I'm glad that Hot Shot continues the tradition.
It does limit his shoulder articulation a bit, but if I really want him to move his arms I can just swing the offending part out of the way, move his arm, then move the part back to where it was (or at least as close as possible). As an added bonus, it puts the Minicon hardpoint more or less exactly where it was on the original Hot Shot figure.
All in all, I'm still happy with the TFU line. Ratchet/Ironhide was the only design I really didn't care for, and I'm still using Cybertron Smokescreen instead of TFU Smokescreen (mostly because I already had him), but otherwise the rest of the line has been all winners. I'm glad that Hot Shot continues the tradition.
Fast & Furious Record-Setting Debut
Sunday, April 5. 2009
From BoxOfficeMojo.com:
"Revving way past its predecessors' redlines, Fast and Furious packed an estimated $72.5 million under its hood, summarily dusting Anger Management's $42.2 million to notch the biggest April debut ever. Driven by the action sequel, the weekend as a whole was the busiest on record for April, grossing an estimated $185 million and surging 65 percent ahead of the same weekend last year...Not only did Fast and Furious have the highest-grossing opening for a car-themed movie (beating Cars' $60.1 million), it was also tops for a straight-forward action picture (as opposed to the superhero or fantastical kind), surpassing The Bourne Ultimatum's $69.3 million. What's more, during the January-to-April timeframe, only The Passion of the Christ had a larger-grossing debut in the past."
Read the full article here.
"Revving way past its predecessors' redlines, Fast and Furious packed an estimated $72.5 million under its hood, summarily dusting Anger Management's $42.2 million to notch the biggest April debut ever. Driven by the action sequel, the weekend as a whole was the busiest on record for April, grossing an estimated $185 million and surging 65 percent ahead of the same weekend last year...Not only did Fast and Furious have the highest-grossing opening for a car-themed movie (beating Cars' $60.1 million), it was also tops for a straight-forward action picture (as opposed to the superhero or fantastical kind), surpassing The Bourne Ultimatum's $69.3 million. What's more, during the January-to-April timeframe, only The Passion of the Christ had a larger-grossing debut in the past."
Read the full article here.
Fast and Furious Review
Saturday, April 4. 2009
By now, the Fast/Furious series has settled into a familiar pattern: fast cars, hot women, loud soundtrack, and unsafe driving. Fortunately, "familiar" does not equal "boring," and the most recent offering is probably the best so far. Fast and Furious brings us back to the Vin Diesel/Paul Walker dynamic, and does a nice job of filling us in on what was going on with both of them during 2Fast/2Furious and Tokyo Drift (including an especially nice cameo by Sung Kang reprising his role as Han Lue, one of the few really good characters in Tokyo Drift).
I also enjoyed the many nods to other car movies and the classic American Muscle culture. These included a NASCAR-inspired Grand National, Hot Rod magazine's "Project F-Bomb"'73 Camaro, an "Eleanor" package on a yellow Mustang (giving us a twofer), a "Bandit" Firebird T/A, and a dark green '72 Gran Torino. Yes, many of these cars get wrecked to some degree, but let's not pretend that they were pristine numbers-matching beauties. Most of these were barn finds with enough Bondo to look good on the screen.
In the end, your enjoyment of this movie is going to depend a lot on your expectations. If you hate the Fast/Furious movies and everything about them, this one likely won't change your mind. If you've seen and enjoyed at least one of the previous three movies, you'll enjoy this one as well and I recommend you check it out.
I also enjoyed the many nods to other car movies and the classic American Muscle culture. These included a NASCAR-inspired Grand National, Hot Rod magazine's "Project F-Bomb"'73 Camaro, an "Eleanor" package on a yellow Mustang (giving us a twofer), a "Bandit" Firebird T/A, and a dark green '72 Gran Torino. Yes, many of these cars get wrecked to some degree, but let's not pretend that they were pristine numbers-matching beauties. Most of these were barn finds with enough Bondo to look good on the screen.
In the end, your enjoyment of this movie is going to depend a lot on your expectations. If you hate the Fast/Furious movies and everything about them, this one likely won't change your mind. If you've seen and enjoyed at least one of the previous three movies, you'll enjoy this one as well and I recommend you check it out.