Richard Bartrop

The tires really work on that one. It has a nice 70s vibe to it.

Looks like the old Lindberg kit

Airfix is trying something different for figuring out which kits to bring back. Instead of just another survey or wish list, they are asking people to put their money where their mouth is. It has a list of kits they're considering, and there are a couple of cars on the list, and whichever one has enough preorders gets produced. The current list can be found here http://www.airfix.com/uk-en/kitstarter Is it an idea worth considering for companies like Round2?

When I was growing up, one of these made a few appearances at car shows in Vancouver. I thought it was one of the coolest looking things ever.

The Thomas flyer would be nice too. There are some photos floating around the Internet of a stock version of the Thomas Flyer, and except for the fenders, it's actually pertty close to the New York to Paris car. Of course, the way the industry was back then, you actually have a fair amount of leeway on what "stock" looks like. As for Round2 making new kits of modern cars, I can see two problems. First off, Round2 seems to be focused on resurrecting existing kits rather than tooling up new ones, and honestly, I'm okay with this. The other one is the whole issue of licensing. Back in the day, the car makers saw models as advertising. Now, they're viewed as another source of revenue. The only way I can see annual kits having even a chance of making a comeback is if you can somehow convince the Big 3 that promos need to be a thing again.

A long shot, to be sure, but I wouildn't mind them bringing back the Stutz Bearcat..

Very nice! As I recall, they were sold through Mercury dealers so they could have their own low priced model.

Maybe not an SJ, but the Duesenberg brothers were big in racing, and there were a few Duesenberg powered specials before they became collectible, but that is a neat slot car I do regret that the whole1/24 slot car craze died out before I could get into it.. The Monogram kits are great, and if you're looking for inspiration on what to do with it, here's a great site. http://duesey186.com/Datasheets/frmModelJIndex.htm

I think I like your idea better. I guess that makes me shallow, but I'm just not that big a fan of "personality"

The fake heads are odd. The DuPont luxury cars, had a Continental engine with a cover to make their flathead look like an OHV engine. Did anyone ever offer anything similar for Ford Flatheads?

I managed to RTV rubber for casting for maybe half the price of the hobby shops by getting it at a store that served the local oil industry. If you need sheets of styrene, check to see if there's a store in your area that specialized in plastic. CHances are, they will sell you a huge sheet of the stuff for far less than the equivalent amount in pre cut pieces. Since so many things are made of styrene, you can save even more if you keep your eyes open. Back when record stores were more of a thing, I'd keep my eye out for ones that were closing their doors. The dividers between the records were big sheets of styrene plastic, and often I could get them for nothing, or next to nothing.

Yes, this is a very good reason to be interested in the future, because you might not pop off as soon as you think you will, and you're still going to have to deal with whatever's out there. Getting the young interested is just good business, especially in an industry that traditionally has been geared to the young. Companies like AMT owe their existence to the fact that full sized automakers wanted to get children interested in their products so that they would buy them once they were old enough to do so. True, they're not so much interested i9n promos today, but they do develop prototypes so they can be used in video games, so the principle still applies.

But if the parts were scanned during construction or restoration, it might possibly be doable? I could see doing a variation of those part a month subscription in conjunction with one of those construction shows. Purchase, or download each part for your model as the build progresses.

Oh, I'm sure there will be people making noises about "authenticity" and "real modeling" to justify their trade, but this is a future I can look forward to.

Good for him! Too me, there are few things sadder than someone who's decided the world has nothing more to teach him.

Thanks, I was just about the make the same point about lathes. Yes, machines can make things easier, but you still have to know how to use them. However making the computer models that tell the printer what to do is a learnable skill, just like all the other skills we learned to make models. Making new characters and environments for computer games is already a thriving hobby, and some people get great enjoyment and satisfaction just rendering images of their computer models. 3d printing is a great thing for the hobby. In the short term, if it lowers the cost of making a set of molds, that means some of the less popular subjects might actually turn a profit. For the modeler, it means scratchbuilding the subject they desire is a little easier, and is maybe within the realm of possibility now. It's just the thing for the apartment dweller, or anyone else for whom having a full workshiop just isn't an option. If you spent a lot of time traveling, and can't bring a lot of stuff with you, you can still do some theraputic modelling on your laptop. As for robots putting it together for you, you can already buy premade models. As far as tuners go, to me, they're no different from the people who souped up Model Ts and As back in the day. They're probably closer in spirit to the early days of hot rodding than any traditional rodder today.

You already have people here who like to build something a little less conventional, and the forum is certainly better for it. I don't think modeling is going away either. How people build them will change, just like how hardly anyone builds model cars out of balsa wood anymore, You still have people who like to make models of horse drawn wagons, sailing ships, and steam locomotives, so it's not unreasonable to think that there will be people who want to make models of cars, when the only place you can find one is in a museum.

And the old timers will tell you how the kids have it too easy, and how they had to carve their own washing machines out of balsa wood.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/the-washing-machine-collectors-clubs-impressive-appliance-collection/#:SO_XjVfq3cGJYA There's even a group on facebook https://www.facebook.com/The-Washing-Machine-Fan-Club-213515958741319/

I know ab out the TR3A, and Minicraft still makes the Hubley kit, I think, and I know about the B, but the TR3C is a new one on me.

You laugh, but have you seen some of the things the Japanese companies have released as kits? John Hanley, the founder of Jo-Han Models, started out making scale model kitchen appliances. There might actually be a market among the doll house and miniatures fanciers for some nicely done miniature appliances in the right scale.

Funny thing, growing up in British Columbia in the sixties and seventies, I remember British sedans were pretty common, especially Fords and Vauxhalls. I think nearly all of them have rusted back into the soil by now.

Revell kits are $40+ here, and we're on the same continent.

Amen to that.

So you get to keep a source of income. That's good too, isn't it?