mikemodeler

Happy Birthday Bill, hope the plastic Gods were kind to you this year! Here's to many more birthdays!

Roger, In most cases, Dave had to get the tooling fixed in order to run these kits. Add in the fact that he had to pay upfront and THEN sell them and hopefully you will understand why the prices were what they were. Yes, it wasn't fun to buy a Bronco and Funny Car kit to get the Bronco, but I lucked out and found people to trade with to make it even for both sides. There was a considerable financial risk taken by Dave, RC/Round 2 was not going to release these kits, and he made many modelers happy by doing so. The reality of life is that new model kits will not be $10 anymore and given the current economy, I am extremely surprised at the number of new tools and re-issues that have been announced! I will be buying a bunch more kits, these Ford trucks among them, partly to support the efforts of these companies but more so to satisfy my wants for subject matter not offered before. Like many things in life, consumers vote with their pocketbooks and if the prices are too much for you and others, then the product won't sell. But I have a good feeling these will be very popular and good sellers.

So true Brian! My wife is not pleased with the 400+ models, but is quite happy that I am spend time at the model desk and not the local bar.

I was all set to book a ticket to the auction to buy this car and then noticed it was an automatic, a deal killer for me!

I too remember the Friday night to Saturday afternoon build marathons that I used to do as a youngster. All that mattered was whether or not I could get it built fast! The spray paints I had typically were whatever Dad had laying around in the shed or garage and the weather was rarely considered when painting unless it was raining! I didn't worry about dirt in the paint, I built for me and me only. Today it takes me forever to finish a model, partly due to my hectic schedule but also due to my need to add details and everchanging ideas for the completed model. Now that cooler,less humid weather is here, I need to set up some paint time in order to get a couple of kits ready for the winter assembly season. I think we all strive to build a nice, show winner quality model, in part due to the number of contests we are all aware of plus the online community and ability to post them for the whole world to see. While I have yet to post any of my builds here (laziness mostly), I build for me and not others and am my own worst critic of how they turn out. Great topic and interesting responses!

I am not worried about the price, I support Dave and his Model King business as he has brought some models to our hobby that would have otherwise not been around. Do I like to pay $25-30 for a model kit? No, but I will because it is a subject matter that I want to have. What I have found is that with the rise in the cost of model kits, I am no longer just buying a kit for the sake of buying a kit. I would rather pass on a couple of kits on the clearance shelf at Hobby Lobby and put that money towards something I will definitely build, like these Ford Pickups. I have over 100 kits that I thought made sense at one time to buy and now I am faced with selling them off at shows! I hope that viscious rumor about a first generation Bronco becomes a fact, because then I will be spending my lunch money faster than I can save it!

I will be lined up to buy multiples of these kits! Now, if there are any resin casters out there, some 4wd conversion parts would be a perfect addition to this offering!

I would say that based on the comments here, you will never have enough of these in stock to meet demand! Those are very nice and I will be ordering multiple sets! Anxiously awaiting the release date........................

I'm gonna be in Indy that weekend, unfortunately I will be working and unable to attend.

That engine sure looks clean for a truck with no inner fenders! Very nice and well detailed. Sure wish there was a way to get this truck re-issued.

The Midnight Cowboy wrecker bed is a close representative to the 60's era. You could start with that and make changes based upon your research. You would need to source some '60s era 1 ton wheels.

Those wheels are too much for that truck. They belong on an '88 Crown Vic with a 6" lift kit!

They did have a moment of silence for Chris before today's race, a nice tribute for a man who spent his life covering all types of motorsports. The racing world also lost Bob Newton, the founder of Hoosier Tire, this past week. He and his wife started their operation in an Indiana barn back in the 50s and at one time was giving Goodyear a run for the money supplying tires to NASCAR. Many a short track, Saturday night racer is aware of the impact Hoosier Tire has had on the racing world.

Thanks for sharing Len, looking forward to another one of your detailed documented builds.

I think he meant you could give us pointers, not US pointers. I am not sure we can offer any tips or tricks, you have done a great job and that truck looks great. Thanks for posting and welcome to the forum.

While everyone likes a bargain, not knowing much about that motor may make it more expensive in the long run. The motor Aaron pointed out has been around for ages and is easy to get another should something go wrong with it, whereas the "freebie" is probably long out of production and once you design your booth around it, you would have to make changes if the motor doesn't last. Bottom line- do what you can afford to do but if given the choice- I would go with the new motor and be done with it. Oh yeah, welcome to the forum and show us your booth when you get it ready.

Experience, the best teacher they say! You will get it figured out and be casting in no time. What is it that you are casting?

Taking the measurements are the first step in designing a model. 24 months is probably a safe estimate considering all they have to create to make an accurate representation, unless they cheat and use parts from the Regal or Monte kits, like the chassis or modify interiors or bodies. Nice to hear some long awaited kits could be coming our way. Interested to see what else is coming! Funny how Olds is out of business and NOW we start getting kits of them! What's next, Plymouths and Pontiacs?????

I voted "other" because they all have something different about them that makes them equal in my eyes. Whether it be an engine, wheels, or just the look when they are completed, I like them all. If I were to have a 1:1, it would be hard because I like the way they all look and I don't know if I could make up my mind to choose just one!

Just as important as the sizes, what wheels will fit these tires? I have bought some resin tires only to struggle to find wheels that will fit them or go with the theme of the kit I am building. Very interested in the size you list (235/60/15) as well as some large rears for some street rod projects. Let us know when these will be available to order!

Best of luck to you Frank in your venture, I hope you are successful. If there is one thing most of us will agree on, it is that we do not have enough choices when it comes to wheels and tires- whether it be a set of custom or stock replacements.

John "Records" Landecker, Fred Winston, Larry Lujack (good Ol' Uncle Lar and Lil' snot nose Tommy), Bob Sirott, and others that I am forgetting!

Any one remember "boogie check"?

Good looking build! Did you have trouble putting the mirrors together on this? I could never get the mirrors to glue together and stay on the vans i built.

I am lucky in that my wife was able to bring home some boxes that are slightly larger than a typical model kit box. The kit fits in nicely and I try to wrap the kit in bubble wrap and/or tuck some newspaper into the box to keep the kit from moving around. I use USPS and have found that they tend to not crush boxes as bad as UPS. I have not heard any complaints about my packaging so I will guess that it is working!