Faust

Wow, they made a Cyclone, eh? Interesting... I love that Camaro, and the colour is dead-nuts '90s!!! From what I can tell the "Z10" is actually the Chevy S10 "Xtreme". I think they should have stuck with "Z10", but that's not as '90s. Thanks for the info about the Tamiya Jeep, too, Ken. I've never seen that kit nor even heard of it (obviously).

Sometimes, you end up with a bunch of similar things without even trying. A perfect example of that is my (admittedly small) collection of Lindberg 1/20 model cars. I never really went out of my way to collect them, I just kinda bought them when I saw them. Then, I realized I had a gaggle of them hanging around my stash! So, I thought it would be fun to visit a bit of a model car Brobdingnag and see how the “bigger half” lives. I have some older MPC 1/20 kits, but the Lindbergs are neat because they’re all from the ‘90s, when kits of this size were really not a thing! Check them out and let me know what you think? Did you ever get into these? It doesn’t seem too many did… https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/lindberg-1-20-scale-cars/

Since it’s been a while, I thought I’d put up another Dinky Army review. However, I wanted to do something really out of left field, something that’s not as often thought about when one thinks of Dinky Toys. That something is a French Dinky Toy! Yes, as oddly juxtaposed as it may sound, today’s topic is a Dinky Toy made in France, in a French box, not related to a British toy at all. Adding to the fun, it’s an incredibly piece-y and complex bruiser of a toy, the Brockway Bridge Layer! So, if you’ve ever had an imaginary river you needed your Dinky Army to cross, this was the piece of kit you’d turn to in order to accomplish that. Heck, even if the water was real, this think could have come to the rescue! Check it out at the link below, and let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/dinky-toys-no-884-brockway-bridgelayer-truck/

When I posted the stuff I got at HeritageCon 14 a couple of weeks ago, I had a lot of interesting kits on display. I asked people what they wanted me to review first, and I was totally unsurprised by the result! The winner was the oh-so very weird and wonderful Suzuki Carry “Matsuri Van”! I mean, if you can’t see a Kei-class truck with a dude Taiko drumming on the roof would be the winner, then you need to go back to ESP-school, I think! Just like me when I bought it, I think a lot of people are drawn to the weirdness and want to see what it’s all about. So, being a firm believer in “give the people what they want”, you can read all about this pint-sized “parade-on-a-box” at the link below! You must provide your own Sake, however. https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/aoshima-1-24-suzuki-carry-festival-wasshoi-matsuri-van-oob/

With road trips across borders being taboo, and no model shows, the last few years have proven to be a bit of a challenge when it comes to getting my hands on old, weird sprue. Thankfully, I’ve had a local show buy up an old collection and my good friend Alan has pitched in to help me out, too. However, this past weekend, the dam broke when the HeritageCon 14 show took place in Hamilton, Ontario! It was a huge show with lots of great things to see, and lots of weird stuff to buy! I may have gone a little nuts, but you can judge that for yourself! Check out my haul at the link below, and vote for your favourite three (3) in the poll at the end of the article! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/heritagecon-14-haul/ This is only a tiny bit of what I got!!

Thank you fans, thank you! That one was entirely for you, my good man! I fear you're likely right, that the suckage of the real Vega likely tainted the models of the real thing. Although, Pinto kits did well enough, and they never bothered to package them with firecrackers for scale explosiveness... now that would have rocked!

I think the earlier MPCs can be built stock, too. My brother has the Promo for the '77 version, and the kit is likely a knockdown of that. I'm glad to see some stock Vegas; Not sure why so many drag kits but so few stock were made.

A friend and reader messaged me a while ago and asked what had happened to my losers. I mean, everyone knows I love loser cars, but I had drifted a bit away of late. I had a good influx of WWII planes and especially those that float, and I’ve gotten into Brass Era stuff a lot more lately. To be honest, I’d not even noticed my “loser output” had fallen! I promised him that I’d redeem myself before spring, and I’m here today to do just that. Because, when you want to show you’re strong with the Losers, you can’t just show up with anything. You can’t just bring a ’79 Mustang to a Mustang II fight. No. You have to go WAY stronger. You have to go beyond loser, beyond econobox… you have to BECOME shameless badge engineering and parts-bin commonality. And what, dear friends, could exemplify this more than the 1978 MPC Chevy Sportback?? The Monza S was a Vega body with a Monza nose, and the kit is just a Vega Promo with a Monza nose. It’s genius, it’s cheekiness and it’s completely cheap and dirty, malaise-era corner-cutting at both 1:1 and 1:25 scales! So, go and check out one of my rarest kits, one of my most loser of loser cars, and remember, be glad they don’t make ‘em like this any more! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/mpc-1-25-1978-monza-s-chevy-sportback-oob/

I find some of the earlier kits (like the non-IDW Prime and the Seekers) to be very... uh... "pelvic thrusty". Its' weird. They're a little too "crotch-foward" for my liking, and its an oddly disturbing aesthetic. I have Skywarp, and he's definitely showing off... Drift though, thankfully didn't suffer from this. That is one thing that makes this kit really nice! They're pretty nice kits, and I was impressed.

Thanks, John! Hope you liked the finished product, and I'm always glad to be able to share my work, and my weird sense of humour, with readers!

One of the newer arms of the Cthulhu-like octopus that is Transformers branding and merchandise is brought to us by Flame Toys. Their “Furai Model Kits” are buildable, smaller-sized versions of their incredibly detailed (and expensive) “official third party” figures. I have a few of these kits, and while they look good, I was very eager to see how they actually built up as models. I started with the kit I had been very much eagerly hoping to get, namely Drift. As a samurai-inspired giant robot warrior from space, he’s halfway between a Gundam and a traditional Transformer in design, and the kit looked freakin’ awesome! It’s done now, so you can judge for yourself how good these Furai kits are. I’ll tell you this; they’re not up to Bandai’s HG standard…yet. However, if Drift is an indication, these guys have a solid grasp of the basics, and their products should be given respect! Check out my completed Drift at the link below and tell me what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/flame-toys-non-scale-furai-models-drift/

I could likely build nothing but Matchboxes until I die (hopefully a long time from now!) and I'd still never get all mine done! There will never be enough though... I agree with you Alan!

Thanks guys! I will agree, Rusty, that the clipped wings look odd. Their aspect ratio is all wrong. Too much chord for not enough span. Now, I do have the Fujimi (I think, maybe Hase?) extended wing Spit as well. It's a razorback (why don't we ever see that term applied to Spits like we do Mustangs and Jugs?) but I love the weird little tip extensions. Also looks wrong. Thanks for the kind comments too, guys. I'm glad you think it looks good. You know me; can never say "no" to a sexy Matchbox!

While it’s true that I generally like the more obscure subjects, I still have a soft spot in my heart for the classics. When it comes to WWII planes, there is arguably none more classic than the Supermarine Spitfire, the RAF’s thoroughbred that went on to spawn a dizzying variety of different versions throughout its career. However, even when it comes to the famous Spit, there are some obscurities to be had. One of those is the LF.XVI, a clipped-wing, bubble-topped fighter based on the famous Mk.IX. Now, what would make this even more appealing as a modelling subject? Why, if the kit itself was also a classic! That’s why I was excited to grab the single Matchbox Spitfire IX/XVI that my local shop got in a large collection last year. In fact, I was so excited that I started on it right away! Now, this weird little relic is all done and ready for inspection. Check it out at the link below, and tell me what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/matchbox-1-72-spitfire-lf-xvi/

Finding new subjects to model is one of the great parts of this hobby, at least for me. When I branched out into building cars about 13 years ago, I never thought I’d build much more than a couple ‘80s loser machines. Well, then I found models of Street Vans, and Japanese Cars, and then weird Japanese cars, and it just spiralled from there. My most recent source of interest is, as some of you know, Brass Era (BE) cars. I remember seeing these in museums I’d go to with my Uncle when I was little, and always thought they were cool. Now, I have started to set my sights on collecting kits of them! There are more early car kits than I thought, and I was lucky to find a bunch all at once in late 2021. When I posted the haul, I was surprised to find that the one most people wanted to see was actually the 1910 Buick! So, check out the interesting and really very cool 1/32 Life-Like 1910 Buick Model 10 at the link below and you can see how Pyro and Life-Like were bringing the dawn of motoring to life half a century ago! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/life-like-hobbies-1-32-1910-buick-model-10-out-of-box/

It may not be an iron-clad rule, but I do find that I prefer two-seat versions of single-seat aircraft. Oddly, I also prefer the single seat version of trainers… I guess I’m perverse like that! It turns out that there are a lot of planes about which I really don’t get that excited until you add an extra seat. A perfect example of that is the F9F-8 Cougar. I had the old (and not-so-good) 1/48 as a kid, but I didn’t think much of it; the design looked slow and heavy, and like a lot of transonic jets it just didn’t do much for me. However, the two-seater, or “Twogar” as it’s often known, is a different story! I almost bought the Kittyhawk 1/48 Twogar; that’s how much I love that plane. Thankfully, though, I found out about the Sword 1/72 TF-9J, and bought that one instead. Now it’ll be in scale with everything else I have! Even better, I got the one with weapons, that served as a FAC(A) in ‘Nam! While it’s not perfect, it looks pretty cool, so check out the Out of Box review at the link below! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/sword-1-72-tf-9j-cougar-vietnam-blue-angelsoob/

I agree that they would benefit from some PE wires, although given how much I hate PE, I'd likely just go with what was in the box regardless! Most of these will be stock, I think. I do like 1/32; it goes well with my EXPs and my weird Japanese Three-Wheelers! I had trouble with the poll at one time too... I don't like Wordpress' new system anywhere near as much as the old one. Progress indeed...

While it is only a couple days into the new year, I can’t help but think of the old saw “Out with the old, in with the new!” Of course, when it comes to sprue, I can’t really abide by that at all. I’m more like “In with the old, in with the older and weirder!”. I know it doesn’t really follow the spirit of things, but you know me… always have to be contrary. In that fine tradition then I would like to share with all of you a great classic car score I had in late November, in the one Toy Show I managed to get to before COVID started shutting everything back down again! Now, when I say “Classic” I don’t mean ‘50s and ‘60s like most people. I mean cars that are 90-118 years old, and kits that are about half that age! If you’re looking for a weird collection of older Brass and Vintage era car kits, then click on the link below the see some of the awesome chestnuts I picked up late last year, and don’t forget to vote for your favourite too! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/vintage-car-score-november-2021/

Oh my God!!! 1.) That is awesome. That is so, so hot. In that there is a kit of that. The car is terrible, making the kit super-awesome! 2.) It's 1/48? (I’m astonished)? That would be a small kit. Nicely in scale to my... uh... Tamiya Buffalo, I guess. 3.) Split lengthways? What the hell? Why? How? How does that even work? WHY?? 4.) Is it styrene or resin? (Or that weird Russian stuff?) I would love to review that thing on my site. Now I have something to watch for! Thanks for the pic! Just when you thought it was safe to go into the model shows again...

Well, it was a push, but it’s done in time for Christmas! With a lot of sanding, grinding and polishing, my Fumina Christmas Angel Custom version of the Bandai Axis Angel kit is ready for display on the Big Day. I’m glad to be able to add another Gundam-based Christmas ornament/display to my holiday decorations, and I think she looks rather good. Check out this new addition at the link below, and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/bandai-non-scale-super-fumina-christmas-angel-custom/

Sometimes the things I like are just so esoteric and awful that there simply isn’t a kit of a particular subject. I know, it seems weird, but it’s true. However, sometimes I get lucky, and there will be a pre-built replica of the object of my desire/dismay! This is most true when it comes to cars, and particularly European cars! One perfect example of an unsurprisingly unkitted subject is the Renault 14. While Renault has made a lot of successful (in Europe, at least) cars, the pear-like 14 is not one of them. It’s ugly, weird and shockingly corpulent in the wrong places. Thankfully, French die-cast maker Solido did it’s patriotic best to bring this loser to life, and my version the Solido Cougar version, is the weird dime-store el-cheapo version. Check out this almost Christmas-coloured abomination of automotive styling quality control at the link below. Just think; now you have something to ask Santa for! You’re welcome! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/solido-1-43-renault-14/

Well, the air is getting colder, the nights much longer, and the Christmas decorations have been in the stores for a couple of months now, so that can mean only one thing: It’s about a month from Christmas! With that in mind, I wanted to do another Christmas Gundam project. However, I’ve got Santa, a sled, an elf and a reindeer… what’s left. That’s when it hit me: an angel!! So, inspired by this realization, I dug my way through my stash to find my Super Fumina Axis Angel kit. I mean, it’s already a girl, and has angel wings, so I’m most of the way there, right? Right? Well, maybe not. Still, never one to be deterred by some hard work, I have set down the path of creating a suitable Christmas Angel from this Gundam Girl kit. Check out how far I’ve gotten so far at the link below! Now, all I have to do is get it done in time for Christmas! Should be easy, right? What else is there to do this time of year… other than everything… https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/bandai-1-144-hgbf-fumina-axis-angel-christmas-angel-custom-phase-1/

Or hats. You could sell hats. I just got this kit, and I'm amazed to see one so well built! Something for me to shoot for! Fantastic to see these things built, and so well, Harry!

Holy Moses! I'm both inspired and intimidated at the same time! Harry: Those are gorgeous! I love Brass stuff too, and those look fantastc! Great work on a genre most people don't even know about!

Given all the weird stuff I build and collect, like 4-door Vettes and early, useless jets, it should come as no surprise that the weirder it is, the more I’m likely to be drawn to it. My reputation precedes me, too, it seems, since my brother and (now late) uncle worked together to give me five of the Arii 1/32 Owners’ Club three-wheeled trucks for Christmas some time ago. I thought it was high time to dig one of these little weird guys out and give it a go. On a whim, I decided to take a run at the Mazda K360, since it’s not as well-known as the Daihatsu midget, and thus was even a darker shade of weird! Check out the out of box review for this cute little motorized wheelbarrow-looking hauler at the link below. Who knows, you might decide you want one for yourself! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/arii-ls-mazda-k360-oob/