Desirable Reissues

[the other Mike S.]

On 9/9/2021 at 8:29 AM, CapSat 6 said:

The last 2nd gen Camaro tool they have left is the MPC kit from about 1981. From what I remember, that one was a bit of a hot mess (big block engine left over from the early 70’s releases, bumpers and flares that don’t fit too well). Still, the originals finally seem to be drying up, so that could be worth a shot. 

One of the ‘72 Chevelles could be nice, but from what I remember of that one, the grille was butchered. They would have to tool up a decent grille for it, otherwise, it would be neat to see that one get the retro box/ expanded decals / new tires treatment. 
 

 

The MPC ‘81 Camaro Z28 was last reissued in ‘86 as a “Pro Street” model with non stock wheels and tires. Also, it came with the earlier style ‘78-‘79 style hood instead of the “Cowl Induction” hood from the ‘80 “Super-Z” and ‘81 “Turbo-Z” annuals.   So, either the tooling was lost for that particular hood or they just used the ‘78-‘79 hood for some reason.  The bumpers were not too bad, but the rear bumper was way too wide and overlapped the body sides.  The rear spoiler was a pure eye ball effort so that would need to be completely retooled to look accurate.  The big block is actually not too bad since it fills out the rather stark engine bay quite well.  Other than that, it wasn’t a bad kit and would be great to see reissued again.  

The ‘72 Chevelle is another I would like to see reissued again.  I don’t know what they did to the last reissue where they fubared the front grill, but it didn’t look that bad during the SS Slasher and the ProStreet reissues of the early ‘80’s.  They could even crib the wheels from the ‘86 El Camino SS kit and offer a “Heavy Chevy” building option.

[stavanzer]

On this topic, how about the MPC 1983 Toyota Supra Kit. Beautiful kit, nicely engraved, at least two different boxings that could be combined for a 2'n'1 kit, and it would hit the Sweet Spot that is developing for 1980's cars.

It would make a great re-release and all it should need is cleaning and new tires/Decals.

[1972coronet]

31 minutes ago, alexis said:

On this topic, how about the MPC 1983 Toyota Supra Kit. Beautiful kit, nicely engraved, at least two different boxings that could be combined for a 2'n'1 kit, and it would hit the Sweet Spot that is developing for 1980's cars.

It would make a great re-release and all it should need is cleaning and new tires/Decals.

I've been championing this - and its Celica relative - kit for many , many years . 

We can hope for better tyres though -- the kits' Goodrich tyres are inaccurate , and indeed , dated . 

Thuthishly , I'd be happy -contented- even with the Goodrich tyres intact .

[Justin Porter]

33 minutes ago, alexis said:

On this topic, how about the MPC 1983 Toyota Supra Kit. Beautiful kit, nicely engraved, at least two different boxings that could be combined for a 2'n'1 kit, and it would hit the Sweet Spot that is developing for 1980's cars.

It would make a great re-release and all it should need is cleaning and new tires/Decals.

On one hand it is an interesting piece of MPC's catalog but on the other hand it's 1/25th scale and would need MASSIVE retooling to be able to accept proper polycap style wheels and tires. It's probably best left in the past while we wait for Hasegawa to add that subject to their new lineup.

[tim boyd]

1 hour ago, alexis said:

On this topic, how about the MPC 1983 Toyota Supra Kit. Beautiful kit, nicely engraved, at least two different boxings that could be combined for a 2'n'1 kit, and it would hit the Sweet Spot that is developing for 1980's cars.

It would make a great re-release and all it should need is cleaning and new tires/Decals.

Watch this space....I suspect this one will actually happen, sooner or later. TB 

[tim boyd]

27 minutes ago, Justin Porter said:

On one hand it is an interesting piece of MPC's catalog but on the other hand it's 1/25th scale and would need MASSIVE retooling to be able to accept proper polycap style wheels and tires. It's probably best left in the past while we wait for Hasegawa to add that subject to their new lineup.

This is actually one of MPC's best kits from the 1980's, and unless my memory of building this kit is a lot more foggier than I think, it would nicely hold its own against today's kit toolings.  The tires, though, as you point out, might be a bit of an issue.  TB  

[Chuck Kourouklis]

I dunno - they seem sized about right, and I have a lingering impression of BFGs being o e m for the handling package on that generation of Supra.

You sure find a few used ones wearing 'em...

Now are the tires depicted all that well by MPC?  That's another matter entirely. But I distinctly recall the kit itself being a winner.

[Justin Porter]

37 minutes ago, tim boyd said:

This is actually one of MPC's best kits from the 1980's, and unless my memory of building this kit is a lot more foggier than I think, it would nicely hold its own against today's kit toolings.  The tires, though, as you point out, might be a bit of an issue.  TB  

If it's at all like the Fieros or 3rd generation F-bodies that MPC was tooling around that time then general detail level and accuracy aren't huge concerns for me. However, I do know that Revell's otherwise excellent Integra, WRX, and Focus kits were broadly panned at release for being 1/25th scale rather than the more common - for late model subjects - 1/24th scale and I can see that happening again with a subject like the MkII Supra. 

[tim boyd]

40 minutes ago, Chuck Kourouklis said:

I dunno - they seem sized about right, and I have a lingering impression of BFGs being o e m for the handling package on that generation of Supra.

You sure find a few used ones wearing 'em...

Now are the tires depicted all that well by MPC?  That's another matter entirely. But I distinctly recall the kit itself being a winner.

Chuck....here's how they looked on my original build.  These look pretty good to my eye.  But looking more closely, they may have been the result of kitbashing.///the rears are larger than the fronts.  Guess I need to pull out that old SAE and refresh the details....TIM 

[1972coronet]

1 hour ago, Chuck Kourouklis said:

 I dunno - they seem sized about right, and I have a lingering impression of BFGs being o e m for the handling package on that generation of Supra.

You sure find a few used ones wearing 'em...

That's interesting . I seem to remember the OEM tyres being Bridgestone , though the c.1987-1988 models had Good Year Gatorbacks . But , honestly , I didn't pay *that* much attention to tyres until c.1985  ; it's entirely possible that Goodrich was the OEM supplier for U.S. spec models . 

Regardless , I'd be willing to "accept" them for a kit of this vintage . Tim's example is the finest example I can recall seeing . 

[1972coronet]

2 hours ago, tim boyd said:

Watch this space....I suspect this one will actually happen, sooner or later. TB 

After almost 40 year of absence ! Last issued in , what , 1984 ? 1985 ? Like a one-and-done deal after the -- whichever came lastly ? Blue or Red ? 

[the other Mike S.]

3 hours ago, Justin Porter said:

On one hand it is an interesting piece of MPC's catalog but on the other hand it's 1/25th scale and would need MASSIVE retooling to be able to accept proper polycap style wheels and tires. It's probably best left in the past while we wait for Hasegawa to add that subject to their new lineup.

If Hasegawa does it, it’ll be 2.5 times the price and in a scale that would probably not be as lucrative as 1/25th, at least in this country.  However, why wait for a new tool when one already exists that’s just collecting dust in the tooling archive?  

It’s costing them money having it sitting there collecting dust when it could be making them money in the marketplace.  The MPC Supra is a pretty good kit.  The wheels/tires are not 100% accurate, but they look a lot closer to the BGF’s in the Supra pics (in this thread) compared to the Goodyear Eagle GT/Goodyear Gatorback tires that came on the Camaros and Firebirds of that era.

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by the other Mike S.

[1972coronet]

8 minutes ago, the other Mike S. said:

If Hasegawa does it, it’ll be 2.5 times the price and in a scale that would probably not be as lucrative as 1/25th, at least in this country.  However, why wait for a new tool when one already exists that’s just collecting dust in their tooling archive?  

It’s costing them money having it sitting there collecting dust when it could be making them money in the marketplace.  The MPC Supra is a very well done kit.  The wheels p/tires are not 100% completely accurate, but they look a lot closer to the BGF’s in the Supra pics within this thread compared to the Goodyear Eagle GT’s/Goodyear Gatorbacks that came on the Camaros and Firebirds in that era.

 

I remember being overjoyed when MPC finally released Gatorbacks with their 1988 or 1989 Corvettes and Taurus SVO . 

Their only weak point - and it pales in comparison to the 100% inaccurate B.F. Goodrich of years prior - is that the sidewall marques are raised instead of 'engraved' as with the 1:1 versions . 

But , because of the 16" or 17" diameter , they'd be literally unfit for the Supra-Celica ( or the recently reissued 1987-1988 Mustang GT for this matter ) insofar as employing the kits' wheels ( which are 15" , IIRC ) .

Hasegawa would likely not only be considerably high MSRP'ed , but would also just as likely be a curbside (unacceptable at a pearl-clutching ~ $60 MSRP ! ) .

Edited September 30, 2021 by 1972coronet

[stavanzer]

Yeah, I really miss not getting this kit.

I had a co-worker who owned  a "Seely-Ca". I'd like to build a copy of his for him. 

[the other Mike S.]

43 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

I remember being overjoyed when MPC finally released Gatorbacks with their 1988 or 1989 Corvettes and Taurus SVO . 

Their only weak point - and it pales in comparison to the 100% inaccurate B.F. Goodrich of years prior - is that the sidewall marques are raised instead of 'engraved' as with the 1:1 versions . 

But , because of the 16" or 17" diameter , they'd be literally unfit for the Supra-Celica ( or the recently reissued 1987-1988 Mustang GT for this matter ) insofar as employing the kits' wheels ( which are 15" , IIRC ) .

Hasegawa would likely not only be considerably high MSRP'ed , but would also just as likely be a curbside (unacceptable at a pearl-clutching ~ $60 MSRP ! ) .

Yeah, the letters were raised instead of being stamped into the sidewall like the real tire.  Ugh!  At least the BFG’s could pass for the earlier style Eagle GT’s because they had a similar raised lettered design which could be painted white to hide the inaccuracy even more.  However, they were not raised outline lettered tires but at this scale it’s not that noticeable.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by the other Mike S.

[niteowl7710]

Who are you people paying $60 for Hasegawa kits? Both of the upcoming new tool kits (117 & MR2) are less than $25. Very rarely have their kits touched into the $30s unless it's a licensed related race car livery. 

My LHS charges $28.50 for the most recent few months of Round2 releases, and it's not like that price is going lower...ever. 

If you don't have a LHS, or the kit isn't carried at Hobby Lobby (Moebius, Salvinos), the upcoming increase in USPS rates is going to make that Hasegawa kit shipped from Japan (if it existed) cost the same as an online purchased MPC Supra (if it existed).

I'd also argue that AT THE TIME a 1/25 Celica Supra made sense. But at this point it's the wrong scale to fit in with all of the Toyota kits made since 1983, including the following 3 Generations of Supras.

[Justin Porter]

6 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

Who are you people paying $60 for Hasegawa kits? Both of the upcoming new tool kits (117 & MR2) are less than $25. Very rarely have their kits touched into the $30s unless it's a licensed related race car livery. 

My LHS charges $28.50 for the most recent few months of Round2 releases, and it's not like that price is going lower...ever. 

If you don't have a LHS, or the kit isn't carried at Hobby Lobby (Moebius, Salvinos), the upcoming increase in USPS rates is going to make that Hasegawa kit shipped from Japan (if it existed) cost the same as an online purchased MPC Supra (if it existed).

I'd also argue that AT THE TIME a 1/25 Celica Supra made sense. But at this point it's the wrong scale to fit in with all of the Toyota kits made since 1983, including the following 3 Generations of Supras.

I was just about to say this! Most of the basic line Hasegawas come in at retail prices (and wholesale prices) CHEAPER for me than where Round 2 has started landing. Yes, most of the "Limited Edition" line like the kits they released with the female figures or some of the more obscure race liveries have been pricey but I'm here to tell you that we just got the all-new tooling R32 GTR Skylines in at my wholesaler and they are CHEAPER than the Round 2 reissue of the '64 Ford Galaxie Craftsman kit. 

[the other Mike S.]

8 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

Who are you people paying $60 for Hasegawa kits? Both of the upcoming new tool kits (117 & MR2) are less than $25. Very rarely have their kits touched into the $30s unless it's a licensed related race car livery. 

My LHS charges $28.50 for the most recent few months of Round2 releases, and it's not like that price is going lower...ever. 

If you don't have a LHS, or the kit isn't carried at Hobby Lobby (Moebius, Salvinos), the upcoming increase in USPS rates is going to make that Hasegawa kit shipped from Japan (if it existed) cost the same as an online purchased MPC Supra (if it existed).

I'd also argue that AT THE TIME a 1/25 Celica Supra made sense. But at this point it's the wrong scale to fit in with all of the Toyota kits made since 1983, including the following 3 Generations of Supras.

I’d have to say 1/25th scale makes sense today, as well.  The biggest white elephant in the room is this.  They HAVE the tooling in their archive.  It’s just sitting there collecting spider webs.  Why should we have to wait for Hasegawa to design and develop a new MKII Supra kit when one already EXISTS in Round 2’s storage archive?

It’s almost as if this is a thinly veiled attempt by some on here to keep the original annual MPC Supra from ever being reissued again.  Just like the modelers who never want to see anyone use 3D printing technology to copy the bodies from the old Johan kits so they could possibly be reissued again.  Now we have “collector pressure” which is resisting us when we think about what kind of kits we would like to see reissued again.  Ugh!

I don’t where you guys are buying your Hasagawa 1/24-1/25 kits for cheaper than Round 2, especially the ‘63 Nova wagon, which retails for $27 (with free shipping) if you look around.  Most of the new Hasagawa kits I see for sale are at a price point much higher than that.  Even the simple easy click kits (basically a snap kit) from Revell are MSRP’ing for $24.95, the last time I checked.  I’ve haven’t seen a new Hasagawa kit cheaper than that.

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by the other Mike S.

[Justin Porter]

I can assure you that my reluctance on the MPC Toyota Supra kit has nothing to do with its collectability. I have very regular dealings over the counter with guys who build import model cars. Having that active customer base who build these subjects tells me that it would be a hard sell. It's 1/25th scale so it would appear undersized if displayed with other Supras or contemporary JDM cars like the Z31 300ZX that Tamiya is reissuing. It doesn't have polycap wheel attachment so using Aoshima or Fujimi wheels to build it as a tuned car in something like a Liberty Walk style would be a lot of extra work AND the wheels would look oversized on the car. Yes, it has full engine detail, but that isn't nearly as much a draw in import builder circles as a straightforward build or ready compatibility with existing detail parts.

And I repeat, it'd be nice to have the kit back, but I have every doubt in its sales success because of the drawbacks to it among what would be its competitors. If this were a discussion surrounding Hasegawa hypothetically tooling up a 1/24th scale '63 Studebaker Avanti - as much as I would love that - I'd be saying "But the market who loves it already has the AMT kit which serves most all their needs".  

[the other Mike S.]

31 minutes ago, Justin Porter said:

I can assure you that my reluctance on the MPC Toyota Supra kit has nothing to do with its collectability. I have very regular dealings over the counter with guys who build import model cars. Having that active customer base who build these subjects tells me that it would be a hard sell. It's 1/25th scale so it would appear undersized if displayed with other Supras or contemporary JDM cars like the Z31 300ZX that Tamiya is reissuing. It doesn't have polycap wheel attachment so using Aoshima or Fujimi wheels to build it as a tuned car in something like a Liberty Walk style would be a lot of extra work AND the wheels would look oversized on the car. Yes, it has full engine detail, but that isn't nearly as much a draw in import builder circles as a straightforward build or ready compatibility with existing detail parts.

And I repeat, it'd be nice to have the kit back, but I have every doubt in its sales success because of the drawbacks to it among what would be its competitors. If this were a discussion surrounding Hasegawa hypothetically tooling up a 1/24th scale '63 Studebaker Avanti - as much as I would love that - I'd be saying "But the market who loves it already has the AMT kit which serves most all their needs".  

That is the only reason that would describe your extreme reluctance to having the MPC Toyota Supra reissued again.  By the same token.  If they reissue it again and sales proved to be very good, it would encourage other manufacturers (like Hasagawa) to develop a new kit of their own based on the same subject.

To make matters worse, you’re comparing an existing kit that was made (back in the day) to a (as of yet confirmed) fantasy kit from Hasagawa.  How can you compare a kit that was actually made to a future fantasy kit from Hasagawa?  That doesn’t make any sense IMHO.   

We haven’t seen this kit since the mid ‘80’s.   I believe that is enough time ago that it would garner a lot of interest if reissued again.  As it stands right now, sales and profits for this kit are a big fat zero as it sits in Round 2’s tooling archive.  I say…let’s get the tooling out of mothballs and get it producing plastic again.  Things can’t make money/profit if they’re not being utilized.

Edited September 30, 2021 by the other Mike S.

[Justin Porter]

3 minutes ago, the other Mike S. said:

That is the only reason that would describe your extreme reluctance to having this kit reissued again.  By that same token, if they do reissue it and sales proved to be really good, it could encourage other manufacturers like Hasagawa to think about developing a new tool on their own.

To make matters worse, you’re comparing an existing kit to a (as of yet confirmed) fantasy Hasagawa kit based on the same subject.  How can you compare a kit that was actually made (back in the day) to a future fantasy kit from Hasagawa?  That doesn’t make any sense IMHO.   

We haven’t seen this kit since the mid ‘80’s.   I believe that is enough time elasped that it would garner a lot of interest if it was actually reissued again.  As it stands right now, sales and profits are a big fat zero for Round 2 as it sits in their tooling archive.  I say let’s get the tooling out of mothballs and get it producing plastic again.  Things can’t make them money if they’re not being utilized.

There is nothing - other than the nostalgia of builders who themselves are contemporaries of the kit - to indicate it WOULD be a success. Tamiya and Fujimi have both had MkII Supras in their catalog in the intervening years. The Tamiya "Long Beach Pace Car" Supra kit is still both in production and quite popular despite its own shortcomings. The Fujimi and Aoshima "Celica XX 2000GT" kits less so because they don't out and out represent full boat MkII Supras. The MPC kit isn't existing in a vacuum. It has very real competition and it has to be judged on the merits of that competition as how likely it is to be a sales success. Case in point. Round 2 decided to reissue their 1/25th scale MkIV Supra kit this past year at an MSRP of $35.95. Tamiya's MkIV Supra never left production and commands an MSRP of $28. Guess who ended losing THAT matchup horrendously? 

http://hobbytyme.com/images/products/tam24033.jpg

[the other Mike S.]

54 minutes ago, Justin Porter said:

There is nothing - other than the nostalgia of builders who themselves are contemporaries of the kit - to indicate it WOULD be a success. Tamiya and Fujimi have both had MkII Supras in their catalog in the intervening years. The Tamiya "Long Beach Pace Car" Supra kit is still both in production and quite popular despite its own shortcomings. The Fujimi and Aoshima "Celica XX 2000GT" kits less so because they don't out and out represent full boat MkII Supras. The MPC kit isn't existing in a vacuum. It has very real competition and it has to be judged on the merits of that competition as how likely it is to be a sales success. Case in point. Round 2 decided to reissue their 1/25th scale MkIV Supra kit this past year at an MSRP of $35.95. Tamiya's MkIV Supra never left production and commands an MSRP of $28. Guess who ended losing THAT matchup horrendously? 

http://hobbytyme.com/images/products/tam24033.jpg

You’re comparing two different things.  Not all Supras are the same.  The MKII Supra by MPC was/is a much better kit than the F&F derived MKIV.  Also, I don’t think the MKIV could be built stock.

The MPC Supra, if reissued, doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  However, for mostly 1/25th fans, the MKII Supra would be a much desired addition unless they can find sources for the original annual.  Also, if you like to make custom builds or build several that are in different color/trim combinations, having a new reissue to build from would be much better than trying to search and scrounge the original annuals.

In the sea of Camaros/Firebirds/Mustangs/ect that we always seem to have, the MPC MKII Supra would be a welcome addition.  Also, it would full a much absent model  in 1/25th scale.  Some people don’t mix and match different scales so freely as you have implied.  Since I build mostly in 1/25th scale, those Tamiya kits that you so highly speak of would not be a consideration for me.

 As I said before, having it just sitting in the warehouse collecting dust is not making them any money.  It’s a pretty good kit and they should reissue it.

[Tabbysdaddy]

They should re-release the Chevy Citation. That would be a hot seller.

[stavanzer]

How about the Chevette?

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/mpc-125-1979-chevette-bear-bait/

I'd be in for this one!

(I think the Citation was a Monogram only kit, but I could be wrong)

[the other Mike S.]

2 hours ago, alexis said:

How about the Chevette?

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/mpc-125-1979-chevette-bear-bait/

I'd be in for this one!

(I think the Citation was a Monogram only kit, but I could be wrong)

Monogram only and it was 1/24th scale.

The Chevette would be nice to see again as a reissue.