Active Powersports - CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!

I recently ordered a model kit from Active Powersports:

• they allegedly had the item in stock
• they would effect shipment within 3-4 days
• they shipped from 12 warehouses nationwide
• they had the best price by far on the Web

Now, I consider myself a fairly savvy on-line customer; but I guess every once in a while we must get reminded that all is not as it might appear.

After I had not heard from them as to item status, etc. after 3 days, I sent them an email politely inquiring as to the status of the order, which had been 'coded' as "Awaiting Shipment" from the moment I placed my order. No reply.

I wrote them again--and again!--no reply. I even called them, and left them a message--you guessed it--no reply. It was then that I started doing some research as to the reliability and customer service of this company, and it was bone-chilling to read. . . OUCH!

It was not until I requested that the order be cancelled they they replied that it was scheduled to ship on this past Monday. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen as it was a Federal holiday, but I did expect to receive my tracking information via the 'mailing label generated' notification.NOPE!

I finally did receive shipment notification late today--10 days after placing the order! I was pleased to see that they had shipped via USPS PP. . . but wait, that wasn't a PP tracking number! Sure enough, it was a Fed-Ex tracking #!!! If I am lucky, I will receive the order early next week!

Yes, they did fulfill the order, if not on a very timely basis--and not before evincing some of the worst CS I have ever experienced!

FWIW, there are reliable, steadfast, and trustworthy retailers on the WWW that may not offer the lowest prices (though you might be pleasantly surprised more often than not!), but they do offer the highest calibre of CS! The peace of mind alone is worth the extra $10 difference--at most!!!!

Lesson learned! 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

"Rommel's Rod" redux - Prep 1

I was hoping to take advantage of the long weekend to make significant inroads on the M7B2 conversion; but, alas, "the best laid plans. . . " and all that. . . This has not been a good year insofar as ordering--and timely delivery!--goes, and I don't need to be told twice that it's best to start seriously curtailing acquisitions. . .

So with the DAK SPG impatiently waiting in the wings, I turned my attention to the " 'Rommel's Rod' redux" project., which I have tentatively titled, "GEIST". I am using Dragon's Sd.Kfz. 250/3 'Greif' (#6125) as the base kit, and I am now about halfway through the basic assembly--not including the tracks. This is a beautiful little kit, arguably a bit over-engineered, that is hands-down better than any kit of this subject to date. Its lineage is a bit convoluted, but it's best not to get into that if your sanity is of any concern. . .  

I am building this one straight OOB. Changes, mods, etc. will be limited to leaving parts off--not modifying or enhancing beyond what is provided. That aspect of the project will define the finish- ing of the model, and the conversion of the Warriors 1/35 scale Skeletons into the otherworldly Rommel--and driver?

Movin' right along. . . 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

"Rommel's Rod" redux - Intro

1969: a year of music, exploration, turmoil, and uncertainty. It was the apex of the “Age of Aqua-rius”, courtesy of Max Yasgur. And while the Beatles gave their last public performance, Led Zep- pelin began their trans-Atlantic conquest. It saw a new, unprecedented chapter in space explo- ration: man had truly boldly gone where no man had gone before. And Richard Nixon was sworn-in as the 37^th POTUS. . . 

AND. . . Tom Daniel continued designing outrageous and inspired wackiness for Monogram (he designed 85+ model cars for Monogram between 1967-1976), following up on the VERY suc- cessful Red Baron (1968) with Rommel’s Rod. I can’t remember when in ’69 this kit was re- leased--I’m tempted to say it was in the Summer, but it may have been later in the year. In any case, by year-end, it was on a bookshelf!

Obviously, this kit begs to be accurized! While a product of Tom Daniel’s fertile imagination, it was a mash-up of historical vehicles—or elements thereof, beginning with Monogram’s 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K kit. This provided the front-half of the model. Using that as a “base”, he then militarized the balance of the vehicle by making it a half-track.  

A number of intrepid modelers have done just that (e.g., here), upgrading the tracks, etc. In spite of all their efforts, little can be done to make this kit more than a fanciful caricature. Which brings us to our project. . .

Even back in 1969, I flirted with the idea of “accurizing” Rommel’s Rod. Models were cheap, selection was relatively limited (i.e. no sensory overload!), historicity was not a factor—and our standards were much more modest! But back in the day, long-term projects were defined as 2-3 weekends in length, and this would have taken me into uncharted territory! So, no. . . no major overhaul of a classic model.

FF to the present. . . In the course of that enjoyable conversation/discussion with Rich about TRP—and modelling in the 60s—we drifted into “the Big 4”, specifically Monogram--and, of course, Shep Paine’s ground-breaking work and the Daniel projects. One thing led to another, and I was soon talking about a more historically-grounded version of “Rommel’s Rod”. . .

I won’t get into the background research; but, in a nutshell, I am proposing a “phantom” version 
of Rommel’s Sd.Kfz. 250/3, appropriately weathered/distressed, with a skeletal Generalfeldmar- schall. Most of the components are already on order . . . 

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

The Rat Patrol and the DAK SPG, pt.II

THE PROJECT: The project was engendered from a most enjoyable discussion I had with a dear friend and colleague; however, I had been thinking about an AFV project--specifically, an Italeri AFV project--for at least a week before we got together. Back in the day, Italeri was my favourite AFV model manufacturer. I can't really tell you why. Tamiya was in its infancy, and Monogram was, shall we say, relatively 'crude". Italeri was THE company for straight, OOB fun that was challenging as well!

A model that I had always wanted to build was that of the M7 Priest--a SP 105mm howitzer on a M4 chassis. And I was actually thinking about that kit when TRP discussion blossomed. . . Less than a fortnight later, I had my Italeri Priest in hand!

Italeri kits were known for their innumerable sinkholes and significant amount of flash, but I lucked out with my acquisition! Flash was minimal and largely insignificant; and the number of significant sinkholes was eminently manageable. 

As we established in pt. I, my reference for this project is, exclusively, the show! This is good--and bad. There are simply not enough decent shots of the few Priests used during S1 to make very definitive conclusions. As I said. . . good and bad. And for all its ongoing popularity, there are not any publications, to the best of my knowledge, devoted to the show. That leaves me with the internet and dvd's of the show to reconstruct this vehicle. 

The biggest, fundamental change is converting the stock M7[B1] to a post-war M7B2! Astonish- ingly, there are no conversion kits, etc. to effect such a conversion. Fortunately, since the fighting compartment will be enclosed per the series, much of the critical operational detailing can be glossed over. On the down side, no commercial 1/35 scale kit of the Priest comes with the ap- propriate lower hull and corresponding engine deck for an M7B2. Thus, this conversion will actu- ally be a mash-up of two Italeri kits. . . More on this when the time comes. The other noteworthy change involves replacing the stock rubber band T51 tracks with Bronco's masterful T48 Worka- ble Track Link Set (individual links). 

More to follow. . .   

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

The Rat Patrol and the DAK SPG

For those of you who are too young to remember TV programming of the 60s, in 1966, ABC pre- miered a 30 min action/adventure series very loosely based on the exploits of the SAS in North Africa during WWII. It was one of 6 war dramas on broadcast TV in the 60s, and though not in the same ballpark as its sister series (not even close!), Combat!, or Twelve O'Clock High for that matter, it was a successful series that captured the imagination of at least this 10 yr-old.

A dear friend and colleague is a fellow fan, and we were discussing our favorite shows in the 60s one day. It wasn't long before we got to The Rat Patrol (TRP). After a considerable amount of reminisc- ing about everything about the show, and the merchandising of the same--who can forget the Au- rora diorama set?--we came to the conclusion that "there was very little love for TRP in our little world." Which brings us to the first project in our "Hollywood" category. . .

TRP was set in the North African theatre of operations during WWII. Hollywood at the time did what it always did: take the vehicles that were available to it, paint them 'Sand Yellow', slap some Balkenkreuz on them. . . eh voilà, instant DAK! Lest we judge the TRP too harshly, let us not forget Patton (1970). . .

In TRP, American vehicles such as M3 half-tracks, the M4 Sherman, the M47 Patton, the M8/ M20 Greyhound--and the M7 Priest, amongst others, were 'disguised' as German vehicles. The one that always intrigued me (I was a SPG fan even then!), was the M7 Priest 'disguised' as a German. . . what?

This is the first hurdle to be overcome--or is it? Most believe that it is meant to represent a Mar- der. I personally lean more to a Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B; however, to the best of my know- ledge, the StuIG did not see service in North Africa. Soooo. . . the answer to our question above is. . . who cares? 

[To be continued in pt. II]

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

SS. . . DY

I just read on pF that the one-time flagship of figure-modelling publications, Figurines, an- nounced on Dec 21st that its last issue--#121 (Sept-Oct-Nov 2018)--will be its LAST issue.

I well know that this publication has undergone some painful--and arguably benighted--restruc- turing, beginning with the stepping-down of its stalwart editor, Dominique Breffort. But while, yes, business is business, the loss of publications such as this are an all-too-clear loupe into our little world--and society as a whole!

The "digital age" is here. While in its infancy, the digital age was a welcome collaborator, doing much to shrink the vast spaces separating us, giving us insight into 'worlds' to which we were oblivious. But in the last decade or so, the digital revolution has become a ravenous, devastating marauder that undermines the very foundations of what we do--if not who we are!

I'm sorry to see any national publication shut-down its presses and take down its shingle, for it is a reflection of what. . . who. . . we are as a niche brother/sisterhood. The hobby is still viable, but I would be hard-pressed to deem it 'healthy'. . .

"This is the end. . . "

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003

A New Year. . . A new Subject Category

First of all, best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2019! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I'm not going to rant about the state of our hobbies--this is the poster-child of subjectivity; and my views won't--and shouldn't!--have any bearing on how you perceive--or exercise--your segment/s of our chosen past-time. À chacun son goût . . .  

Personally, I continue to distance myself from the "traditional" approaches to the hobby--and that includes all the peripheral activities associated with the assembly and finishing of military minia- tures and scale models. I'm not quite where I want/need to be, but I am getting within spitting dis- tance. In other words, philosophically, I have just about come full circle to where I was when I first embarked on this overall rewarding journey 55+ years ago.

I am hoping that two of my latest endeavors will help me get across the finish line. And both of them, 1/35th scale AFVs, belong to a category that I have tentatively name "Hollywood". This category will include scale-modelling projects whose subjects have been adapted to the "small" or "big screen". For example, the Sherman in Fury; or 007's Aston Martin DB5, would be prime candidates for inclusion.

So much for introductions. I will begin populating this category in the days to come. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003