Scale Auto – October 2019

http://www.ScaleAutoMag.com 5

SHOPTALK

Just wanted you to know

I’m a modeler in the 60+ category who

did much more modeling when I was

younger. But I have returned to the

hobby to build the more-than-1,

and multiplying kits in my garage

(which is also my workshop). After

NNL East, I added models, paints, and

parts to my collection. My goal now is

to improve my build quality.

The April 2019 paint issue was good,

but I think you need to talk more about

prepping plastic — primer types, wait

time, and effects paints can have on

plastic if applied directly. Maybe run

some older how-to articles?

I also think it’s worth mentioning if

parts in a reissued kit have less flash or

RESCUING

A DIORAMA

AND PETS

D

uring The Historic Sportscar

Racing (HSR) Mitty race at Road

Atlanta the Vintage Racers for

Rescues organize a silent auction to

raise funds for animal rescue

organizations. Every year I donate

something to them to help raise money.

This year I had a buyer back out on a

diorama commission when it was half

finished. What to do? Finish it for the

silent auction! I tossed out the original

theme — drag racing — and went with

vintage sports cars instead.

Inside are an AMT March 88c and a

Union Model Ferrari 330 P4. Both are

staged with work in progress for the

upcoming vintage racing season.

Overall, the diorama took me about 10

weeks to complete.

I enjoyed building it, and I was able

to help a good cause!

Pete Stankiewicz

Athens, GA

Ed: Thanks for sharing your diorama

with us, Pete. Beautiful work! There’s

so much going on in it that we could

spend hours ogling all the details. We

just wish we could have been at the

auction and had a chance to signal the

winning bid!

mold lines than its predecessors. Many

of my kits from the 1980s have more

flash than their current releases, and

the plastic appears harder. Keep the

magazines coming.

Jim Lieto

Artemas, PA

Favorite Scale

Auto cover

My favorite cover

is April 1998

(No. 114). It

showed Juha

Airio’s anti-gravity

car. My

enthusiasm for the

model increased

after seeing it displayed at the On the

Road Show in Jabbeke, Belgium, a

couple of years ago. I was blown away

by the quality of the build. Meeting

Juha in person and seeing his amazing

models was great!

By the way, you forgot to mention

Juha in Starting Line as a contributor.

He influenced me (and probably

others) to put even more effort into my

scale models.

Congratulations for the last 40 years,

and keep up the good work!

Stefan Heine

Coesfeld, Germany

Another favorite ... or two

First off, congratulations on Scale

Auto’s 40th anniversary issue! I received

Pete Stankiewicz enjoys modeling dioramas in 1/24 and 1/25 scales because it allows him to cut

individual studs from balsa wood. “It’s time consuming, but I like the results,” he says. He

fashioned the board-and-batten siding from beadboard material and painted it with exterior latex

paint from a home-improvement store.

Wire salvaged from a computer details the electrical cable in the walls, and the electrical boxes

are wood blocks painted blue with white to detail outlets and switches. The signs and art on the

walls came from magazines and a few model kits. The pooch is a nice touch!