A holiday family gathering…
With appropriate musical accompaniment…
So, let us get to the photos!
(Oh, and our Calendar has been updated for 2018.)
December 2017
Our Christmas bonus for 2017 came in the form of a new member. We have Original Ken and Emergency Back-up Ken, and now along with Big Tractor Mike we have a bonus Michael! He’s a friend of BTM, and brought in some handiwork. The green-&-white tractor is BTM’s; Michael fixed the wheels and axles of it for him. The silver tractor is Doug’s, and Michael cut some clear plastic sheeting to make windows for its cab.
By the way, both models are 1/64th-scale.
Michael also made the tanks. They were plain cardboard tubes with plastic endcaps. He painted them white, then bent thin steel rods to make the pipes.
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Who’s that handsome fellow hiding in there?
Not it!
Clearly that’s Doug’s tractor. But the real point here is not who’s hiding, but where the hiding is happening:
The broad side of a cliché.
This is another custom build by Doug for BTM. I don’t recall what specific type of structure it is (I’m still a-waitin’ for an informative e-mail), but even though Doug says it’s not yet finished, I can tell you it’s really quite impressively detailed.
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Heck, I’ll even show you!
All pieces hand-cut and hand-assembled by Doug.
Those square structures above Doug’s tractor are the bottom ends of these square structures.
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I did say it’s impressively detailed, did I not?
Well, actually I typed it, but still…
The holiday spirit was flowing freely, as Tom RAOK’d Ken with two wonderful items. The first is this Dale Earnhardt-themed photo album.
(The pockets inside are empty; it’s the cover that makes it collectible.)
The second is this magnificent Brickyard 400 commemorative mug.
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In keeping with the holidays, I merrily declare this genuinely wonderful (and wonderfully generous) dual gift to be Suncoast Diecasters‘ Dual Finds of the Month(*) for December 2017. Congratulations, Ken! (And thank you, Tom!)
This grumpy old race car I know once told me somethin’: it’s just an empty cup.
See you at our January (2018!) meeting!
~WM
Suncoast Diecasters 