tim boyd

Thx Trevor and Jim... BTW for those not familiar with this issue, authoritative sources say that with 2K paints you really need to use a respirator with a separate fresh air supply, typically only found in a 1/1 scale automotive body shop environment, as well as other precautions. Lots of varying points of view on the above and the overall health risks of 2K paints, particularly as it relates to hobby usage, so I won't belabor the points here. My only comment is to make sure you are educated and read about the topic from authoritative outside sources (i.e., don't rely on hobby message board discussions), so that you are fully aware of the issues, and then decide on your own course of action accordingly...TB

I did not know that. My '79 Chia 5.0 TRX notchback was ordered in early August 1978 and delivered (IIRC) early October. It was one of the first ones off the line Do not recall ever having an issue with the trunk lid. Cool info anyway...thx for posting Rob. TB PS - scroll down through this blank space just below to see two photos...

Justin., are they claiming the 2K clear is also non-toxic (as mentioned in the display stand graphics)? Asking because as we all know, the existing 2K is anything but non-toxid....TB

Craig...my thoughts exactly. But then again, this Tuesday they announced a 2025 version inspired by the Bill Strope desert race winner (red, white and blue) winner back in 1971, and it rocks. I saw a 1/1 scale mockup a few months back, and it really looks the part. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a62600699/2025-ford-bronco-stroppe-edition-details/ My former employer has done a great job (IMHO) at keeping the Bronco lineup fresh and current with the various mid cycle updates. Still, I'd have a hard time choosing between this latest intro and the Heritage Edition (in light blue, please). TB

I don't think there was a recall, but the original 1970 Duster trunk lid was a uniform surface all the way across (vs. the redesigned lid with a vertical peak stamped into the trunk from the forward to rear edges). The original lid was subject to being bent by customers pushing down on it to close it. Addng the peak put enough extra rigidiity in the lld to avoid any customer--imposed damage. I can't recall for sure if this was a running change late in the 1970 model year (unlikely), at the 1971 Job 1, or sometime during the 1971 model year (most likely if my dim recollection is correct). John or anyone else with more definitive info,, please feel free to update or correct the above...TB

Thanks, guys, for the feedback....!!! TIM

Yep DJ, that's one of them...I remember that these bad boys were ubiquitous on the lower left coast at the time... perhaps not so much elsewhere in the States as Toyota's Distribution system at the time was not as well developed and also included some regional distributors (i.e. Jim Moran/Southeast Toyota) that were not factory owned. I recall the blue stripped version to be particularly popular... TB

Hmmm.... a kitbashed representation of a two-door Raptor and/or Everglades sounds like a pretty cool project to me....thx Jordan! TB

Bingo. And this is exactly why I support a two-door vs. four-door for the Round 2 Bronco project. Modeling is about ambitions, desires, and dreams. 1/1 scale has to defer to practicality for most. Having said that, all the comments on this thread have been very interesting and informative for me. Thank you all for sharing your views....TB

We still need a US-spec kit of the classic 1983 Toyota SR5 4x4 with the three-tone side graphics as found in every high school parking lot in So-Cal/Nor-Cal back then. Some kits have gotten close (a curbside AMT kit comes to mind) but I don't believe I've ever seen the exact spec cited above. Or did it come out and I just missed it? TB

Thanks Justin....that's just the info I was looking for, and mostly, not too much of a surprise. Thanks again for clueing us all in on the "real world" as it exists in your business and locale. Best...TB

Justin...thanks for sharing that info with us. I guess the two surprises for me is how big Aoshima is, and how small Atlantis is (as you commented also, I believe). I would tend to combine AMT and MPC which would total 19.7% for Round 2, making them #2 and much closer to Revell, but on the other hand having them listed individually as you did shows the relative power of the AMT brand vs. MPC. Also appreciate the overall chart showing the leadership of Gundam kits, which certainly reflects what I hear around here. I presume the "paint" category is spread across all the model kits; without looking up the data (if it even exists in that form), from your top of mind does the majority of paint sales go to Gundam, to automotive, or is it pretty much spread across all kit topics? As a career marketer as well as unofficial consultant at times to the model kit industry since the mid 1970s, I find this info fascinating. Great job! TIM

Other than the original Mustang II kit which was a replica of a real car, pretty much all the bodies in this series were intentionally exaggerated and manipulated as part of the design brief, with the Corvette body being the most extreme example. Another words, they appeared as they were intended to, according to my sources within AMT at the time. TB

For those that are interested in further details on this topic, it is also addressed in detail in a Tim K. article/buildup in the spring 2024 issue of MCM (#224 - Icons" theme on the cover). Tim's article includes information directly from Bob Johnson that further explains the rationale and development of the concept and the kit. For those reading this forum that do not already do so, one more reason to buy or subscribe to the magazine that makes this forum possible, IMHO....TB

I've mentioned this to my colleagues at Round 2 multiple times over the last decade or so. I don't have any insider info on this, but I do think it is a fairly safe assumption that this one will come back at some point....and when i does, I highly encourage everyone to grab a copy. It is a really well done snapshot of mid-late 1990 street machine themology, and a great basis for both a box stock build and for a more ambitious kit bashing project of your own choosing....TB pt

I agree that the Nitro Charger would be a great choice for a reissue, but it is an entirely different tool than the one used for the MoPower and its derivatives as mentioned by Mark above. The Nitro Charger (and two other kits - with 1970 Torino and 1972 Nova bodies - that shared used the engine/chassis tool) were never reissued after their 1971-2 initial production run. The final kit using that engine/chassis tooling was the Funny Hugger II, and that alone was reissued around 2005-sh under the Model King label. To what extent the Nitro Charger even exists in the Round 2 tooling bank is not known outside the walls of Round 2 to the best of my knowledge. Here are two pictures that clearly show the differences between the MoPower and Nitro Charger tools...(both models are slightly kitbashed fyi...) TB

Great choice on the Ball Stud Hemi. That engine got a lot closer to production status than most realize; this is the first time I recall seeing one replicated in scale. Very, very cool! TIM

I've always been very impressed with the accuracy of the 1969/70 Mustang body in the Polar Lights Funny Car kit series. (Perhaps that is because the Jims - Jim Kampmann and Jim Johnson were consultants on the project...). Here I built it box stock with paint detailing only during 2011. The paint scheme, of course, was a fictitious spinoff using my paint can paint fade approach, and both Testors Lacquer Ford Sunrise Pink Metallic and Testors One Coat Metalflake Paint colors, over a pearl white base. More pictures below...thanks for looking...Tim \ *****

Kevin...great theme and some really, really good work on display here. Thx for sharing and best wishes as you bring this one home! Cheers....TIM

The conversion to a Dana rear end was one of the first steps when I built my kitbashed circa 1969 Indy Nats Belvedere A990 a few years ago...btw the AWB Coronet kit does include the Dana rear end....TB .

This whole topic of which kits are hot is so subjective and non-factual when it is based on just a few stores in different geographic areas...and I want everyone to know that up front (as I suspect James does too). But store owner John implied that he had sold cases and cases of both kits, and was especially really short of the A990s vs. his market's demand for that kit. But still... (smile). James, very interesting, and glad to hear, that the Mercury M100 is a top seller in your woods...I would have never guessed that. I suppose I better grab one too before they disappear...TB

During a Friday visit to my most revered model car shop (Model Cave in Ypsilanti, MI), co-owner John told me that the Moebius Coronet kits have been flying off the shelf at his store, all three in demand but especially so the A990 kit. SE Michigan is an unusual automotive market (because of the presence of the automotive industry, which impacts the model car world too), so I wouldn't necessarily suggest that what does on here is indicative of the rest of the country, and certainly not the world (although John's top sellers there are the Gundam kits!). Still, really good news for our friends at Moebius....TB

The annual AMC show at Greenmead, Livonia, Michigan at this link.... Thanks for looking! TIM

Dave, I was a Ford guy, never worked for GM. I knew John from his days at AMT-Ertl and we got along fine, but I've heard (second-hand) stories that while he was at GM licensing he could be difficult (from the kiltmaker's POV) on licensing issues....TB i

Thanks Jim....that certainly looks like one impressive piece of kit! TB