tim boyd

OK James, i guess I need to respond to you as well. Apparently I have done a less than stellar job of explaining my position on this so I will try once more. 1) I get in that in today's world the majority of newly tooled kits will omit the engine. I don't personally like this, but as a business person I understand the logic and the need to balance product development costs and product complexity with what the market will accept in terms of pricing. 2) However, as someone who worked in the auto industry for 35 years, I can state with certainty that there are certain automotive products wherein the engine comprises a huge portion of the commercial appeal of the product, and generates much of the enthusiasm around the vehicle. And with those specific automotive topics, a scale representation of the engine becomes a much higher priority in kit design and business case development. Some of these are Ferraris, Lambos, Corvettes, and yes, Aston Martins and 5.0L Mustangs. The new Supra? Not so much, in that (as we all know) it does not use a bespoke Toyota engine. Kinda hard to fault any model company for omitting that one. And yes, much as I don't like it personally, I agree that the other kits you cite (MX-5, Toyoda AA et al) are probably good examples of point #1. So no, I did not criticize those. As for the AMG GT3, I didn't buy that kit but had I, I should have voiced the same concern. And I should have spoken up when I bought the Aoshima Aventador LP700-4 with the understanding it had a complete engine, only to open the box and find something far less than that. 3) Most people in the hobby today seem to believe Tamiya is the world's best kitmaker (overall), and certainly from a business point of view they seem to be the most consistently successful in that criteria as well. Along with that comes higher expectations. Sadly, based on what I see at this point, I don't think we will be seeing newly tooled kits of new automotive introductions from any of the traditionally "domestic" kitmakers any time soon, other than one possible exception involving a future product topic that I do not have a sense of just how seriously is actually being considered. If we are going to get new kits of new cars and trucks, they are probably going to have to come from overseas kitmakers, and for the reasons cited at the beginning of this point #3, Tamiya is the most likely candidate to develop those kits. Now, the point I am trying to make is that if one of those kits is of an automotive topic where the engine represents a large degree of the appeal (such as the Corvette C8), then in my strongly held view the kit must then include a full representation of the engine, not a partial engine or no engine, and not a body that omits an opening hood. And since it appears to me that Tamiya would be the most logical candidate to product such a kit, I just want to do my own little part to express my hope that they will deliver such a kit. I only represent one vote in this matter, others may agree or disagree. But I will continue to express my views on the subject, as do others whether they agree with me or not. As some of you reading this thread have commented, when the kit is of a race car instead of a production car, it is more generally accepted by some that the kit will omit a full detail engine (though that seems a bit perverse to me). In the case of the GT4, because there is no full detail kit of a production S550 Mustang, the Tamiya race car is the closest thing we will ever have to a production S550 kit (sadly) and that is again why personally I am so highly disappointed with the way the kit was produced. If they follow with a full detail kit (as I have heard from some vague rumors), then I will be just as happy then as I am not happy now, and presuming it is done to the standards of the rest of the content of their kits, I will be happy to publicly acknowledge and praise them for their decision. James, I know I will have not changed your perspective. Nor do I willingly attempt to talk down to anyone, as we are all equals in this hobby and on this Forum. I do not agree with some of your comments above, but I do not intend to knowingly disrespect your views on this, as indicated by the time I have taken to draft this response. I do wish you would afford me the same consideration, which seems to me to me a bit missing in the first paragraph of your response above. Best Regards....TIM

I doubt that is the case but does anybody have any definitive proof of this? TB

Chuck, thanks for taking the time to present your point of view, always eloquently too, I might add. As for the thought experiment....I'm not asking for a working engine,,,,just a representation of the engine itself. The commensurate omission in your example would be the complete elimination steering components and the elimination of the door itself. I'm not asking those to be working, either, just be there. Otherwise....oh-oh...it's an incomplete kit (smile). (For those of you who don't know this, Chuck and I have (I hope) good-naturedly spared back and forth on this topic ever since he picked a curbside Chevy Astro kit as kit of the year back over several other really good kits, yes with engines. This was back in the 1990's when he was doing his terrific kit of the year article series for the late great Car MOdeler magazine. ) And come on, now, Chuck, you as the owner of a V8 S197 Mustang know the importance of the engine in the overall appeal of that car....which is one of the reasons this topic remains so near and dear to me. Anyway, thanks again for the response....TIM

Tom. I don't know, this happened after I retired at Ford. I've heard that there was cooperation between the two companies, but to what extent other than that the toy was ready at the global Mustang launch events, I do not know. TIM

Keep those comments coming..... I'm tied up right now and can't reply right at this moment, but I will tonight or tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, one thing we can all agree on is that Round 2 and Revell are both sorely lacking in their decision to forego development of S550 Mustang full detail kits (i have commented on this topic a number of times in the past, too). Had they done so, we would not be having this disagreement on the Tamiya kit. Also, I do not consider the Revell S550 snap-toy to be a kit at all, which is why I have not commented negatively on it to date. TIM

Guys, you can dismiss it and/or rationalize it all you want (and let me say, I fully acknowledge and respect your right to do so), but the fact remains, it's an incomplete effort as currently presented. Shame too, as from what I have seen so far, this could have easily been kit of the year had it had the full engine included. If there were other S550 generation Mustang full detail kits on the market, this would really not be an issue. But we are where we are. And yes, there are many modelers out there who still expect - and demand - a model kit to represent a complete miniaturization of the real thing, and for the construction of same to represent (within reason) what one would experience if he/she were doing a build of the real car. It is very evident from this and other conversations on this board that most of you feel otherwise, but trust me, out there in the broad word of model car kit buyers and builders, there are many that feel my way even - if they are not present here. Bottom line, huge missed opportunity from my point of view. Most of you here feel otherwise. I get it. But I'm not changing my view on this, nor do I expect you to. TIM

NIck...don't recall seeing pix of your boat models beore but I am sure liking this one. Cool paint fade and matching tow vehicle, too. And for others reading this thread, take note of Nick's comments about the Rayson-Craft kit; completely agree with them. Several of mine I built from partial build-ups sold on eBay.com, was able to piece them together using some of the carryover kit parts from the later c. 1968 AMT "Hull Raiser" Kindsvater hull kit, most recently available in the Model King 1970 Pontiac Bonneville/Drag Boat combo of the mid 2000's. TIM

David....a great looking boat! Congrats and thanks for posting the image, too. TIM

Pat and Keyser....thanks for the comments! TIM

Good news for Tamiya. NOW, just imagine where the kit would rank if it actually had a full detail engine. and compartment in the box …. TIM

Luc...the Fox generation of Mustangs, when equipped with the 5.0L OHV V-8, is considered by many here in the states as the "Modern Day 1955 Chevy" due to its affordability, diminutive size, comparatively light weight and simplified construction, and the ability to achieve noteworthy performance increases with relatively affordable expenditures for aftermarket parts. Still, between the Round 2/MPC kit and the "Kit that must not be mentioned...." (err....Revell LX 5,0), what we have is what we get. I personally don't see a business opportunity for a new, start from scratch kit range based on the this generation fo Mustang. Now as to the current generation S550 Mustang, which has been the world's best selling Sports Car for the last five years running, the lack of a complete full detail showroom stock kit of this Mustang carline is beyond any reasonable explanation - it is a great business opportunity for one of the world's kitmakers - but only if it includes a fully realized engine and engine compartment as part of the kit contents. I have talked to the major domestic kitmakers about this omission, and without divulging confidential information, due to an unfortunate set of circumstances I sort of understand why this occurred, even if I strongly disagree with the result. I don't have direct contacts with the Asian and European kitmakers, but if any of you do, i would only emphasize (again) the crucial importance of a complete and definitive treatment of the underhood area - any shortcuts here would largely tank such a kit for many (not all, but many) who would consider purchasing such a kit. Plans for the next upcoming generation of Mustangs were not defined when I retired from Ford so I don't know the product cadence or timing for the world of future Mustangs. Some media report a 2022/2023 time frame for such a product, but it is not known whether such information comes from reliable sources. as Ford does not publicly reveal future product plans. If and when the next generation of Mustang appears, one hopes that one or more of the model companies develops plan for a series of full detail kits of that product range. As for my personal role in researching and defining a parts and tool design for such a kit, Luc, no actions planned here, I am retired these days and plan to stay that way!!!! Cheers....TIM

Thanks Jon,...I have updated the kit commentary at my Fotki album to point out the tailamp issues. Jon, Roger, and others - I had already mentioned the plated headlamp lenses as a shortfall vs. contemporary kit expectations. Thanks all for your comments....TIM

Here's an overview of three Round 2 reissues that are hitting the market in May-June 2020. First up is the AMT 1965 Fairlane Late Model Stocker. It includes what appears to be a mostly redesigned decal sheet. Alan, I am pretty sure the guys at Round 2 read your complaints about the carryover decal sheet in the 1965 Chevelle Modified Stocker a few months ago, as to whether that is the explanation for what appears to be a partially updated decal sheet in this case is not known to me.... Next up is the AMT 1960 (Falcon-based) Ranchero. It is essentially the Ohio George Ranchero with a new and extensive Coke-based decal sheet, a set of two tinted clear coke bottle cases, and a Coke chest. As was the case with the Ohio George issue, also included is a newly tooled 1960 Falcon grille and hubcaps, vs. the original 1961 Falcon grille from the mid-1970 reissue of the original annual kit. Last up is the AMT 1963 Galaxie 500 Advanced Custom kit. This one has several past reissues (some are shown in the last image), in my case the most recent one dates from twenty years go. A welcome reissue with terrific new box art, the kit has the usual early 1960's tradeoffs in terms of an excellent body paired with a very basic chassis and an engine with a huge hole through the crankcase for the metal rod axle. The engine and chassis from the John Mueller era AMT-Ertl 1960 Starliner would be a great place to start for projects requiring a more accurate/contemporary engine and chassis. Builders will also need to find about five minutes with a file and sandpaper to refine the windshield opening trim at the top of the driver's side A-Pillar. Finally, an all new and very creative decal sheet is included. I've also included photos of the assembly manual for those that are not familiar with the original kit, particularly the "Advanced Custom" parts that are included. Check out 34 detailed images of the three kits focusing primarily on what's new or different at this link....and thanks for looking. (These kits were sent to me by Round 2 at their discretion; I did not ask for the kits nor did I make any promises as to whether I would show them in model car forums or make comments one way or the other regarding the kits).

Actually, among the street rod/hot rod kit builders out there, there is enough difference in the real '30A/'31A cars to justify future kit variants. But I totally agree with you that getting the the '30A Coupe back on the market first is where the effort should be placed, and it alone should generate sufficient volume to satisfy Revell's new owners for several years before another kit spinoff is developed. And if/when it is developed, I would bet on the '27Turtledeck and a '27T Roadster pickup as a much higher priority for Revell than additional '30/'31 A variants. TIM

Round 2 has just surprised me (you too?) with a new kit based on the old MPC 1979-1988 Fox Mustang tool. Fresh box art and an all-new decal sheet are the main revisions, but what I had long ago forgotten was just what a comprehensive building experience was inside this box. Looking at the instructions (also copied page by page at the link below), the kit's design and construction reminds me of the MPC 1982-84 Supra, one of their best kits ever in my opinion. When I learned of this reissue, my immediate thoughts were that this body combined with the guts of the Revell 1990 Mustang LX kit would result in a cool model, but now I'm thinking that degree of kitbashing is largely unnecessary. Check out the photos at this link along with the captions provided with each image. Thanks for looking, and good luck to those of you who choose to buy and assemble this new kit! TIM (Kit sample sent to me by Round 2 at their option, I did not request this kit sample nor did I make any promise about posting coverage of the kit and/or making any favorable comments).

Personally, I'd like to see a '30/'31 Roadster and a '30/'31 Roadster pickup. These bodies are different enough from a '28/'29A Roadster to make it a major kitbashing/bodywork project to make accurate replicas from existing kit sources. (Remember that the Monogram 1/24th '30/'31A is a Cabriolet, which is a significantly different body than a Roadster). I'd also like to see a '26/'27 T Turtledeck to be used with the channeled chassis in the '29A Roadster hot rod kit. TIM

Daniel.....very, very impressive .... and great job on fixing those bodyside moldings, too. Will be watching as you make further progress.....TIM

Alan and the rest...good news ahead. I now understand that the motorcycle is indeed included in the new kit release. Further background: Early this year the Round 2 team did a pretty deep dive into the bike tooling and as part of that, they corrected some inaccuracies in the wheels configurations and added detailing to the headlamp lenses that was missing in the original kit version, as these parts had to be retooled from scratch. At the time, they consulted me (others too, I suspect) on some of the elements of these redesigned parts. In my case, I provided photography of the original (1966 kit issue) parts trees to help them determine where the cycle parts might reside in the tooling, as well as Concours event photography of similar Ace and Henderson restorations to help them in their decisions on how to configure the retooled wheels. They also sent me screen shots of the CAD files of the proposed updates for my review. Don't want to unduly raise expectations here, but to be candid I was a bit surprised at the level of detail they went into while determining how to proceed on what are admittedly were very minor details in the big picture of things. It is also a worthy counterpoint to the views held by some that all Round 2 does is reissue (***Insert pejorative noun or adjective here***) from ions ago. Editorial comment: Always good to hear both sides of the story before making up your mind on a subject.... As I mentioned much earlier in this thread, while the bike tooling is relatively simplified vs. today's new tooling, with a little bit of paint detailing it can really come alive as a finished model. And it frankly amazes me that this motorcycle tooling, which apparently remained unused since 1966 (that's 54 years, guys!) was still in existence and mostly complete. Just makes you wonder what other ancient treasures remain in the Round Two tooling bank.... TIM

Just Tamiya Semi=Gloss Clear.....TB

Thanks John! Cheers....TIM

Good question. I did that build about 4 1/2 years ago so I don't recall specifically for that model, but sometimes I spray tire sidewalls with semi-gloss clear before applying the whitewall (or RWL) decals to promote better decal adhesion. Probably did so here. But I am guessing that I did not do another coat of semi gloss after the decals were applied. BTW, when I spray the sidewalls with semi-gloss I always mask off the tread area of the tires first. TIM

Uhh...actually they WERE achieved with the kit decals. It did take a bunch of Micro-Sol on the rears, applied in several rounds, to make it happen, but I don't remember the fronts being much of an issue. Thought I mentioned this in the on-line buildup, but appears I did not. So good thing you raised the question Michael.... TIM

There may be a little more to the story here than just this.....TIM PS - cool image and box art approach....hmmm....TB

Here's a 38-photo with captions on-line how-to on building the Highboy version of the Revell Model A Roadster. This is the original kit release but it is identical to the new release except that I used the Nailhead Buick instead of the new kit's SBC, and the new kit's mag wheels were not available on the original release. If you aren't familiar with the kit, you should check it out. While there are a few things I would have done differently (the rear suspension/diff and the rear fender.inner fender opening most prominently), I still think this is one of the Revell's best kits in a long, long time (with the '30A Coupe version being even better). Best....TIM