Faust

That's true, to a point. White decals can be hard to make without an ALPS printer (which I sadly don't have) but I've found the "double up" method of white decals is pretty good, overall. Part of it is that the decal tricks your eyes into thinking "that should be white" and your brain helps fill in a bit of the detail. I try to use clear decals myself, whenever possible, but I have used the white-backed ones a couple of times.

During the early days of the jet age, there were some false starts and some real gems. Sometimes, those that didn’t get a chance to shine, like the McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo, got to take a second run at it. In the case of the “second” Voodoo, the F-101, it seemed that the stars had aligned and everything would be good to go. In fact, the Voodoo was only somewhat successful at a couple of its intended roles, really only finding a place as a recce bird. That design, however, created another, still different Voodoo; the F-101B was the interceptor model with two seats, more powerful engines/afterburners and even the Genie nuclear rocket! I personally like this form a lot better, as I can remember seeing Canadian Voodoos at airshows when I was a kid. They were loud and fast, and with all that fire out the back, it was a guaranteed hearing-loss-induced-fun kind of day on the airfield! Those who know me know I love Matchbox kits, so when I came across the Matchbox F-101F (two-holer trainer) that could also be built as a Canadian CF-101, I was ecstatic! Check out this questionably detailed, but undeniably epic kit below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/matchbox-1-72-mcdonnel-douglas-f-101f-rf-101b-cf-101b-voodoo-out-of-box/

Yes, there's a lot of Gannet in this bird. I have a small-scale Gannet (Ex-Frog, Ex-Novo, now Revell Germany before the new one came out) I should post sometime. That's a spectacularly ugly plane as well, but not without it's operational merits. The Attacker though... not sure it has redeeming features.

Oh, that's unfortuate to hear that they're prone to dry-rot. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, though. Since I've seen a bag of the tires on another website, and the bag says "Made in Japan" I should have expected that. Japanese tires are much softer than ours, but they don't hold up as well, I don't think. Maybe some reissue tires from a 1/16 General Lee or one of the big Firebirds then, really is the best way to go.

No, they're someone's replacement. One of the people who owned this before me pinched the real, appropriate tires and wheels. Amazingly, they left these replacements. They're wrong, and ugly, but at least they are likely the right size, and will do in a pinch. I'm currently trying to find the right wheels and tires for this beast.

When I started my model site, The Sprue Lagoon, I didn’t really know what it was going to be like, or how long I’d stay at it. As a result of the site, though, I’ve managed to make all kinds of new connections, and it’s really become an important part of how I model. I take great pride in finding and reviewing both interesting, and completely oddball, subjects. One thing I’ve found since I started it back in 2012 is that I now often think “Would that be a fun kit to review?” before I even think of “Would that be a fun kit to build?” I have changed the way I think to try and take what everybody out there in “internet land” might like to see or find interesting. As it turns out, this has led me down a number of interesting roads, and continues to do so. Seven years after starting the website, I have reached a milestone I didn’t even think was possible – 250,000 hits. That’s big for a site just made by one dude and his model stash, I think. I wanted to have a bit of a celebration for it; do something special, something a bit bigger than usual. Well, thankfully, I found just the thing! A couple of years ago, I managed to get my hands on what is still the biggest car kit in my inventory, a 1/16 Street Van called “Movin’ Out”. It is a wild, wild “big rig show van” in the most overdone tradition of both the late ‘70s Vannin’ craze, AND the late ‘70s taste for humungous pieces of styrene! I thought that it would be a fitting thing to present at this milestone occasion; a big review of a big kit on a big day. Check it out at the link below. Thanks, to everybody, who’s helped make my site successful, and has made my modelling far more fun and interesting than I’d have ever thought possible. Just like this van, you all rock! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/revell-1-16-movin-out-big-rig-street-van-oob/

I must protest! Wiener dogs are a lot thinner, faster and more agile!

Thanks Scott! It's really not a bad looking plane, but man, it sure is out of date. I mean, even compared to an F-80 it looks bad. It surprises me that, despite its flaws, the Germans were able to field a single-jet fighter that was more aerodynamically advanced (He-162) amid the chaos of the final days of WWII, and this is all the folks who gave us the Spitfire could do?? Supermarine's jet-age designs just really lack the "oomf" of their prop jobs! It is also super cool, to me, that it's pretty much the only Western-world taildragger jet fighter! I mean, even the P-59 and E.28/39 had tricycle gear! Oh... I should build (and review out of box) my Caproni C.C.2/N1. There's a great combo of tail-draggery dead endedness!

Yeah, isn't that always the way? Have we seen any shots of the new decal sheet? I wonder if they'll give it the full stripe, not just the short one of the original kit? It would be a big improvement.

Sometimes you get it… sometimes you don’t. We’ve all had off days, but it’s one thing to mess up on a model, and another to mess up creating the actual subject in real life! Well, despite their success with the Schneider Trophy races and the immortality of the Spitfire, it seems that, after WWII, the good folks at Supermarine just kind of threw in the towel. They went from creating some of the world’s fastest aircraft to creating one of the slower, more lacklustre and undeniably more porcine jets. Early jets, of course, weren’t all successes, but the straight-winged, tail dragging, chubby-boddied Attacker is one of the most prevalent losers of the immediate post-war jet cohort. Of course, because it’s such a substandard loser, I love it! It’s not just loser cars that get me going, total failures of aeronautics also make me smile! That’s why I was glad to get my hands on the Trumpeter Attacker! At the time, there was no good 1/72, so I was even willing to go up a scale and out of my normal comfort zone to build one! Check out the 1/48 Trumpeter Attacker at the link below, and let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/trumpeter-1-48-supermarine-attacker-f-1/

Man, talk about timing! I'd love to get in on that, but the BRAT is also calling my name, and is the "one year build" I have for my local IPMS club. Cool about getting people excited to build the old stuff - reissues or not!

I'm sure you'll be glad that you did, Snake!

Nice work, especially on opening up that trunk! Well done! I don't know why they produce this stuff in such small numbers. I'm sure from this thread alone they could sell more of them; it seems to be partially a distribution thing, I guess. Despite the cost, I'm glad I got mine when I did!

That advert for the contest is awesome! I love industry insider stuff like that! I also want that pile of kits they show in the ad. I'd rather win that than a real BRAT! (Easier to store, doesn't rust, etc.) I do find it interesting that the "BRAT Brat", that little angel/devil character is shown on the go cart. I've not seen it used anywhere else! Does anyone know anything else about it? I do like that the go kart is brown. Of course it is. Thanks, 1970s...

Ah, yes. Model companies do tread that razor-thin line, don't they? It's a lot like the MPC '78 Pacer X, which of course was never a real thing (to my knowledge), and I am sure there are a tonne of others out there too, I just can't think of any that haven't been mentioned yet. I do kind of like the whole "What if" of the '75 GTO, though. While it might be the last in line, at least this Nova is a car that existed! I just wish this car was a four-door!

Man, so much good love for the Nova! I am leaning to doing bone stock (of course), and it's got the up-level interior and stuff, so it'll be like the best of the worst (?) I guess. I hear what you're saying about new cars all looking the same, but it's all about what you're looking for/at. I can definitely agree, but I can also say the same for the late '70s, or early '60s, or the 1900-1940 timeframe! As an example, Look at the '79 Nova, Citation, '80 Volare, Malibu and a few others. They all have straight grilles with boxy hoods, single headlights, slab sides and the same kind of bumpers. If you are only looking at those, it's hard to see a difference. I remember so many of these being "warmed over" it's not even funny!

Okay, quick question: What's with the "sideways" thing? I don't really remember anything like that, but I wasn't driving these cars. With what everyone is saying, it sounds like the Novas were not much different from other cars of the Era. On paper, they sucked, and they weren't as good or powerful as what came before, but they all seem to have had some examples that were at least solid, competent cars. That seems fair! My Dad's '76 Torino was the same; big, slow and woefully underpowered compared to only 6 years previous, but those big bumpers could (and did) take a pounding, and it would go through any snow without question. It never let us down, until the trunk floor rotted out and the body fell off of it, in 1991! Not bad for a Malaise car. I remember lots of these Novas around when I was young, and a TONNE were hot rodded in some way. Alan: I'm not sure about the engine. I know the Ventura kit came first, and I can't talk to the chassis, but looking at a '78/'79 305 and the valve covers on the Squad Rod, and they look identical. Poncho covers are bigger, and don't have the "step" in them, from what I can tell. Still, regardless of what it is, once it's blue, it'll be fine.

Yeah, I got this at my LHS. I never did see one at Hobby Lobby. I never saw the Pinto wagon at Hobby Lobby either. It seems that the Round 2 reissues hit hard, and then fade fast. Does anyone else seem to notice this? It's like, if you don't get it in the first couple of months, your chances drop significantly. At least for some things. The Datsun pickup is an exception, it seems. Mike: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I cannot tell a lie: a loser is a loser, and while I love 'em, I also love to roast 'em!

Um... do you know me? That's what I do. It's kind of my stock in trade. Look at any of the other reviews of loser cars (there are lots). I pretty much slag them all. (P.S. Isn't your negativity about my negativity kind of negative? Just saying...) I honestly, truly love the cars (and the kits of them) from the "Automotive Dark Ages" for a few reasons. I grew up with them, but I also understand that they are sad, sad shadows of just how much fun and excitement cars embodied only a short time before. Why did I need to unleash such an attack? Why did American car makers need to unleash such substandard, poorly-built, unreliable and stylistically stagnant cars on a public that clearly wanted more? If you don't like what I have to say, remember - I only say it because the cars themselves are there. And that, my friends, is another reason I focus on the losers. We, as automotive enthusiasts, can't allow these things to be forgotten. We can't allow car makers to get content and offer low-performing, mediocre, boring, soulless and uninteresting cars ever again. When people at shows (or online) see one of these, and go "Oh, man, that thing's a <insert famous nameplate here>?", then I've done my job. I also like to have a museum of these cars as they were originally, before they all rusted away! It's all for fun, tongue-in-cheek style.

When it comes to the Automotive Dark Ages, there are a few certainties you can almost always rely on. One of those is that it was a bad time to be a storied nameplate, because the chances of you surviving with your name intact was pretty much nil. That’s why I love that era, from about 1973 to about 1987 so much; the cars in it were so lacklustre and neutered that people can’t help but want to forget them. One good example is the Nova. While most people will choose to remember the late ‘60s and early ‘70s muscle-era pocket rockets, the truth is the Nova died a long and slow death, wasting away until replaced by the exciting, modern and much-ballyhooed Citation! (Nevermind it’s resurrection as a badge engineered Corolla…) For me, the thrill isn’t the early Novas that everyone remembers. Nope, it’s the cruddy, wheezy late models, the shadows of their former selves, that turns my crank. For that reason, I was very excited to finally be able to get my hands on a copy of Round 2’s version of the MPC 1979 Nova – Squad Rod! As if the last Nova wasn’t sad enough, the MPC attempt to create a Police Hot Rod is just, well… disquieting. Check out this loserly last stand at the link below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/mpc-1-25-1979-nova-squad-rod-out-of-box/

Oh man! I love the dio accessories that come with that R360! It is a hideous little car, though. Maybe one day I'll find it, however!

My Magnum van is 1/25. I have the Westfalia Joker kit, and it's a Revell Germany kit and it's 1/25 too. I don't know if it's the same basic kit, but I'd suspect it would be. You gotta love that scale variability!

It's funny: I posted this, and THEN I saw that discussion. Of course. That's how it always goes, isn't it. Still, pretty awesome!

Oh my.... The BRAT IS coming back! That's Awesome! Also, did I see a 1/16 Isetta in that Revell catalogue? Is that a new kit? I'd never heard of it before! Now, if we can get the '75 Pontiac Sprint or a stock Vega, that'd be awesome!

They're all cool, actually; I was very lucky to find them all in one place! As for the Brat, however, I have to wonder what's up with the whole back wall of the interior being setup they way it is. Clearly going to need some surgery there. The Messerschmitt is neat, but I think it sacrifices too much to the "multimedia" gimmick. I'd rather just have had plastic with the same detail. It's easier to work on!