Richard Bartrop

The point is that as far as they're concerned, there's a lot more at stake than just models, and in they have to choose between keeping the modelers happy, and jeapordizing the revenues from all their other licensing, guess who loses out?

I know I'm contradicting myself, but this is what my dad had in '72, and I could definitely go for a new kit or reissue of this:

And it turns out there are die casts of the Stout Scarab and the Leyat Helica (the propeller car) on the market, but in 1/43

BoS Models 1/18 Pegaso die-cast . Looks like at least one company thinks Pegasos are worth cutting a set of moulds. And of course there was Ideal's Pegaso kit way back in the day.

The name of the topic is "What would YOU like to see as a model", not "What do you think will be the next hot seller". I just put down what I like, and if other people think they might want one, great. I make no pretense of speaking for "everyone". The topic of car models vs everything else did come up at a model show, where4 it was mostly armour and planes, and hardly any cars, and the reason I got was that they had no interest in building something they saw on the street every day. The hobby does seem to be split into "car modelers" and "everyone else", and a lot of people on this side do seem more interested in reliving their childhood than building models, but it's not even that cut and dried., The Japanese seem to do a healthy business selling models of exotics, so clearly not everyone wants to build just whatever dad owned back in '72. The diecast market is selling all sorts of oddball stuff, where they not only have to pay for moulds, but someone to put it together too. Maybe it's just the nature of forums like this. We like to associate with people who share our interests, and we end up just reinforcing our opinions.

As the song goes, that was yesterday, and testerday's done. The car companies still want to promote their stuff to the young, though the emphasis seems to be on video games rather than models. As far as licensing goes, it's not just about models. They're also looking at things like this:

I bought the Pyros regularly as a kid. They were cheap, they were everywhere, and I really liked the subjects. The two times I got Palmer kits were as gift. THe thought was there, but they really are the model version of socks for Christmas. I saw Premier kits in a store once, and they were old even then. I didn't buy them, which turned out to be a wise decision. They had some interesting subjects, like the Allard and the Kaiser-Darrin, but the execution looks to be petty horrible.

I don't know about big sellers, but I'd buy the bottom three for sure.

As you can see, the rear fenders are different, as are the wheel opennings, and the wheel opennings and the mouldings around them. You'd basically have to resculpt the body. Fortunately, Polar Lights did make a 1969 Cyclone GT, but it's the racing version, though I suppose you could use the stock parts from the Torino to make a stock Cyclone GT

'29 roadster and track noses are a winning combination. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this.

Lots of good choices. Sure the odds are low, but how else are the kitmakers supposed to know what we want, and every so often, something on the wish list does make it to the shelves. I'd like to see more 30's classics. There might not be much interest here, but European manufacturers still seem interested in doing prewar subjects. One in particular I'd like to see is a decent kit of the Auburn Speedster. And yes, the longest of long shots, but I would like to see someone do a kit of the Gaylord Gladiator.

Anyone else wanting to move the "coupe" a little to the right? It couldn't have been that hard to centre it.

I don't get why anyone would want a Chevy II, but obviously, people have different opinions on that. A decent '67 Cougar? Yes please!

1/20 seems to be the standard scale for Formula models now, and I can kind of see it, because, the real cars are pretty tiny. The real question is, why 1/25? 1/24 wass a pretty standard scale, and it seems to suit the rest of the world just fine. The difference in size is negligible, and in practice, any difference tends to get lost in errors and creative interpretations of the original subject.

I bought the Lanchester anyhow, and built it stock. I built mostly stock then anyhow, so I was well used to ignoring bad custom versions.

AMT 40 Ford, built back when it was the only game in town. WIP Revell 40 Ford, chopped and channeled

On the subject of naming goofs. Mercedes and Benz didn't merge until 1926, so there's no such thing as a "1906 Mercedes_Benz"

Yeah, sometimes less is more. Somebody was way too excited about getting his first copy of Photoshop.

Put me down as a fourth. As photo boxes go, it's nicely composed, and it shows that the kit builds into a nice replica of a VW convertible. If I was in the mood to do a Beetle, I'd certainly be tempted. And yes, if Monogram had gon with a nice painting of a GTO, I might have been suckered into wasting my money on it, but I sure wouldn't be happy about it, and I suspect I wouldn't be the only one. A first time buyer might well think twice about giving the folks at Morton grove their money a second time. So from the consumer's standpoint, the less attractive box was the better one, and in the long term, better for the company too. Aurora tried the pretty boxes with questionable content approach, and it didn't do them much good in the long term.

There's a big difference between bad layout and a photo of a bad model. I avoided that Monogram Ferrari too because of that photo on the box. If that photo was of a nicely detail model that actually capture the look of a Ferrari GTO, then Monogram would have made a sale. I buy models to build them (eventually, I swear!), not to collect boxes, so box aesthetics are usually not a factor. If anything, I tend to shy away from fancy painted boxes if I've had a bad experience with that manufacturer, doubly so if there's some disclaimer that the kit may not be exactly as shown. Lindberg's '53 Ford is a pretty nice kit, but based on past experience, I probably wouldn't have given it a chance if there hadn't been a photo of the model to show me what I was getting into.

This illustrates perfectly why I prefer the photo boxes even though they aren't as pretty as the painted ones. At least you see whar you're getting, and in cases like this, what to avoid.

If the styrene tires they put in the Italeri classic cars kits are anything to go by, they're better off sticking with vinyl or neoprene.

Italeri also did a first gen V-16, but it's not very good.

He was famous for his elaborate pinstriping, and a few kits have a decal sheet full of Von Dutch style pinstripes. Monogram's Green Hornet springs to mind, as does the latest issue of Revell's '29 RPU.

If you're worries about safety, It would seem that bar between the sterring knobs would be an ieal place to put some padding, or in later years, and air bag, though those thumb holes are just asking for trouble. I suspect the biggest problem is what happens if for some reason you lose power steering, and you suddenly have to aim two tons of Mercury Park Lane with a couple of slightly oversized bathroom faucets..