mikemodeler

I was at the ACME show this weekend and these were selling like hot cakes. I might be persuaded to purchase one based on the box art alone, will have to see what else is coming out. I think Moebius has a hit on their hands with these new releases.

I will be there, always a great time seeing and making friends. Lot's of great plastic to buy and the models are incredible.

That new Mack kit will make a lot of people happy and hopefully pave the way for more new tool kits.

My guess is that the next version of this kit will have a boat behind it. Could be wrong but considering they've had Broncos and Ramchargers with boats, seems logical.

The Revell van has a full frame as does the AMT van.

But the grille looks a lot like a Chevy.

I noticed that this kit is about $10 more than the Blazer, not sure if that is because of tariffs or Revell charging more for the few extra parts tossed in. I did notice in the pictures of the assembled kit that a few parts need to be fabricated to provide accurate depiction of the underhood area, notably the heater hoses and A/C lines from the accumulator to the compressor and condenser. Not sure if I will pick one up, already have a GMC grille for a Blazer kit and I am sure I have some tires and wheels from Fireball that would yield a better look that what is shown in the box art.

my pre-ordered kit from Wes's Model Car Corner showed up yesterday, haven't had a chance to open it up but pretty stoked about the full cab being back in the kit!

gonna be awhile, be patient.

My kit arrived yesterday, already have some ideas for different tires and some additional off road lights for it. Gonna have to figure out some different bumpers, have a winch I want to install on the front.

Back in 2008 Revell issued this version of it's 69 Camaro in a snap kit with Hot Wheels logo on the box. IMO, this curbside kit builds up nicer than the upcoming AMT kit as the body is better proportioned. Funny how the license has been shared over the years.

I believe they have shipped to the distributors, just a matter of time before they end up at the hobby shops and online sellers

Greg Wann is on here, might want to contact him to see if he is still casting that 67 Pace Car Body. At one time Ray's Decals had the 67 Pace Car decals too. I have a friend who has a 1:1 67 Pace Car that I would like to build a replica of one day soon, have all of the pieces to do it, just need the motivation!

Those are MSRP. I just checked Wes's Model Car Corner and the red car is $29.99 and the white car is $31.50, available to pre-order today. I am sure other online sellers will have these at discounted prices.

That's sad to hear, he had some great prices on kits and was reasonable on the shipping. I guess as we age in this hobby things we took for granted are slowly disappearing.

The wheels look great, save the money from a new set and put it towards the interior. As far as the paint goes, you can try using a DA polisher (cheap ones at Harbor Freight) to polish up the paint some more, you will be amazed at the difference a little machine polishing does. The best part of the DA polisher is that it doesn't leave swirl marks so you can use it to polish the paint as well as buff the wax off.

From the Stevens International page for MPC kits....Shown as release date of TBA.

The number of people who know and understand the operation of an IC-powered vehicle AND are willing to work retail hours/pay are small. With the demise of shop classes and focus on going to college, many kids today have little to learn from. I read Hot Rod magazine as a kid, built model cars and hung around the older kids in the neighborhood who worked on their cars to gain knowledge. Those opportunities aren't as common for kids today, outside of model building. From my experience, for every one employee in a parts store that has knowledge or passion for automobiles, there is an equal or greater number who view working there as a means to support themselves and would be just as happy at Best Buy selling TVs or Home Depot selling toilets, if it meant a paycheck.

The cars are more complicated and the management is more complacent. The turn over rate in the retail auto parts world is significant and most times a manager is happy to have a warm body behind the computer/counter so they don't have to work the extra days/hours. As you mentioned, NAPA is/was good about product training but if held during store hours it was difficult because of the demands of the business. Company owned stores tended to push the training more on all employees and whenever I held training classes off site I tended to get the top employees from stores because the managers wanted their best and brightest to continue learning. Maybe because of my background I see things different, but I tend to do my research before I walk into a parts store equipped with what I want. I will order online if it isn't in stock locally because I don't want to fart around with them ordering it and remembering to call me to say it arrived. And most times it will be shipped to my house faster than to a store.

So what you expect is for ANYONE in the parts business to be as knowledgeable and skilled as you are after all these years,without question? Get real. As a supplier of parts to the trade, I expect anyone who installs my parts to be trained in the correct procedure and process of installing my parts, but yet I get calls and emails about how mine failed. And when our technical department inspects those returned parts? 95% of the time it was installer error, 4% of the time it's hard to tell and 1% of the time it's a true defective. You want a perfect world, I'm here to tell you it doesn't exist. Maybe in retirement you should consider working part time at a parts store and help train the next generation of parts people instead of ranting about them online, seems like you would be doing a lot of people some good.

When Danny was the owner of Scenes Unlimited he had a bunch of wheel backs. Wish I had bought more before he sold out. New owner has gutted the old SU catalog, mostly just semi tires now.

Second, yes, it's appalling the lack of knowledge most parts-store countermen have these days. When I got in this business, there were still countermen who seemed to know every part number for every part ever made, and knew terms like "head set". Not any more. While I do agree that the knowledge of many of the counter staff has suffered, the parts proliferation forced by the new car manufacturers and complexity of vehicles plays a part in that. While the typical tune up today only has spark plugs in common with one from 30-40 years ago, the multiple of sensors and switches and other electrical components can make your head spin. Cap, rotor, plugs and wires is great for an old V-8 with a carb and easier to remember because it was the same for years, but today's vehicles can change from year or VIN breaks. Blame it on the engineers and federal regulations.

I can understand the frustration of buying parts from reputable sources only to have them fail or not perform to spec. It's happened to me and usually when it does, it is not at the most convenient time. I have worked in the automotive field for close to 45 years. Started out in the shop at a dealer and then went into the parts side of the business. After a few years of that, went to work for various parts manufacturers and distributors since the late 80's. I have seen a lot of changes and some have been good, some have been bad. Technology has played a large part in the improvements but as we all know, it's only as good as the person using it. What I can tell you is that the biggest problem in our business is the unwillingness to pay for parts. By that I mean in my current job, whenever there is a price increase I get hit upside the head by customers' refusing price increases because "it hurts our competitiveness in the market". These are the same people who want to have a 60% Gross Profit Margin on our parts, extended payment terms, additional discounts just because and expect us to fund their promotions and trade shows, all with us holding the line on price increases! Apparently in their minds, the only ones who have had operating cost increases are them, not us manufacturers. The reason why Rock Auto and places like them have become popular is the perceived bargain they represent. Quality parts from an online source cheaper than the parts store or dealer down the street. It's the race to the bottom that is dooming the parts industry because if we can't raise prices, we have to do something to remain profitable. Just like the mechanic who has to buy tools and equipment, manufacturers have to as well and we like to eat and sleep indoors just like the rest of the world. So when you complain about the quality or the cost of replacement parts, remember it's the place you buy them from that is driving the business. And the body parts business? Yeah, you can thank the insurance companies for the issues there. Insisting on using cheap off shore parts to keep their costs down and profits up, not caring how much extra work a body man has to do to make a part fit and look presentable to please a customer. Retirement is getting closer, can't wait to be able to wake up in the morning and start my day at the model bench instead of at the computer dreading opening my inbox to see what fire is burning and needs to be extinguished because someone at one of the parts distributors insists I sacrifice my margin so they look good to shareholders.

You can always check with places like Staples that sell boxes and find something close. And like others mentioned, take a larger box and cut it down to size.

I wonder what it would cost to tool up that engine and engine compartment to give enough detail to appease everyone? I look at that and see a ton of black plastic with bits of aluminum here and there. Imagine having to run some of those hoses and wires after installing the engine? I think Revell made the right move, adding that engine would have driven up the cost of that kit to the point where they would have had complaints about the prices. And who knows, maybe they have a full detail kit in the future? I, for one, would be more inclined to purchase the snap version as I am not one to detail engine compartments beyond box stock.