Frisky body shell. hard top family 3 maybe

[Big Al]

All this does throw up the possibility that Big Al is not really Alan Hitchcock at all but is a little Asian guy thousands of miles away working for the same spam outfit?

Just trying to curry favour using cheap Pork products.

[richard]

  bob you took the words right out my mouth !! posting some nonsense that has no obvious link with the topic, but i always figured the character known as big al was martian not asian 

[Stuart Cyphus]

 but i always figured the character known as big al was martian not asian 

 Nah, martian has the narrowboat.       (10-1 on only Alan understanding this joke)

[marcus]

 but i always figured the character known as big al was martian not asian 

 Nah, martian has the narrowboat.       (10-1 on only Alan understanding this joke)

I think David H has a narrow boat, is his nick name Martian?

[Big Al]

I think David H has a narrow boat, is his nick name Martian?

  Ah no, would that it were that simple. Dave H is an acquisitionist who majors in Trojan and Spong products and is The Famous Eccles. He is pretty much a landlubber. The narrowboats in question, I think, are in the ownership of Doc Martin with 'Vermuyden' complete with bubble deck and Captain Bondseye along with Julliet and Jim - sensible people - having one in that area as well. This is nothing to do with my sister owning the now well known traditional Butty 'Angel' out of Braunston that has been teamed with 'Aldwych' much of the last few years. This lot includes 'Stella', 'Achilles' etc.  Also Cooperman has narrowboats as does Chopper Charlie. To the best of my knowledge the BUMS do not have a Martian member but the Barking Pumpkin can certainly be confused with one at times.
  Root is very keen to identify and meet these various folk in the BUMS but you kind of have to be out in the right cars, doing the right things in the right place at the right time to find them. BUMS membership remains by invitation though we have friends who are sort of mingleberries in that they get to see and join in part of the fun until it is proved they are complete loonies of the right sort. The majority might be old Micronauts but they live by the brotherhood of oil rules rather than later imposed club rules and ways of doing things. This despite starting several of our current Microcar Clubs and Hengrave as well as other rallies and periods of service on committees. Sadly that means they do not really attend modern events despite owning a huge number of microcars between them. The last good attendances being the second Bath Rally at Dyrham Park where we had the Front Room and Toddington National Rally, which had its anarchic moments. We get to meet big time about twice a year as we have such diverse and idiosyncratic lifestyles. Pity as it is always great fun.
  Not to confusing really?

[marcus]

I have met David, perhaps I thought it might be him because I recall a Heinkel Trojan club with a photo of David helping to push a red bubble onto the bubble deck on a narrow boat.
No narrow boats or bubble cars in the new Tintin fillum, but Captain Haddock's rusty old tub is superbly modelled, as are the docks and cranes, worth the ticket price just for them!

[richard]

wrong stuart , i have met wr. mc. several times over the years 

[Big Al]

I have met David, perhaps I thought it might be him because I recall a Heinkel Trojan club with a photo of David helping to push a red bubble onto the bubble deck on a narrow boat.
No narrow boats or bubble cars in the new Tintin fillum, but Captain Haddock's rusty old tub is superbly modelled, as are the docks and cranes, worth the ticket price just for them!

The Tintin film should be interesting as it was always very accurately illustrated and used many unusual machines. If you recall the shark like mini submarine really exists. Without that accuracy you immediately loose part of what makes the whole.

Narrowboats? Great fun and I like knowing folk who own them. I got near buying in with a trad 57 ft Russell Newbury engined one with room for a bubbledeck conversion. Ultimately, though, when you move you can only go left or right at often at a pace set by others. A similar priced Campervan can go pretty much anywhere. The running costs are much the same. Unlike narrowboats the biggest campervans get cheaper as less folk can use them. So in a way there is the best deal. But you buy a lifestyle either way unless you have to much money. I am kind of stuck with the lifestyle I have got at the moment. Then again at least I have one! Secret is to know folk who do all these oddball lifestyles as it makes life so much more interesting. Work does get in the way for so many potential nutters. It would be far better to give them grants to be weird and force the boring no brains to work rather than the other way round.

[marcus]

Well the Shark sub is based on a real mini-sub, but Herge exaggerated the Sharkiness a lot, it was about the only vehicle which he did "customise" freely. In The Calculus Affair Herge customised the bumper design of Eastern Bloc cars by giving them up-curved bumpers, to reflect the country's Dictator Kurvi Tash. Calculus's Moon Rocket was closely based on German Vera Lynne War V2 rockets, but with feet and fairings added to the 3 fins. I have just made 6 model Moon Rockets for Squeak to sell at her craft fair, a good use for old drum sticks and other scrap wood!

[steven mandell]

Sorry about the reversed order of presentation and appearance of darker background color misleading one to think that my subsequently provided comments are a pre existing quote. 
I am on holiday in Florida and have only my dumb brain and smart phone to work with.  I hope that I fare better with my mechanical aspirations needed to complete the creation to my liking.
 

p
I just received my Trident metal and fiberglass kits in my driveway in Los Angeles 3 days ago.  All looks satisfactory and the dome is perfect.  It did however take the better part of a year to get here.
  I am a very proud papa looking for a 200cc Vespa power unit and trying to figure out how I can engineer a proper Chapman strut suspension for the front end.
 Andy Carter's pension scheme should be safe then  

 You mean he's STILL knocking the things out!!!???    I thought he'd retired years ago.  Who's he been building for now??