maxwell48098

Yes, we can be happy with kits while pointing out problems. It is when pointing out problems becomes an obsession to the point of implying that the kit tooling was copied is simply ludicrous. Others saying that the kit is so bad as to be not worth purchasing or building only hurts the prospects of future offerings in this series. A little rework to the grilles is probably in order, but compare these with the AMT offerings. Before I retired, I worked for DaimlerChrysler. We would gather with our German counterparts to focus on future joint "back shop" projects that could be shared across both companies. Too many projects died because our German counterparts focused on the 5% of the project that couldn't be shared rather than moving forward with the 95% that could be. The Germans would make it sound like this small area of disagreement was 90% of the project, not 5%, and as a result top management is Germany would kill the joint projects to the overall detriment of the company. Let's focus on the great aspects of these kits while noting that a few things are less than ideal, but not show stoppers. I won't be commenting anymore on this topic as it takes away from my building time which is far more uplifting than listening to bitches, not just on this board, but on others as well by the same folks. Life is too short and model building is a fun hobby. And after building for 60 years, I still love it. A.J.

There have been a lot of comments and insinuations about the Mobius kits being retooled AMT kits. If they were really based off the same tools, then the parts layout should be on the sprues should be exactly the same between the Mobius and AMT kits. Think about it, if Mobius were to be using AMT tooling then the same parts should be on the same sprues between kits. Another point was how similar the parts were. Shouldn't the parts be nearly identical if they are representing the same subject? I've also wondered over the years about the amount of detail (and related costs) that goes into some parts that are almost completely hidden by other parts. I would also think that if Mobius was just copying or re-using AMT tooling, there would be no reason to make any changes at all, much less subtle changes to parts on the inside of the part like the air cleaner. I'm in no way defending Mobius here but insinuating that they copied or use AMT tooling is really nuts. Look very, very closely at the similar parts shown above and you'll see what I mean. Similar but not the same, then again the subjects and the components involved are similar or in some cases the same between that generation of Ford trucks. Look at a Hollander interchange manual to see how the same part gets used across decades of the same manufacturer's vehicles. Things like frames, suspensions, etc. should be nearly identical even on kits from different manufactures because the real ones are.. Again while the Mobius kits may not be perfect, they are certainly better than the alternative at a price point that keeps them within reach of most modelers. Maybe detail could have been better on some items but then the cost to do that would have surely increased the cost of the kits. Look at the Meng F350. Extremely well done, but with shortcomings as well but at a retail price of twice the Mobius kits. Let's just enjoy these kits, and who knows if they are successful we may see other versions or revised versions of these in the future. Then again, how many complaints have there been about the grille of the Revell '64/'65 Chevy pickups compared to the 1:1, much less the correct one used by AMT on their '64/'65 lwb promos or the grille sold by Modelhaus. Let's enjoy these kits and be thankful, especially for the 6 cylinder versions! So far there have been quite a few of these pickups completed and the ones I've seen look great. A.J.

Neat little build. A.J.

Nicely done. A.J.

Wow that turned out great. A.J.

Bill Bitner was an extremely accomplished modeler of various automotive subjects. I always enjoyed his work and we conversed back and forth on several projects. Just remember that life is too short not to enjoy every day. A.J.

Very nice looking stock, low buck F100. A.J.

Looks fantastic. A.J.

Well, I've opened the two '69's and two '71's that I bought. I must be really lucky as my four kits have only so very slight flaws, mainly light sink marks in the top rear corners of the bed sides. And I also dropped this cab right onto the older AMT F350 chassis, so a small flatbed or 4X4 mini-pumper using the '69 cab and '78 chassis looks like it will be on the to-do list. One simple thing that I would have liked is to have the exhaust system be mutiple pieces as I like to fully assembly the chassis and paint it as a unit. Once the rear axle is in place, getting the single piece exhaust system in there is impossible, so I cut the tailpipe off a the back side of the muffler, then glue it back together after installation. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with these kits and hope Mobius isn't discouraged to not fill out this line of Ford kits. One thing I do remember from my days as a Ford technician in the early '70's is that the 300 CID truck six had the same external dimensions as the 240. We swapped a 240 for a 300 in my buddy's '60 Ford Wagon, along with 3 Webber sidedraft carbs. That thing had torque that would burn the tires off the heavy Ford wagon.

I agree JT that the stores know these folks are scamming them. I've been building model car and trucks since 1958, and have built thousands over that period of time. I can honestly say that I can only think of one or two kits that I've purchased that were defective. Both cases have happened in the past 10 years and both times I contacted the model company to get replacement parts.

Yep,it works fine. https://translate.google.ca/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modell-laster-forum.de%2Ft2669f72-Ford-F-MENG-mit-Beleuchtung.html&edit-text=&act=url A.J.

Jim, Open the site in "google translator" set to English. A.J.

I picked up an AMT 359 kit on the clearance shelf at my local Hobby Lobby the other day that someone had bought and apparently needed only the wheels and tires, then brought it back. It was complete except for the tires and wheels and was priced at $12.93. Couldn't pass it up. I've picked up other returned kits, mainly for parts, as the prices were too good to ignore. A.J.

4.7 replaced the 5.2 as the engine was about 60 pounds lighter and the design of the intake and heads improved fuel economy by roughly 4 mpg and torque curve was also flatter but came in at lower rpm.

I wonder if Round 2 would consider selling decals from some of their newer releases? The updated, expanded decal sheets of their latest offerings would be welcome by many of us older modelers for restoring / rehabbing older builds. Just a thought.

Awesome work, as usual. A.J.

Very nice, as always. A.J.

Modelhaus already sells the '72 grille, and it's chromed too. A.J.

Just remember that the JF cab is based off the Ford F100, and is not the medium/heavy duty 600 series. I've started widening a the front fenders from an AMT F100 and will cut off the resin ones and replace them with the widened plastic fender clip. Then it drops right on the L series chassis.

Back during the '70's "energy crisis", AMT tried to the two part tires as the used a different plastic that the one piece vinyl tires. Some of the car kits also had plastic tires instead of vinyl. (FYI- pre-energy crisis vinyl tires are the ones that melt the styrene wheels if you didn't pant the contact surface). If you have any of the old kits, you'll find that the plastic on some was "milky" while others would have the white plastic turn turn tan or yellow. Both the AMT and Revell plastics were also more brittle then they are today. Those were interesting times for modelers. A.J.

Nicely done. A.J.

Wow. Another great one. A.J.

My mistake in interpretting it as a 60 Series and not a 1960. Old age syndrome. A.J.

You may want to check the Modelhaus wheels and tires from their Chevrolet 60 Series conversion kit: http://www.modelhaus.com/index.php?page=5&c=0&y=0&pt=33&part=1&Submit=Search. A.J.

Not Dan, but his trailer a a shorty based on using just half of the IMC / Testors / Lindberg van trailer. I actually used half of a van kit to build a Dodge L700 delivery truck. A.J.