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So, What Models Are You MOST Impressed With?


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I recently built Revell's diecast American Graffiti '55 Chevy from about 2000, and was stunned at how well everything fit. In fact, fit was so nice everywhere that most of the model is just press-fit together. The only glue I used was on the engine block halves and the seat backs. Accuracy of shape was impressive, too--right up there with AMT's '55 Bel Air sedan. It made for a FABULOUS slump-breaker and got me back into the mood to build again after about a 2-year layoff.

Rev55Chev05_zps18ac98df.jpg

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This week I'm in love with the T Fruit Truck kit! The box says you can build two complete cars from the box, one stock and one custom. Truth is that this is one cool box of parts. After you build two, you have a good start for a parts box! There are at least 4 body variations in the box. I need at least two of this kit to build the models now stuck in my head. And I can see why kids had a ball in the 1960s!

Edited by Tom Geiger
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This week I'm in love with the T Fruit Truck kit! The box says you can build two complete cars from the box, one stock and one custom. Truth is that this is one cool box of parts. After you build two, you have a good start for a parts box! There are at least 4 body variations in the box. I need at least two of this kit to build the models now stuck in my head. And I can see why kids had a ball in the 1960s!

I'm building mine as a shortbed C-cab 60s style rod, and will use the "stock" T body to restore an ancient T rod build I've been working on. And I'll still have most of a stock T left in the parts bin.

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I have so many kits that I haven't gotten around to building yet it's hard for me to say which I find most impressive. That being said, just by looking things over, test fitting, etc., I would have to say the Revell '69 Camaros and all of the Corvettes are up there, along with the Moebius Hudson and Chryslers, and, uh, let's see, many of the mid-'90s AMT releases ('67 Impala, '62 T-Bird, etc.).

Of the kits I have built (I started building in 1962) that have stuck in my mind as going together well, and were just plain cool-looking: the Monogram Little Deuce, Blue Beetle, '40 Ford Pickup, '36 Ford, '34 Ford, and '58 T-Bird; Monogram 1/8 XKE; yup, the JoHan 500K and '31 Caddies, the Monogram classics, oh, and the Monogram metal-bodied cars were cool. I built the Jag XK120, '56 T-Bird and '53 Corvette, although it never seemed quite right having a metal Corvette; I still have the Duesenberg waiting in the wings. The AMT Model As were cool. Impressive (and iconic) box-art/kits: Revell mid-60s VW Microbus - the layout and typography mocked the DDB+O "Think Small" VW ads of the day; "The Wild Ones" with Hot Curl and the stingray bicycle on the cover, and, of course, the Revell '57 Chevy Nomad. Unbuildable kit, but I bought one recently just for the box.

The Etzel's Speed Classics were novel and impressive when they came out, as are the MFH Ferraris and Astons (the Ferraris are no longer available), and the HRM kits and trans-kits (some of the best resin I've ever seen).

PB.

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Monogram Big Deuce for me all the way, E-Type tucked very tightly behind. They set a standard half a century ago for a combination of accuracy, buildability, and detail that's not often matched since.

Jury's not entirely in yet, but there's another eighth-scaler I'm finding one of the most impressive of this day and age - I'll wrap that one soon enough.

And man, there's something about that Revell Thunderbolt that just gets me - crispness, subject matter, kool factor. Just love it.

Subject matter is probably a plus for me, driving something closely resembling it, but I thought Revell's 1/12 GT500 didn't get half the enthusiastic reception it deserved.

Haven't seen a 1/12 Tamiya to go wrong yet, Enzos in both scales are a killer one-two punch. Fujimi's downright polar in execution from one kit to the next, but their recent 250GTO is another that drills me dead center, and the 288 and Daytona are my gotta-have-it EM series cars. Loove me some Hasegawa 250TR. Most consistently impressive across the board right now is Aoshima, far as I'm concerned.

To answer Mark Jones's question, Jo-Han Turbine car. Looked so killer in the box, sooo killed me trying to build it. Gotta revisit that one now that I got more grown-up skills.

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Revell's '69 Charger. I remember when I first got one, I picked up the MPC General Lee (When it still had the Charger 500 body) the same day. I remember building the hunk-of-junk MPC blob-of-plastic first. When it was completed, I cracked open the Revell offering, and wished that I would have just left the MPC on the shelf.

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Blogging about the worst kit reminded me of the kit that most impressed me when I was a kid. And looking back on it would impress me today. Monogram's Mean Maverick funny car. I was knocked over by the easy of building it, and the amount the detail. And the motor for raising the body, and foot pedal that raised it were fun. There maybe better models out there, with better and more accurate details. But, this is the one that impressed me the most.

And I'm still waiting for Revell/Monogram to bring it back.

Scott

Edited by unclescott58
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oddly enough I liked the amt mini trucks like the dodge ram 50 and ford courier,given the subjects they are there really is alot you can do with them,I wish Round2 would release some of the others so I don't have to pay evil-bay price's

Those are good parts kits too. Guys use the chassis from those under rods!

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with the ram 50 you got sport parts,custom and just everyday stuff,example in the bed you have the roll bar with the two pony seats, ground trim and maybe a engine swap and you got a weekend warrior.Ladder rack and its a work truck,beefy tires and some search and rescue stuff and its a late 70's early 80's beach truck, just to name a few things.

heres mine, still havent finished it yet

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post-3559-0-73605900-1411973050_thumb.jp

Edited by Nick Notarangelo
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Tamiya '72 Nissan Skyline GT-2000 Hardtop, very nice detail and perfect casting.

Revell '67 Plymouth GTX. Built two both of which went together flawlessly.

Revell '69 Dodge Charger. Again went together perfectly.

Revell '66 Pontiac GTO. I started out trying to build the AMT '67 because at the time '03 - '04 for a while there is a 1:1 that was often seen on the road, gloss black an absolute beautiful daily driver. Well someone ended up plowing into it crushing the back end almost flush with the rear seats. It was such a shock seeing it in his yard like that. So I wanted to build a tribute car, got the AMT opened it to find that nothing went together right, the body wasn't even fully casted. I stuffed it back in the box and can't remember what happed to it after that. Anyway I ended up getting the Revell '66 GTO, it was a year off but I still built it as a tribute to the '67. Turns out a few months later he ended up getting a '66 and did it up just like his '67.

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Subject matter is probably a plus for me, driving something closely resembling it, but I thought Revell's 1/12 GT500 didn't get half the enthusiastic reception it deserved.

While it was molded well and was of a new subject, I believe that with it being of a two year old subject along with it building more like a scaled up 1/24th kit (not even steerable wheels?) probably contributed heavily to the lackluster reception.

Edited by Jordan White
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True - no way 'round the model year timing issue, no 2 ways about it.

Far as the simplicity, though, it delivers almost exactly on the formula promised by Monogram's previous late-model 1/8 and 1/12 scale kits, and those did alright in their day. The finished piece looks impressive, imposing, and largely correct; and not only didn't it tax a modeler's skills too bad, it also didn't hit his wallet that hard.

Tamiya knows it has the market to go all the way to a 600-piece opus if it wants, but for Revell to venture even into 160 parts or so for posable steering and a few more opening panels? Doubt it would have done them any better, and there was nothing in their history with large scale kits to indicate that was necessary.

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The Malco Gasser

Just the fact that Round 2 brought this kit back in it's original form ( with improvements ) impressed the heck out of me. I never thought I would see this kit again.

The Ohio George 33 Willys

Another one from round 2. Never thought I would see this one again either. Round 2 went the extra mile with the large box and the booklet with great reference photos.

Young American and Garlit's Winnscharger dragsters. These are great kits for those who wish to build Top Fuel dragsters in their final phase before the rear engine revolution. Again these are from Round 2.

None of these kits are perfect by today's standards, but it impresses me that Round 2 would bring back these great old kits.

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