Picked up my Finish Kit!
Since I'm fortunate to live close to Vans, it's a Will Call pick up for me. So I scheduled it for the afternoon of April 15th, and I got some help from my brother and my Dad.
Here's my Dad, checking out the remaining contents of the crate after we got the big stuff loaded up. We left the crate there at Vans when we were finished.
My brothers' van was the perfect choice for this mission. There was plenty of room inside for the big cowling parts and a nice fold-down bed for the precious canopy.
As I had suspected, there was no way I could have taken all this stuff home in my little Mercury Mariner.
With the big pieces out of the way, there's not much left to worry about! It's surprising how little there seems to be in this kit.
I'm very fortunate not to have to pay shipping, a crate charge, and deal with massive amounts of paper and packing materials. Just load the stuff up and go home.
We were finished so fast, we had time for a quick tour of the factory and a little fun at the end! A few obligatory "hat" pictures, as many who have gone before me have demonstrated.
Steve couldn't decide which model he liked the best. The one above gives him that ancient "Viking" look, but the conehead model below provides a little better visibility.
My Dad even got in on the act! He still has a great sense of humor at age 83, although he doesn't look nearly as enthusiastic about it as Steve.
Quite fashionable, don't you think?
All seriousness aside, a while later I was home and with a little help with the big pieces, got everything safely tucked into my shop. If you haven't been to Vans, it's a MUST SEE experience.