Faust

Has anyone heard anything more about this being reissued? I know it wasn't in Round 2's last report, but it would still be cool if it was reissued at some point. I'd love one decked out like the prototype, with the big airdam/deflector thing and in the orange/white paint scheme!

Despite building them very rarely, I really do like space ships. On one hand, they really let you use your imagination, since they’re not real. On the other, most ships of which there are kits are so famous that to paint them in other than their “accepted” schemes can often be considered akin to heresey! I’ve always wanted to build my “own” ship, with its own back story. However, I’m not up for that kind of scratchbuilding, so that left me high and dry. That was until I came across the Wave kit of the Solvalou, a non-scale kit of the main fighter from the video game Xevious. Since I’m no gamer, and never was, I had no connection to the ship, nor did I have any preconceived notions about how it should look, scale or anything else. So, I finally had a chance to get imaginative! I had great fun paying tribute to my two favourite books, the Usborne Book of the Future and the original TTA Book (Spacecraft 2000-2100AD) with this little model, which turned out to be a great kit! Check out my personal addition to the TTA universe at the link below, and let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/1-1500-cam-1228-p2-super-gunship-wave-non-scale-solvalou/

You know, in blue it's almost okay. The black/chrome wheels help a lot. The originals are so "cyber-future" it's sad and embarrassing! It's just that the front end, and the back end, are so at odds with each other. With that odd passenger cabin caught, literally and figuratively, in the middle, it makes for an awkward package. Still, as a future hover car, or maybe a weird post-apocalyptic thing it might have merit.

It always surprises me that the aftermarket decal segment of the car modelling world isn't bigger than it is. I'd love some of the decals we don't see repopped too. Steve's suggestion, though, is valid. Except for a bit of a focus issue on the "hotdog" decals, this would likely do well with a quick Photoshopping.

That looks really good, man! I love that coppery colour; my brother had a really big toy 280 when we were kids. It was the same colour as that, pretty much (More brown, maybe, but close) and that's always the colour I associate with "Japan's T/A". the bigger wheels actually work really well on it, too! I wanted to get this kit, but I have the Tamiya of the same car, so I thought I'd save shelf space for more weird stuff. Now, If I could only get my hands on one of those Mavericks...

Oh man, that's cool! I haven't watched Totorro in ages, and I forgot that there was a Midget in it! Now I want to do mine that way too, but I don't have the right amount of junk to put in the proverbial "trunk". I didn't think the Mazda looked too big - I mean, it's smaller than an EXP.

I agree completely with the sentiments about old kits. I treat both reissues and originals with the same sense of "loving dread". I KNOW it's going to be a tonne of work, and it's going to be a lot of research to get things right, and I hate that part, but I love that part, too. It's great to get to know the subject, and for me, that's as big a takeaway as the finished model! The other thing is that yeah, kits back in the day weren't as good, precise or even as accurate as many of today's. However, they were much, much cheaper, too. I think there's a lot to be said for a slightly less-perfect kit that's fun on a budget. Granted, the reissues are anything but cheap, but I'm talking how much they were when they came out. I also like it when the parts rack is a "treasure hunt" of extra bits for other versions, or sometimes for the version your're building, like the radiator on the Pony Express, and you have to figure it out. "Give a man a perfect model, and he'll build it in one week. Give a man a crappy kit, and you'll keep him busy for a year!" Isn't that how it goes?

When most people think of a collection of vehicles from the mid 1950’s, they think of T-Birds, or Tri-Chevies or at least something with fins. Barring that, at least most people think of something with four wheels! However, I am not most people. For me, while they’re visually interesting and neat in real life, cars of the Fifties have never really “done it” for me as modelling subjects. No, I like the weirder stuff, so when I got a collection of vehicles from the mid-‘50s, it was a bunch of Japanese three-wheeled commercial vehicles! Thanks to LS (and Arii thereafter), my lust for oddball automotive subjects can be at least somewhat appeased! Check out my collection of 5 three-wheelers from the fun and simple 1/32 “Owner’s Club” model series. You’ll never see a Big Wheel the same way again! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/arii-1-32-owners-club-three-wheelers/

That, sir, is a fantastic idea! Sounds like something that needs to be done with an MPC Pinto - much cheaper and less dangerous!

Wow! That engine looks awesome! Nice work!

While I tend to focus on mecha, cars and planes, I do have other interests as well. One of those is submarines. I generally find modern subs to be a little bit boring, but WWII subs generally grab my attention. Of course, the weirder it is the more I like it, and the German midget subs of WWII must be some of the weirdest, and least effective, of their type! Needless to say, this means I do have a real thing for German midget subs, and I’m always surprised to find out just how many kits of these things there are! Last year I picked up a couple more, and the smaller (kit) of the two is the one I thought I’d share first! Check out one of Germany’s better entries into this category, the 1/72 Seehund. It’s an ICM, but this copy is brought to you by Revell Germany. Either way, it’s a neat kit of a little-known craft! Seehund

Hey Randy! I actually have a lot of cool die-cast stuff; some more Russian stuff, some Corgi, and of course some oddball Playart and Zylmex stuff, too! Oh, are you talking about the "Fresh Cherries" stuff? Those are awesome. I wasn't into cars when they came out, but my brother has them ALL! I am always looking at them at his place. I do, however, have the Maisto Fusion. That's a cool one too! Hope you had a good Christmas, man!

It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I like the oddball subjects. Loser cars and automotive failures are one thing, but I’m also a big fan of Street Vans and custom trucks too. Normally, I prefer to get my custom juices flowing by building a model of something, but once in a while I come across a die cast vehicle that’s just what the Doctor ordered! A perfect example of this is the Zylmex “Datsun Sunshine” custom mini-truck. Chock full of the Hong Kong version of late ‘70s custom trickery, this little customized Datsun 620 is a cool little piece that looks great on display. At 1/43, it also doesn’t take up much room! Check out this recent toy show find at the link below. It’s an early present to everybody, because everybody likes Sunshine on Christmas! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/zylmex-1-43-datsun-sunshine/

1977 Pinto hatchback?????? I. Am. So. IN! Put new tires on there like Round 2 is wont to do, and BAM! Gotta get me one of those. Now I won't be able to sleep again tonight...

If there’s one word in my car modelling vocabulary that is worth a thousand images, it’s “Van”. When I was growing up, it was the waning days of the Vannin’ craze, and I can remember all kinds of totally awesome, mega-tricked out vans at car shows we’d go to in the spring and summer. Most of us remember those mural-bedecked rolling pleasure palaces as perhaps the most expressive automotive customs ever, even if they weren’t your thing. However, one thing I don’t ever remember seeing was a stock custom van. If you’re asking “What?” then you’re like me when I first heard of the Ford and Dodge factory-made, custom-ready street vans. As it turns out, AMT even gave us a kit of the 1977 Ford Cruising Van, complete with very loud factory striping! It’s been a long time since it was available, and despite bringing out the custom Econoline “Phantom” van a few years ago, Round 2 has seen fit to resurrect this long-gone piece of model kit history. The new version features some improvements too, like better tires and two kinds of striping! I love vans, and I love wacky production cars. This is both! You guys knew I'd be getting this one as soon as I could get my hands on it, right? It doesn’t get much better than this, despite this thing's flaws. Check it out at the link below, but if it’s rockin’, don’t come a knockin’! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/amt-round-2-1-25-1977-ford-cruising-van-out-of-box/

What these guys are saying is true about finding cars for sale on the web. That's what I do for most of my builds, actually! The T/A is a double-edged sword, though; there will be a lot of customized ones on line as well as stock, so make sure you poke around diligently! You can check out my T/A; there are few custom touches (again, like what you often find) but the interior (save the headliner - had to be replaced) and the decals are like the factory. I know mine's an 80, but they're very similar. NOTE: if you're not doing it as a Tenth Anniversary, you have to fill and sand the embroidered bird between the rear seats and on the doors.

A hot-rodded White Base is the perfect way of putting it! It really is to the White Base what the RX-78-GP01 is to Amuro's RX-78. Just everything made soooo much better, sexier and faster looking.

Being a fan of science fiction generally means liking spaceships. I grew up with all kinds of cool spaceships to hold m interest, including, of course, those in Star Wars, Transformers and the various anime series (Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada) that make up Robotech. By the same token, while there were always cool space ship toys to get, as I got older I was a bit disappointed by the small number of mainline space ship model kits that were available. When I got into anime, I thought that would be rectified, but even then, kits of spacecraft weren’t easy to come by in North America, at least. Still, they say that good things come to those who wait, and after waiting for about 22 years to get a kit of my favourite Gundam spacecraft, the Albion from 0083, I finally managed to grab one of the reissued EX-Models. Check out this interesting low-volume kit from Bandai’s specialized EX line at the link below. Be warned – it’s not like other Gundam kits! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/bandai-1-1700-ex-model-mobile-assault-ship-albion-out-of-box/

Wow! That's nice work! As a Canuck, I fear the NMF Starfighters; there's no way I could ever get one looking that good! Many thanks for modelling one of "ours", eh!

Oh for... Yes, that's the BV-141 alright. God, I must be getting old, or stupid, or both! Now it is weird, but it's neither a glider nor a fighter. :/ Sorry, I meant BV-40. That one's the glider.

Ah yes, the Julia! That, the Zeppelin Rammer and of course the Piloted V1 (Fi-103) all take the concept of the "lightweight fighter" to the extremes. Don't forget the BV-141 GLIDER fighter, too! That was actually built! Still, those seem tame in comparison to things like the Triebflugel VTOL and the Piloted V2??! If only they'd had a plane that ran on dreams, they'd have won for sure...

You know what makes that Ratte box? The UFOs! Great sense of humour, Takom! Seriously, when your HULL GUN is the main gun from THE BIGGEST TANK EVER, you could be accused of <cough> compensating <cough>. I'm sure it would have been easy enough to knock out one of those Rattes with a Grand Slam, just to make the point! Oh, on the subject of the Natter - there was also a proposal to make them out of thick cardboard. Yes. Cardboard. Just like those old Estes rockets we likely all had when we were kids. Makes "to the moon, Alice" take on a whole new meaning... Why work on Sams or improving the Komet when you have... CARDBOARD DEATH ROCKETS! Sigh... Thanks for the compliments on the Baby article too. What's really funny is that article is a mistake; it was already published in December 2015's article. At that time, Nobody gave me any feedback. This time, I've heard from multiple people that they really enjoyed the article! Makes me glad I wrote it, and that it was accidentally re-released!

No, it's a really bad plan... I think the Natter would have been better served by just putting in 200lbs of TNT and a proximity fuse and firing it into the bomber stream. I mean, it HAD autopilot for during the launch sequence, so using it as a ballistic SAM seems like a better, and safer, idea to me!

When it comes to crazy, desperate ideas executed with inappropriate haste, advanced-yet-available technology and a good side helping of Teutonic efficiency, there’s little doubt that the WWII Luftwaffe has to be champion. Be it rocket planes that were more dangerous to their crews than the enemy or stealthy flying wing fighters, the RLM and German industry were up to a lot of different things as WWII came to a close. One of the more frightening ones that saw testing and actual deployment was the Bachem Natter. This was a VTO point defence fighter, more akin to a “Manned Missile” than any other aircraft that made it to service, except the Japanese Ohka. Of course, in great German fashion, there were all kinds of tests and prototypes! One such machine was the first (and only) manned article, Natter M23. The good folks at Brengun have actually made a kit of this little (and deadly) oddity. Check it out at the link below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/brengun-1-72-bp-20-natter-mustermaschine-m22-m23-oob/

I guess I'm the only one excited by those two 1/76 offerings eh? I have been WAITING for the Char B1 and FT17 to come out, and I don't have the M40 either. Now, all I need is the LRDG and the Jeep and Morris gun tractor set and I'll have all the Matchbox "big" armour multi-kits, I think. C'mon Revell! LRDG for 2020!