tim boyd

Revell has just reissued the '70 Torino GT kit. I'm most happy to report that the two major inaccuracies of the original kit have been corrected. And there are other positive surprises, as well. Click on the link for a full update....and thanks for looking! TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/revised-corrected-r/

Ok team, here's a complete (56 photo) preview of the kit contents along with commentary and first impressions on this new Revell kit... http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/new-revell-67-camaro/ Thanks for looking....TIM

Really,.really nicely done! TIM

Those in the SE Michigan area....John at Model Cave (Ypsilanti, MI) is expecting his first shipment of '67 Camaros to arrive this Wednesday.....TB

Thanks JB. That is so sharp. Really well done! TB

JB....thanks for the response/info. I missed your AMT Triumph...is it possible you could repost photos or a link to same? I am really fond of both the AMT and Revell Triumphs and have built a total of five of those combined....so far!

Art... I've been told exactly the opposite by several model companies. E>G> they do not use 3D point cloud scans in developing model cars of older subjects where factory data does not exist. They reported several reasons for their decision. Hmmm.... I've also reviewed and critiqued tooling vendor CAD data (based on line drawings/measurements/photos, not 3D scans) and photography of a couple of upcoming model projects, and the areas that need to be corrected would not have occurred had they been using 3D point cloud data scans....Double Hmmm The only example where I've been told they were used (and this was not from the manufacturer but from a trusted outside source) was the Round 2 1/25th scale Batman kit....that doesn't mean there weren't others too, but that's the only one I am directly aware of....TB

JB - nice build! Where did you get the decals? My experiences are the same - have built the Harley Chopper and the Triumph - the latter several times. They were a little fiddly (especially the Harley) but nothing that a moderately experienced modeler couldn't handle easily.... Next up...the BSA! TIM

John at Model Cave in Ypsi, Michigan, told me about a month ago that his kit distributor said to expect both of the kits (the Coupe and the Sedan reissue with the optional woodgrain treatment) in September.....TB

As far as I know, the tooling for the four Parts Pack engines that were reissued by Revell in the late 1990's still exists. The tooling for the four motorcycles (BSA, Triumph, Honda, and Harley Chopper) still existed as of the late 1990's and was used for a run of test shots which have shown up - at least one time that I saw - on eBay at commensurate prices. The Parts Pack 392 Hemi engine, as well as some of the Parts Pack chassis components and interior parts were repurposed for the Revell Miss Deal kit that was reissued once again just last year (the Hemi is identical to the original Parts Pack except for the exhaust headers, and possibly one other part IIRC). And one of the two Chevy engine Parts Packs was adapted for the modifications to the Revell '57 Chevy Bel Air kit that took place in 1968 and should still be present in the Roth reissue of this kit just a few months back. But out of all these Parts Packs, from what I've observed, the ones that go for the highest bucks (other than the Harley Chopper) are the Roadster and Dragster Chassis/Speed Equiipment Parts Packs. Those are the two that I'd most like to see reissued in their entirety (along with the motorcycles).... TIM

Actually, there were a few detail tweaks done to the Parts Packs frames to improve the fit of the parts for assembly as a complete kit. I was surprised to find this out when I used the original parts packs as a source to build one of the cars in the Double Kits using the instructions from the latter, rather than the kit itself (due to the mega pricing cited above). I can't recall exactly what the changes were, but they were minor in nature. TIM

Chuck...there should be two messages in your inbox! TIM

Chris...you've said it very well.....nothing further for me to add! TIM

The Revell '50 Olds Custom is an absolutely outstanding kit, and Shane you have done a superb job building it. Bravo! TIM

Chris...you are right on the money with this remark...this "error" in the ANT '62 Belo Air kit is very much in the same genre as the '57 Bel Air Convertible door belt line "error" I did "correct" the Bel Air during my build, and IIRC I showed how I did it in my article on this kit in the other model car mag circa 1993 or so....a simple operation that pays big dividends in improved appearance.,....TIM ...

To add some additional info and support for Mark's explanation, I was doing some work for AMT from 1975-78, and I was hoping to get hired at AMT when I graduated college in early 1978. I recall at the time being told by some of the longer-term AMT staff that the company had been through several periods of financial challenges, during the late 1960's and again a couple of times in the early 70's. AMT's executive team did scrap some of the older molds during this time, for the tax/depreciation benefits which helped the financial situation. AMT went through another period of difficulties in 1978 (one reason they did not hire me at the time), including a strike by the factory workers at the Troy facility (they were represented by the UAW). The leadership team never settled with the UAW, instead they packed up the factory and sent everything to their second assembly facility in Baltimore, which had been setup a few years earlier during the semi-truck kit boon. Much was lost during that move. Both of these events could help to explain why some of the tools were "lost". They were, in effect, actually scrapped. Too bad...like several of you, I'd love to see that '63 Unibody F100 back, not to mention the Kart and the Triumph Bonneville that was in the Chevy pickup kit! . On the other hand, it also appears much we thought was "lost" still actually exists in one form or another. I understand that former AMT staffer John Mueller was retained by Round 2 to go through all the old tools and run test shots with the runners opened up He knows those like the back of his hand. If something exists and is usable, John would have included it in his inventory. TIM

It was plenty cool enough for me when I drove that '69 T&C each day to Pioneer High back in 1971....of course I would have preferred to have a '71 Charger SE....but then, it wouldn't have had all that room for my friends! TB

(smile)....I was responding to Keyser's post above, as well as Joe Handley's comments that followed.....TB

Keyser (and Joe)...really interesting!!! Will be interesting to watch and see how this turns out...TIM

Those Canadian B-Body Pontiacs are way cool, Scott! TIM

John....excellent post and photos....really well done. ***** AC....not to take issue with your comments, but to make a blanket statement like that about all Revell kits just doesn't correspond to my view of Revell, or any of the the model car manufacturers. For instance: - Revell '32 Ford Street Rod Series - Revell '50 Olds Custom - Revell '57 Ford Custom All three are examples of what results when Revell does their homework and gets it right. Each of these are - by a wide margin - the best of their respective breed (e.g. kits of those topics). What Revell (and the other manufacturers - every last one of them, in my book), need to work on, is getting a level of consistent excellency/accuracy on their new tooled kits. A level of execution that meets the standard they've set with the best of their prior kit introductions. What is evident is that Revell, and again, a number of the other guys, really need to concentrate on developing a kit creation method/protocal that provides consistently good body casting results on model topics where OEM factory CAD info on the body proportions is not available. This seems to be a particular challenge right now for Revell, but others often face the same issue (it's just that some of you haven't really found their errors yet). Just my view... Cheers...TIM

Chuck...how do I go about ordering this conversion kit? Thanks...TIM

A quick work-around to avoid the A/C fan belt setup in the optional AAR-style induction setup in the AMT-Ertl '71 Duster 340, is to use the fan belt/accessory drive in the companion AMT-Ertl '71 Duster Street Machine kit (blue car on box art). It replicates a non-AC Mopar 340 setup. TIM

Thank Scott....best regards...>TIM