the other Mike S.

The 455 was a last ditch effort from Pontiac to extract the most performance out of their muscle cars in an era of low compression and ever increasing emissions. They knew this was coming so they punched out the displacement to 455 cid and created the 455 H.O. as standard equipment for the Trans Am in '71. The 455 SD was the pinnacle swan song made in '73-'74 only. Performance may been falling off like a cliff, but handling became center stage for the A-body in '73. I remember reading magazine articles that raved about how well these cars handled with the optional suspension package. The models that impressed me the most were the 4 door sedans though. Compared to their predecessors, the '73-'77 models looked very modern and almost european-like IMO. When the second wave of downsizing came about in '78, the new smaller but awkward looking models made the old '73-'77 look even better. I actually liked the N-body in the '80's, particularly the early FWD 2 door notchback coupes. The Olds Calais 442 was my personal favorite. They kind of reminded me of a minature G-body at the time. I wish MPC made models of them, but that probabaly would've required a promo contract from GM. Even though, in scale, they would be pretty small like a Corvette at about 7" (175"), it still would've been nice to have them. From what I recall, the 1:1 scale version was quite popular when they were first introduced.

That's nice work!

Well, I was thinking more of having all the Vettes released together if they ever did a 1/8th scale C8. The '65 Corvette and the XKE have been reissued a few times, I believe.

I wasn't sure if they also made the convertible as a kit. So, MPC made the convertible and AMT made the coupe? Makes me wonder since the '71 was a completely new tool, if the '70 convertible tooling still exists.

If they did that, we'd lose the '70. At this point, I'd hate to lose any kits of this vintage. The front fenders above the headlights are significantly different compared to the '69. It's not just a new front bumper that was changed. The backend was pretty simple though. A new rear bumper was the only major difference, I believe.

I think making the new trunk lid would be the hardest part. The Impala sports roof trunk was the same as the convertible I believe. So, unless you had a '70 convertible promo to cut up, you'd have to fill in the center depression of the Caprice style trunk and make that work.

That's only if they tooled up a brand new 4 door body though. I don't think they would do that IMHO. If they based it on the 2 door fastback and just altered the back half to make the 4 door, then the 2 door fastback is forever lost. I hope this is not the case. I wasn't a complete fan of the new tool 2 door fastback when it came out because the rear fender body line looked kind of wacky. The original AMT version was a lot better, but they're way too pricey now unless you happen find a bargain priced glue bomb. It would be sad to know that the new tool 2 door fastback has been destroyed forever to make this 4 door body style. Perhaps the original AMT '68 2 door fastback is somewhere lurking in their tooling archive ready to be reissued so that led to the decision. If that's the case, it's still a shame since it was a new tool of the '67, but a reissue of the original '68 2 door fastback would make up for it IMO.

The Modelhaus would be my first choice for the stock wheel covers, but they're no longer in business except for a few small runs of tires that their son does. I do have an old glue bomb built up of a original AMT '67 that I can use to cast resin copies for myself. However, it's a shame Modelhaus is no longer in business since that would be the easiest best solution to get them.

I would've liked to have seen Johan continue their '75 Cutlass promo tool into the '76-'77 body style with the slant nose 442 front end and the smoother body sides. They were already getting lazy with their half-hearted rendition of the '75 with the '74 based front grill/header. I'm surprised Oldsmobile allowed them to get away with that. I guess it was close enough for GM at the time. lol! For the A-body Chevelle, I'd love to see a stock Laguna S-3 with the '75-'76 shovel nose. Even the flat nose '73-'74 would be great to have. The Grand Am would be nice especially with the optional honeycomb wheels. The '73 Century had some nice sweeping body lines. They could've tooled up a "Kojak" car since that show was very popular at that time. However, that would have been a 4 door which some may not have preferred. I would've loved it though. The '70's 4 door A-body looked very european to me. I had the Corgi diecast of the Kojak car when I was a kid. The '73-77 El Camino is another one that would've been nice to have as well. They could've used the same chassis tooled up for the 4 door Buick Century "Kojak" car since the wheelbases were the same at 116". Considering how popular those cars (A-body) were back in the day, it's surprising that MPC couldn't find a way to tool up some of these models even without lucrative promo contract. Except for the Chevelle Laguna race car which could not be built stock, the choices were zero to none except for the Johan Cutlass snap kit. Even though it was basically an unassembled promo, I'm glad Johan was able to make the '73-'75 Cutlass happen. It seems the loss of promo contracts from the auto companies in the '70's heavily affected the development of new tools. If it wasn't based off a promo tool, it likely would not be made. What a shame!

This is a must have kit for me. Not too many regular '60's 4 door cars made in 1/25th scale plastic. However, the only thing I'm concerned about is the old (new tool) 2 door fastback kit. Now that we have this kit, does that mean the 2 door fastback version can never be tooled up again? If so, I guess I better stock up on a few before they get too expensive.

The last new tool from Round 2 was the 6th gen Camaro, I believe. The C8 definitely deserves to be made in different scales and building skill levels. However, if Revell is bold enough to do a 1/8th scale version of the C8, they should also reissue the '85, '82, '79(?), and the '65 Corvette. In fact, I'd like the see them reissue the 1/8th scale XKE, Camaro Iroc-Z and the Firebird Trans Am as well. Prices on Ebay are getting insane if you can find them.

That's true. However, I bet as soon as the full bumper kit comes out, they will "discontinue" the Baldwin Motion kit.

I hope they do a full glue and snap C8. That is, unless Round 2 gets the promo contract again.

Too bad it only includes the short early production one piece rear spoiler. The full bumper cars look best with the tall 3-pc rear spoiler IMHO.

I wonder if Round 2 or even Moebius could buy the automotive tooling bank from Revell? Almost going out of business in the U.S. market and then regrouping in Germany was a scary thing. I'd hate to see them go the way of Johan with their molds being divested never to be seen again.

Back in the day, was it really necessary for them to carve out the wheel well openings like that? They could've just scribed the openings on the inside and let modeler do that. At least that would've kept the body unmolested for future stock and modified track reissues. I wonder how hard it would be to slice in the stock wheel well openings from the new Revell '66 Impala kit into this one.

I like the '69 too. I have the promo style store version with the free rolling chassis and the original green "1969" retail box. It's medium blue. I've had it for over 20 years now.

My hobby room is called the kitchen counter. lol!

This is a nice kit. I also have the old A-Team version with the '80's style GMC grill as well. Molded in black.

It suprised me too. The rear spoiler was an option, it seems, even as far back as '71 or maybe even '70.5. Shortly thereafter, they created a new option that combined both the front valence and rear spoiler into one package that could be ordered on any Camaro, even the base 6-cyl coupe. However, they still kept the single rear spoiler option (D80), now the taller 3 piece unit since mid '71, as optional equipment on the Z28. The twin hood and deck lid skunk stripes were an option on the Z28 as well. So, you could basically order a Z28 with no stripes and no rear spoiler during this time. Weird stuff.

Resin kit prices are way too expensive for me. Then, add in the cost of parts from an original kit or reissue and whatever parts that need to be sent out for chroming and it eventually turns into a huge expense. No plastic model car is worth that in my opinion. And, if I'm going to be spending more than a benjamin or benjamin's on something like that, I'd rather get the original styrene kit for posteriety and/or the promo and enjoy the collectibility aspect of it as well. The funny thing is, most model manufacturers seem to be able to do the new tools just right like the good old days. Round 2, Revell and others seem to be able to pull off great scale fidelity with state of art part detail that are spot on on the new models. It's when they develop a new tool of a vintage older subject where the problems seem to occur with alarming frequency. The current models of the 6th gen Camaro from Round 2 and the current Mustang/Corvette from Revell are pretty much dead nuts accurate. This leads me to same conclusion that I made earlier. It must have something to do with the OEM's being involved in the project. More oversight, stricter guidlines, better blueprints, more $$$ available during tooling development, I don't know. However, the difference is there.

Awesome. Thanks!

I think they're making enough money, even at HL 40% coupon prices, to have the parts fit correctly. I certainly don't want to be paying Tamiya prices on '60's era kit tool reissues. $40-$50 a pop for a kit would price me, along with a lot of other people, out of the hobby. Also, Round 2 can do a lot with the new tool '69 Charger snapper. When you think about, that's probably the only way they were able to get that one done. Perhaps making it a simplified snapper reduced costs compared to a full on detailed kit. Same thing with the old and new Ford Raptor snap kit by Revell. That is, unless these were failed promos that the manufacturer did not approve for some reason. Revell's excellent '69 Camaro SS/RS snapper was supposed to be a retro promo from Chevrolet until GM killed it.

I agree with this. It's almost as if they're arguing against new product development. The only logical conclusion I can think of is investment collectibility. If new and better tools are made of these older kits, their old kit stashes may be worth a lot less on Ebay. Just like all the Johan tooling that mysteriously vanished 25 years ago. We're supposed to believe that most of the tooling was either lost or stolen for scrap value by disgruntled workers. Yeah right! For me, I'd rather have a new tool kit that has spot on body details and proportions and simple detail than one with tons of detail and a cartoon for a body. It seems when a model company ventures into making an all new tool of a vintage car model, it takes them several tries to get the basic things right, if they ever get it right. I don't know why that is with the tech that is available today. The new tools of current models seem to be spot on though. Does it just come down to having the original manufacturer's blueprints?