iamsuperdan

This kit was definitely the Monogram kit. And did not come with the Road Runner decals, otherwise they would have been on the wings for sure. I get what you're all saying about preserving the kit. Although I am sentimental, it's only to a point. There are a couple of other kits I found in the box that I have a bigger attachment to, so those will probably just get cleaned up a little and displayed.

Forget the racing movies, look at all those horror movies towards the end of the month! That's the best part of October.

So this was interesting. I forgot that I used to put the completion date on my models. So the blue Superbird was finished on Feb 2, 1988. I was 14, and this was before I started just going by Dan. Wow. Could I have used more glue on this windshield?!

So go easy on me. This is the first time I've ever used BMF. I think it turned out okay. A little more practice, and I'll be even happier.

As someone working in the industry, I definitely took notice of this announcement. On a personal side, I'm excited. I'm not a Ford guy at all, but I've always liked the Bronco. And from my view, there is a definitely shortage of "real" SUVs. I'm in the minority, in that I need a vehicle that can go off road. And by offroad, I don't mean a gravel road. I go camping, I overland. I need real offroad capability. And right now, without adding mods to the vehicle, the only real option in North America is the Jeep Wrangler, of which I've owned a few over the years. Yes, there are Land Cruisers and Range Rovers, but those can be prohibitively expensive. If Ford can introduce a new Bronco, and keep the pricing around the same as a Wrangler, I'd give that serious consideration. On the business end of things, I have concerns. I don't think the final product will look like the renderings. And if it does, it won't have real offroad capabilities. It would be too cost prohibitive for Ford to create a new platform, so I think if you look at the Ranger the rest of the world gets, there's your basis. Which means the above pic of the Everest is your basis for the Bronco. Which makes it just another SUV with aggressive tires. I'd like to think that the styling will be close to the rendering, but I'm not holding out hope. From a business point of view, a two door makes no sense. Even Jeep doesn't sell that many two door Wranglers when compared to the four door. Toyota's FJ Cruiser would have sold a lot more had a four door version been available. So realistically, a new Bronco will be a four door. And it will be small. All previous Bronco models (not the Bronco II) were F150 based. This new one is Ranger based. The new Ranger is a minitruck; think Chev Colorado for sizing. So keeping that in mind, this will be roughly the size of a Ford Edge or Jeep Grand Cherokee. Which isn't a bad thing, it just isn't what I would want. The other direction I could see Ford going, is to make the Bronco a limited performance machine. Something like the new GT. It would be a separate platform, limited production, very retro, very cool, very expensive. Done right, that could work out well for Ford.

Bingo.

The hobby shops around here don't carry the kits or supplies that I use, other than paints. Finding anything for weathering or detailing is impossible. And there is no one here selling parts or used kits. So where else to go but the internet? If there were local options, I'd love to use them, but I make do with what's available, so I use Ebay, Kijiji, and wherever else I can find online. Personally, I don't get fired up when I see a ton of ad listings for parts. And I don't get fired up about some of the nutty pricing. That's how it works. Someone has something to sell, and they charge whatever they feel it is worth. Sometimes, do I notice people charging a ridiculous amount for something I need? You bet. But I don't get all butthurt about it. Eventually, the right item will come along at a reasonable price. We're not talking life or death here. I can wait. People that rant about this kind of stuff always remind me of this... Besides, I do the same when I sell guitar parts. I overcharge on certain things for sure, things that I know are rare, or that I know are in demand, or that I don't really want to part with. And sometimes, people pay for it. And I don't feel bad about it.

So this is the start of the first real rebuild I've ever tried. I was at my parents' place recently, and found a box with some of my old models in it. I emptied the box, laid the kits out, and reminisced about building them and where I got them and all of that. Maybe it's corny, but yes, I have an attachment to these hunks of plastic, and they do bring back memories. Anyway... I plan on restoring all of these to some level, but there are two kits that really spoke to me. The Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona were the only two muscle cars that ever really got me charged up. I mean, I like the muscle car era, but the winged warriors are still the only ones that really get me excited. So back in junior high, around 1987 or so, I built two of the Monogram (I think) Superbird kits. One blue, one white, built bone stock. The plan is to strip both of these cars and rebuild as one, possibly two completely different kits. I have one definite idea about the direction of one. And I've never seen it done in kit form before, so hopefully I can pull it off. Here's what I'm starting with. For whatever reason, I never painted the body on the blue one. Just went with the bare body and ran with it.Should make stripping that one easy! Stay tuned...

If that's the case, that is highly disappointing.

Here's what I had submitted.

Looking forward to seeing this one done. Love the colour choice. I find it interesting that Tamiya chose to produce the kit with an aftermarket seat. Porsches have never come from factory with power seat controls there. But the Recaros from the 80s sure did.

I'd be interested. I've shipped guitar parts to and from Europe before. For the right model kits, I'd do the same. If you're compiling a list, I'd be interested.

Wade through the junk, and there are some great deals to be had. Personally, the parts sellers have never bothered me. Everyone has the right to sell what they want for whatever they thing they can get for it; and if I see something that looks mental, I just keep scrolling right past. Life's too short to get worked up over stuff I disagree with on the internet. Anger is exhausting.

Hmm...no updates to this yet eh?

Can the bickering over semantics stop? Let's get back to pics of an interesting project. Seriously.

Got some primer on the body. And then managed to shoot some colour. No sanding or clear on there yet. Got some colour on the interior pieces too.

Just noticed that too. Went to have a look, as we're approaching the deadline. Wanted to have a look and see how many were done.

What a good idea for the trailer lighting! May have to accompany wifey next time she goes to Michaels!

I absolutely HATE the new G-Wagens. Street tires and low hanging exhausts? Catering to the soccer mom, trophy wife, and sad old men crowd? No thanks. Mercedes should keep the G-Wagen as a real off road machine, and leave the other half dozen SUV models in their lineup for the street driving folk. Maybe that's just me though. Will be building this one as bone stock truck. Manual transmission, steel wheels, no leather...as it should be. I have two of these kits, may build the second one to be slightly modified. Lift, racks, etc.

Does anyone know if any manufacturers have made a kit of a DeLorean that is NOT a time machine? I've done some quick searching, haven't found one yet.

Starting a new one. Something a little different. Old school Mercedes G-Wagen from ESCI. I really like these old ESCI kits for some reason. Unfortunately the EBay pricing is insane on most of these. But every now and then, you can find them for a steal. Which is what happened with this a couple of years ago! The kit itself was factory sealed. Upon opening, everything was there, as expected. The brown plastic seems to be a little more brittle than the black, as quite a few of the brown pieces had come off the sprues. No damage though. no warping or damage to the body or any other pieces. Decals haven't even yellowed yet, so we'll see how they work out.

Interior is just about done. Steering wheel totally doesn't fit right, so I had to create a new steering column. Interior should be mostly complete next weekend.

My first car was a '78 Thunderbird. Been hunting for a kit for years now!

Very good idea. $15 CDN at Amazon.

I was wondering about this exact thing recently, as the bottle I have on the go just isn't working anymore. Ahh well, just another excuse to head to the hobby store!