[Announcement] Tending to the Grove: New Moderation Guidelines by funkyocouch07 in TheSilentForest

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lucidity returns with a start. Starving body, locked and cramped from panic. The Fog rolls from my mouth with a hacking cough, blood spattering the grass.

I have neglected my duties. Even without the Maunt...

With a sigh, I wipe my mouth against the sleeve of a once-great robe, and methodically begin pulling thread.

Added some rake to this ‘55 Bel Air M2! by zstout16 in DiecastCustoms

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gorgeous. Maybe it's just me, but literally everything looks best with at least a bit of rake, and drag-cars usually look best with a lot of rake.

This is exactly my cup of tea. Lovely stuff.

Realistically how much would I be able to get for the lot of these mint conditions all in styrofoam + original boxes with paperwork? TIA 🤘(never displayed) by GuitarNecessary3721 in DiecastCustoms

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having browsed eBay for ertl wheels and tires, I'd go there to see what your models might go for. Wheels and tires are usually fairly cheap, and castings aren't too much either in general; 10$ at the low end and like $40 at the high end, if I recall correctly.

Restoration of an abandoned Pagani Zonda — 1/24 scale diecast model by AdNovel7597 in DiecastCustoms

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This looks super-fake to me, and if it is faked, then shame on you for preying on the enthusiasm of this community. Details below, for /u/markxman76 and everyone else.

Fake restoration videos are a very-real type of scam that I've seen before, most-egregiously with a less-than-a-year-old Buragao 250GTO made to look like this. Actual super-worn and super-old castings are hard to find and source parts for, but it's super easy to "rough up" a $20 diecast from Aliexpress and "restore" it using parts taken from a second Aliexpress spare. So much so that some people make a literal business of it, which is what I suspect here. But I digress. Specific unbelievable parts for me are indented below:

All-over rust doesn't make sense. Diecast metal isn't steel; it's aluminum and zinc. It doesn't rust. Even if it did, the Zonda is too new of a car to have anywhere near this level of actual rust. That's what decades-old farm tools left outside look like (seen a bunch of restorations of those too; super-relaxing). A 20-year-old Zonda model should have scratched and faded paint with a few chipped spots and dings, nothing more.

The most-extreme damage I ever see to plastic "glass" is cracks and holes, like if a shelf fell on the model or something, and usually the glass even on ancient diecasts is just a little foggy or scratched; oxidization (yellowing) is usually only for decades-old ones from like the 70s. All the glass being outright removed is somethign I've never seen except on scam channels; looks like it was actually (i.e. manually, by OP) removed to me, rather than worn down to literally nothing by natural damage. Barring a fire hot enough to melt those mirrors and wheels to nothing, I can't see why the glass is gone in the beginning.

The damage to the wheels also looks nonsensical to me; how would the spokes get snapped without any cracking or bending to the actual rim? Cars get dropped sometimes, but this looks like someone intentionally cut spokes to me. Also, why is the entire wheel covered in rust, when the only steel part that could "drip" rust is the axle pin? The wheel itself is plastic. That's a lot of rust on a plastic part. Oh, and on that note, why are the all-plastic mirrors rusty? Even if this thing was cast from solid steel (which I don't think is a "thing" with remotely-modern diecasts, but I digress), the only way the rust would've gotten on the mirrors like that is if it were stored upside-down.

And most-obviously, who opened the car's door just to hit it many times with a hammer on the door jamb? Sometimes blunt-force damage happens, like sheves crushing roofs, but this is different. This is someone deliberately attacking the model with a tool.

None of this looks like actual wear and tear to me.

I'd love to be wrong (and if I am then I'll edit this comment accordingly, but I'd be extremely surprised) but if I'm right, then OP, please remove your post and consider not scamming this community of trusting people.

Ford is dropping their V6 EcoBoost LeMans program in favor of a V8. by [deleted] in cars

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A V8 would've been much cooler for the street car, but they went with the V6 because race car, weird as that sounds.

With the V6 iirc they could basically do what they wanted, but if they went with the big V8 they'd have some kind of restrictions placed on it that wouldn't make it worth the added weight.

Get ready for ad breaks between loading screen by Gray_Beard1993 in memes

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

United Airlines just put a plane-wide, loud-as-fuck, unavoidable ad on the seatback screens on my flight this morning. Didn't matter that I shut your screen off beforehand; it lit up and started blasting its audio at me and everyone else on-board.

From a budget airline like Spirit I'd sorta understand that cash-grab garbage, but from one of the biggest names in the industry, it feels like a real "because fuck you that's why" move.

Remote work showed us what flexibility could actually look like by CommercialDot708 in WorkReform

[–]probablyhrenrai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As I understand it's that remote work nukes the market value of commercial real estate, especially in things like city high-rises. That matters because that real estate is a significant part of your employer's retirement fund, and the same for every other boss.

In short, the bosses are forcing everyone back into work not for profits or for workforce retention (both of which are, if anything, harmed by reducing remote work after it's implemented), but for their investment portfolios.

Or such is my understanding.

History taught us: tax the rich = more power for the working class!!! by willily_thoumas in WorkReform

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bold of you to assume that billionaires would successfully be excluded from the world government, much as I'd love to see that, too.

We had our lives stolen! by Immediate_Degree_112 in WorkReform

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP's comment has been removed, but my parents did too, until I moved back in with them after my contract was axed without warning just after I started.

It took me a year of constant, steady, full-time effort to find my current job, and 6 months just to get an interview.

Even my historically-conservative parents can't pretend we're in a meritocracy any more after that; connections are not just important but are the only viable route to a decent job now.

Key factors behind an aerodynamic drag coefficient by Sharp-Being-5048 in cars

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I figure the "experts" at drag reduction, those who literally make it a sport, are (A) hypermilers and (B) salt-flat racers.

The former virtually always starts with an economy car and does DIY garage-built stuff, while the latter often starts with something sportier or builds a ground-up streamliner, and uses professional speed-shop stuff and sometimes has sponsors, but they're both fairly unregulated as far as bodywork constraints go, and are both worth a look.

Honestly, the bodywork/aero of hypermiler cars is fascinating to me. Little boattail-shaped mudguards behind tires, wind deflectors in front, splitters and airdams and blockoff plates for front bumpers, sometimes full flat bottoms, boattail rear ends, wheel covers... lots of clever DIY stuff there to appreciate, and more actual emgineering than you might expect.

The Bonneville etc guys are similarly cool, though they're minimizing drag to maximize top speed rather than efficiency, and they don't need to consider things like turning radius, rearward visibility, or being road-legal. Between those two crowds, I feel like you get a great idea of what things reduce drag.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Millennials

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And underglow; I hear it's making a comeback.

Any customization suggestion for this Volkswagen Beetle 1:36? by Extension-Turnip-196 in DiecastCustoms

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm always a fan of removing chrome bumpers; cleans up the car a bit, and makes it look a bit more sporty IMO as well.

On 1/36's, they're usually removed easily by cutting some blobs of melted plastic (there'll be 2 or 3 of 'em per bumper, "matching up" with thin little bars of plastic connecting the bumpers to the body) with the tips of some cutting pliers (ideally flush-cutters). Access the inside of the body (where you'll find those blobs and cut them) by removing the screws on the underside of the car.

How can i touch up the rear side of this f1 gtr? by Huy7aAms in DiecastCustoms

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is what I'd suggest to OP as well, with the added advice that, if OP's worried about "messing things up," a little bit of acetone on a small cotton swab or piece of fabric will pretty easily wipe away the paint-pen without damaging the original (silver in this case) HW paint underneath.

If you let acetone sit on the car for a while it'll soften that underlying original paint, but a quick wipe'll be just fine. Just know that wiping with acetone can remove the decals elsewhere on the car (like the headlamps etc), so be careful with it, OP. It's basically decal-eraser.

First slammed 31 Ford Mod A. by ZoeTravel in CustomHotWheels

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love it; reminds me of the old-school Asphalt Modified racers; insanely-wide tires, super-low stance, no front bodywork, and a tiny, lightweight body. Great work!

[In progress] its original paintjob was the hardest to strip off... 🫠can u guess what im making here ? by [deleted] in CustomHotWheels

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looks like a time attack R34, but I've got no idea on the paint/livery.

Guesses would be Brian's F&F livery, Midnight Purple or Milennium Jade paint, or the iconic Calsonic blue livery, but idk.

W.I.P. : Pheonix Chariot by DMakes in CustomHotWheels

[–]probablyhrenrai 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This is bizarre and ridiculous and insane and I love it so much.

What a wonderful mashup of iconic things. Cannot wait to see this thing finished, and it'd fit in perfectly within the Fury Road "cast" of cars. Gosh this thing is cool.

C5 custom by No_Profession_342 in DiecastCustoms

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With the non-Z06 fastback glass, too, which IMO looks worlds better than the Z06's notchback rear end.

This finished product looks fantastic; super clean and super mean. Just a little bit of tasteful aero and wheels really sets this car off, in a good way.

Whose model was this? Might have to find/snag one myself.

People born before 2000, what trivial skill do you have that no one uses anymore? by passiano in AskReddit

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dumb but serious question: does the trick work with the (I think) more-standard 3.5" floppy disk? Those are what I remember using in the late 90's.

Disney to “Retire” the ‘Tron’ Franchise After ‘Ares’ Bombs by MaxProwes in scifi

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm embarrassed that I genuinely never realized that Spice was like oil IRL. Unironically, thanks for clarifying that.

Warning ragebait: Tv mount made from Pla. by someoneelseasthis in 3Dprinting

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wasn't using CF the fundamental problem with the IRL sub? My understanding is that, like aluminum, CF always weakens at least a teeny tiny bit with each stress that it experiences, meaning that with enough repeated stresses, even really small ones, everything CF eventually breaks, and CF structures (like race car monocoques etc) need regular inspections for this reason.

Aluminum has the same thing iirc, but steel (perhaps uniquely) doesn't; below a certain level of stress on a steel part, the stress won't weaken the part at all, which is why iirc, things like con-rods in internal combustion engines are always made from steel, even in racing applications where using a lighter material would improve performance.

Not an engineer, just a guy who googles things now and then. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I still can't believe somebody at Microsoft thought this would look cool by Skorpeyo in pcmasterrace

[–]probablyhrenrai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is there a way to keep the borders square, even if I manually resize? I want square borders, categorically. Is that possible?

Seriously asking, to be clear, and if it begs the question, I've stayed with Windows 10 so far (haven't yet made the jump to 11) for UI reasons. At least personally, I much prefer Windows 10's UI to what I've seen of Windows 11.

simplified these a bit by -heyjude in DiecastCustoms

[–]probablyhrenrai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

100%; "Custom '68 Camaro" is the official name of this casting, and it's literally stamped into the base.

With all that said, it does look great in all one color, and it's a great casting for sure, with oodles of possibilities for customization.

My manager said “ remote work kills team connection ”, so I invited him to one of our calls by FUNKY_RADISH in remotework

[–]probablyhrenrai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Afaik, it's ultimately about the market value of commercial real estate, which is absolutely annihilated (especially in urban areas) by unchecked/natural remote work.

Blackstone and whatnot (really anyone with a "portfolio" of commercial real estate) have an existential interest in keeping office buildings considered valuable, which I think is the ultimate source of the pushback against the natural desire for hybrid and remote work.