OldSkool81

About the original post: did you ever notice that a lot of people from the 70's, 80's and 90's that ended up in technical domains, and furthermore pretty good in those domains, built model kits as kids? Wanna talk about modern hazardous things? What about energy drinks that kids consume as if they were the juiceboxes we used to drink... Or constantly having a phone or tablet in their hands that have been proven to be harmful... Seems like everything is harmful for you nowadays; I'll take my chances with model building. At least, it'll work my noggin, help me keep my dexterity, work my patience and maintain my spacial (3-D) viewing skills, all of which looking at a screen can't give you.

Here are some of my favorites that are sitll on the shelves. All completed in my late teen years, the latest being the DTM Opel which I completed at around 20 years old before life got in the way, and forced me in a 20+ years model building break. We moved a lot when I was young, so I've got many more favorites, but they got damaged and are in boxes somewhere awaiting restoration, one one them being Revell's 1/16 "Swamp Monster" Chevy Monster truck (sorry for the lack of picture, since I don't know in which one of my boxes it's resting), and I always wanted to buy its companion kit, the "Giant Tracks" yellow version with the bedcap, but kept my money instead to pay for my driving lessons...😓

Dang... 2025 first seemed to be a lighter year for my wallet than 2024; we're only in late february and my want list just went from 11 to 14! I want all 3 of 'em!!!

Hmm I wasn't aware about those car kits; I don't remember seeing them at the online stores I do business with... You do have a good point with the tractors, and yet they're doing it again with the upcoming Fendt tractor... So to resume, it should be a pre 1987 big car or truck, from the size I'd think more American than European, new tool so it's something they never issued before, with the possibility of being a niche kit with no other future plans...

Man, this is just outright AWESOME! My brain couldn't find any flaw to make it think this wasn't real; onle the zoomed-out picture showing your diorama in your back yard got me back to reality! I wish I could take out stuff from my mind to reality with this amount of detail!!!!

I don't think the real-life movie cars ever even looked that good!

I agree with Luc; Revell being ran by Germans means they do things rationally and won't throw money out the window, so they usually won't tool up a brand new model just for a one-shot deal. They milk the heck out of their tools, so the model has to have a broad appeal and be able to be used for many future variations. That squarebody that Can-Con suggested would fit the bill nicely, using part of the new Blazer tool, but if that's the case, why a curbside when you could use the Blazer's engine? That's the only part that gives me doubts about that squarebody.

Oh and also, season 5 is supposed to be set in the fall of 1987, so it's a pre-1987 vehicle for sure.

Let's not forget that the filming ended in december 2024, and season 5 is now in editing, so a big company like Revell who paid big bucks for licensing must have had prime access before anybody else a while ago. The hamster in my head has been running pretty fast in its wheel lately, also trying to figure this out. I briefly thought about the Cadillac like you, but its life pretty much ended when it got crashed at the Starcourt mall. Also, IIRC in Revell's 2025 catalog, the description underneath the mystery car's photo says that it will play a key role in season 5 by the main caracters, so I bet it's a new vehicle in the series. Here's the link: https://revell.de/en/shop/product/077329090-car-stranger-things?srsltid=AfmBOor6VKPiJp3XkM5ZMHyOP3AKdU9HkEAe1f1GVmUf2ommw_FoboeY

You know what? I work as a mechanic in a tool and machinery rental store, and I see our trailers, delivery truck liftgates and beds and even "Mechanical Wheelbarrows" (imagine a miniature dump truck box with tracks, an engine and a seat) with caved in floors between the crossmembers, and honestly, I would've never thought about replicating that on a model! Good eye, and good job sir!!!!

Great job! I really like these; IIRC I got the 117 Late Version with the square headlights in my stash. When I got my license in the late 90's, my dream car what an Isuzu Impulse RS Turbo AWD; I test drove a few Impulse XS and Asüna Sunfires (Canada-only equivalent of the 1992 and 1993 Impulse) but never bought one because they were still a bit pricey for my teen budget. I can see a lot of styling cues in the 1990 to 1993 Impulses that they took from the 117; there's defenitely a family ressemblance!

Does somebody know if someone make a correct tail light panel for MPC's 1979 Firebird? Those horizontal bars that are in the kit look so wrong that it almost ruins the model, plus mine are warped anyways. I'm surprised I didn't find anything after a lot of research; am I the only one going nuts over this?

Absolutely beautiful!!! I have one of those in my stash that I started years ago; I'll be sure to bookmark your build thread to deal with the fitment issues whenever I get there! Cheers!

Ooofff what a stunner!!!!😍

Thank you Luc; that does clear thinks up. I personnally don't care much about the bigger decal sheet, especially those big body decals for the 2-tone paint job; I prefer to go with paint for both colors. I just cancelled my pre-order for the Revell Germany kits, and found another shop that had both the Revell USA Blazer and Camaro in stock, as well as the new Atlantis '57 Nomad that they just received and that I also wanted. So it all turned out for the best! Cheers!

I have a request for you guys in the U.S. since you seem to get new kits reaching your shores way earlier than Canada... If any of you got the Revell Germany version, I'd like to see what's different compared to the Revell USA version, that commands such a hefty price difference. A few months ago, many Canadian hobby shops offered preorders for the Stranger Things kits between 65 and 70$ CAD, leading us to beleive that Revell AG had the exclusivity on those kits. So I bought all 3 on preorder, having only received the Pizza Boy Vanagon so far, but now, they're getting in stock the Revell USA Billy's Camaro and Hopper's Blazer, for between 40 and 46$CAD, while the ones that I paid 66$ for still haven't arrived! When I pointed this out to my online hobby shop, they said "Revell Germany promises better quality than Revell USA"... I have doubts about that because my experience so far with Revell USA is really good, and I can't see what could be made better to charge an extra 20 bucks... Feels like a ripoff on Revell's part to me!

I guess you were right: I just received the part yesterday. But again, there was no communication, and even though there was a tracking number on the label, I never was sent a shipping notification with the tracking number. They are trustworthy and of their word, but more communication would go a long way. Otherwise yes, I'm happy and I would recommend them.

Sorry if it's been said before, but I didn't have time to go through 47 pages of comments. But in the last few years, I've been hassling model kit makers as well as commenting youtube modeling channels for a Jeep XJ Cherokee...Tamiya made the unloved YJ as well as a ZJ Grand Cherokee, and Lindberg also made a ZJ Grand Cherokee, albeit in 1/20 scale. But with how big of a hit the XJ Cherokee was from its release until now, I can't fathom why nobody ever made a kit out of it... You see it everywhere on TV; from the Goonies, The Bourne Identity, Stranger Things, and more. The Cherokee XJ is so ubiquitous on the big screen that I've even seen memes people made of Leonardo Dicaprio pointing Cherokees at movies hahaha! Point is, with modern modular tooling like Revell's for example, I think it would be possible to do the various grilles and trim packages from '84 to '96, and with slight modifications, the '97 to 2001. And dare I say, maybe use it as the basis for a potential Jeep MJ Comanche model kit in the future? One can only dream!!!!!

My Dad was the one that got me into model building at around 5 years old, and he really was into it. So pretty much every Christmas and birthday, I got at least one model, sometimes 2 or 3. My first heavy truck kit was AMT's Diamond Reo that I got in the nineties when I was around 15. To this day, it is still unfinished; it is a rolling chassis and drivetrain, as I couldn't decide on the color due to my limited paint choices back in the day and limited money to buy some more, as all my savings where already going in prevision on my driver's course funds for the next year!😅 I still haven't re-opened that kit's box since!!!

I was driving my 1998 Ford Ranger short cab stepside 2wd 2.5 manual since 2012, but I bought my first house in the summer of 2023. Being in the countryside with badly maintained roads, I needed something more comfortable and with AWD/4x4 for winter, so last summer I bought a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, with the 4.7 H.O. V8 and Quadra Drive. So that's my main daily driver, and for summer I've got my 1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer resto-project.

My project truck, which also was my dream truck since I was a kid. When I was 5 my uncle across the street got a brand new 1986 Jeep Cherokee, and me and my cousins thought it was just the coolest thing. So when Jeep came out with the Comanche, which was a pick-up version of the Cherokee, and I saw one for the first time in the late eighties, I fell in love and knew I had to have one someday!!! I bought mine in 2017 as a non-running, 4 cylinder manual 2wd, that a kid bought from the original owners, and cut and ripped hoses and wiring looms under the hood, preparing for a Mercedes diesel 5-banger swap that never happened. It came with the bed full of parts to convert it to 4x4 which is what I did over time. I also repaired the wiring and hoses and made the stock 4 cylinder live again, and it runs surprisingly good for the original engine! It became my summer daily driver, to identify and repair mechanical flaws. I'm pretty much done, and I'm about to start sheetmetal work and paint. Here is my uncle's Jeep photo, as well as my Comanche over time:

Having worked in the auto body industry in the past, it is indeed fish eye. A lot of incredibly knowledgeable answers where posted here, and many things can cause contamination, silicone being a main one, which is why most auto body shop stay clear of silicone-based detailing products like tire shine or interior products. Funny (or not-so-funny?) story: the body shop I used to work at was attached to my boss's house. One summer day, he was working overtime painting a car. His paint shop's fresh air intake was on the back of the building near where their back yard and deck was. His girlfriend lit a couple of lemongrass mosquito repellant candles on the deck, and the fumes got sucked by the intake. My boss used a full-face fresh air induction mask, and told us that he started smelling lemon in his mask, and at that moment he could see the paint instantly beginning to fisheye right before him!!!😅

I've dealt two times with them; first time was for an Auslowe Mack E9 engine and photoetch Mack emblems, and was very happy. The second time was late december 2024 for a Transtar photoetch kit, two kenworth K100 square headlight conversion sets and two dual square headlights and photoetch trim sets. I got my order january 14th and noticed right away that one of the K100 square headlight conversion kits was missing, so I messaged them right away. I got an unsigned email the same day with only one sentence: "We will send another"... Well it's been two weeks, and I still haven't got anything, not even a tracking number, and since that message, they won't even respond to my messages asking them for an update. I'm less than impressed this time, which sucks because they have amazing products, but communication and customer service is the backbone of any small business IMHO.

Brace yourselves, this is gonna be a long post! My Dad (R.I.P.) started me on model kits at a pretty young age, at around 5 years old. Now, I can't remember which kit was THE first, but it was either the Monogram 1/32 Snap '55 Chevy ( I thrashed it), Monogram's Land Rover with the funky camo decals ( I thrashed it), AMT's Diamond in the Rough kit ( LOVED that kit, but also thrashed it, but found another one a few years back on ebay), or the AMT '53 Corvette custom that I also thrashed. My Dad built various kits at first; I remember an old-school steam locomotive with tinder wagon, a big scale Bentley Blower, Christie firetruck, and even a huge PT-109 boat with batteries and electric motor. Over time he came to focus pretty much on military planess, mostly WW2 fighters and bombers, but with the occasional sub, carrier and even the Titanic. On my end, this hooked me onto cars, big time, and made me what I am today. The way the blueprints give you an exploded view and parts names gave me a good overall understanding of cars at a young age making me prevalent in technical things. I studied a bit of mechanical engineering ( didn't complete), carpentry, worked a bit as a apprentice mechanic at a Toyota dealership and finally, auto body technician. Modelling being popular in my family, I was always sure to get at the minimum one model each birthday and Christmas, meaning that I always had a good stash that I could never get through. My last completed model dates back to like 2000 or 2001, when I was like 19 or 20, and was Tamiya's Opel Astra Team Holzer DTM racer. After that, well, I moved out on my own and work, school and just life got in the way. Then, a few years ago, I stumbled onto Doug's Right On Replicas and Chris' HPIguys channels which tought me new tricks and shown me how to get great results on the cheap. That lit the fire back and and gave me the passion again. Then came 2020, which finally gave me the excuse and mostly the time to get back into it. Funny how many of the kits in my stash that I thought were just "meh" back in the day are now long gone collectible or just forgotten! Here's a list of what I had, what I have, my stash and the status. Built Monogram 1/32 '55 Chevy snaptite -- Thrashed and lost over the years, Monogram Land Rover -- Thrashed and lost over the years, AMT Diamond in the Rough -- Thrashed, lost over the years but bought another one to be built, AMT '53 Corvette custom -- Thrashed, lost over the years, AMT 1932 Ford 2n1 -- Thrashed and lost over the years, Monogram '37 Ford Street Rod -- Thrashed and lost over the years, Revell F9F-8 Cougar fighter jet -- Thrashed and lost over the years, Tamiya Leopard 2 tank -- Thrashed and lost over the years, Monogram Rampage '69 Camaro -- Thrashed, still have for parts or custom, Monogram '70 Boss Mustang 429 -- Somewhat trashed, may customize, Monogram Demolisher Chevy monster truck -- Thashed, body, wheels and tires remaining, no plans for now, Revell Pro Street Lincoln -- Little bit thrashed, mostly complete, will restore, Monogram '80 Bronco (1992 issue) complete, on the shelf, not quite happy but will leave as is because of the period decals, Revell Anglia Street Rod -- Thrashed, few parts remaining, Ertl Perterbilt 359 Drag truck with metal frame and axles -- Somewhat thrashed but almost complete, may restore/kitbash, MPC '69 Charger 500 -- Thrashed, missing a few parts, may use for custom, Monogram '55 Chevy Street Machine -- Somewhat botched and few parts broken but rather complete; thinking to build a Blasphemi replica out of it, Revell 1960 Skip's Fiesta Corvette -- Thrashed, some parts remain, unsure if I still got the body, Revell Skip's Fiesta '57 Chevy Nomad, with opening doors and tailgate... Apparently I had 2 of those (I forgot lol) one has been glue bombed and lost, the second one thrashed, some parts missing but 3/4 there, may build a custom, Monogram '92 Firebird Formula -- Disassembled and stripped, awaiting restoration, AMT Back to the Future 2 DeLorean -- Somewhat thrashed, restorable but missing wheels and tires, AMT '68 RoadRunner -- In pieces, needs restoration, Revell VW Bug Street Machine (pink) -- Thrashed, Mostly body and chassis remains, so immediate plans, Monogram '57 Chevy Hardtop 2n1 -- Complete but needs quick repair, Monogram '66 Malibu SS Street Machine -- Disassembled, may be missing some parts, either restore or custom, Revell Gone Fishing Set -- Awaiting restoration, Monogram 3n1 '78 Camaro, built as the "Midnight Z" Street Machine -- Disassembled and awaiting restoration, Monogram '65 Vette Black Rat -- Disassembled, would like to restore since the body had been brush-painted, but don't want to lose the rat decal on the hood, so on hold for now, Monogram '40 Ford Pick-Up Street Rod -- Needs slight restoration, Monogram '93 Pontiac Trans Am -- Disassembled and stripped, awaiting restoration, Monogram 25th Anniversay Lamborghini -- Being used to restore the standard Monogram Coutach that I once built, Revell '41 Willys Pickup Dragster -- Currently being restored, Lindberg 1994 Ford Explorer --- Disassembled and slowly being restored, Lindberg 1994 GMC Sonoma High Rider -- Main project right now, being restored including tweaking the suspension for the proper factory stance, Monogram 1/12 '57 Chevy Sport Coupe 3n1 -- Awaiting repair/restoration, Revell 1/16 Swamp Monster Chevy pickup -- Awaiting repair/restoration, Lindberg Camaro Z/28 --Built & on the shelf, Monogram Supercharged '56 Chevy Street Machine -- Almost done, Revell Mazda Miata (1993 issue) -- Built & on the shelf, Lindberg 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee -- Built & on the shelf, AMT Snake Bite Monster Truck -- Built & on the shelf, AMT Bigfoot Monster truck -- Built & on the shelf, overall really good except the body's paint is BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH; would like to repaint if I can find new decals, Revell Stage III 427 Corvette -- Built & on the shelf, Monogram Jeep CJ-7 (1993 issue) -- Built & on the shelf but needs slight repair, Revell '70 Plymouth AAR Cuda (1995 issue, the one that everybody seems to hate) -- Built & on the shelf, Monogram Camaro Z/28 Indy Pace Car (1993) -- Built & on the shelf, Monogram 1995 #3 GM/Goodwrench Monte Carlo Nascar -- Built & on the shelf, AMT 1970 Dodge Coronet Pro Street -- Built & on the shelf, Tamiya "Sport Bild/Team Holzer" Opel Astra DTM -- Built & on the shelf, Italeri M923 A1 "Bigfoot" army truck -- Built & on the shelf, need to glue the machine gun back on. If you're wondering why I've got some many "thrashed" models, keep in mind that a lot of those were built at a young age and been glue/paint bombed, and as a kid (even as an adult) we used to move a lot, damaging most of them. Now for the stash!!! AMT '66 Chevy Nova Street Machine -- Started, Monogram '95 Corvette Indy Pace car -- To Be Built (TBB), Revell '69 Shelby GT-500 -- TBB, Revell Dodge Ram VTS Pickup -- TBB, AMT Chevy C1500 454 SS -- Started, Revell Pro Modeler '69 Charger R/T -- TBB, Revell Dick Landy's '68 Charger- TBB, AMT General Lee Charger 1/25 -- TBB, Revell/Monogram '87 Buick Grand National -- Started, Monogram '93 Camaro Z/28 Indy Pace Car (another one!) -- May sell, Revell/Monogram '97 Corvette Coupe -- TBB, Revell/Monogram '93 Mustang Cobra -- TBB, AMT Jaguar XJ220 -- Started, Revell/Monogram Dodge Viper GTS -- Started, AMT 1956 Ford Victoria Hardtop 3n1 -- Started, Revell 1971 Plymouth GTX -- Almost done, Monogram Lotus Esprit Sport 300 -- Started, AMT 1994 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo --TBB, AMT 1969 Chevelle SS396 -- TBB, Monogram 1992 Mustang GT Convertible -- Started, Monogram Callaway Corvette Speedster (2X) -- Started one, may sell the other, AMT '70 Chevelle SS454 -- TBB, Monogram '96 Corvette Grand Sport -- TBB, Monogram '56 Chevy Nomad -- TBB, Monogram '65 Chevy Impala SS396 (2X) -- TBB and may sell the second one, AMT Diamond in the Rough kit (the second one that I found on ebay some years back) -- TO BE BUILT RIGHT THIS TIME!!! AMT Diamond Reo Semi Truck -- Halfway done, Revell Germany Ferrari F-50 Barchetta -- Started, stalled due to a missing headlight (the headlight itself, not the lens; PM me if one of you could 3D print one or something), Lindberg Curtiss P6E Biplane -- Almost done, Revell 1/72 MIG-31 Foxhound -- TBB, Monogram 1/48 A-10 Thunderbolt II -- Started, Heller Mirage 2000N Fighter Jet -- TBB, and finally, MPC 1/16 '79 Pontiac Trans-Am on order, TBB eventually. I may put pics eventually, but keep in mind that I'm a certified car nut; I'm presently spending most of my free time on real cars, either fixing my old Ranger or rebuilding and restoring my 1988 Jeep Comanche. Between parts orders and bad weather I switch to models. But for pics of finished models, I need to do a thorough dusting otherwise it'll be pretty embarassing hahaha!!! Oh and by the way, I still have the 1991 Monogram, 1993 and 1997 Revell catalogs if someone needs me to dig up some info! So that's pretty much it; I'll try to post pics of the projects as they go, but like I said, it might not be daily nor weekly! Hope I didn't put you guys and gals to sleep, and looking forward to know you! ☺️?