[Gort]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

Well this kind of thing is going to stop .....You have every right to post your input as anyone else on the forum.
HotTrap and Black 6 don't be intimated by these type of members.
You two are good members of our forum and we need more like you two here..
JP

My sentiments exactly, Starman!

Black6: I have to agree with several points made by HT429 and for somewhat similar reasons. I have really cut back on my open participation in the forum and rarely post as I once did (which probably comes as great relief to many people here). I have some cool models that I have purchased recently but I'm not saying anything about them here. I just contact a few fellow members / friends and chat about them directly via email or PM. I also found it necessary to populate my ignore list. I hate to say it, but my enthusiasm has been dampened a great deal by some of these problems and individuals.

I guess it boils down to the fact that I have to deal with this in the real world, on a daily basis - and I don't need it in my "happy place." It shouldn't be that way but it is.

Black 6, I know where you’re coming from, believe me. It’s a sad fact that chuckleheads insinuate themselves into every nook and cranny everywhere on planet earth—even forums—and there’s no avoiding them.

So please return to the fold and express yourself as often as you like. Many of us delight in your reviews and opinions and hope to see more of them. The ignore list is a blessing, ain’t it?

[theodore]

Wow, did this topic open up the proverbial 'can of worms'!! I'm relatively new to this forum (I was on the Florida Diecast Forum until it went 'kaput' in January) so I cannot comment on too many events in the past. One trend I have noticed here is that people will make negative comments on something that they do not collect. For example, I have no interest in post-WW2 aircraft or armor, but you will never see me post anything on a Century Wings' thread. There is no need to populate a thread, just to say that you do not collect these, for whatever reason.

The best assessment of whether or not a diecast model is accurate or not is to have the actual aircraft or tank in front of you to make comparisons against. A restored piece, to operating condition, would be the best scenario, but a unrestored piece is almost as good. When I was the tour guide at the Flying Tigers Warbird Museum in Kissimmee, Florida, I had the honor and privilege to see many WW2 aircraft restored to operating condition and was able to analyze these in different states of restoration. I was able to peruse many B-25's, T-6's, a Goodyear Corsair, a P-40N, a General Motors Avenger, and so on. I was able to review the actual, not reprinted, tech manuals and talk to the A & P mechanics on a constant basis. Tom Reilly, the owner, was able to give me information on these aircraft, since he has restored and flown them all, that was quite informative and valuable. I was able to interview roughly 1,000 WW2 vets from around the world as well (some thru interpreters).

My point is this: most of you would be surprised at how accurate these diecast actually are. There are comments that some people have made about diecast that are not accurate, based on my many days as the tour guide above, but I do not feel it is in my best interest to correct them.

[JustPlaneNuttz]

Originally Posted by Black 6

I have to agree with several points made by HT429 and for somewhat similar reasons. I have really cut back on my open participation in the forum and rarely post as I once did (which probably comes as great relief to many people here). I have some cool models that I have purchased recently but I'm not saying anything about them here. I just contact a few fellow members / friends and chat about them directly via email or PM. I also found it necessary to populate my ignore list. I hate to say it, but my enthusiasm has been dampened a great deal by some of these problems and individuals.

I guess it boils down to the fact that I have to deal with this in the real world, on a daily basis - and I don't need it in my "happy place." It shouldn't be that way but it is.

Wow -- my sentiments exactly. Brave. Frankly, I barely give a toss anymore.

JPN

[jim]

I was sorry to read that Hotrap and Black 6 had received such offensive PMs from forum members.

I do hope that both Hotrap and Black 6 will reconsider and continue to participate on the forum.

Put another way,
look guys, you post good stuff and we would miss you if you left, so dont leave your buddies, come back on the forum and post post post please.

[lanslide]

Well...I've received some negative PMs from some mean spirited guys...I want some attention too! (just kidding) Sorry to hear about your rough treatment HotTrap and Black6.

[SneakyPete]

Originally Posted by lanslide

Well...I've received some negative PMs from some mean spirited guys...I want some attention too! (just kidding) Sorry to hear about your rough treatment HotTrap and Black6.

Lanslide, does someone need a hug?

[lanslide]

Originally Posted by SneakyPete

Lanslide, does someone need a hug?

Thanks SneakyPete! I feel better now.

[Shawn 507]

I would forward any hotshot's PM to the mods, but I'd be if I'd limit my time / participation because of it.

[Cruver Collecter]

Originally Posted by theodore

Wow, did this topic open up the proverbial 'can of worms'!! I'm relatively new to this forum (I was on the Florida Diecast Forum until it went 'kaput' in January) so I cannot comment on too many events in the past. One trend I have noticed here is that people will make negative comments on something that they do not collect. For example, I have no interest in post-WW2 aircraft or armor, but you will never see me post anything on a Century Wings' thread. There is no need to populate a thread, just to say that you do not collect these, for whatever reason.

The best assessment of whether or not a diecast model is accurate or not is to have the actual aircraft or tank in front of you to make comparisons against. A restored piece, to operating condition, would be the best scenario, but a unrestored piece is almost as good. When I was the tour guide at the Flying Tigers Warbird Museum in Kissimmee, Florida, I had the honor and privilege to see many WW2 aircraft restored to operating condition and was able to analyze these in different states of restoration. I was able to peruse many B-25's, T-6's, a Goodyear Corsair, a P-40N, a General Motors Avenger, and so on. I was able to review the actual, not reprinted, tech manuals and talk to the A & P mechanics on a constant basis. Tom Reilly, the owner, was able to give me information on these aircraft, since he has restored and flown them all, that was quite informative and valuable. I was able to interview roughly 1,000 WW2 vets from around the world as well (some thru interpreters).

My point is this: most of you would be surprised at how accurate these diecast actually are. There are comments that some people have made about diecast that are not accurate, based on my many days as the tour guide above, but I do not feel it is in my best interest to correct them.

You should tag up with another member on this forum. I can't remember what thread it was on, but I remember reading about a forum member who said they interviewed over 4,000 WWII veterans. Pretty impressive.

[SneakyPete]

Originally Posted by Cruver Collecter

You should tag up with another member on this forum. I can't remember what thread it was on, but I remember reading about a forum member who said they interviewed over 4,000 WWII veterans. Pretty impressive.

4,500 or 1,000?

Originally Posted by theodore

A little background on myself: I have interviewed, best guess here, about 4,500 veterans of WW2, from 32 countries, using over 500 interpreters, since January of 1976. I was also the tour guide at the now defunct Flying Tigers Warbird Museum, in Kissimmee, Florida (suburb about 20 miles south of Orlando), from November of 1996 to January of 1998. Tom Reilly, the owner at the time it was open, has restored more WW2 bombers to flyable condition than any other restoration shop in the world. He restored 10 B-25's, 2 B-17's, and 1 B-24 to airworthy status. Many of you have seen Tom's work, the B-17 ('Nine O Nine') and B-24 ('The Dragon and her Tail') from the Collings foundation headquartered in MA flying the warbird circuit in years past. Some of his other aircraft are: 12 T-6's, an Avenger, a Corsair, and a P-40. At the time he closed up shop in April of 2005, he just finished his second B-17, the 'Liberty Bell'. He had a number of static displays (mostly jets from the Cold War era) and was the only person in the world to offer a week-long course on restoration techniques (sheet metal, fabrication techniques, magnetos, electrical wiring, hydraulics, etc.) to anyone in the world (many people from Europe would sign up for his $1,000 course months in advance!!), which culminated in a flight in his B-25 down to the largest private collection in the world today, Kermit Weeks' Fantasy of Flight, in Polk County. He also obtained a very rare bird: a FW-190F-8, which he planned on restoring to airworthy status. It is now located in another shop about 2 miles away from his hangar.