Here at the SLM, we continue our efforts to push car modeling beyond the perception held by many "more serious" modelers, that we are simply overgrown kids playing with toy cars. At the risk of alienating a few (more) people, much of that perception is deserved. It is unintentionally perpetuated by modelers, who in many cases are well-respected among their car modeling peers, simply because everything they build appears "just so"; meaning that it looks the way car modelers expect it to look. Somehow, car modelers have come to expect car models to resemble Hot Wheels cars. That expectation leads car modelers to build models that frankly, appear toylike.

Race cars aren't generally known for mile deep hand-rubbed lacquer paint jobs. Yet, we see them frequently. Aircraft, armor and railroad modelers have, for decades, applied techniques that make their creations more realistic. How frequently do we see a metallic undercoat applied beneath the paint on the areas of a dragster around the dzus fasteners that attach body panels to chassis tube? How frequently do we see scale engines showing the subtle grime that accumulates with hard use and heavy maintenance? How often do we see secondary wiring and fasteners that are grossly out of scale, while observers slap the builder on the back in adoration? Don't get me wrong--there are some truly gifted, hard-working car modelers out there. I'd venture to say, though, that they are rarities in a world that is enamored with tables full of models that are really not much more than glorified diecast. We'd like to see our hobby progress beyond that state, and we're putting our money where our mouths are by offering techniques that we've learned, and some we've even discovered. Within the site you'll find a list of some of the best parts to use on your next project. You'll find methods of making "metal" parts look more like metal, and making "black" parts look like more than one kind of black parts. We've eschewed pages of eye candy for pages of hardcore information. Check out our new reference pages in which we discuss kits, and provide information about how to build better models from them, and provide some reference in the form of magazine articles about the cars the kits represent.

We are also working on articles chronicling the story of Aurora's Racing Scenes, and building a dragster body from aluminum sheet just like Tom Hanna does in 1:1. Yes, we have our detractors, and a fairly long list of folks who've gone away calling us "cliquish" or other less than flattering terms--we probably resemble those terms! But, hey, if you come to us with an open mind, and a desire to improve your skills, you'll fit in. Hell, even if you don't like us, please browse our website, and promise yourself to try something you've never tried before. Further, even if we don't like each other, we hope that you'll take something away from the SLM that will help you improve your skills, and push your models further down the strip toward realism...Dan Himmel, SLM Dictator For Life