robertw

A bigger question is, will we get kits of the C8? In the past there were strong Corvette supporters in Revell/Monogram although we were certainly let down by the quality of the C7 kit. Now with ownership of Revell in the hands of Europeans will there be any interest in producing such an iconically North American car as the Corvette?

Is that hobby shop just a couple of blocks off the N/S highway through town still there. Haven't been there for a few years but it was a pretty good place the last time I was there. I'll be headed to Saskatoon later this week hopefully getting there in time to take in their club meeting.

Some day they'll create a sub-set of the hoarders syndrom just for us.

Is that your idea of an exacto knife laying on the cutting board.....watch out plastic, here I come. When I saw the first pic my thought was, how can you work in such a small place, so you've definetly improved your work space.

Small town called Rockglen, about a hundred miles south of Moose Jaw.

Those Revell 63 Corvette snap kits are just about the best kits available of that year.

Small prairie town in southern Saskatchewan and the only modeller in town, maybe the whole province if no one else steps in.

I agree with you Matt. I'm as interested in the history of our hobby and the companies that supply our kits as I am the actual building and I suspect our book shelves look quite similar. I also agree with you on your suggestion that everyone who is interested in model cars needs to get this book, it is that good.

That is so depressing when something like that happens to a paint job but I'm glad to see that you've not given up. I've had a few "what the h..." experiences using MotoMaster & duplicolor lines so try to do most of my paint jobs with the TS line from Tamiya and have yet to have a paint failure. Yours is going to look nice in orange and keep the blade in a dark colour it will make a nice contrast.

This makes me a little sad. Japan appears to bee a big enough market that they can make and sell models of garden equipment yet here in North America there are apparently so few modellers that many hobby shops can't make a go of it and one of the last surviving companies who started the hobby some 50+ years ago (Revell/Monogram) sold for peanuts and left the continent.

After building the Monogram/Revell Porsche I came to the conclusion that it is one of the most poorly engineered kits that Monogram have ever done.. It tookj me over a year to finish because I kept putting it back in the box rather then throwing it against the wall. I decided that this was war and the kit was not going to win. To get everything to fit I basically turned it into a snap kit by gluing the front & back clips to the body then glued both the trunk and the engine compartment lids down (there's not much engine to see anyway). I cut the chassis in half to get it to fit , did it right behind the interior and reconnecting the two halves once they were in place didn't prove too difficult. I cut off the quarter windows from the windshielf and glued them on separate (I was doing my car stock) and after sanding I rechromed the bumpers in Alclad. One of the real car's options was body coloured bumpers but I wanted a little bling. I decided that the wheels and tirers looked to small so replaced both from my parts box. Flash there was aplenty, small parts needed a lot of sanding to fit so I did create a lot of dust during the build. The model now sits at the back of the display cabinet so no one will see it, this is punishment for having given me so much trouble. So Pat ypu've done a fine job of turning your "sows ear into a silk purse".

r'nd Unique did both the Nomad & the Corvair show cars in resin but they closed up shop many years ago with the result that their trans kits are very hard to find.. To my knowledge no other aftermarket company has tried to do a kit of either car.

Araron, I've built both kits . You've gotten some good advce from those who responded to your question but despite what they've told you I prefer the AMT kit.. Both the original AMT & Monogram kits date from the mid 1970s, AMT #T10 from 1976 & Monogram 6100 from 1977. 6100 is the kit that a couple mentioned had the metal body and my biggest concern with it is that it is larger then 1/24th enough so that set next to the AMT one in looks much too large so while it is easier to build it does look out of place in a collection of C1 Vette kits. #2291 from 1982 was the first all plastic release of the original #6100 kit and all subsequent Monogram & Revell kits are based on it. The best feature of the Monogram ones is that they have the carbs for both the 53 & 54 cars. The snap kit you mentioned is #8314 released in 1997 and as Art said it is based on the retro Corvettes C-1promos released in in 1993. I used one of them to build a rare Black 54 Vette and found it very easy to work with, except for its lack of engine. Yes the original AMT kit requires more work to make it right but if you're building a collection of C1 Vettes it will look better. On the other hand if you're only building one Corvette go with the Monogram, it is a little easier to build. The tip for using the P.E headlight screen is interesting and I'll have to try it sometime, I know the heavy plastic covers annoy me. Good luck.

I see this car going into a custom built plexiglass box then being used as a coffee table.....just not in my living room. It does look like a beautifull piece of work that probably blongs in a museum. Unfortunately the cost to produce something like this rarely has little bearing on what others will pay for the item.

Your kit is from the original release in 1998 and the kit was reissued for a short time in 2007 . I would think the reason that you don't see it built often is that it was a one off show/concept car that did not lead to production and the shape does not lend itself to customizing. It builds up nicely and is quite accurate. The only work I did to it was to eliminate the joint lines on the sides of the body between the main body and the front & rear clips. To do this I had to cut the chassis in half and install both halves separately which were then easily reglued. I also replaced the modern Goodyear GSC tires from the kit with a set of more period correct rubber from my spares box. While we may never see the model reissued (with the Europeans now in control of the Rev/Mono molds) I doubt that the kit should be considered a collector item. It is interesting to think that had Zora Arkus Duntov gotten his way and not retired this mid engine Vette might have reached the market in the early '80's rather then next year, as is expected.

Interesting. Where I grew up the best place for models was also in the local stationary shop but they were all in the basement with the games. Those old hobby shops were wonderful places and provide great memories for those of us old enough to remember them first hand.

You did very well considering how many parts you had to source or scratch build. The dash looks period correct and the colour makes a real statement.

This is proof that you can turn an ancient kit into a modern plastic thing of beauty, You can be very proud of what you have achieved.

I've seen a list of the molds that were destroyed and the Chitty, Chitty kit wasn't one of them although that's not to say it wasn't damaged. Some of the old Aurora molds were just scrapped and I would guess that this was the fate of this one. Monogram would have looked at this one and decided that it had little market since it was based on an earlier movie and they would have had to pay royalties so I suspect the decision would have been made quickly to scrap it. I think our only hope would be a reverse engineered kit as were done with a small number of kits by Polar Lights and I'm not holding my breath. It's a kit that remains on my wish I could find one list.

Recognize the rear tires from the kit but everything else looks different. Well done and a nice colour scheme.

My first car was a hand-me-down '54 Stude from my father. I've had a soft spot for them ever since

Well done . I see that my buddy tatoocorvette hasn't seen this, I'll let him know he'll flip over this.

Nice job and a very interesting colour combination. I like the dark blue but the purple interior is a very bold move , I'm not sure I would have tried it but glad to see that you had the courage to go bold. I've built a couple of those 355 kits and they do present some build challenges but look so good when done well and you have suceeded.

I remember them and yes I did buy them new. I wish I still had what was left of the sheet but they are long gone as are the models that I put them on.

The Aurora book is also excellen and well worh the read, if you have any interest in the history behind our hobby.. I too regret that we've not seen books of the Graham quality on AMT, MPC & IMC but I keep my hopes up.. There have also been histories of Matchbox, Airfix, Frog and ESCI written. I will admit that I enjoy the history behind the models I build just as much as the building of the kit.