stavanzer

I've got one of the little Offy Midgets. I need to eventually get the V-8/60 kits. Tim is correct about it being a beautifully molded kit. It is simply gorgeous. That said, I think Bill Engwer (Ace Garageguy) may have hit on a reason that the kits did not sell as well as expected, and are not seen built much. Truthfully, except for the "Lunatic Fringe", car modelers seem to be mostly driven by a "That's Kool" Mindset, buying whatever grabs their attention most on the shelf, or the internet. A smaller group, are driven by a "theme". Mopar Muscle, Hot Rods, Trucks, Light Commercial, Super Cars, whatever. The last and smallest group (by far) are those of us with an interest in and knowledge of both the Model Car Hobby, and the One to One Car Hobby. We also have an interest in the History of both Hobbies, and how influences have crossed back and forth from Model Car to Real Car, back to Model Car. This "L.F" punches a long way above their weight. Moebuis Model's Car Kits would not exist if the L.F. did not wield considerable influence. The same applies to Many Recent Revell kits. The '29/'30 Ford Kits, the '57 Black Widow, and the Mercury Wagon are examples of the L.F. driving the market. IMHO. You will note that the kits designed for the "That's Kool" market (S&H Torino, comes to mind first) are looked down on by many of the Lunatic Fringe, for being simplified "No-Options" kits. But, by all accounts the Torino is selling well, just not so much amongst us. I see the new Hurst Olds following a similar trajectory. Already the L.F. have weighed in with what are perhaps truthful, yet minor gripes, for a kit that really is not aimed at them, except in a tangential way.. The "That's Kool" buyer really doesn't care if if the wheel rims are too narrow. He just sees the pre-printed Red Stripe on the rims, and has two thoughts. 1. Wow, that's Neat! 2. How did they do that? The L.F. may have those same thoughts as well, but the are followed by judgement and critique, not simple acceptance. Now, this is NOT to say the Joe Buyer is right, and the L.F. is wrong. The rims may very well be too shallow. The Details may be too simplified. But, the attitude taking by the purchaser is where to two groups diverge. The "That's Kool" guy cares mostly about how neat a kit is. Neat Kit=Satisfied. The L.F. buyer, however, has a more nuanced and global view of the kit. It must, of course, push the "I Want/Need" button, but it also has to satisfy several criteria as well. Are the Dimensions/Proportions correct? Did the details get molded correctly? Are the details I want on the kit. Is this the Exact Version of the subject matter I want. If not, How Soon / Easy will the version I want be tooled, or have a the Resin Corrected or Transkit parts produced. Again, Neither View or Buyer is wrong. They just Differ (wildly sometimes) in their view of what constitutes a "Good" kit. As I see it, the Midgets, while possibly a huge hit with both the Lunatic Fringe and Theme Modelers, may not have made such huge sales inroads with the "That's Kool guys. Ergo, less than stellar sales. To back over what Art Anderson mentioned, I suspect that the kits will see that light of day again. Possibly with different decals, and as somebody else mentioned as part of a Two Car gift set. Since the Midgets come with hitch assemblies for the '50 Ford Pickup and Mercury Wagon, those would be the most logical candidates for a double kit. Of course, this is just my opinion, bolstered by some reading of Modeling Boards, and actual observation. I freely admit that I am not a Guru.

Robert, a 1/2 hour searching this afternoon, shows me that the old site is gone. It was there two weeks ago, but now the webaddress for the old site goes to the new site. So we are out of luck. (of course, I could have been just having a bad day online) I'd be very happy to be proven wrong. Having the directions available sold me more than a few of the "new" Round2 kits. Great move getting rid of a sales tool. (Not)

Is the older Useful version of the Round2 site gone now. It had directions, and links the live Round2 blog, that the New Round2corp site does not have. Speaking only as a user, I'd like the share with Tom L. and John G. the fact that the dollars they spent on that craptacular new website would have been far better spent on Jack Daniels, Hookers or Blow. If not that then restore some tooling. The 'new' website is Flashy, hard to navigate and far from useful. It looks very 2008-9, and not nearly good as the guy who sold it to them promised. I'd just like to see the posts on the blog, since the one linked at the 'new' site has not been updated since 2015. Rant Over. Alan

Jesse (Daddyfink) that second Pic of the Shifters is perfect reference for detailing that part of the kit. Thanks for posting. It shows in photo form, exactly what James Duff was talking about in his post. I'll remember that when I build mine.

Daddyfink, You are so right about these kits. Some of my first MPC builds were these kits when brand new. I remember how bold the box art was compared to the AMT and Monogram kits of the day. It sold me on 4-5 of these. I'll take them all back, please.

Bob, from looking at old instruction sheets over at the Drastic Plastic webpage, I'll say that the Squad Rod and the Ventura share some parts. Not sure how related they really are. It is worth going over there and looking for yourself.

Now, I'll wind up buying this kit just to get a set of these wheels. (Provided they are in version of it)

This is supposed to be out in the next couple months. Looking at the instruction sheets over at Drastic Plastic, I see at one time that the kit had two different engine options, (454 BB and a 4 Rotor Wankel) and that the 454 had three intake options. Stock Carb, Triple Carb and Hillborn Injection. Roll Bar, and some great Wheel Choices too. I'm curious to see what the Kats have included in the kit. I suspect the Wankel engine is long gone, but you never know.It looks like the FI and Tri-carb setups are hold overs from the original 1971-72 tooling. Anyhow, it will be nice to see what's in the box. Alan

Thanks, I won't be able to afford one.

I have that same box art, and it Does have the stock grill. Must have been blocked off somewhere along the line. Speaking of the Pacer Wagon, maybe I'll get a usable set of "Tony Packo's Grill" Decals. I want to make a model of a delivery vehicle from Max Klingers favorite eating spot.

I'd buy one. What is it?

Uncle Scott: to partially answer your question, the 1970 Pontiac Bonneville is coming back, but I've seen no mention of a Grand Prix. It would be very nice to have the Superfly/Sweathogs kit back. Wonder how the tools for that kit look like? Dave Van. I have to say that the Pic of your Matador makes me think I was wrong. Bring on the Stock, Custom, Racer 3'n'1 Kit. I'll need to build at least two.

I want that Custom Matador back!! The heck with the stock one. They never looked that good anyway. It would make a nice 2'n'1 kit. I wonder if you could squeeze out enough parts from the Bobby Allison Matador race car to make a 3'n'1 Kit.

Well, I'm in for the Cheverra and the Squad Rod at least.

Could we maybe get all the optional parts from the 1990's Revell 1940 Fords in One Box? I'd like to get some of the Hop Up parts in the 40 Standard.

1912 Mercer Raceabout to go with the MPC Stutz Bearcat. 1950 Buick Jetback Sedan. And the "Blues Mobile"

Andy L. From what I've seen and read online, the S&H Torino should be a great "Slump Buster". You could even paint some other colour besides Red.

You and me both, Dave.

Thanks, for clearing that up. Sadly that means I'll have to buy both.

The answer (or rather Non-Answer) to your question, Dave, may prove something about how the "lunatic fringe" is going to view this kit. Klever kollectors koncur that it's not kwite a komprehensive kompendium of Ala Kart, klearly. I know that I may be in the market for only one, and that is provided I can use a 40% off coupon to get it. Otherwise no sale. The "Restored" parts will make no big difference to me, and the Checkerbox Wal-Mart Wonder kit, I bought back in the day has nearly the same contents. So, Despite the Kats at AMT crowing about what a big deal this is, colour me, not impressed. New Tires, Some Re-tooled (but to ME needless) suspension parts, and an expanded decal sheet, will not offset the lack of a complete Ala-Kart parts restoration. I consider this a rare "Swing & a Miss" from the Kats.

Are the Fuzz Duster and Smokey the Convoy Chaser based off the same kit? I think so, but I don't know for sure.

Jesse, That is, hands down, my favorite clip from the movie. Sometimes I watch just that chapter of the DVD.

Thanks for the Pic, Casey. Got any more?

Mr. Manley, That is exactly what I have planned for mine.

Keyser. Ditto! And the stock kit is coming anyway, as confirmed by Ed Sexton, who must be sick of this question by now.