Richard Bartrop

The Gundam kits have shown that people are willing to buy expensive and complex snap kits, so if we're looking to get a new generation hooked on cars and car models, how about an updated version of The Visible Chassis? It doesn't have to be on the same epic scale but it represents a modern FWD chassis with an inline 4, preferably something non specific to avoid license hassles. Make it a hybrid so you can talk up the eco friendly aspect, and include background info on how everything is supposed to work. Use chips to simplify some of the wiring, and you can use them as a jumping off point to teach little Johnny about modern engine electronics. Understandably something like this would not be cheap, but maybe the best way to market it is not necessarily to just the hobby stores, but as an upscale educational toy.

I always thought those Monzas were a handsome design in an era that was not a good one for American styling, and I like how you modified it.

I thought that way too, but it's growing on me.

No problem. I could certainly go for a mass market kit of it

That the "neglected youth" of the hobby is in it's 40s should be a cause for concern.

And you've managed to miss my point, with is that just because you want it, that doesn't necessarily make it a big seller.

The year I finished seems obvious.

The L-29 has never been offered as a kiss, and like I said, this is what I would like to see.

And I would happily buy any of those, and I will probably buy more model A and Deuce roadsters. I'd personally like to see more prewar classics. I mean, why would you not want one of these beauties on your shelf? Of course, people have their own opionions on this.

Yes, I have, and Tamiya is a very good example of a company that still tries to do new subjects. Last I checked there were no muscle cars or Model As in their catalog. It's the American model industry that seems bent on chasing the same customers that have been building kits since the '60s

They do seem to be popular among the anime and scifi crowd, and however you want to interpret it, it still works out to people buying a box of plastic parts so they can stick them together. Again, nothing really new here. Fantasy and scifi have been a modeling staple frm the earliest days, and those Star Trek kits have been a license to print money for a long time. The important takeaway is that young people are willing to spend money to build replicas of subjects that interest them, and the hobby shops here always seem to have an aisle devoted to giant robots. I have no idea what people want either, and there have been a few recent car model offerings that have left me going, "Seriously? That's what you thought was worth cutting a set of moulds for?" All the more reason to do some research.

Profil24 made one, but it will cost you. https://www.spotmodel.com/product_info.php?products_id=12792&language=en There are also prebuilt 1/18 models, but again, not cheap https://www.carmodel.com/brand/iso-rivolta?enc=1

The way those Gundam kits keep flying off the shelves suggests the kids are still interested in making things, and some of those are not cheap. Yes, I've seen those articles too, and invariably, there's a response from younger enthusiasts that says they're baloney. If anything, they complain about how when they try to join the established clubs, the old guard tells them to get off their lawn. Back in the day is there anyone here who actually went "Oh man, I wish I had a model of those cool new Chevy IIs"? Most cars were boring appliances back then too. Things like hot rods, racing cars, muscle cars and dragsters were what got our attention. No doubt you remember back in the '70s when between the energy crisis, pollution and safety regs, people were predicting the demise of enthusiast cars. Obviously, that didn't happen. I've even seen an article that argued that the demands for higher fuel efficiency are what's driven the technology behind today's high performance engines. What's more troubling is a trend among some groups that, like guns, cars are something nice people shouldn't be interested in, but it remains to be seen how big this trend is, and how long it lasts. I totally agree that there has to be some market research, and I said as much in my first post, but I think there is enough interest to justify taking a look to see if the numbers work.

I loved the Monogram classics when I was a kid precisely because they weren't like anything on the road. What was the point of building a model of something you could see on the street every day? Personally, the idea that you should only be interested in what happened in your childhood strikes me as a very limited way to live your life, but a lot of people do just this. There are plenty of adults walking around today who's happy childhood happened in the '70s, '80s, and even '90s. I think a line of easy to build kits aimed at kids is a fantastic idea, but I do think it would be a good idea to do some research to be sure they're subjects that kids would actually be interested in.

And the industry is also catering to the same people who built model cars when they were kids. Companies like Round 2 are trying to recreate the 1960s as much as possible. You don't have to be Nostradamus to see that this isn't going to last. If they want to stay in business, they are going to have to attract some new blood. Muscle cars are just the flavour of the month. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, it was all about the 50s. Monogram an Heller both released a bunch of 30s classics in the 70s and 80s, and back in the 50s, it was all about the brass era. Don't be too surprised if the malaise era becomes the next big thing.

I'm going to suggest that maybe our childhood might not be as momentous an event as the biggest war in human history, and as you've seen they make kits of modern planes too. I'm just saying that the interests expressed on this board may not necessarily represent the alpha and omega of car modeling.

They made the same complaints about plastic kits when they first came out. You have to start somewhere. And if you want something with absolutely no effort, there's no shortage of preassembled models out there.

Oh, if I ran Revell, I'd try to run off some of the Monogram Classic kits, and see about making some new ones. Of course, as they were auctioning what was left of the company, people would be going, "Okay, who's brilliant idea was it to do a Cord L-29 kit?" Now, if I were actually running it to actualy make money, things would go a little differently. Muscle cars are fine, but let's not forget that we are talking about cars that were built over half a century ago. It would be like a model company exec back in the day going, "You know what the kids really want? Stutz Bearcats!". Now, kudos to MPC for doing a Stutz Bearcat kit , but they also did modern stuff like muscle cars too. So if I were in charge, I'd be doing a little market research, and find out what kinds of cars the kids are interested in now. What are they buying posters of, what they like in the games, and see about making some of those.

That is pretty amazing.

Patience is a pretty basic thing. Take your time, and be sure everything fits the way it's supposed to. Careful assembly and decent paint will do more for your model than almost anything else. Research is your friend. Even if you aren't building factory stock, it doesn't hurt to know how cars actually go together. It's also fun when you stumble across something your never knew before. You have only so much time, money, and shelf space, so maybe it's not a bad idea to be selective about what you build. Some people focus on a particular scale, or subject. Having said that, if there's something that falls outside your particular set of restriction that you've just got to have, they're your rules, so you get to break them. When someone starts going on about what a "real modeler" is, ignore them. You're the one putting in the time and effort, you do what you want.

I don't get what a lot of people obsess over, and yet, here we are. All things considered, i'd take this over yet another patinarod.

But everyone kicks and screams when you try to switch to something nice and rational like Esperanto, so what can you do?

Unnecessary rules are part of the fun. It's those necessary ones that are a drag.

Sometimes a model that you don't have to wrestle into submission is exactly what you want. One of the reasons I'm a big fan of the recent Revell offerings is that Revell detail now comes with much better fit. Sometimes nostalgia is highly overrated.

And the argument "If you really wanted it, you could do X" sounds an awful lot like those health food nuts who go, "If you really cared about your body you'd make the effort" when you kick about an $8 loaf of organic bread. If you really want to play that game, if you really wanted a model of something, you don't even need a kit. There are some amazing scratchbuilders in the forum, and kudos to the ones who put in the effort, but it's just as true that most people don't have the the skills, references, time, or inclination for it, and that's fine. There are people who don't want to mess around with building an all, and are happy with a prebuilt model. It's all good.