CLIPSAL 500 ADELAIDE

JNDFKSNFSK
CATERING TO THE NEEDS OF ALL FORD VEHICLE ENTHUSIASTS
CAMTORQUE
#101 FEBRUARY 2016
CLIPSAL 500 ADELAIDE
SPECIAL TRIBUTE DISPLAY
CUSTOM & CLASSIC CARS
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
TOP PICK - PAWN STARS
2
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?
Articles
6-7
-
1 Front Cover
2 What’s In This Issue?
3 Important Notices & Committee
4 Presidents Corner
5 On A Lighter Note - Mr Gullible
6-7 Ford & Holden Tribute
8 Have You Heard About ...
9 The Hybrid Bible
10-13 Other SA Events
14 Gadgets & Gizmos
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15 Editors Pick - Pawn Stars
16 FOCC Website
Club Meetings
Ford & Holden Tribute
Have you heard about ...
Ron Tebby had the honor of showcasing his
beautiful Ford Falcon XY GT as part of a
tribute display for this years Clipsal 500.
Custom & Classic Cars - a professional
restoration company. Specialising in repairs
for pre 80’s vehicles, right here in Adelaide.
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Keep up to date with our monthly club
meetings which start at 8:00pm at the
Northgate Community & Sports Club,
Duncan Frazer Reserve, Rowe Avenue,
Northfield.
February Meeting - Tues 09/02/2016
March Meeting - Tues 08/03/2016
April Meeting - Tues 12/04/2016
May Meeting - Tues 10/05/2016
June Meeting - Tues 14/06/2016
July Meeting - Tues 12/07/2016
August Meeting - Tues 9/08/2016
September Meeting - Tues 13/09/2016
Get In Touch With The Club
Need to write to the club? send to:
10-13
Ford Owners Car Club S.A. Inc
PO Box 865, Prospect East SA 5082
Visit our club website:
www.fordownerscarclub.com.au
Other Events
Editors Pick - Pawn Stars
February is a jam-packed month for SA in the
events schedule. Check out the fliers in this
month’s issue - something for everyone!
The series depicts the staff’s interactions
with customers, who bring in a variety of
artifacts to sell or pawn.
Find Us On Facebook:
www.facebook.com/foccsa
IMPORTANT NOTICES & THE COMMITTEE
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Financial members of the F.O.C.C. are reminded of the following
requirements as per The New Code of Practice, effective 1st July
2012, when presenting their logbook(s) for resigning and/or the
issuing of a new logbook. Members have until 31st December 2015
to ensure that their Historic Registration remains active for the next
clubs financial year.
In order to avoid any unnecessary delays, as experienced last year,
when almost everyone wanted their logbooks attended to on the same
night, it would be appreciated if this exercise be spread over the next
three club meetings starting at 7.00pm.
Mandatory Requirements
1. New F.O.C.C. membership renewal receipt.
2. Logbook(s).
3. Current registration papers.
4. Statutory declaration.
(Unless you are a new member on Historic Registration)
5.
Left Hand Drive vehicles – Certificate of Exemption.
Remember it is your responsibility to ensure that the correct
paperwork is presented or your log book will not be signed by any of
the Authorized Officers.
The FOCC Executive Committee Members
Club President / Public Officer & CAMS Officer:
Gordon Cowley
Phone: 08 8862 1272 | Mobile: 0427 481 948
Email: [email protected]
Club Vice President: Martin Faux
Email: [email protected]
Club Treasurer: Marino Nassig
Phone: 08 8261 6304 | Email: [email protected]
Club Secretary / Minutes: Mary Hall
Phone: 08 8344 8313 | Email: [email protected]
The Statutory Declaration must be completed in full and in a legible
manner. Any lines not used should be “Zed” off. Multiple vehicles can
be used on the one form.
CHVRS Co-Ordinator: Ron Tebby
Phone: 08 8387 0268 | Mobile: 0413 678 021
Email: [email protected]
If the Statutory Declaration form is not completed correctly, it will
not be accepted and your log book will not be signed. Do not send
the Statutory Declaration to the club Secretary. It must be presented
when upgrading your log book by one of the Authorized Officer.
Events Manager: Lee Richardson
Phone: 0488 107 755 | Email: [email protected]
The FOCC General Committee Members
REMEMBER If you do not have your log book signed by 31st
December 2015 then you will be driving illegally ie unregistered and
uninsured. There are very heavy penalties imposed if you are caught.
Social Secretary: Gloria Howe
Phone: 08 8388 5281 | Email: [email protected]
RON TEBBY
C.H.V.R.S. Coordinator.
Website Manager / Camtorque Editor: Jody Faux
Phone: 0466 341 365 | Email: [email protected]
Clothing Quartermaster: Gillian James
Email: [email protected]
Have A Question? Write to the Editor
CHVRS Authorisation Officers & Club Registrars
Have an interesting article that you would like
to share in the next edition of Camtorque? drop
Jody Faux a line at :
Central Region: Gordon Cowley
Phone: 08 8862 1272 | Mobile: 0427 481 948
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
Central Region: Kevin Hatswell
Phone: 08 7120 2766 | Mobile: 0437 167 936
Email: [email protected]
Southern Region: Ron Tebby
Phone: 08 8387 0268 | Mobile: 0413 678 021
Email: [email protected]
Northern Region: Clinton Jacobs
Phone: 08 8380 8996 | Email: [email protected]
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THE PRESIDENTS CORNER
PRESIDENTS
CORNER
Article Written By
Gordon Cowley
The new Mustangs have gone on sale at last and the one in the local
Ford Dealers window has gone to its new owner. According to The
Advertiser some of them will be with their new owner for a very short
time. Some of those with “money in their hands” have bought one of the
new Mustangs and put them up for sale straight away with an immedite
profit of between $20,000.00 and $30,000.00. Some people with even
more money in their hands just have to have a “new Mustang” so they
will sell at that price. It will be quite some time before there will be
another shipment of the new Mustangs. There are apparently 50 parts
that are unique to the RHD Mustang and only enough were made for
the first Mustang shipment. Ford America were quite surprised by the
Australian interest in the “new for here” Mustang and a few American
“big wiggs’” came out here to discuss the situation. Any excuse for a
holiday. Apart from the fact that “red cars go faster” it seems that white
is the preferred colour of a new Mustang.
The colour “red” brings to mind some Cowley family history, car related
of course, and Ford at that. As a boy I lived in Jardine Street in Mount
Gambier and from our back yard you could look across the paddock
space to North Terrace. The Jubilee Highway and the Lady Nelson
Reserve now take up that space. Someone north of us owned a bright
red Mk 1 Zephyr sedan and it was seen frequently on North Terrace.
Within a couple of months the family moved to Blackwood where my
father managed the Blackwood Orchard which was a Government
owned research facility. The area is now called the Blackwood Forrest
Reserve and the house we lived in on the top of the hill has been
demolished. My father wanted a new car and my sister Elizabeth
convinced my father that he needed a bright red Mk 1 Zephyr. Back
in those days there were local Ford Dealers and Callary Ford was the
local Ford Dealership in Blackwood. “Old Man Callary” ran the Ford
Dealership. Old Man Callary was happy to acccept the order of “one
bright red Mk 1 Ford Zephyr sedan” but he made it quite clear to my
father that the order was OK and whilst he normally kept new cars in
the showroom for a week or two my father would get his car pretty
quick as Old Man Callary was not keen to have a bright red M1 Zephyr
in his showroom facing the main road through Blackwood where
people could see it.
In the event my father had to wait four weeks using a series of “loan”
cars as his previous car a Ford Pilot had been accepted as a trade in
when the bright red Mk 1 Zephyr had turned up. Why the delay, well
Old Man Callary turned out to be very happy with the showroom traffic
coming in to look at that bright red Mk 1 Zephyr. My father never let me
drive the bright red Mk 1 Zephyr.
Another local Ford Dealership was Jansen Motors on the corner of
South and Daws Road. A bit later on my father traded the bright red
Mk 1 Zephyr in for a beige Mk 11 Zephyr at Jansen Motors. My father
did let me drive the Mk 11 Zephyr for special occasions. My boss at
the same time was a Pharmacist with a Chemist Shop next to the Roxy
Theatre and opposite Paramount Motors (another local Ford dealer)
on the corner of Anzac Highway and South Road. He obviously got a
better deal from Jansen Motors and bought one of the first Falcons and
had a Paxton supercharger fitted to the engine as soon as the ordered
kit turned up. As with most of the early Falcons it spent a bit of time at
Jansen Motors having remedial work done and fitting the supercharger.
On the first few occasions the bright red Mk 1 Zephyr was given as the
loan car so in the end I did get to drive the bright red Mk 1 Zephyr.
A bit about the Falcon after the Paxton supercharger was fitted. When
something was ordered on a prescription that we did not have in stock
I would be sent off in the Falcon to pick up the item from a Chemist
supply company in Sturt Street in the city. On one memorable occasion I
am going back to the Pharmacy in the Falcon and it is in the time before
traffic lights on the corner of Greenhill Road and Anzac Highway. There
is light misty rain and the road surface is damp to wet and I who has
a good view of the traffic puts the auto in low ups the revs and drifts
tail out around the corner. When I look at a vehicle inbound to the city
along Anzac Highway I notice that there is a Policeman looking at me
from a Police car. I shot into Keswick Barracks and hid there for ten
minutes before continuing back to work.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE BY MR GULLIBLE
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
BY MR GULLIBLE
Article Written By
Lee Richardson
Hi Everyone!
Christmas and New Year has come and gone and so far everyone I
know is still breathing so welcome to the “year of Promise” 2016.
Why the year of promise you are wondering and rightly so because it
is not an official designation. All the people I have been dealing with
to build my house have promised things will be done in 2016. I believe
them but that is one of the magic things about Mr Gullible, he will
believe almost anyone.
However what I can’t tell you is the excavations for the new house
are under way. The reason I can’t tell you is it is not allowed until full
approval is received so what I am doing is called site preparation. The
first sod was turned Christmas morning, a little present to myself. So
far the site prep excavation is 2 meters deep and there is only another
3 ½ metres to go.
If I had time I would describe the meaning of rock but a little tool called
a ripper tine on the end of the 22 ton excavator wins the battle. Boy
what a machine!
So, from now I am going to be busy especially since I was Promised that
the stage 1 plans (Civil and foundation) will be approved by the end of
this month. Not many days to go now and do I believe them? Only Mr
Gullible could!
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Council question of the week:
Question: “What are going to use as mulch on the garden?”
Reply: “White Gravel, neat, clean and easy to maintain.”
Reaction: A little squeal followed by “No you can’t. It will stand out too
much and may produce too much glare.”
Understand this garden is on the top of a hill so who is going to see it
but me. Also at this meeting was a representative from the CFS who
just had to put in a comment “I would think it would be a site to behold
watching the planes trying to land on that runway” I expect you would
need to be there but that comment was followed by a long silence. The
council have now been assured the mulch will be of neutral tones.
I can see it now “Supplier, can you please deliver some gravel but it
must be the neutral tone type!” Upgrade the progress to. “5.5 Km / hr.”
(The full drive speed of a 22 ton excavator).
The Shed Outbuilding.
I have been Promised that the shed materials will be delivered on
January the 29th. I believe them do you? The company has even
Promised to have their install crew turn up as well and get the first
shed up immediately. Mind you they will only be putting up one shed as
there were seven clients who have had their shed materials delayed, so
they will do the other sheds and Promised to then come back and put
up my other shed. Yes, they Promised.
The Galaxie
On the road again ‘That could be a song title’ but yes the girl is back on
the road. That speedo drive cog for a Thunderbird seems to be doing
the job. Although it is slightly bigger everything appears to fit without
hassle. The gear looks like it is set up to fit a variety of different
applications and this is one of them.
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HOLDEN & FORD TRIBUTE- SPECIAL REPORT
HOLDEN & FORD
TRIBUTE
SPECIAL REPORT
Article Written By
Ron Tebby
It was mid afternoon on monday 18th January 2016 when I answered
the phone. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of Geof
Tartoosie. Geof for those who don’t know, runs and coordinates the
very popular and well run/ attended extreme horsepower car shows,
that have been held at the adelaide show grounds for the past few
years. This show had already been run, so my curiousity mounted as to
why he was ringing me. I was completely taken by surprise and must
admit blown away by what he said next.
Geof said to me that he considered my 1970 Ford Falcon XYGT as one
of the best around and asked if I would give careful consideration to
having my car displayed at the 2016 adelaide clipsal 500. He told me
that as the Ford/Holden classic car era was coming to a close, with the
immenant closures of those factories involved with their production,
then it seemed appropriate to show some of the best of these “rare
beasts” to the public, and what better venue than the Clipsal 500 in
Adelaide.
This was a chance of a lifetime for me and being a very passionate one
owner ford lover, one could be forgiven when I gave him a resounding
yes to his request, before he could let on to any more details.
Yes, as I was about to find out, this was only part of what he was going
to tell me.
Geof’s boss was none other than John Pengelly, who happens to be
the Clipsal 500 motorsport co ordinator. Geof had already spoken to
John and sent him pictures of my car. Geof tells me that john is going to
contact me soon and reveal to me more details of what he wants to do
This was to be my next big surprise and if you thought the first shock
was big enough, then think again.
When John contacted me on Friday 22nd January 2016 he said that he
had organized for two (2) cars, one Ford and one Holden to represent
the classic era and that they would be required for a 2016 Clipsal 500
media release to be held at the hairpin part of the track on Monday
25th January 2016 at 1.30pm.
When he told me that he had selected my car to represent the Fords
and that the minister for tourism, Leon Bignell MP, and Russell Ingall,
former Supercar Champion, together with Channel 10 and other
dignataries would be there, you could have knocked me over with a
feather.
After the photo shoot at the track, we were then required to follow
the Clipsal 500 pace car all the way down to the Woolsheds at Port
Adelaide, where more photo’s would be taken by the Advertiser’s
photographer.
So my day started bright and early on that Monday morning. “My
Shaker” was being accommodated at another location, so when I
arrived, there was several hours of cleaning and preparation to be
done before picking up a mate and heading off to the track.
HOLDEN & FORD TRIBUTE- SPECIAL REPORT
7
Needless to say, my “pride and joy” looked magnificant and why
wouldn’t it. As we burbled along the Southern Expressway and round
the outer eastern side of the city, enjoying the magnificant weather
conditions, constant looks of admiration and “thumbs up”, I couldn’t
help wondering, with some trepidation, how the day would pan out.
The trip to the gate entrance on Wakefield St. concluded without
incident and having made good time since leaving from the southern
suburbs, we had 45 minutes to spare, before being ushered by security
to the selected positions for the media release.
On arrival at the gate entrance, we noticed a Ford Falcon Cobra
“decked out” like the number 1 Moffat race car with the bonnet up and
on enquiry, the owner needed some help and also mentioned there
were to be four (4) cars in total and not two (2) in the media release.
How things change without notice.
My mate John, during discussion with the owner of the Cobra, realised
that the Cobra he was helping to repair, was in fact the same car that
he owned many years ago, how coincidental is that. Obviously, I had to
take some photo’s for him, which I did.
We were finally all ushered along the track by security and to our
positions by the media and camerman crew. The minister was running
late due to a prior media release at adelaide oval, so we all looked at
each others cars and chattered with Russell Ingall and John Pengelly
for about 30 minutes.
The minister finally arrived. After the usual interviews with him
and Russell, we all got involved and had a variety of photo‘s taken.
Unfortunately there were no personal interviews with Channel 10
which I was very disappointed with, however, I did manage a good chat
with Leon and Russell and managed quite a few photos’ with them as
you can see attached to this article.
I found the interaction and interest with my car, by all there, especially
Russell, Leon and John, very humbling and a privilege to be part of.
The Torana and I then followed the pace car down to the Port Adelaide
Woolsheds for further photographs to be taken by the advertiser’s
photographer. Many pictures were taken, one of which was shown in
the advertiser newspaper in colour, on Wednesday 27th January, on
page 17, which was great.
The weather was excellent all day, the company of owners, Russell
Ingall, the minister, John Pengelly and the media proved to be a very
exciting and not to be forgotten experience, for me anyway.
I personally, was particularly impressed by Russell’s attitude,
availability and interest, when I was talking to him about the history of
my GT, one ownership status and unusual instances that had occurred
during my ownership. What a wonderful ambassador for this sport
that so many of us love.
With the end of an era, as we know it, fast approaching, I can honestly
say what a privilege, honor and opportunity to be part of, and not to be
forgotten.
After everyone had departed and a short cool drink, it was time once
again for John and I to experience the exhilerating noise and power of
my GT and head home after a once in a life time experience.
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HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT ...
My name is Paul and over the many years of restoring vehicles I had
come to the realisation that the only way to give customers good value
for money was to start my own business. For too long have i witnessed
sub standard work for outrageous prices. The combined experience of
my staff and I is well over 50 years in restoration, not crash repair. The
two are like chalk and cheese.
The goal of my business is to supply you with the most affordable HIGH
quality restoration possible. Full metal finish body work is what my
business is about. Yes, we will do small rust sections, panel repairs etc.
but the work that WE do will be of exceptionally high standard.
You can arrive in your old bomb, and drive out in a fully restored
vehicle. Perhaps to save some money, bring your rolling bare shell in,
and we will return a full metal finished and painted body, it’s up to you
and your budget. All work carried out by us will be of a HIGH standard
only.
Custom and Classic Cars specialize in pre 80’s cars, bikes and trucks.
However, if you have a more modern classic, like a VK Brock for
example, we are more than happy to do that, just not generic vehicles.
Please feel free to phone or email us about your project, but make sure
you are sitting down as when I tell you how low our hourly rate is you
may faint! This is how Custom and Classic Cars can supply you with
high quality at an affordable cost.
From full restoration, modification to basic repairs and panel
fabrication. Custom and Classic Cars can take care of your vehicle’s
needs. We specialize in pre 80’s vehicles of all types. You can push your
old rusty car of the trailer, Then Drive it home once the entire car is
restored.
Or bring in a rolling body and we can do the rust, panelwork and paint.
Everything is done to a high standard using ONLY high quality parts.
> Full vehicle restoration
> Metal finish panelwork
> Panel fabrication
> Timber framework
Browse through the web site www.customandclassiccars.com.au and
visit our Facebook page, we would love to hear from you.
3/22 Oborn Road (rear workshop)
Mount Barker, SA 5251
Mobile: 0422 888 248
THE HYBRID BIBLE
THE HYBRID
9
Hybrid Synergy Drive (Toyota)
You’ve no doubt heard of hybrid cars by now, most likely the Toyota
Prius. More manufacturers are jumping on the hybrid bandwagon,
but just what is a hybrid car? Simply put, it’s a vehicle that uses a
combination of two technologies to drive it. Why does it make sense?
Easy - as simple a change as a pure series hybrid configuration can cut
the amount of fuel you use by half, and emissions by 90% - something
which was proved ages ago. GM proved the same thing but then
actively killed both the EV1 full electric vehicle and the EV1 series
hybrid which at the turn of the millenium could break 100 mpg. I’m not
going to get into the bribes and political maneuvering that caused the
GM decision - if you’re interested, the film Who Killed The Electric Car
has more than enough information in it to make you boil with anger.
Toyota’s take on hybrid drive has a pair of motor-generators, one inline like the Honda IMA design, one not. The key to its success is the
compound planetary gearset in the transmission. In the Toyota system,
the petrol engine and one motor-generator are connected to one of the
inputs, the second motor-generator to the second input and the wheels
to the third. Through a clever use of electronics, the planetary gearbox
can be locked and unlocked in various configurations dependent
on what is required. For example under modest acceleration, the
petrol engine drives the planetary gearbox as well as the first motorgenerator. The output from that is fed to the second motor-generator
along with the output from the gearbox to drive the wheels. In pure
electric mode, the first motor-generator freewheels, the petrol engine
is turned off and all the electric power is fed to the second motorgenerator. Under regenerative braking the second motor-generator
becomes the generator as it does in the IMA system above. The
difference is that if the battery pack is full, the energy derived from
the second motor-generator is redirected to the first motor-generator
which in turn uses it to induce drag in the petrol engine to slow the
vehicle down. As a result, the actual brakes in a Toyota Hybrid car do
not wear very quickly at all because most of the braking is provided by
the motor-generators. Only in severe cases do the brake pads actually
engage the brake rotors. This is all made possible by the central engine
computer and throttle-by-wire / brake-by-wire system.
Hybrid Engines
Dual-Mode or 2-Mode Hybrid (GM)
The most common hybrid cars are petrol-electric, like the Prius.
Petrol-electric hybrid cars use a normal petrol engine, just like you’d
find in any other car, but in addition, there are one or two high-torque
electric motor-generators. The motor-generator(s) draw power from a
bunch of car batteries stored either in the floorpan of the car (for a low
centre of gravity) or in the rear (for convenience). With power supplied
to the motor-generator, it behaves like an electric motor. When no
power is supplied but the shaft is turning, it becomes a generator to
create power. In this mode, you get regenerative braking, where the
energy required to slow the vehicle down is all taken up in the motorgenerator to re-charge the battery packs. Both the petrol engine
and the motor-generator(s) are connected to an onboard computer
system which has been programmed by men in white coats to work as
efficiently as possible. There are three mainstream technologies in the
hybrid market at the time of writing, each championed by a different
company or group of companies.
he third hybrid system comes from GM and has two operating modes
as oppose to the single mode of IMA or HSD. It again uses two motorgenerators. In first and second gears, the first motor-generator sends
power to the second motor-generator, and that coupled with the petrol
engine provide the power to the wheels. In higher gears or under
heavier loads, the petrol engine always runs (as oppose to the IMA and
HSD systems where it can be turned off or have cylinders deactivated).
The difference is in how the motor-generators work in cooperation
with it. As speed increases, the first motor-generator gets to the point
where it’s providing no useable input to the drivetrain. At this point it
begins to freewheel and the second motor-generator begins to act as a
generator. As speed increases further, the first motor-generator begins
to act as a generator again and at this point its power is once again fed
to the second motor-generator which now becomes a motor. Coupled
with variable intake timing, direct common-rail injection and a host of
other technologies, these all come together to give GM’s take on hybrid
technology.
BIBLE
Why do hybrid vehicles make sense?
IMA - Integrated Motor Assist (Honda)
The motor-generator (electric motor and regenerative generator) is inline with the petrol engine, typically built into the bell-housing in front
of the gearbox. The motor-generator is used to assist the petrol engine,
thus reducing the load on it and allowing it to be smaller than it would
otherwise be for a vehicle of the same weight. For example the Civic
hybrid uses a 1.3l engine where the non-hybrid uses a 1.8l engine. The
motor-generator cannot turn without turning the petrol engine too.
First-generation systems didn’t have enough power to be able to run
the car on electric alone. Current generation ones do through higher
powered motors and the ability to shutoff the petrol engine when
coasting. Because the motor-generator is in-line, the regenerative
braking works very simply - as you start to brake, the motor becomes
the generator. Conversely it is also used as the primary starter motor
for spinning the petrol engine up quickly after it has been turned off,
for example at traffic lights. There is also a backup ‘regular’ starter
motor for cold-starts and emergencies. Of the three mainstream hybrid
technologies, IMA is by far the simplest to implement, maintain and
repair.
The Battery Question ...
At the time of writing, the estimated lifespan for the batteries in a
hybrid car is about seven years before they need to be swapped out.
The cost of doing this for the Toyota hybrids is now about US$3,000
which is a sizeable chunk of change (although a lot less than it was
originally). The original theory was that you would have driven enough
distance to recoup the extra cost via fuel savings but with the price of
petrol where it is now, that is becoming harder and harder to achieve.
So far there hasn’t been a large recall for batteries for any of the hybrid
manufacturers and I’ve not yet heard of anyone kicking up a stink about
the cost. That means one of three things.
1.
The batteries are lasting longer than expected, so people haven’t
had to swap them out yet.
2.
They’re paying the money but nobody has complained in the press
3.
The manufacturers are doing it free for good publicity.
Article reproduced with kind permission of Chris Longhurst, the author of
Car Bibles™ © Chris Longhurst http://www.carbibles.com
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OTHER EVENTS - FEBRUARY
OTHER EVENTS - FEBRUARY
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OTHER EVENTS - FEBRUARY
OTHER EVENTS - MARCH
13
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GADGETS & GIZMOS
DARTH VADER BRIEFCASE
Show up on time armed with this Darth Vader Briefcase to be ready for anything the Dark Side
requires of you. This briefcase with styling like Vader’s armor can hold old-school maps to the
location of the Rebel base, your hologram projector (or your tablet or laptop if that technology is
more your speed), and that risk assessment report you wrote on how the thermal exhaust ports
really should be shielded. Hopefully you won’t have to go after Smith in accounting again, ‘cause
he puts everybody to sleep and then nobody will be listening when it comes your turn....
$99.99 US + Shipping
(Visit http://www.thinkgeek.com)
HOVERKRAFT LEVITATING CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGE
Hoverkraft is an old-school building game with a twist. Players take turns stacking pieces on a
platform... that levitates. Using magnetic repulsion, we’ve built a gameboard that defies gravity
(take that, weak force!). Stack translucent game pieces higher and higher or remove them as the
die dictates. The last player to place a block without causing the platform to tumble wins.
Hoverkraft is intended for two players, but it’s fun to challenge yourself to build bigger and
better structures. And it’s a fast game, lasting anywhere from 30 seconds (what? we were
distracted) to 5 minutes. Bring it to a party and you can have an entire tournament in a few
hours. Your friends may curse you for introducing them to Hoverkraft at first, but they’ll be
drawn back to it. There’s something addictive about it.
$29.99 US + Shipping
(Visit http://www.thinkgeek.com)
THREE PLAYER CIRCULAR CHESS
Chess. A board of alternating squares. Two armies of pieces; two calculating players. A battle
ground of the mind. Sometimes a neato double timer thingie. Tears. Anguish. Victory. You
know it, you love it, and we love to throw a wrench in the works. How? By adding another
player. Introducing Three Player Circular Chess. Three Player Circular Chess is a very
special game. Finally, a Chess variant board has been developed that accommodates three
players, without compromising ANY of the rules, strategies, or competitive challenges that
make Chess such a beloved game.
$49.99 US + Shipping (Visit http://www.thinkgeek.com)
ARTOO TEA-TOO
Obi-Wan may not remember ever owning a droid, but we bet that if he had, that droid would
have had a built-in tea dispenser. That British-esque accent tells us that he comes from the type
of planet that does afternoon tea. Or maybe the accent comes from being brought up within the
Jedi Order. Bet they had some ritualistic tea ceremonies within the Jedi, it being a more civilized
age and all. Headcanon, with regards to Obi-Wan and tea, accepted.
No need to build a tea dispenser into your existing astromech droid, because there’s this R2-D2
ceramic teapot to the rescue! No superfluous special features to speak of: it holds tea and pours
tea. Or you can use it to hold and pour other liquids, if you’re not a tea person. We won’t judge.
$31.99 US + Shipping
(Visit http://www.thinkgeek.com)
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PHOTO CREDIT: JOEY L.
EDITORS PICK - PAWN STARS
EDITORS PICK
PAWN STARS
Pawn Stars is an American reality television series, shown on the
History channel.
The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily
activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour
family business opened in 1989 and operated by patriarch Richard
“Old Man” Harrison, his son Rick Harrison, Rick’s son Corey “Big Hoss”
Harrison, and Corey’s childhood friend, Austin “Chumlee” Russell.
The series depicts the staff’s interactions with customers, who bring
in a variety of artifacts to sell or pawn, and who are shown haggling
over the price and discussing its historical background, with narration
provided by either the Harrisons or Chumlee.
The series also follows the interpersonal conflicts among the cast. One
reviewer referencing these conflicts described the show as a version of
Antiques Roadshow “hijacked by American Chopper’s” Teutul family.
TV Guide has offered a similar description, calling the show “one part
Antiques Roadshow, a pinch of LA Ink and a dash of COPS”.
Numerous local experts in a variety of fields also regularly appear to
appraise the items being sold or pawned, two of whom have gone on to
their own spinoff programs.
Antique restorer/metal artist Rick Dale is the star of the series’ first
spin-off, American Restoration, which premiered in October 2010, and
mechanic/auto restoration expert Danny “The Count” Koker stars in
the second spinoff, Counting Cars, which debuted August 13, 2012.
The series is filmed on location at the World Famous Gold & Silver
Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although jewellery is the most
commonly pawned item at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, most of the
customers featured in episodes bring in a variety of vintage or antique
items to the store, which has 12,000 items in its inventory as of July
2011 (5,000 of which are typically held on pawn).
Each episode consists of segments devoted to approximately five or
six of these items, in which one of the staff members, usually Rick
Harrison, his son Corey, or Harrison’s father Richard (known as the
“Old Man”), explains the history behind the object.
When the buyer is unable to evaluate an object, they consult with a
knowledgeable expert who can evaluate it to determine its authenticity
and potential value, and in the case of items needing repair, the cost of
restoration or preparing the item for sale. Whoever is evaluating the
object goes over the potential value with the customer, including the
expert’s opinion, if one is given, often interspersed with an interview in
which he explains the basis of his decision to the viewer.
A price tag graphic at the bottom corner of the screen provides the
ever-changing dollar amount as the two haggle over the item’s price.
On occasion, Rick will purchase items in need of restoration before
determining its restoration costs, thus taking a risk on such costs.
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