tim boyd

John....check out the "old vs. new" image below of the engine compartment on the curbside Nova wagon version....note the opening for the radiator and the new battery tray (vs. the old, molded in place radiator and battery). And what appears to be an engraved place on the firewall to locate a brake cylinder.....So pretty sure your wishes should be granted.... More images from new Round 2 curbside review....

Since the topic of motorbike kits came up, but no one so far has asked about the four Revell 1/25th scale motorcycle parts packs, I was recently told by the principle at Atlantis that they do not have these particular tool(S) in their possession. DRAT! (I use the singular word for the tool as there have been rumors that all four motorcycle kits were contained in one single tool, and that part of the problem in marketing these kits back in 1963-64 was that everyone wanted the Harley Chopper, and to a lesser extent, the Triumph showbike, while there was comparatively less demand for the BSA, and way less for the Honda. Meaning retailers were stuck with lots of the latter subjects and little available Harleys to sell. A problem that I suspect would repeat itself today, though probably to a much lesser degree. Oh well, everything else they DO have and plan to reissue more than makes up for any disappointment over this.... Which brings to mind the topic of the 1/25th scale Harley Dyna Super Glide Sport tool that went along with the Revell F150 Harley kit of 2001. As I recall, most or all of the bike parts were on a separate parts tree, leading one to suspect a separate tool. While licensing costs could potentially be prohibitive, it would be super-cool to see that bike resurface as a separate stand-alone model kit at some point in the future.... TIM

Chang....a superb build of this kit. Very appreciative of your body/paint finishing techniques, too, others could take a real lesson by applying your approach here. And thanks also for the in-process photos of the tubular chassis ... very much appreciated. Best...TIM

Interesting comparo/contrast with Al's recently completed and way tasty build of the same original JoHan kit....to the best of my recollection, mine was pretty much a straight kit restoration/build out of the box other than paint detailing, lowered suspension, ignition wiring, and those old AMT Terra Thrust (???) wheels and tires....while Al's is updated and built out with better and more detailed components such as his use of the 413 engine from the AMT '49 Merc kit....how cool would it be to see these two posed together an the next major NNL meet? Thanks for looking....TIM More Boyd scale Mopar C-Body builds, restos, phantoms, and cancelled factory projects....

Really great update, James. Thanks for all the info. I trust any questions about the future of Moebius newly tooled kits are now resolved. And all I can say is trust me, those pictures of the Chevy II Gasser don't begin to convey what a nicely done kit this will turn out to be, IMHO. The Revell Rat Roaster tool revisions have been in discussion for at least five years or more, certainly well before the Hobbico BK debacle. Certainly looks like they have done an excellent job picking up and editing all the ideas from all those who provided input. This fact alone is actually really encouraging news not only about this particular kit tool, but also for the possibility of other hot rod themed topics down the road. The '71 442 Coupe is entirely new news to me. Quite the scoop there, my friend. TB

Both the Surf Woody (bottom left) and '25T (top left) versions are shown in this image from the kit review at the link at the beginning of this thread....as for the "Sand Blaster (middle left).... ....would you believe...a minor tweak to the old AMT "GrandPa Munster" dragster? Yep....TB

Yep....and the header collectors are even molded with a three-part sliding mold and open ends, so Larry G. won't have to drill them out! TB

For those of you who are not familiar with the original Revell Parts Packs and/or the three "Double Kit" dragster model kits that were based upon them, the detailing and in-scale accuracy of some of these suspension parts remained unmatched for essentially the next 40 years or so of model car kit tools. I think it is extremely exciting to think that we will be able to source these parts, once again, and at a (comparably inflation adjusted) reasonable price, for our drag racing and hot rodding kitbashing projects. Way to go Peter (Vetri), Jim (K), Alan (C), and anyone else associated with this effort to bring these kits and their components back to the hobby kit market...TIM PS - Mr. Vetri has some even further ideas under consideration; if these kits sell well we might see even more ambitious projects from him and his team in the future. Or....once again we have the fate of our own hobby in our own hands (and wallets)....TB

RRR.....outstanding! And I knew I'd seen that backdrop diorama somewhere before....TIM

Encouraging. Still, trust me, this image doesn't begin to do justice to just what a well designed and highly detailed kit this one will be when it finally becomes available for us to buy and build....TIM

Rodney....no worries. Your info is, I think, entirely relevant to the subject at hand! If you get a chance and can find those old boxes, would be very cool to see them! Cheers...TIM

That was my understanding as well....TIM

Bob...Good luck with your project. These build and advice threads were based on the original kit with the Nailhead Buick, but other than the SBC from the '30A Coupe kit and the addition of the "Salt Flats" stye mag wheels and different decals, the latest release is essentially identical to the ones I built in these threads... TIM For the Highboy version.... Tim Boyd On-Line How-To #12: Revell's New '29 Model A Highboy Hot Rod Roadster album | Funman1712 | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy. For the Channeled version... Tim Boyd On Line Model Car How-To #13 - Revell's CHANNELED '29A Roadster Hot Rod album | Funman1712 | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

While most of the contents of the newly reissued AMT SandKat Dune Buggy has seen previous reissues as the AMT Piranha Funny Car and AMT 1953 Studebaker funny car, this particular packaging and merchandising approach hasn't seen the hobby kit shelves since its original issue around 1968.For this reissue, Round 2 added a die-cut cardboard diorama background depicting a sand dunes scene, inspired by the original box art. Multiple wheel and tires options are also in the kit, along with a 1/1 scale water-slide decal depicting the AMT "Kat" cartoon character.Take a closer look at these images and the accompanying captions to see more about this kit and how the reissue differs from the original....thanks for looking! TIM

Thanks Bob....TIM

Thanks Mark for the clarification....TIM

Thanks Bruce for providing us with a definitive answer! TIM

Click on this link for 14 images and commentary on Round 2's revamped MPC Bruce Larson Vega Pro-Stock kit, featuring a newly tooled 1974 and later Vega Pro-Stock body, decal sheet, and other parts....and thanks in advance for checking it out...TIM

To confirm and add to what Jim said above, Round 2, Revell, et al typically plan future reissues 1-2 years in advance of their actual appearance, and newly tooled kits are often planned (that is, finally committed to full engineering development and tooling) 2-3 years in advance in some cases. For instance, one of the major kitmakers was putting together potential candidates for their 2022 release plan around December of 2020 if I am remembering the months correctly.... TB

Jim, I think it was David Dale that did that conversion article if I am remembering correctly.....TB

Jim....now that is a great question. Since the rear stabilizer bar was standard on all 1964-72 442's....wonder if the AMT-Ertl 1966 442 kits, the Lindberg 1967, the AMT-Ertl 1969, and/or Revell 1972 kits have them? Best...TB

As Steve said....see images #12, 13, and 14 at the kit review link in the first post above, for images of the new parts tree with the new engine block and manual trans, as well as a comparison of the engine block with manual trans vs. the engine block with the original annual kit JetAway 2-speed auto trans (both are in the new kit)....TIM

Mike....I totally agree. Amazing how much that change does to minimize the wheel well opening discrepancy between the real car and the model kit. Thanks to you and Chris for pointing this out....TIM

Hi Chris....interesting insight you have here. As I noted in my FineScale.com kit review of the convertible kit, the front wheel well openings in the kit do not match the corresponding area in the 1/1 scale car, possibly due to last minute 1/1 scale design studio or manufacturing changes after the kit tooling was commissioned. I wonder if your suggestion of moving the front axle holes forward would minimize the visual impact of this situation? Thanks for the comment....TIM

Al....way sharp and glad to know you were inspired by the article. I think your choice of the AMT '49 Merc 413 Wedge and the wheel tire combo you chose are right on the money. I'd love to see a 1/1 '63 300 built just as you build yours.... Thanks for sharing and way to go! TIM