Build the Back to the Future DeLorean - Issues 028-031

Issues 028-031

Issue 020 is still on back order, but some are reporting shipments of 020 and other back order issues.  Hopefully, I will get 020 in my next shipment.  Meanwhile, the new parts allow us to continue...for the most part...without the missing issue.

Issue 028 - Radiator

Issue 028 contents

You will need the Radiator fans from the previous issue (027).  This is another simple build with only three parts.  All plastic parts in this bag.  The best part is, you get to mount the radiator assembly on to the frame when done.  These four issues all mount onto the frame.

Issue 029 - Chassis Plate

Issue 029 contents

The Chassis Plate, as they call, is one large hunk of die-cast.  Obviously, in a real car, this is part of the fiberglass tube, not a metal floor as in most cars. No big deal, it adds weight and value to the model kit.

There is also a center plate that comes with this.  Only two screws on the back end holds this plate down for now.  No worries, the other two screws will be part of the fuel tank cover plate.

Bottom of the chassis

On the bottom of the chassis in marked with 1/8 1982 Delorean DMC-12 

There are two mistakes with this mark.  First, the year should be 1981.  Second, and many people make this mistake, DeLorean is written with an upper case "L".  Check the old DMC documents, see how John DeLorean wrote and signed his name.  Every time you write it with a lower case "l",  you die a little inside...much like smoking a cigarette.  I guess that is your pro tip of the day.

Issue 030 - Water Pipes

Issue 030 contents

These parts are a little tricky.  Pay attention to the orientation of the pipes and were the screws holes line up with the chassis.

There are two black hoses that need to be mounted on the finished engine. If you are missing parts of the engine, hold on to these two hoses for later.

Issue 031 - Air Deflector Plates

Issue 031 contents

These are plastic parts.  In a DeLorean, the Air Deflector Plates are metal (I think aluminum).  The idea is, as air is rushing along the bottom of the chassis, these 'deflect' air into the rear brakes.  Most DeLorean owners have removed these from their car.  Mine were removed, I have yet to reinstall them.

For such a small and 'unimportant' piece, there sure are a lot of screws used to attach these.  Seven on each side for the model kit.  Air Deflectors on a full size car only use three nuts to secure the plates.

At the end of Issue 031, your car should look like this, but hopefully with an engine in place.

Assembled car sans engine

Now the best part, the screw count, omitting 020, 022, 024, 025, and 026.

26-AP, 7-BP, 2-CP, 9-AM, 9-BM, 4-EM, 4-CM, 10-DM, 2-DP, 1-FM, 3-GM, 3-HM, 2-IM, 1-EP, 4-FP, 2-JM, 1-HP, 1-GP, 1-NM

to be continued...

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - March 2018

A new month is always interesting as I 'reset the counter' for telemarketer calls.

12 March 2018
  323-315-0150  Los Angeles, CA - Usually, on the Monday after a time change, it is one of the least productive days of the year.  Well, not for robocalls.  I guess the good news is, this is the first call of the month...almost two weeks into the month.  Another good is, this was branded a "telemarketer" call by my phone.  Obviously, the bad news is the same news...we are still getting calls. Fuck you!

13 March 2018 
  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - See...when I 'complain' about not getting a call for nearly two weeks they hit me with this shit:

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - #2

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #3

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #4

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #5

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #6

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #7

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #8

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #9

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #10

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #11

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #12

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #13

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #14

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #15

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #16

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #17

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #18

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #19

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #20

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #21

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #22

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #23

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #24

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #25

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #26

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #27

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #28

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #29

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #30

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #31.  Yep thirty one calls, all blocked by Call Protect app, from the same number, in a span of about two minutes.   Fuck you!

15 March 2018
  727-394-4166  Saint Petersburg, FL - The robot left a message.  Hey folks, it is tax season.  So, be aware of these calls.  Yep, it is the typical robot telling me that I have issues with my taxes...and the cops are at my place.  Same scam they have been running for a few years.

Uh, you have a robot call me on something this 'urgent'?  Maybe put a human on this.  Oh wait, I have not even filed my taxes yet, because, guess what...they are not due for another month...like it is every fucking year.  Oh, one more thing.  Why would someone...or some robot...in Florida call me about my California taxes.  Surely my federal and state taxes are the issue here.  You are clearly out of your jurisdiction. Fuck you!

16 March 2018
  310-849-8308  Beverly Hills, CA - Another (no doubt) spoofed number from the 310-849-XXXX, Beverly Hills numbers.  Fuck you!

  310-849-2425  Beverly Hills, CA - Well, the first number did not work.  What makes you think I give a fuck the second time?  Fuck you!

Calls from 310-849-XXX on 16 March 2018

I thought I would check Call Protect did its job. Well, look at this.  Six calls came in, and four were pre-blocked by the app.  Two slipped through, but still registered as telemarketer calls.  Note that they are all from the same area code and prefix.  These are most likely spoofed numbers.  Fuck you!

20 March 2018
  310-849-0946  Beverly Hills, CA - Auto blocked by Call Protect. If you have AT&T, look into downloading this app, it works.  I am sure there are similar apps for other carriers and phones.  As for telemarketers, fuck you!

22 March 2018 
  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - Recognise the number?  Here we go again.  Count with me. One...

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - #2

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #3

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #4

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #5

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #6

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #7

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #8

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #9

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #10

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #11

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #12

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #13

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #14

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #15

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #16

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #17

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #18

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #19

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #20

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #21.  Yep twentey-one calls in about in a minute.  Luckily, this was blocked by Call protect.

323-430-8296 x 52

With thirty-one calls earlier this month, that makes it fifty-two calls from this one number.  Fuck you!

27 March 2018
  844-791-7356 - Branded as "Suspected Spam".

Also, labeled as "SS".  So, not only telemarketers, these fuck nuggets are also war criminals.  Fuck you!

28 March 2018
  310-849-7170  Beverly Hills, CA - Another spoofed number from Beverly Hills. Looks like there will be an end of the month push from these fuck nuts.  Fuck you!

30 March 2018
  310-849-5659  Beverly Hills, CA - Looks like Call Protect is having some issues with some spoofed numbers.  No fault of Call Protect, I blame the fucking telemarketers.  Fuck you!

31 March 2018
   844-791-7356 - Branded as Telemarketer.  Return caller.  Funny, previously this number was branded as 'Suspected Spam'

 At least the phone is telling me not to answer.  Thanks, phone.  As for the telemarketer/suspected spam, you know the drill.  Fuck you!

Time Change

Well, it is that time...again.  Welcome to my bi-annual rant about setting watches and clocks.

Every six months or so, we have to go through this unneeded, useless ritual of springing back and falling forward...or is it fall back and spring forward.

Whatever.  My point is, there is no need to do this.  The planet tilts and orbits closer to the sun, giving us more daylight hours in a twenty four hour period.  Why do we need to adjust our time telling instruments every March and October?

Side note*.  Did you know that not everyone observes this dated ritual.  You have heard this before.  I am not just talking about some countries.  Some states do not even deal with this crap, while other states are looking into banishing this ridiculous observance.  Furthermore, other countries do not change their time on the same day.  The UK (and I am guessing some of Europe) does their time changes over a different weekend as their North American friends.  I do not even know when or if Asia or Oceania and other areas of the word changes  their clocks.  Argh!

Here is another interesting fact.  It takes about three days for the average person to acclimate to this, what is essentially, jet lag.  So everyone on Monday morning is driving with jet lag, causing an increase of 17% of accidents the Monday morning following a spring forward.

For the states and countries that are already not following this dark age convention, good.  You keep doing what you are doing.  For the governing bodies that are fighting for the elimination of this archaic practice, keep up the good fight.

Obviously, we cannot agree on one thing.  Heck, there are some countries (well, two) that are still stuck on the Imperial system.  Anyway, here again, is my proposal:

We not only stop this nonsense.  But to please everyone, we meet half way.  She want one hour ahead, he wants one hour behind.  #TimesUp  We set the clocks a half an hour off and leave it.  That is it.

We pick a day, the Winter Solstice seems like a good one, with the sun and the daylight and all that. Since we would be on Standard time during the Winter, everyone follows according to their originally assigned time zone and set their clocks forward a half an hour.

All the atomic clocks will follow this change.  That way, all our computers, globally and in orbit, will be all set.

Tangent:  Of course, I am writing this before we are supposed to set our clocks.  At 2 AM, the clocks magically jump to 3 AM.  So, I am trying to set this to post at 2:XX AM and it defaults to 3:XX AM.  Wow, we literally really lost that hour.  Anyway, I set this to post at 1:59 AM.

We will all sleep better and function better the next day...and forever...knowing that there will never be any unnecessary setting of clocks and watches.

World leaders, get on this.

...or, we can just all go by Swatch Internet Time (or beat time).

*Update:  Today in the UK, they are celebrating Mother's Day.  No time change for them.  Good luck telling mum her special day is an hour short.