118 replies to this topic

[Casey]

Due in late November, with retro box art like so:

[jbwelda]

whats with that goofy looking top on the box art car? is that a lemans top or something? maybe some "kustom" styling?

what are the good points of this kit vs what seems like an endless supply of similar kits?

i take it it has full motor detail and maybe various motors?

[cobraman]

That's the same top that been in almost all the different versions of that model. I have the original kit but welcome the re-release. I will get a couple for sure to add to my Cobra collection.

[beeRS]

Nice to see this one again. I agree - there has been a lot of Cobra kits, but very few of the narrow bodied 289.

[Michigan Madman]

whats with that goofy looking top on the box art car? is that a lemans top or something? maybe some "kustom" styling?

what are the good points of this kit vs what seems like an endless supply of similar kits?

i take it it has full motor detail and maybe various motors?

Ray pointed out the top, so...

Not sure what the good points would be compared to the most recent reissue, which seemed to have most of the optional custom parts. The kit does have an opening hood and trunk. Hopefully they cleaned up the tooling a little bit for this one, it was just starting to look a little bit haggard on the last reissue in spots.

It does have full engine detail. Just one engine- the 289, but if I recall it can be built with Weber carbs or a single carb. The kit also has a separate chassis with decent front and rear suspension detail- there's a metal axle at both ends, but each end has its own transverse leaf spring. Compared to the 1:24 Monogram Cobra, I think this one has better interior detail. It also lacks the wide fender flares Monogram's 427 has, so you could even convert it back to an AC Ace if you wanted.

My only serious gripe with any of these I've built is the windshield frame- sometimes it fits the cowl pretty well, other times it doesn't. The hinged hood and trunk have always worked well for me.

[Erik Smith]

whats with that goofy looking top on the box art car? is that a lemans top or something? maybe some "kustom" styling?

I have an old (maybe original issue?) box and the top is listed as a "Fastback Top".

[jbwelda]

stupid "browser" problem again trying to post this...my browser is auto updated weekly, so its up to date from last friday. personally i think a recent update bug may have caused the problem we (some of us) are experiencing.

original reply:

thanks for the details folks, i think i had this model when i was a kid but havent since mostly because i think the cobra is just overdone, in scale as in real life (all those 1:1 kits). i do now remember this is one of the few original cobra/ace body styles with a minimum of mods done to it so that is nice. that roof though...there is just no accounting for tastes i guess. there was a LeMans top that was used on some 1:1 cars to, i guess, use them in GT class, but it looked a lot better than what i see on the box art. but maybe i will need to pick up one of these for old times sake.

[Michigan Madman]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but doesn't that top have engraved vinyl texture on the front 2/3 or so? Or am I thinking of some other kit with a similar optional top?

[Steve Milberry]

This version is supposed to have the Halibrand "kidney bean" wheels back in it.

[Cato]

My only serious gripe with any of these I've built is the windshield frame- sometimes it fits the cowl pretty well, other times it doesn't.

The horrible part for all these Cobra models (small block/big block) is the thickness of the windshield frames. The fit to the cowl can be easily fixed but clunky, cheesy chrome frames require complete scratchbuilding and thin acetate glass to get close to 1:1 appearance.
Other horrors are the fender contours, roll bar, hood scoop, sidepipes, dashboards, engines and hinges. Tires are generally too thick or thin and wire wheels are a joke. Virtually all of these are toy-like OOB and require major modifying for accuracy.
Many die-casts are better up to the 1/12 Kyosho 427 which has most all the shapes right.
The BEST kit ever for a Cobra in any scale is the '80's Climax 427SC. A resin, PE and white metal curbside with perfect scale thicknesses and w'shield frames like fine flat wire and jewel-like Halibrands. Mine is still un-built.

[torinobradley]

I'm working on this kit now and find the engine, though fairly well detailed for it's age, is a bit too thin. I glued both sides to a sheet of plastic about 2mm in thickness and it looks much more accurate. The only other mods I had to do for the engine is file down a bit on the trans tunnel and the insides of the motor mounts. The custom top they have is not a LeMans top they used in racing. I do welcome the kidney bean halibrands though. I wonder if the wheel widths and tires are going to be more accurate.

[walterbog]

i only wish that they would have included a hardtop for the 289 cobra body style[the revell king cobra top does not fit]so i could replicate the drag cobras that were raced in the 60s,which were required by rule to have a hardtop.as far as diecasts are concerned few 289 body styles were ever made and the only one with a hardtop was a 1/43 marsh diecast.

[Cato]

.as far as diecasts are concerned few 289 body styles were ever made and the only one with a hardtop was a 1/43 marsh diecast.

GMP and Exoto have made a whole series of them in 1/18 and 1/12 scales.Go to Exoto's site to see a 1/18 hardtop as you like and they also make a top-up soft top.

Edited by Cato, 18 September 2012 - 09:48 AM.

[sjordan2]

Here's an amazing array of Cobras fitted with hardtops, on the track at Goodwood recently (click on the link). And these guys actually race against each other in these zillion-dollar machines, including most of the world's existing Ferrari 250 GTOs. Check my Goodwood posting at 1:1 car reference photos.

http://www.ultimatec...elby-Cobra.html

Hosted on Fotki

Edited by sjordan2, 19 September 2012 - 05:43 AM.

[walterbog]

cato,maybe i should have said few "affordable" diecasts were made in the 289 body style. that would leave exoto out of the picture and if gmp had made anything under a 100.00 im not aware of it.

[Cato]

No argument Walt but they are out there. I wish someone like Moebius would make a serious attempt at getting a Cobra right. Revellogram et al have been failures.
Plus they keep bringing out reissues of the same.

Edited by Casey, 01 November 2012 - 04:03 AM.

[bigphoto]

Accurate Miniatures was supposed to do an FIA car but that never happened. Too bad too. Academy is supposed to be coming out with a Daytona coupe which should be interesting.

[zenrat]

(partsbox tyres & aftermarket velocity stacks shown)
I found it a pleasure to build (AMT/ERTL badged release - blue striped white car on box art) but lets hope that this time AMT clean up the moulds a bit (especially the chrome sprue) and use tyres sized so that the rims stay put and don't just drop through.

Edited by zenrat, 19 September 2012 - 05:23 PM.

[64Comet404]

It will be nice to have the kit back, especially if the molds get cleaned up. The Halibrands will be great to have back, too. The only issues I have had (apart from broken windshield frames) is the thickness of some of the chrome parts. The headlight bezels need to be replaced with less prominent pieces, and the grille surround needs some massaging.

IIRC, the fastback roof was based on the unit from the Cougar II show car (Cobra chassis with new body).

[Greg Myers]

Hardtop :