stavanzer

Steve, that is Awesome! It looks like a Hot 'Shine Tanker, too. All Business. What's the engine compartment look like? Alan

I have two of the 25th anniversary, Yellow box Model A kits. Got Both from eBay, about 10 years ago. This was one of the first model car kits I ever built (in 6th grade). That Box art is imprinted in my memory forever. Bring that kit, back to the way it was originally, use that Yellow Box Art, and give us an expooanded decal sheet, and I'm in for a case!

The last Issue of the A in the Walmart boxing, had about 60% of the Ala Kart in the box, including the unique Ala Kart grille insert (but not the Grille shell). And the hood. The Fenders, Body, Tuck& roll top, and Interior are there too. The Frame is there, but most of the suspension has been altered. The Ala Kart Bed is missing too, The Chrome tree, that featured the "Red Ram Hemi" valve covers, Firewall, and windshield frame, is in the kit, but not chromed, and with about half of the parts that were on it blocked off. I'm not sure that they can be restored. IMHO, it would be a better bet to re-tool this kit back to original, rather than try to foist the early 2000's new tool Ala Kart on us. That dog of a kit is rightly condemned. Alan

Yeah, I need to get the Resin Re-pop of that AMT '32 Four Headlight Grille. I really like that last pic of the Black/Yellow P/up with the Merc Grille. That is one sharp little ride.

Military Modelers suffer from the One More Detail syndrome often. Of course IPMS judging is much tougher when judging military kits, because there is SO Much detail, and SO Many ways to go wrong. That said, the AMS Modeler is a fixture amongst posters at most Modeling Boards that cater to Military Modelers, whether Tanks,Ship, or Airplanes. I've seen this exact discussion on other boards. Only the names of the posters, and the subject matter of the kit, changes. It seems to be a Universal Modeler trait.

The very first one, (the De Luxe) is my favorite. Would be best with the hopped 4 Banger from the old AMT Model A/Ala Kart, You guys know that you would not have to worry so much about that dreaded Grille/Cowl mis-match, if you'd stop sticking that Cursed '32 Grill on every danged Rod! I like the lines of the '32 grille myself, but for the love of the Great Gazoo, please stop using them on EVERYTHING. Alan

The Track nose in the evergreen Revell 29 Model A Roadster P/U might work, and the Revell Ed Roth Tweety Pie, has a Great Chopped Shell, that looks to my eyes like the one in your chosen rod. It looking great.

Add me to the list on the Floor Mats. They have the exact shades of slightly different colour, that makes them seem more real. So Much So, that I'll be using the White Flocking on Coloured Paint trick on one of my next builds. Far from an Error, you've showed me a better way to get the look I wanted! Thank You.

Rob, that is a great little 39, you built. I have about 5 of these Chevy kits in the stash, both the Coupe and the Sedan Delivery. I never even thought of putting the Monogram 53 Chevy Six in one. Great Idea! Now I know how one of my '39's will be built! Thank You. .

Got the Monogram Gangster kit with the 31 Rolls, and the Model A Ford, in a trade with a guy at our club meeting. Still Sealed. Not sure whether to sell it, or build it, in three years........

Chris, I'm right there with you on the Green 455, in McQ. Would make a nice movie car tie-in kit.

I tried to PM you with an offer, could you please try to PM me? Thanks, Alan

Yep, JB you rae correct. You just never knew what the kit in a Lindberg Box would look like. I do not remember getting anything that was really great compared to the Airfix and Revell kits, that I built back in the 1980's. Some were Smooth, with few panel lines, and great shapes, and little surface detailing, others were Rivet-Fests, and even at 15, I could tell they were Turkeys. So What Me262 Kit did you pull off the shelf> The 1/48 Lindberg is a POS, but the newer (1970's) Monogram kit is pretty nice, even with raised Panel lines. By the time Monogram switched over to engraved lines in the 1980's, their last few 'raised line' kits, had very fine, very discrete panel lines, Not bad at all.

Harry, they understood it just fine. It's that raised panel lines were "state of the art" when this kit was first tooled. Just about everything from everybody had raised panel lines then. In fact on most kits ALL details were raised. That was the way things were back then. Alan

Great Trade with Brian (Driptroit 71) Kit was packed well, and everything was smooth. Thanks! Alan

I remember building this kit when I was about 16. (1980 or so) It was a Turkey even to my then very new eyes. Worse even than Monogram. (!) (remember how bad any Monogram kit that was NOT a Showrod was back in 1979-1980?) Very Blocky, and detail ranged from decent to looking like the tool had been cut with a crayon. The tires were very stiff, and I still recall how hard it was to get the wheels into the hard vinyl tires. I split at least one tire. Both of these Pryo tools are worse than toys. Lindberg should really never issue them again. The Nostalgia Market that these were targeted at, has mostly aged out of Model Building, (and doesn't want them anyway) and newer Modelers who may have built one of Lindbergs 1990's tools (the '53 Fords or the Dodge Minivan or Ford Crown Vic) will open this kit, Become Horrified by the Contents and never trust any Lindberg Box Art again. For Lindberg Kits, Round2 Needs to be VERY, VERY clear about what is in the box, going forward. Nostalgia BoxArt from Lindberg is all intended as deceptive advertising, to sell mediocre kits to an already discriminating market 30 years ago, when the tooling was already 25-30 years old and could not compete with Revell, AMT or Airfix even then. I'd go so far as to say from an Automotive Model standpoint that Round2 has gotten (at best) 20-25 Tools that should be issued. The rest are Junk. Every Last one of them. The best Round2 could do, is to publicly Promise never to inflict that DRECK on the Model buying public again. Never Happen, but that is my Two Cents on it.

Roll Cage, but no Racing Seat? No optional Steering Wheel? Only one set of tires?(and the wrong ones at that) Almost Thirty Bucks Retail? C'mon, Kats! You can do better than this. I really love the many 'new' kits that you guys have put out! I've bought far more than I really should have, partially to show support for Round2 and boost sales, partially because I just had to have the kit, regardless of whether I already had one in the stash or not.. Others (the Manx Buggy, Flameout) I've bought because I never got a chance to own the original issues. I respect the tremendous amount of effort that has gone into resurrecting older kits. New Tool parts,(mostly wheels) Vastly improved Decal Sheets,Restoration of missing parts, Vintage Box Art, it has all worked for me. It sold me two '49 Mercs when I already owned 8 unbuilt. It sold me another pair of Studebaker Avanti's when I had at least three unbuilt. It even sold me the '65 Mustang Gasser, a car style (Gasser) and make (Ford) that I normally don't prefer. If this kit represents what we can expect in the Future, I'm going to be buying a lot more Revell '29 Fords. The whole presentation on the Firebird Kit smacks of "Half-A$$ing It". The thoughtful matching of parts and options that marked many other releases, is missing from this kit. While the decal Sheet is indeed spectacular,it does not in anyway justify the purchase of this kit. The 'Disco' Box Art is again, nice, but no more than nice. I feel like there are two teams at Round2. One Goes All-In, and the other is just there for the LOL's so to speak. The 1936 Ford, the '49 Merc, both the Studes, these are first team. The second team looks to have done the Three Stooges '40 Ford (nice decals tho) the Pepsi Stock Car, and now the Firebird. Please, Round2, I know that not every kit can be a homerun, but in this instance, the lack of effort shows. And shows badly. At almost 30.00, I cannot afford to buy this as a parts donor for older kits, as I would have in the old days. Cut the price to fit what it is, or add some more parts back into it, and make it a real 2'n'1 kit. Alan

Count me in, on the multiple purchase bandwagon. Let me echo the others. Tim, Thank You for extensive review and photos. Given my slow building speed, I see this kit bashed with the upcoming Coupe, and the Roadster with the Blown engine. It will be fun, that much is sure. Alan

As far as the comments about the split axle and diecast cars. If the Axle were molded in a Different (and stronger) plastic (ABS maybe) my complaint would be moot. However, I've seen too many kits undone by just by age and normal handling. That experience is what prompts my concern. Others my have had more and different experiences than I have had. I'd not thought about the epoxy solution. Thank You, Dave. Alan Alexis

Well, the Top of the axle is a small hit, but really not worth talking about. My beef is the flimsy looking Split axle ends. Exactly how long will those last? Much as I like the car, in a few years, there are going to be a large number of three wheeled and two wheeled Satellites. And I see no real way to repair or strengthen the mounting pins for the wheels. Even just gluing them solid, still leaves what appears to be a very fragile joint. So when they do break, well, that's it. Put fork in it. I'm not too keen on the One Piece Axle,Driveshaft and Springs bit, either, but it's no worse than what AMT was doing 50 years ago, and MPC into the 1970's. Nice to see that Moebius chose this place to take a shortcut, rather than someplace really visible. How much time do we spend looking at the undersides of a finished kit anyhow? Even at a show, it is a Death Penalty offense to pick up somebody else's model and turn it over to peer at the bottom. So, On a scale of Nits-to-Pick, this axle thing rates a 2(at best) and the wheel mounts rate a 3.5. IMHO. Alan

Danno, thanks for the heads-up on the Siren. I had honestly not looked that closely at it. I'll fix it, when I build mine. Thanks! Alan

Bob Ellis. PM me with your FAX number, and I can send a copy of the Sedan instruction with the Blower Parts on it.

Man, I need to get one of these kits. Strangely, while I have many left over parts from this kit that were in various 'parts-lots' I've gotten over the years,I'ver actually owned the kit. I hope the Big Box hobby/craft stores start to stock them.

OK, so who do we need to send the emails to? Ed Sexton, or somebody else? Alan

Eye-Bleach! Where's the Eye-Bleach?