StevenGuthmiller

You could very well be correct about the time span of what we consider the "annual" car kit. There is some disagreement about what should be considered a true annual, but never the less, your point is taken. Steve

Well that's good! There is always room for improvements and it's always nice to see that Round 2 is willing to make some of those in a few key areas. I hope that this kit sells well enough to justify others. It would be a shame not be able to get a crack at a few of these because some folks will only consider fully detailed new tools. Steve

Isn't that the truth! If we get an old re-issue such as this, it's prehistoric and not worth our time. If we get an all new kit, it's misshapen and inaccurate. Then there's always the obligatory comparison to Tamiya, which while they produce exemplary kits, is no comparison at all unless you consider a Porsche comparable to a '63 Nova wagon. Steve

The technology is a little more advanced and expectations are little higher today as well. It should look better. Steve

I couldn't tell you, but I assure you that it won't be happening with this one either. Steve

I don't believe that you can characterize the companies that produced annual model kits as "padding the bottom line". This era brought about the birth of the model car kit. It's the essence of what a model car kit was. There were no highly detailed model cars at the time. Everything that came after owes it's existence to these simple kits. Likewise, the annual kit phenomenon lasted until, at a very minimum, the early 70s. There were improvements in detail along the way, but they were still just variants of promotional models and were hardly a flash in the pan when there's no question that the vast majority, and broadest range of subject matter of the kits produced in the US were produced throughout the 60s and 70s. I understand that some may regard these kits as relics that have outlived their usefulness, but to a large portion of hobbyists, these kits are a very welcome addition to what many of us feel has become a quite stagnant field of alternatives in terms of the variety of scale automotive subjects in recent years. Of course there are companies such as Tamiya that produce consistently good kits, but if you have no interest in the subject matter that they produce, it becomes a moot point. I look at it from the perspective that more is always better than less, and as we are apparently "modelers" and not just "assemblers" these simple kits give many of us the opportunity to build cars that Tamiya, or any other manufacturer for that matter, will never produce in 1,000 years. They may require more work than a modern kit, but tell me which kit maker today has any plans at all to produce a 1963 Nova station wagon in the future. It's not going to happen. Steve

Agreed! Steve

No. It's a copy of the original promo issued in 1963. Steve

Looks terrible with that transparent metallic plastic, but it will look good wrapped in a decent paint job. Steve

You just described every American "annual" ever produced. This one is no different. As long as you know that going in, it's up to you to decide if it's worth the price to you. For someone who really wants to build a '63 Nova wagon, it's a blank canvas. It will be up to the modeler to address those issues if they see fit. This is merely another re-issue of an old tooling. It costs Round 2 very little in comparison to re-pop these old kits, so why not? If they don't sell, they're not out a train car full of money. Better to have them offered than not. Steve

Not new today, but it did come out of the pond today. This is a Revell 1962 Dodge Lancer that was part of a trade with fellow member Keith Buckner, (Bucky) about a week ago. It was covered in heavy coats of silver and yellow paint, but after a few days of soaking, it's nearly completely clean. There are a few small spots of stubborn silver paint that I'll need to address at some point, but for now, it's good enough. Before After Steve

I've got a whole display case full of curbside models from Johan and AMT from the late 50s and early 60s. Won a few trophies with some of them as well. A nicely done model is more than just a parts count. Steve

The anatomical kits make sense. Anybody who is interested in anatomy might find them interesting and there aren't a lot of transparent people walking around. If I wanted to know the anatomy of a cup of noodles, I would open a cup of noodles. Opening up a person is illegal in most states unless you have a license Steve

I would either make one as stated above, or check your stash for a donor body to steal one from. This is not a particularly unusual A pillar shape. Just about any car from about 1969 and up will have roughly the same type of pillar. Should be a relatively easy fix. Steve

Personally, I would be more likely to buy this kit rather than installment 35 of another Mustang, Camaro or 20s/30s Ford kit. At least it's something different. A good modeler will have this thing looking like a show winner in no time. Steve

Well, this item deserves one of these! Steve

Probably close to the same nutritional value as well! Steve

After looking a little more closely, I have to conclude that this is a joke. Either that or they think that modelers are infinitely stupid! "Please be careful not to accidentally swallow or eat it"?????? Any of you guys ever "accidentally" try to drive one of your models? C'mon! Steve

Yeah, I'm sorry, but that's just stupid! Why produce a model of something where you can readily buy the real thing cheaper than the model? If I wanted to display a cup of noodles,.........I'd buy a cup of noodles! If anyone actually buys these, my confidence in humanity will be greatly diminished. Steve

I decided to take a break from the interior modifications and begin a little body work. I started some preliminary scribing on the body, like defining the trim and deepening and adding some panel lines. I also decided upon removing the wiper blades for adding separate parts later, I've never done that before and it took some careful grinding, filing and sanding to maintain the original window trim, but I think it turned out well. Steve

Honestly? I would quit building. There's no way that I could maintain interest in building the same kit over and over again. As it is, I almost never build the same kit more than once. Steve

Yeah, you kind of expect to see Roger Rabbit in the driver's seat! Steve

Thanks Chris. I'll keep that in mind. Steve

Thanks for that Tom. Now I know exactly where to start hacking when the time comes. Steve

Because this is what you would normally get. Yes, this is "supposed to be" a '63 Chevy!! Steve