stavanzer

Now, that's funny. Nobody can decide whether this is an F-350 or F-150, I've seen it marked both ways. Years ago, when I first saw the kit, I thought it was an F-350. But since then, everybody (including Round2/AMT) sometimes calls it an F-150. I'm confused. F-350 or F-150, will work either way for me.

Pete, that is a Drop Dead Gorgeous build! Revell Kit?

I just got this kit. Been passing it over at Hooby Looby for years. Need a Pick Up to tow a race car, and now I got the kit. (can't tow a Ford Race Car with a Chevy Truck......) ? So, now that I'm actually looking at the parts in the box, a couple things jump out. Wheels, missing Lug Nuts... AMT, Shame on you! and they've never gone back and fixed to molds? So, any ideas for Wheels? Especially 2WD Wheels? I know Fireball makes killer 4x4 4WD Rims and tires, but if I want a garden variety 2WD F-150? Any Thought? The Grille, poorly detailed..... I can live with the Chromed Headlights, but the shallow Grille is just bad. I've seen some talk about aftermarket 3D printed replacements. Are any of them ready to go, or is everything all in Mock-Ups? The rest of the kit looks like it will build into a Down Market F-150 with just a Brush Guard and Roll Bar, the perfect 'Saturday Night Special' for towing a Dirt Track car to the local Bullring. Some things Round2 did right with this kit. First, The Instructions. The boxing I got includes the directions for both the 2WD & 4WD versions, and all the parts for both are included. Big Thumbs Up, Round2!! That is a well deserved 'Atta-Boy" right there. Included two sets of Dash Decals on the sheet! That is another plus. (Especially since there are NO dash decals on the new '78 Bronco Decal sheet, Now I know where to source my dash gauges for the Bronco Kit.) Re-branded Tires. The old Gates Commando tooling has been revised into "Firestone All Terrain T/C's", and they are great for the 4WD version of the truck. Two things that I don't like about this kit. First, The Instructions. As much as I liked the inclusion of both 2WD &4WD axles, the directions have been revised recently. The parts map on the front page ahs vanished, always vague directions have gotten moreso. the arrows showing placement for the suspension parts have gotten even more confusing. The Original Instructions (available at the Drastic Plastic website) are somewhat better in this regard, but if ever a kit wanted update building instructions, this is it. Second, this kit has seen a few versions over the years. Star Truk, Boonie Boss & Tuff Truk are three that I can think of. It would have been nice, if a few of the optional parts from other versions had made it into this boxing. It is a pretty lean kit, contents-wise even with the 2WD/4WD axle option. Other than that, I like it. I've already started gluing parts and hope to have a rolling chassis by the Weekend.

AMT tooled up some new Light Truck Tires in the 1990s/2000s. Both were Goodyear Branded. Wrangler RT/S with a mild street tread, and Wrangler AT with a slightly more aggressive all-terrain tread. Strangely, the AT tires are also slightly smaller than the larger RT/S street tires. Both have laser sharp Sidewall Engraving and excellent tread detail. Truly great tires. Round2 has given us some good Pickup Kits lately. The 2013 (or so) 1978 Ford F-150 Camper Special, and the 1972 Chevy in both the Coke and (not seen since 1972) Slope-back car carrier versions. Both have decent period Tires. But, it would be nice to see some more modern rubber as an option in these kits. Rather than ask Round2 to add these tires as options to these older kits, could we please get them as a Parts Pack? These tires have not seen the light of day since the 'Great Pickup Boom" of the 2000's fizzled out close to twenty years ago. They may be in the recent re-issue of the Ford F-150 Lightning from a couple years ago, but I do not have that kit, and can find no information on what tires Round2 used in it. Other than that, this Excellent Modern Rubber has vanished. So, Round2, How about giving us the Goodyear Wrangler Tires in a parts pack? I'd pay the going rate for a pack with 4 RT/S tires & 4 AT tires in it. They don't even need pad printing! I'd like to be able to upgrade the tires on some of my older trucks. If it is a matter of Trademarks or Licensing, heck, I'd even take them with the Wrangler logos scrubbed, if that is what it would take to get these tires back into circulation. Please consider this as a Parts Pack.. There are many, many truck builders out there. Thanks!

Great Police Car! Looks sharp, and the 4 door conversion looks great from here.

There is a really poor quality clone that used to live here in Bakersfield. I used to see it at the Sonic Friday Car show. Shorter and much cruder than the real car, it was great to look at from a distance. Once you got close up, you could see what a hack job it was. Only Good Thing? The Owner/Driver never claimed it was the real thing. Called it a Replica (which was true). But If Barris had ever seen it, he would have wanted it destroyed, it was so bad.

So, Right from the Horse's Mouth, No More Polyglas Tires, at least until Round2 can sort out the proper permissions. And, no word on is Round2 will be seeking those permits or even if they want to. But, the good news is, Round2 IS going to be releasing 'branded tires', just not the ones they had last time. So, a win for all of us! I am happy to see them responding to the market. They DO listen to us, but it does take time for them to respond and produce new product to satisfy our requests. However, this might explain the change in the printing on the tires in newer boxings of the Ex-MPC 68 Camaro kit that was reported by somebody recently. The change in licensing changed the tires that are put in newer issues of the kit. Thanks, Steve, for sharing the answers to some of our tire questions.

Some "Les Schwab" or "Big 'O'" or "General" brand tires would be nice. So would "Fisk" (last used in the late 1990's-2000's) Maybe Montgomery Wards branded tires could be licensed without too much trouble.

It does look cool! I know nothing about it. Until I clicked on this thread, I never knew this kit existed. Good Luck!

Rain, and water. Not Unheard of there, just bad timing.

I am going to be trying to paint some wheels with a Spray can. I'll try the spinning and distance tricks and see if they help.

No Worries! The Pic was fine. I'd like to see that Rupp Bike in a few more kits.

I had no Problems understanding him, but It did take some effort. I've spent too much times around Scots, I guess.....

PM Sent. You can have the Grille Shell. I have spares.

Do you want a correct Grille to fit that hood? I have one. Alan

Thanks, Mike. Olsen has what I wanted! Thank You.

Nice Zoid. Have not seen one in a long, long time

I have noticed that kit sellers on eBay who part out kits, have posted a lot of warped trailers. Even bought one myself. Has anybody else had troubles with warped trailer parts in this kit? It has been mostly Deck Plates, Frames and Axles, all parts that are prone to warping anyway, due to their shape. A bit of Clamping, and all the troubles are gone, but It was something I noticed.

The Sunoco Logo AMT 1934 Truck is hitting the shelves. It has not been that long since the '34 was out, but it will be nice to have it back. The Box Art is particularly fetching this time around. It will move some kits, I believe. http://web4.hobbylinc.com/gr/amt/amt1289.jpg

I look forward to seeing these coming out. I notice that there is very little news about these kits, coming out. I hope all is well.

Bumper Question. I have this kit. Being an early Moebuis Kit, it has no step bumper. What Pickup kits have a step bumper, in them? I hate to have to buy a new kit for the bumper, but I may have to. Will the new '68 F-250 Have a step bumper? Maybe I should just trade the 71 for a different kit..... Thanks, Alan

Drat! Thought those would work.

That's not good. I'll be praying for him.

Back on thread. I suspect that the success of the last two years of the re-scanned kits, has probably moved the needle at Round2. We do not see or hear what is going on, but I am sure that there are lively discussions behind the scenes about what kits may be suitable for a re-scan/clone procedure. What kits might sell, what kits are good enough to get by with just a re-scan of a body or minor parts to complete the kit, or whether it is a Full Bore, Total Cloning of a subject that does not exist in the Tool Bank anymore. It is a delicate balancing act, and if you have not run a small business, a tricky one , as well. And, Remember that by business standards, Round2 IS a small business. I'll guess that my last employer (with 75 trucks and a payroll of 850 people, a comparatively small trucking company.) was an order of magnitude larger than Round2. So, there is a constant struggle to Meet the Bills, Develop and Deliver Product, Please Customers, maybe have a bit of Fun at work, and lastly, Turn some Profit. If you cannot do these things, there is no reason to be in business. But we are all adults here. We all work for, or own a business. None of these fiscal realities are new or unknown to anybody on this board. Yet, Grown-A55 Adults rip on Round2 like they have never paid a bill, run a household or had to make a spending choice between "Needs" and "Wants". It is sometime quite depressing....... I get it. Few of us here are under 40. We all grew up on 10 Dollar & 20 Dollar kits. Paying over Thirty Bucks for a kit that you have sitting on a shelf at home with a $9.99 Price tag from K-mart can be a bit galling. But, This one has fresh (not 30 year old styrene) Newer, Better Decals, and Pad Printed Tires (almost every time). And, as other have mentioned, you paid 3.99 per gallon for gas to get to the store. "That was Then, This is Now". Those times and that economy are not coming back. As far a quality of tooling, kit subjects ect. Pocher, Ebbro, Beemax, NuNu, and Tamiya all make greatly detailed, World Class kits. Enough Detail to satisfy most anybody. There is an aftermarket that sells items that improve, already great kits, so you can take them to the next level. So, the details are there. You just have to pay for them. And, there is the nub of the trouble. We don't want to pay for those things.. We say we do, but, when it comes time to open the wallet, many folks can't do it, or won't do it without squealing like a stuck pig. Like they say about any form of Motorsport.. (How Fast do you want to go? How much money do you want to Spend?) Revell and Round2 and Atlantis and Italeri and Salvinos are entry level modeling. Many Builders are happy to stay at this level for years. (I know I am), and it can be very rewarding. It is still a cheap hobby, when compared to others. If you want to push your limits, buy Resin parts, then move up to Resin Bodies, then Resin Trans-kits, and then off you go! Then, step up to more expensive and better kits. You can choose where on the ladder you want to build. But, stop moaning about Champagne Prices on a Beer Budget. If you have made your way here, and signed up for an account, and now post comments, you are, almost by definition, not a "Newb" anymore. And oddly, the real newbs seldom moan much about prices. For the truly new-to-the-hobby, $30.00 is the base price they are used to, so they don't sqawk much about the cost. It seems to be only "Olde Pharts"(tm) of many ages who make a fuss about Junk Kits and High Prices.

Very Nice, Chuck! A Winner for sure.