Robberbaron

Not sure why people keep posting about Ollies in this thread for HL? There's a separate Ollies thread:

Seems like HL gives their individual store managers quite a bit of leeway as far as what they can do. I haven't seen that at mine - seems like they've been leaving the pricing as-is until stuff sells and the new stuff rotates in. I stopped in today, and they still had a fair amount of kits at the old prices. Got another AMT '55 Bel Air for $17.99 after the 40% off. Also got an AMT Wild Hoss Bronco, which was stickered at $32.99. 40% off still gets it below $20 before tax, which is a deal. Seems like most of the prices on the new AMT kits are more reasonable vs. the Revell. I haven't seen the Revell '29 roadsters at my local HL for months. They finally had them back in stock today, but stickered at $39.99. I've got plenty already, so hard pass on those. If it had been the '30 coupe, I might have bit and got ONE.

My, how time flies...shown at the 2014 iHobby Expo: Don't forget that Okey managed to produce a run of the Rambler wagons with luggage, etc. Not too familiar with it since I never got my hands on one. I think that's the only actual new product he managed to crank out. Wasn't there a sob story shortly thereafter about the tooling being "held hostage"? The fact that he's now trying to hock 3D-printed Powell trucks should tell you everything you need to know... ?

This is the first time in several years that mine has advertised having auto model kits (I think the last time was pre-Covid). Occasionally I would stop in to see if they had anything, and nada. So eventually I pretty much stopped checking. Regarding the old Monogram '56 Chevy, it does suffer from some proportional issues, like the majority of vintage Monogram kits. I personally have no use for anything shown in the add, which so far seems to match what people are finding in store. Now, if they also get some of the old Monogram '32 Ford Classic Cruiser kits, I'd probably get several for parts.

Here's the flyer for my area from their website. Mine is the Merrillville, IN store. Also got the hardcopy flyer in the mailbox today. Technically, says that the sale starts tomorrow, but obviously many stores already have these out on the floor. Interesting that they list the dual pricing with 1/24 cheaper (at least for my store). Will be interesting to see if they get any other old Monogram besides the '56 Chevy.

I used to think that the taillights in this kit depicted a car ordered with no backup lights, but apparently all '55 Chevys got both the red and clear lenses. According to what I've read, it was more common for '55s to NOT have the backup light option, so the clear lenses were just dummies with plugs where the lamp sockets would otherwise go. On some forums, people claim that the BU lights were only available as a dealer-installed kit, but I find it hard to believe that Chevy didn't offer the wiring, etc. from the factory. Sure seems like the lights in the kit depict an aftermarket lens like the 1:1 in the B/W pic that you posted above.

? Someone already mentioned that the tires looked like Fireball's, guess this confirms that Joseph's kit was the master for all of the new F-250 pieces. Would have been nice if they at least discussed it with him - as he said, he could have helped them make it more accurate. Considering how much of the F-150's guts were copied from the AMT F-150 kit, and the '65 Comet's underhood was copied (incorrectly) from the AMT '67 kit, this shouldn't be a surprise.

Already answered:

Think it's the same reason that they leave the vent window frames body color.

Steve, very glad to see the poverty caps included. Of course there's no pleasing everyone, but I agree that those offer more appeal overall. Since Pontiac used these same hubcaps through the early '70s (I think?), they can be used for many other years of GTO's. I believe they were also used on 1st gen Firebirds, so lots of possible uses beyond just the '65 Goat.

Assuming you're talking about the '64 "Resto Mod"? In the pics of the built-up and the box art mock up, the only new parts I see are the cowl hood and the rally wheels. I confirmed that the stock '64 hardtop already has the mesh air cleaner and the slapper traction bars. It also has a whole 2nd custom exhaust system and a couple sets of aftermarket valve covers. So I suspect all that stuff will carry over into the Resto Mod.

I second all of the above. That linked example is a Silverado Sport with aftermarket 350 SS decals. LOL at "Not a clone" statement: I guess it can't be a clone, since a factory 350 SS never existed. From what I recall seeing driving around back in the day, I think the Sport package was only available in black, white, or red.

In what form? Resin? 3D printed? Given the history of this Okey version of "Johan", I find it very hard to believe that it will be an injection molded plastic kit. Regardless, there are dozens and dozens of different "real" Jo-Han vintage kits and promos that people drop hundreds of dollars on and thousands more covet. Yet we are to believe that THIS would be a better business decision than recreating something like the Pro Stock Maverick, '69 Roadrunner, etc.? Think it has anything to do with not needing to pay royalties? ?

I reluctantly agree. I admit that my knee-jerk reaction to stuff like this is " why are they bothering to recreate THAT!". Yet, many of the responses in this thread confirm that this is welcome news by a lot of people. So I try to look at it exactly as Lee stated. Frankly I'm happy to see Round 2 investing so much in automotive subjects, and if stuff like this helps to fund more subjects like the Nova wagon and the recently announced GTO's, it all works out in my book.

Agreed, that's what makes it so tragic that the original stock '65 got butchered. In addition to the side window shape, most people aren't real keen on the bumper guards on the Revell '65, or the fact that it can only be built as a low production Z16. I would much prefer a small-block powered "standard" SS with more color choices, etc.

I have no doubt that the potential to reissue the Chevelle Drag Team played a factor in this decision, similar to the Nova. Only question is WHEN they reissue the Indy Drag Combo. (My suspicion is that it will be announced within the next year.) I'm no expert on the AMT AWB kits, but I seem to recall people "in the know" saying that the Chevelle and Streaker Olds shared a chassis (probably also drivetrain?), so that would be a key part in the puzzle to bring back the AWB Olds. Maybe another factor in the "plus" column to bring the Chevelle back? Think someone said that the Edsel "Funny Car" also used that chassis...

Sure didn't expect that. No doubt many people will be happy to see that one return. Now, allow me to be "that guy" and say I'd much prefer the stock Craftsman '65 hardtop. Since they're recreating all of this, including the glass and front/rear chrome, I'm crossing my fingers for a follow-up stock-bodied '65 which could use the same parts.

After seeing the decals on the "Stunt Van", all I can think of is Milhouse's Halloween costume:

I'll back up everything Scott is saying regarding Round 2 replacement parts: picture of the receipt, picture of the bar code, and part number/description of the item(s) you need. I recently made replacement part requests for 2 separate AMT kits. Got an email response within a day. Got one replacement part in less than a week, the other about 3-4 days after that. Same experience several years ago when I was missing one front bumperette for the '70 Baldwin Motion Camaro. (As an aside, I've also had similar experiences dealing with both Revell Germany and Moebius.)

One silver lining is that this kit is now molded in white, so just sand or scrape the paint off the lettering after spraying the tires black. Couldn't do that on the original issue, which was molded in black.

That would be commendable if the backup lamps were integral within the taillight lenses, but they're separate lenses on either side of the license plate: So not smart, just cutting corners.

Really glad to see you do the stock taillights, but I can understand your reluctance. Looks like it was a bear to get them right. Impressive work as usual. Have you decided whether to leave the hood scoop or convert it to flat?

All I can say is read these review threads before purchasing. Tried warning everyone in January. I still find it really odd that they're not describing this as a snap kit on the box. I suspect there will be many more people feeling they got a "bait and switch" with this one. For what it is, it was a nice, above-average snap kit when it was released in the early '80s for kids. Marketing it forty years later to adults that are used to full detail kits is a questionable move. Exhibit A is the plastic tires you mentioned. (One silver lining of this tooling being out of use for forty years: Revell-Monogram never wiped the Goodyear branding off of them like they did for all of their vinyl tires. Since these are molded in white, it will be fairly easy to sand/scrape the black paint off to get the white-letter effect.) Exhibit B is the top half of the "engine" which snaps onto the chassis. As you can see in Zack's picture above, it resembles a Buick Nailhead more than an SBC. I will admit the decals look outstanding, which may be the saving grace for this release. Will be interesting to see the first build of this using those decals. Something tells me a lot of these decals will end up getting used with the upcoming MPC '81 Camaro reissue.