mikemodeler

Coming along nicely Brian, looking like the real thing! Those caps are a nice touch and those stacks look great. Hopefully the coming warmer weather will let you get it painted.

I think there is a resin kit of that cab available, can't remember who made it though.

Welcome! There is a show and swap meet this coming Saturday (January 20th) in Spartanburg at the Marriott downtown near the college. Look in show section for details. Lots of great models on display and the swap area is pretty well stocked with a wide variety of kits.

Thank you for stating what I was trying to convey and thought I had, but maybe not everyone understood what I was saying.

Nor would I Rob, I meant to say that he should use 2 of the MPC Deserter kits to create his crew cab.

Dieseldawg is correct, use the Deserter for the crew cab conversion, easier and better looking. If you don't want to do the box conversion, MAD models has a resin long bed for $15.

I had a customer file Chapter 11 this week and it wasn't because they were paying big salaries to the top execs, it was a series of business issues that led them to file. It is quite possible that once Hobbico can reorganize, they will come out of the bankruptcy a better company. There will be some pain and suffering along the way, most likely a smaller company will emerge and the loss of jobs will affect a lot of people, but hopefully in the end we will see them continue on.

It's the same wheel/tire/suspension set up from the Mad Mudder Blazer from about 10 years ago. The box art makes the truck look like it has slab sides but they nailed the look of the front of the truck. Not sure if I will get one of these, the current AMT/MPC Deserter truck is a better kit (IMO) but who knows, if it shows up at Hobby Lobby and I can score one for 40% off....

Supposed to be out this month, check with the online sellers or your LHS.

The resin kit grill is off compared to the 1:1, it would take a little bit of work to make it correct.

Jeff, Ron Andrews at RMR Models (www.rmrmodels.com) offers a Jeep Wagoneer kit and supposedly the grille can be had separately from the kit. His email address is andrews_544@hotmail.com. Good Luck!

Thanks for sharing that information Brett, sheds some more light on the subject and probably answers some questions we all had. I will hang on tight and see what happens over the next couple of months. In the meantime, I have over 200 kits I COULD build, but most likely won't!

There is a person making an old Jeep Wagoneer resin kit that has the vertical style grille. I will try to find the information and get it to you.

Not disputing your statement entirely, what I am stating is that as long as you are buying kits from a seller (LHS, Hobby Lobby, eBay store, etc.) and that seller reorders from Hobbico, it DOES benefit Hobbico. If myself and 10 friends come into your hobby shop because we heard you have the new Ice patrol Jeeps and buy 11 of them, isn't it safe to say you will re-order more of them? And that re-order will benefit Hobbico? That is the point I am making- whether I buy a kit from Tower Hobbies or from you, it counts as a sale and will drive more purchases.

Pretty much what I was inferring Joe- the only benefit to Hobbico is on new, current production kits, regardless if it is off an eBay store, LHS , some plastic pusher at a local club meeting or from Tower Hobbies' website as it originated from them. Long term the benefit to Hobbico is on the re-orders from any re-seller/retailer of Revell kits.

Looks nice, I'm thinking it won't be long before more of the kits we always wanted will be available in the form above.

Actually, buying a Revell kit DOES help Hobbico, regardless of where it's purchased as a sale is a sale. The difference is in the Gross Profit earned selling wholesale (to a hobby shop or other seller) versus buying from the Tower Hobbies website. Depending on what their labor, warehouse and shipping costs are, it is probably cheaper for Hobbico to box up and ship a dozen model kits to one location than it is to ship one model to 12 different locations. If you are referencing buying a kit that is out of production from a private seller, then yes, that has little benefit to helping Hobbico.

Not sure one exists Jeff, but given the recent re-issue, maybe someone will offer one. Is there a specific year you are looking for or just an upgrade over what is in the kit?

Yeah, just what they need, a couple thousand owners demanding a couple thousand different new kits be tooled up NOW! LOL!

Their asset to liability (per the article) is 1:10 or 10 cents on the dollar. Could be a bargain for the right buyer but doesn't look good for the creditors.

This is true for most companies needing some breathing room and a chance to negotiate with it's creditors. However it turns out, safe to say that our hobby will be affected and quite possibly not in the best way.

Exactly. While Amazon hurts the LHS or Michaels/Hobby Lobby type locations, Hobbico gets the sale of a Revell model kit as the owner of Revell. While not as profitable, volume is as important as profit margin when dealing with a shrinking category.

This is a very interesting development in our hobby and not being closely associated with the "business" side of it, caught me (and probably many others) off guard. My biggest concern would be what is the future of Revell ? While I admit to buying from Tower, it has been awhile simply because I haven't been buying like I used to. Hopefully Revell survives and thrives as they have brought us some much wanted items in recent times and can continue to do so. Who knows, maybe Hobby Lobby buys them and incorporates them into stores even more than they are now!

Two days ago I woke up to 8 degrees F here in Charlotte and it got up to a balmy 31 degrees that day. Today I get home from a trip to SC and it was 66 degrees! Got the car washed and cleaned up while wearing a t shirt and found out it will be back in the 30s by this time next week. And I thought the weather in Chicago was wonky!

Nice work, awesome variety and love your background diorama.