tim boyd

Guys...a bit of advice if you are willing to listen....comments like these do not help our case. People from the model companies - Revell included - do read these boards from time to time. This new Revell pre-finished kit series represents an attempt to broaden the base of hobbyists out there. That is in EVERYONE's best interest. Prefinished kits not only offer accessibility to a much younger audience, but also serve the casual adult builder who doesn't want to get involved in painting, or doesn't have the skills to deliver consistent results. I bought the Camaro myself earlier this week. Yes, there is some minor orange peel on the body but overall it was well done. Can we as serious modelers make it better? You bet...I wonder what it would look like with simply a couple of quick coats of The Treatment Model Wax.... I might feel a little more disenfranchised if we weren't getting our own new glue kits at the same time these kits are introduced. And while I (obviously) am not authorized to divulge the details, I am aware of at least one (non-prefinished) kit project underway at Revell right now, right alongside development of these pre-finished kits, that I suspect will make your eyes pop when it is finally announced, as well as several other cool new variations of (non-prefinished) kit tools that are already on the market. Do I agree with every decision made at Revell? Absolutely not. Should I expect you to agree with all their decisions? No way. But I think it helps to remember that the people that work at Revell (and Round 2, and Moebius, et al) are all dedicated business people (and in many cases, practicing hobbyists as well) who are trying to grow their enterprise. Pre-finished kits are an excellent attempt to do just that. TB

Sorry, can't let this one go by. The '70 'cuda is not a bad kit, in actual fact, if you build one, you'll find out it's the best kit yet of that make and model. We've been over this before. Could it be better? Yes, no doubt, there are about ten minor tweaks that would benefit the body execution, and a couple of minor parts fit tweaks that would help. But overall, it yields an outstanding replica out of the box, gives you a great choice of correct factory options, and provides the basis for kitbashing yet other alternatives. A review of the completed builds of this kit, both on this and the other boards, as well as in our favorite model car magazines, proves this point. I can't comment intelligently on the '90 LX as I have not built it, but many others have, and I accept their verdict. TB

I'm sure more good stuff awaits in multiple kit genres and from multiple kit makers....but you may have to wait until early next year to hear about it...TIM

Update here. Revell sent me pictures of the two cars they used as the basis for these kits. They both contained what was called the "Bright Lower Body Side Molding" that was standard on the RS (not SS) Camaros. I have found no indication that so far that this upgrade was available from the factory on '67 SS Camaros, but back then, pretty much anything was possible if you knew the right people at the factory. Given that information, the lack of "roll under the body" as Gerry calls it, or "tuck under" along the lower door and quarter, as I called it in my review, is now explained. So....just go ahead and foil this area and call it an owner-specified RS bodyside upgrade to his or her car....TIM

Thanks Gerry...that's a better picture of the correct 1/1 scale grille than the one I referenced in my review. And not only did they mold the seatback releases, they also molded the vent levers in the kick panels (which I meant to mention in my review - I'll go back and update it thus). Best regards...TIM

John...be still my heart! I would love to see a kit of the '70 Ranchero GT, or even the Ranchero Squire. The owner of the local repair garage in Ann Arbor, Michigan, called "Illi's Auto Service" (on Huron, just west of the old Ann Arbor Railroad overpass), got a new '70 Ranchero Squire in the dark green metallic, with (if I remember correctly) the 429 SCG/Shaker hood setup! It was great! But if it had been me, I would have gone for the Ranchero GT 351c 4bbl HO, Shaker hood, setup just like yours. Ah....memories....TIM

Thanks Lee....you just reminded me that I actually have one of those AMT annuals myself down in the cellar....and it looks just like yours (!)....thanks for the clarification/confirmation

Roger...understand your point and it is a good one. But the reality is, with today's relatively small adult kit market, a manufacturer has to do multiple versions of a kit (to sell multiple copies to us builders and collectors) to make the financials/investment work out. It's really as simple as that. Today, if a first run of a kit sells 10,000 or 20,000 copies, that's considered a success. Back in the days of the old AMT 3 in 1 kits, they sold in the 100,000's of thousands, occasionally even in the millions (for some of the Trophy Series kits). That difference in sales volume/revenue, plus the much higher level of detail and fit/accuracy demanded in today's market, makes for a much different business equation. Yeah, I'd like to have more extra parts too, but I'd much rather have the current approach than no newly tooled kits at all. Thanks again for your comment/feedback. TIM

Bob...I don't have the most recent Cobra issue, but the comments on another model car message board lead me to believe that this is the first version of the kit with the corrected body. If anyone knows differently, please speak up! What I really want to do is build this kit with the Air Grabber/Shaker hood and air cleaner setup from the Revell '70 Cobra kit. And use the innards from one of the original GT kits (with the incorrect body) to update the old MPC Cyclone kit, just as you suggest. Of course, what I'd REALLY like to see is for Revell to do a new interior/body using this same basic kit tool but featuring the '70 Cyclone GT or Elliminator body. Best regards...TIM

Frank...the tires looked to me like the generic ones that Revell uses in their late sixties/early 1970's kits. There are drag racing slicks, and they are the somewhat tall, and relatively narrow, type that would be used on a '70 Torino in the Stock drag racing classes (e.g. a car without fenderwell/floorpan/rear suspensions-axle mods). Both the stock and drag racing tires were smilar to those of the original kit. Best regards...TIM

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