Faust

If there’s one thing I love, and one thing Bandai knows all about, it’s variants! When it comes to Gundam kits, there are quite often very many variants of major suits to choose from. The idea, of course, is that people will buy them all… well, it seems to work! Despite having 3 Jegan and two Jesta varieties in 1/144, I still picked up the 1/100 Master Grade Jegan when I ran into it. It was sure cheap enough for an MG, and it was a lot simpler than some of the more recent, overdone kits. However, I didn’t want just another green Jegan, so I figured out how to customize it. I did it as if it was still in service at the time of V-Gundam, thanks to the help of the recent RE:100 Gun Ez! Check out my custom Jegan, likely the last in this long line of evergreen grunt suits! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/mecha-robots/bandai-1-100-master-grade-rgm-89-r-jegan-custom-build/

I'm looking forward to having it with my Norm and eventually my Seiran and Jake, too, for a Pontoon Plane Jamboree! I guess I could include my Twin Otter in there, in the right markings... Hmm... Shame my An-2 isn't a float version....

Yeah, I was pretty pumped to get it. Alan wanted to see into it, so I thought I'd start the new year with it. It's a neat little kit, but the rigging does worry me. Oh well... I'll see about trying the rigging on something else first, in case I mess it up!

Yeah, I know... I have no idea if I can pull it off, and I might not do this biplane first. Or, I might just do the best I can and hope. There's always that approach! I've got a lot of EZ Line, but I don't know if that's the right answer for this job or not. Any ideas?

It only seems right to start the New Year off with an old kit! Of course, I have a whole stable of those to choose from, but I thought that it would be fun to look at something that I’ve never done before; a biplane! While everybody knows the Swordfish, there is another Fleet Air Arm biplane of WWII that, it seems, is largely forgotten. No, I’m not talking about the Albacore, although it’s awesomely obscure and somewhat pedestrian as well. I’m talking about the Fairey Seafox! This was an observation and spotting plane used until the middle of the war to help locate enemies for the fleet’s gunners. It’s no surprise that few people know it; it’s not fast, glamourous or sexy, except in that weird, obscure “What is that??” kinda way. Of course, that makes it totally awesome to me, and I was very happy to finally get my hands on a Matchbox kit of the type. It seems to be one of the harder ones to find! So, if you want to check out some classic Matchbox goodness on a genuinely obscure type, go no further than the link below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/matchbox-1-72-fairey-seafox-oob/

Oh! I must admit I didn't know that (obviously). What's really dumb is I knew the "Rat" moniker, but never have encountered the "Mouse" name! Makes a bit more sense now... Thanks, man!

"Monza Mouse" just doesn't sound very aggressive or terrifying...

Wow... So awesome! I love the Olds kit, especially! I wish it was the later ones, where they looked a little dorkier and more different, but still awesome nonetheless! I do so hate the Japanese penchant for motorizing their kits. Lame.

Isn't the Formula Sunbird a version of the Super Sypder Revell kit? Oh, Steve: Thanks for the awesome Mirage ad! It does show the flares on the MPCs are too big. Sadly... I did know the Spyder name came from the Corvair, but given it's usually used for two-seat, sometimes convertivble sports cars, using it on the Monzas just seems weird. I guess they're trying to channel the European flavour (since there's a lot of Ferrari in that design).

I don't know about the pieces fitting the AMT, but I can give you a breakdown of what's different/same in all the MPCs, and we can cross-figure it from there! Still need that SuperHawk...

Oh my goodness... I knew there was a Japanese Skyhawk, and I knew there was a Lindy 1/32 of it (NEEEEED that!!!), but I have never, ever, EVER seen the MPC "Super Hawk" kit until now. Un- Freaking Real! Now, I MUST have that. I bet I can make a stock one, just by using the parts from my legion of Monzas!.Looking at the price on Model Roundup, though, I doubt it's one I'll own in my lifetime! Crazy! It's basically the Buick version of Black Max! Oh, a while ago, Alan suggested to me a comparison of what parts are in what kit. I've started thinking on that line; would anyone else be interested in such a comparison?

I have the Zvezda Il-86, and it looks nice too. I'm not an airliner builder; they take up too much space for me, and they're just "targets" (i.e. they're unarmed), but the Il-86 is just SOOOOO beautiful. I know it's a crappy plane, but darn it's hot looking. That kit looks nice too. The engine detail on my brother's 787 was excellent.

It seems I’m not the only one who’s paralyzed by choice! A short time ago, I had a poll for which of my many Monzas people would like to see written up first! Well, when there’s that much awesomeness on display, I can see why it would be a hard decision to make. However, I was very surprised to see that three of them all tied for first! So, I personally broke the deadlock and chose the one I liked best, which was also my nephew’s favourite (he’s four and has good taste, it seems). Check out what’s inside the first of many radical custom Monza kits with this out of box look at Street Spyder! It’s an early Christmas present, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/revell-1-25-1978-monza-street-spyder-oob/

Oh, well, let me check... You're right! I do apologize, profusely in this case, to Zvezda. I thought it was a repack of their kit. So many Revell Germanys are, it seems. No, this is definitely a Revell. Wow... that's sad for Revell. That thing is garbage. I don't know how old the original moulds are, but the kit looks like it's 30 years old. You want to talk about flash?! My apologies to everyone. I got the idea somewhere, but I didn't follow it up enough. I'm going to edit the original post too, with a note. Good catch, man!

That yellow "Street Spyder" looks awesome! So does the Pacer in the background, incidentally!

I've noticed a wide variety of quality on the Zvezdas myself. One kit I put aside as unbuildable is their 747. I got the "Iron Maiden Ed Force One" version as a Revell Germany... Utter, total, unmitigated, savage BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH. And, in 1/144, a 747 is a big poop to polish! Note: I messed that up! I got confused and thought the 747 was an old Zvezda. My apologies to all, Zvezda most of all. I found some shots of the Zvezda, and it is LIGHT YEARS better than the Revell. That's a shameful skeleton in Revell's closet, then. Bad, bad kit. My brother has the 1/144 787 and it's pretty nice. Not perfect, but not the unbuildable steamy heap that is the 747. I like their middling kits, at least the looks of them; the T-50 (PAK-FA) and Su-39 look nice, but not fidgety. I have an Su-33 that looks more like the Mig-29 in that it looks nice, but a quick review shows they did the same thing with the intakes... this time I'll be ready, though!

Hey Mike! I love that Mig, and even I've been tempted to give up on it at times. However, I'll get there! I guess Nivas would make good staff cars. They're rugged and go just about anywhere. They are, however, ridiculously tiny! I guess armour isn't a big deal on a staff car, because I don't think they had the power do deal with any weight increases! It seems that those Ladas fall apart everywhere the temperature is high enough for iron oxide to form. I had two in my townhouse complex growing up... but not for long!

No surprise that I want all the LIndies that are crappy '70s mobiles! C'mon Round 2 - you gotta help us out with this one! That Monarch above = PURE LOVE!!!

A challenge is one thing, but sometimes you just run into something that’s just difficult for no reason, and it seems as if the designers can be heard sitting in their conference room snickering “Hah! Let them figure THIS out!” Sadly, the Zvezda Mig-29 SMT is one such kit. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a nice enough looking kit, and all the weapons and features it has still make it cool. However, there are some design choices that break the “questionable” boundary and spin off into the void of unnecessary complexity. A perfect example of this latter kind of design are the intakes on Zvezda’s lumpy Fulcrum. I know a lot of people were eager to see this one built, so I thought I’d best warn everyone that this is one Fulcrum that might push YOU past the tipping point! Check out my build report below, and don’t say I didn’t warn you about this one! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/2019/12/04/mig-29smt-update-more-work-than-it-ought-to-be/

Epic Monzaness coming out of the woodwork! I guess that's why model companies made so many of these things - they're almost limitless in their potential! Great work everybody! H-Bodies: Rise!

Thanks SteveZ. I'm a huge Luft '46 fan; I've got something like 20 of them in my stash, minimum. I like to be imaginative when I'm doing my modelling, sometimes, and details on a Luft '46 can't be argued with. I agree that the "Spyder Sisters" are the most period. I like Long Shot not only for the ridiculous name, but also because it is literally halfway between Street Spyder and Black Max. It's an IMSA Dragster. Talk about personality conflicts! I know that feeling of finally deciding you want something and having it disappear. that's why, after turning down the Syper Spyder (due to price and the fact it's a cruddy looking kit) three times, and it STILL being there, I figured I'd better get it. I'm sure glad I did now! I do intend to do the Black Max as the dragster, and I might use some IMSA flares to try and make the '76 annual into a Mirage. The AMT will be Bone Stock, I think, and Street and Super will be, well, whatever they are! :0 Darn it... At least it isn't the Sportback. THAT is one I HAVE to get my hands on! I NEED that one big time! Glad everybody liked the article, and I'm anxious to see which one wins. it's a three way tie right now, and the big loser is Long Shot - nobody voted for him yet. Poor guy.

I'll be honest. If I could vote, I'd vote for either Street Spyder or Super Spyder. I think Super looks AWESOME. Way better in the art than the kit is, but hey, what else is new? As for Street Spyder, it's just so MPC, you can't not love it. My brother is partial to "Black Max". See, there's a Monza for everyone! I think you're right, on the Round 2, Alan, but was it a "vent grille" or a "slit grille" type. I never looked at it, because I already had the AMT. Tom: Except for the wheels sticking out too much, the Cavalier is a largely good kit! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/cars/125-mpc-1982-cavalier/ Thank goodness for scale losermobiles, eh?!

Some people say you can never have too much of a good thing. Then there’s the person who coined the term “Embarrassment of riches”. Well, somewhere between those two things comes something I think most modellers are familiar with: a collection. Now, I don’t just mean a collection of things that are related, like “British side-by-side Two Seaters” or “Third Reich Research Aircraft”. No, I mean when you have multiples of the same basic thing, like “All Subtypes of Navy Phantoms” or “Every Sherman Variant” or, my favourite “A Boatload of RX-78s, even though they’re not your favourite Gundam”. I’m sure we all have such things that we just can’t seem to get enough of. Given my bent towards loving the automotive underdog, it might not come as a surprise to find I have a bit of a Monza fetish. Yes, GM’s sporty-ish H-body from the mid-‘70s just seems to be something I have recently taken a shine to. I blame Ashbrook’s Hobby in Richmond MI – that’s where I got a lot of them! Five, in fact. But fear not, I actually have a full six! Check out this most colourful and intersting variety of a car that was adored by the kit makers back in the day, and which Round 2 has even seen fit to reissue! (Note: that’s a Monza I didn’t buy… I only buy period Monzas. I’m a Monza-Snob!) Don’t forget to vote and/or comment on which one you want me to review first! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/scores-and-collections/monza-mayhem/

Don't forget, too, that that was re-released recently (a couple of years ago) with FAR better tires (and what appear to be slightly cleaned up moulds) by Round 2! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/round-2-amt-125-1977-pacer-wagon-out-of-box/

That's cool about those guys making a 6 for the Gremmy! I didn't now that! The only advantage to the Pacer is when you buy it for the engine, you get a Pacer for free!! Can't be that, even if the engine is expensive. Sorry... couldn't resist.