true, the cheap models still look good on a train layout. ...fyi: "code 3" fire engines came out with a series called "diamond plate." made in china, but holy crap these are some of the nicest model vehicles Ive ever seen. "diamond plate" series are 1/32 scale, and every detail is there! not too many movable/articulating parts, but beautiful detail. they put lots of great detail inside the cab as well. the first models in 1998 didnt have opening doors, but subsequent models had opening doors.

To the scale-model collectors: Of Danbury Mint and Franklin Mint, which of the two do you prefer more? Which are your favorite models? Any other brands that you like? what size do you like? I prefer the 1/32 and the 1/24 size models. Danbury Mint has more detailed models, but they dont have great quality control. They have a new 1936 dual cowl phaeton that came out this year; At least one of the four cowl window-panes are prone to come loose. On mine, that I bought on ebay from another collector, The cowl window FRAME came unhinged. ....I guess though, something will break off on any model from any company. Franklin Mint gives much better car-info paperwork with their models! ....I bought the Danbury Mint 1958 Packard Hawk. Beautiful model. Except the car was in the styrofoam box so tight that the front bumper broke off. I had to use some super glue and glue it back on. some minor glue residue remains on the drivers-side door. otherwise still a nice model. Another plus for Franklin Mint is their styrofoam box is better than the Danbury Mint Styrofoam box. My Hawk would not have had a broken-off bumper if it was in a box like the frankin mint styrofoam shells. Whereas they use a three-piece box, with collapsing sides. ...there are models from a company called Signature. I dont like the stuff from Signature. I think Signature is crap.

this might be a stupid question. in the 1920s and 1930s, was there any interchangability of fenders and panels between differnt makes of cars? could a ford panel fit on a plymouth? could a plymouth panel go on a chevy? could a chevy panel go on a packard? a packard panel on a ...whatever????????

I dont own a house. so I have no garage and no land. If I wanted to invest in a classic car, and work on it, what are my options. Are there low-cost garages for rent? Are there storage-unit facilities where you can store a vehicle, and they let you work on the vehicle?

I understand what you're saying about an online registry on this site. but I recently bought a copy of the 1991 pakcard registry printed by R-Mac publishing. That should be the starting point. There could be a committee organized to call every owner and every museum listed in that book! ...anyways, its a fantastic book. has some nice information in it. ...Im not a packard owner, but have become interested in packards after going to the fort lauderdale antique car museum, where the collection of the late Arthur Stone, is stored. Though I dont understand why they have 39 packards, but the 1991 registry lists only 5 or 6 packards for Arthur Stone. The museum said he was a lifelong collector. ...

Is anybody familiar with the book titled "The Packard Registry" published in 1991 by R-Mac publishing? It lists some of Mr. Stone's cars; But the book does not come close to listing anywhere near the 39 cars in the museum. Arthur Stone was a lifelong collector, the museum claims. I wonder if most of the collection was bought by Mr. Stone in the 1990s after the 1991 book came out?

Do you see image 2993 posted by user "1938 club coupe"? That white sedan is the 1932 shovel-nose. Notice how the backround is dark, but The car is in perfect focus in that photo. The car sits in the Southern wing of the building. That wing seems to me to have somewhat less light than the north wing of the museum. The museum has porthole windows which sit up high, close to the roof. The museum trys to make use of natural lighting to give just enough extra lighting, to supplement the limited amount overhead fixtures, and keep electric costs down. There are also wall sconces. From a photography perspective, unless you're a professional photographer hauling in lights, and reflecting screens, photography is tricky for the amateur. You want the cars in perfect focus! Your lighting is affected by what time of day you are at the museum, because the natural light filters into the museum porthole windows at different directions, depending upon the sun's position. automatic focus cameras offer different modes. Cameras today offer a "natural light" mode which is different from a regular "automatic" mode. then theres "natural light with flash" and "natural light without flash." What is a perfect photo is a matter of taste. But the wrong camera setting with too much light exposure will give you blurry shots of the cars. Flash or no flash is a matter of personal taste. I think, if you can get a decent photo without flash, go for it, because flash can distort colors.

Its a great museum!! Go to youtube, and look for videos under my youtube user name, which is "thevealchop." or type the key words "car museum guide" into the youtube search engine. I took some short videos of parts of the guided tour. The museum has great collections of hood ornaments; shift knobs; rubber tire ashtrays; horns; oilers; handles; chrome parts; Its not just the cars; Its a lot of great displays of stuff all around the cars. ....I didnt visit the museum until Mr. Stone had already passed away. I dont know what the man's personal demeanor was; It might have been interesting to meet Mr. Stone. But the tour guide Frank Valez, is a friendly and informative guy.

The doctors coupe has some sort of medicine box built into the back seat. the car has an accordian-style running-board luggage rack. Ive been to the museum about 8 times. I can try to get better photos of the doctors coupe and email them to you, if you still need them.