Brett Barrow Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 (edited) I got the latest newsletter from Round 2 today with details of the new double-kit "collector's tin" boxing (or should that be "tinning"?) of the AMT Munster Koach and Drag-U-La. Here is the text from the newsletter for those who don't subscribe: It took a deathly long time, but Munsters fans will soon see the ghoulish darkness at the end of the tunnel! AMT's Special Edition double kit of the Munster Koach and Drag-U-La will be arriving at Round 2's wicked warehouse on July 13th. It's no apparition, after nearly two decades, Drag-U-La returns from the tomb of AMT tooling! It's even been a decade since the Munster Koach was last issued. With the gracious help of TV and movie producer, Kevin Burns and his incredible collection of historical Munster imagery, the Kats at AMT were able to put together a truly terrifying tribute to the Munsters' morbid machines. Both kits come "buried together" in a huge 11 x 14" collectible tin, covered in photos of the two most creepy customs ever created! Inside the kits, many boney bonuses await. The treasurable 16 page photo booklet features rare photos of the cars under construction, on the set and at special events. It's a collector's dream and a wealth of visual information for modelers wanting reference material to build the perfect and horrific replicas. The kit also includes three stand-up placards, a "head stone" marker for each car, and a fabulous die cut backdrop of the Munster family standing in front of the gates at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. These can be put with the built models for a grand and ghostly display! If this weren't enough, both models include ALL the original decals, plus ADDITIONAL decal artwork to DIE for! The Munster Koach sheet includes nearly every variation of the Munster's family crest seen on the door of the real car, along with "Munster Go Home" movie markings, accurate pin striping, cob webbing and more! Drag-U-La's decal sheet features a new realistic tombstone decal option, plus movie markings and more accurate versions of the original decals that you can really sink your fangs into! (But you still get all the original versions, too!) For those of you wondering, YES! The Drag-U-La does include the slippery "Surf Slab" surf board with simulated motor, lantern and mounting rack from the original 60's AMT kit, with devilish decal options in multiple colors. Don't be caught dead without this fabulous model kit duo, AMT's Munster Koach and Drag-U-La from TV's "The Munsters"! I will be getting one of these as soon as they hit our building, I'll be sure to post pics here when they come in, unless someone beats me to it! edit: I guess I should add a link to Round 2's page - http://www.round2models.com/models/amt/munsters-collector-tin/amt619-02 Retail will be $42.95 edit-price went up to $49.95 for the double tin, and the kits will be available separately later, but there is no plan for a cardboard box double kit. If it holds true to the other tin releases there will be things in the tin that are not in the later boxed kits. Edited July 30, 2010 by Brett Barrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 Here's the photo from the newsletter, I've been trying to find a bigger version, but this is a good as I can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
route66modeler Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 HI, Thanks for the info. I'll have to get one of those just for the tin. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
route66modeler Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 HI, another thought. I wonder if they will be send another cool poster to the hobby shops for this like they did the fiat double dragster? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbox55 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Glad to hear that this is coming out. I've been hoping AMT would do these in a double for quite some time, ever since I missed an origial at the local K-Mart for $5! I would like to point something out, though. It mentions "movie markings" for Drag-U-La. Unfortunatly, you actually can't build a movie accurate Drag-U-La out of the box with that kit, there are many differences. That's OK, though, I'l just have to get 2 of them so I can modify it (after all, that's what we builder do!) into the correct version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbox55 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 By the way, anyone interested in some good reference pictures for the Koach and Drag-U-La, check this site out. Munsterkoach.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pack rat Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 The little booklet included with the kit (to the left in the photo) has lots of reference pics in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 (edited) I got my kit today, and wouldn't you know it, I lent SWMBO my camera for her weekend getaway!!!! I did manage to scan the box tin top, well, I had to merge two scans together, it's too big for my scanner, plus I scanned the instructions, the decals (low quality scan of course http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/uploads/emoticons/default_biggrin.png' alt=':D'> ) the cover of the photo booklet, and the cardboard cut-outs. They're on my Fotki click here The photo booklet is nice, there are about 40 different pictures, most in color, of the two cars, some publicity stills, others "behind-the-scenes" type shots. There are a few more photos on the tin sides which are not in the booklet, a nice touch I thought. The kits are molded in white plastic with chrome and clear parts. The tires are white plastic, and include "Firestone" lettering on the sidewalls. It should be easy to sand the lettering after painting to reveal the white letters, much easier than trying to paint them. These kits are rather crude by today's standards, but appear to be rather simple and should be easy to assemble. I've never built either of these, so I don't really know if any of the tooling has been changed for this issue. The instructions appear to be reproductions of the originals, and do not have part numbers on them, however, the sprues do have part numbers! I'll post some photos of the kit parts when I get my camera back! Edited July 25, 2010 by Brett Barrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlzrocks Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 Sounds to me like Round 2 has taken it upon themselves to appeal to the kit collector rather than the kit builder. If it was the other way around, they would have paid more attention to the details like black vinyl tires, sprue numbering and a quality decal set. However, I do applaud them for bringing the kit back, albeit for the almighty dollar as opposed to keeping the kit builders happy. I am not that familiar with Round 2 but it seems from your description that they should have been knocked out in the first round! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 (edited) Sounds to me like Round 2 has taken it upon themselves to appeal to the kit collector rather than the kit builder. If it was the other way around, they would have paid more attention to the details like black vinyl tires, sprue numbering and a quality decal set. However, I do applaud them for bringing the kit back, albeit for the almighty dollar as opposed to keeping the kit builders happy. I am not that familiar with Round 2 but it seems from your description that they should have been knocked out in the first round! The decals are brand new, they are corrected and expanded from what was in the original kits, and really are the "stars of the show" in this re-issue. Other issues of the kits had parts numbering, but this time they used the original instructions, from before the numbers were added to the sprue. The kits are so simple it's not really an issue, I don't see anything that could get mixed up that isn't noted on the instructions, in fact some parts that are different left to right have the same part number, so it wouldn't have helped anyway! Nostalgia seems to be driving the kit industry right now, and maybe it is more about the collector than the builder right now, but if re-issues like this fuel brand new tooling a couple of years down the road then I'm all for it. Edited July 24, 2010 by Brett Barrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlzrocks Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 I don't know if you've been building models very long or not, but these kits are what are known as "reissues" meaning they are old kits (the molds were made in the 1960s) that are being sold again today, but are no better...or worse...than they were when they were new. To add the things you suggest (vinyl tires, sprue numbering) would be uneconomic, and the decal sheet is of good quality provided the builder has reasonable skill. Chill Mark.....I'm not an idiot and know what a "reissue" is. I have been building models since before you were born. I calls em as I sees em. I was just reiterating what Brett mentioned in his post and thought they could make a better kit for the price. All I see is a lot of Pictorial Collector Clutter and a tin that allows them to charge more, when they could have made minor improvements to the kit itself (per Brett). Brett also mentioned that the decals were low quality. They could have changed that with a minimum of effort and cost and left out the cardboard standups. In closing, lose the attitude and get on with it, the post was just my 2 cents, if it's not worth it to ya, don't buy it. Have a great weekend and keep building!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted July 25, 2010 Author Share Posted July 25, 2010 (edited) Chill Mark.....I'm not an idiot and know what a "reissue" is. I have been building models since before you were born. I calls em as I sees em. I was just reiterating what Brett mentioned in his post and thought they could make a better kit for the price. All I see is a lot of Pictorial Collector Clutter and a tin that allows them to charge more, when they could have made minor improvements to the kit itself (per Brett). Brett also mentioned that the decals were low quality. They could have changed that with a minimum of effort and cost and left out the cardboard standups. In closing, lose the attitude and get on with it, the post was just my 2 cents, if it's not worth it to ya, don't buy it. Have a great weekend and keep building!! No, no, no!!!! My scan of the decals is low quality, so folks don't try printing them!!!! New decals are the best things in the kit, besides the picture book. The kits will be out individually in regular boxes, but for $24.95ea, so if you want both you might as well buy the tin. I'm not sure what will not be in the individual kits, the book and the cut-outs I would imagine, and possibly smaller decal sheets. They haven't said yet. Edited July 25, 2010 by Brett Barrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlzrocks Posted July 25, 2010 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Pardon my misinterpretation about the decals Brett!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted July 25, 2010 Author Share Posted July 25, 2010 I should have worded it better! Here's a better, but still low quality, view of the decals: Please note that many of the decals are metallic gold, but it shows up brown when scanned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopt31 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Reissue or not - I was really disappointed when I opened the tin and instead of some cool new tampo printed tires it was the plastic two piece originals. The chrome on the spokes for Dragula was completely 'flashed' where the spokes meet the rim. Lots of cute little cardboard pieces that didn't do anything for me either. The picture book was cool, though. At $50, I was not pleased - so much less value than the Fiat Double dragster kit! This will be a builder, and I won't feel bad about not packing it away for collectible future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 Reissue or not - I was really disappointed when I opened the tin and instead of some cool new tampo printed tires it was the plastic two piece originals. The chrome on the spokes for Dragula was completely 'flashed' where the spokes meet the rim. Lots of cute little cardboard pieces that didn't do anything for me either. The picture book was cool, though. At $50, I was not pleased - so much less value than the Fiat Double dragster kit! This will be a builder, and I won't feel bad about not packing it away for collectible future. Mine will be a builder, too, and I would be disappointed if I paid the full $50 for this issue. The tires don't disappoint me that much though (the slicks at least), some folks complain that rubber tires eat the wheels, and some complain that the kit makers have been taking the trademarks off the sidewall - won't have to worry about either of those. The white plastic parts all look good and clean, but both chrome trees are very flashy in my example. I have a couple AMT rail dragsters that I may use for the front wheels and tires for the Drag-U-La, I think they'd be a good swap and be in keeping with the level of detail in the rest of the kit. I need to find donors for the Koach's front tires, they're the most disappointing of all the tires, I think the slicks will look good once assembled and painted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 (edited) I've got some sprue shots up on Photobucket so you can view them hi-res (while my bandwidth limit holds out, at least!) First up is the Koach, will get the Drag-U-La up later. http://s612.photobucket.com/albums/tt205/barrowb98/Munsters%20Double%20Kit/Munster%20Koach/ Drag-U-La is up http://s612.photobucket.com/albums/tt205/barrowb98/Munsters%20Double%20Kit/DragULa/ Edited July 30, 2010 by Brett Barrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crowe-t Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 (edited) Re-issue or not , it's nice to have these old kits out again and not have to spend a lot on E-Bay for out of production kits. I have a few of the Round 2 Star Trek kits. Round 2 has made some changes on those and the decals are great and well worth the price of the kits. I haven't picked up any of the car kits yet from Round 2 so I'm not sure how the decals are. Edited July 31, 2010 by crowe-t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyBad Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I really wanted to get one and my LHS called me to say they were in. A straight Reissue with No clean up At $50+? It aint that dang Great. Sorry Folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted August 1, 2010 Author Share Posted August 1, 2010 I really wanted to get one and my LHS called me to say they were in. A straight Reissue with No clean up At $50+? It aint that dang Great. Sorry Folks. That's kinda why I've gone through all the trouble of taking pics and scanning stuff, so people can look here first and make up their own minds. Seeing how plain white-box Blueprinter issues were going for $50+ and original "Graveyard Duo" boxings can go for almost $200, I don't think it's too bad, considering how nice the new accurate decals are. There are plenty of places selling for well under the $50 MSRP, only suckers pay retail, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopt31 Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 RE. Only suckers pay retail.... I pay retail because I enjoy supporting the local hobby shop. If I buy from a discount source, I get to pay for shipping. It would sure be uncool to have no hobby shop on an island in the middle of the ocean, wouldn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 RE. Only suckers pay retail.... I pay retail because I enjoy supporting the local hobby shop. If I buy from a discount source, I get to pay for shipping. It would sure be uncool to have no hobby shop on an island in the middle of the ocean, wouldn't it? The internet is your worldwide hobby shop, no matter where you live. If you want to pay full retail to "support" the guy who owns your local hobby shop, that's absolutely your right. But if you have a choice between paying retail at shop A and a discounted price at shop B, most people prefer not to pay full retail... not for model kits or anything else. Just my 2ยข... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cole Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 At $50 full retail, I just cannot afford to buy at the local hobby shop, at least on this one. I haven't mail ordered a kit in years, but it looks like that is what I will do for this. Maybe scoff up a few other kits I have been putting off buying at the same time to save on shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted August 2, 2010 Author Share Posted August 2, 2010 RE. Only suckers pay retail.... I pay retail because I enjoy supporting the local hobby shop. If I buy from a discount source, I get to pay for shipping. It would sure be uncool to have no hobby shop on an island in the middle of the ocean, wouldn't it? I didn't mean any disrespect to those out there who support their LHS, sarcasm is hard to convey across the internet. I work in a hobby shop, and I totally understand when some of our regulars buy expensive Japanese and Chinese armor and aircraft kits out of Japan or Hong Kong because they can get them cheaper, they still buy their paints and glues and supplies from us, and they still buy lower priced kits as well. Everyone has their limit on what they're willing to spend on a given kit. But buying kits from wherever is still supporting the hobby, and that can have a trickle-down effect on hobby shops, as I said, you might still buy paint and supplies from your LHS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 I paid just north of $40 for mine at my LHS... I've seen old reissues of the Munster Coach going for that much or more, so I think I came out alright. Oh, and no shipping, and the fuel I burned is a moot point, because I was on my way home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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