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Everything posted by Chuck Kourouklis
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No love for Dodge?
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Larryhagmansliver's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Heh. No kiddin'. -
Revell 2010 Ford Mustang GT
Chuck Kourouklis replied to horsepower's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
The divergence between the ENGINES is almost comical: Here you see an entirely different system of pins and bosses on the inside surfaces between the old 4.6 block/transmission and the new one. Here you see confirmation of a clue given you in the previous picture: the cylinder head locators are male on the old engine and female on the new one. And here (in addition to the sprue arrangement and part number callouts) is the most lurid deviation between the two kits: cylinder heads varying ninety degrees on the mold axis. The old kit used a sliding mold to define the outer face of the head. The new one orients those surfaces upward for a more traditional two-piece mold casting. It's not just that the parts are different, but that they're CLEARLY different. And I reiterate that which is now proven: there are NO carry-over plastic parts between Revell's '06-'08 Mustangs and this 2010 kit - just like Revell said. -
Revell 2010 Ford Mustang GT
Chuck Kourouklis replied to horsepower's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Now for the SUSPENSIONS: It's difficult to imagine why Revell would go to such a length simply to retool the sprues. But in addition to the obvious differences in sprue mounts, you can see that the differential pumpkin in the new kit is beefier than the old one. Here you see major differences in the perimeter of the sprue for allowing sliding mold clearance to cast those axle holes. Look a little closer and you'll see how much larger the '06-'08 rear axle mounting pins are. The impression you get from the photo of a girthier subframe and suspension arms for the 2010 kit is about what you'll perceive in the plastic. You can begin to make out variations in the rear crossmember shape and in those open triangles defined by the suspension arms against the subframe. -
Revell 2010 Ford Mustang GT
Chuck Kourouklis replied to horsepower's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
It's a major clue, Ken, along with differing part number callouts. Revell's 2010 Mustang gives us those two clues and a whole lot more. Here's the photo analysis. 2010 Mustang parts are white. SHOCKS: Here are the rear shocks. Note the striking difference not only in the lengths of their floorpan mounting pins, but in the entire general lengths of the shocks themselves - in addition to differing sprue location and part numbers. BRAKES: I'm confining this to the front brakes mostly because in the 2010 kit, the rear brakes are on an entirely separate tree. Note two sprue mounts for the old brakes versus one in the new ones. And although it's not obvious, you can begin to make out the subtle differences in caliper shape between the two sets - in addition to the sprue differences and vastly diverging part numbers. EXHAUST: Nope, these ain't the same either. Check out the crossovers and the forward mount tabs on the old set - in addition to sprue layout and part callout. -
Revell 2010 Ford Mustang GT
Chuck Kourouklis replied to horsepower's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Whale, there may indeed be parts that swap back and forth because they were developed from the same masters as before (and this wouldn't be the first time that's happened), but Revell is on record as saying that this is ALL new tooling: note the ALL NEW claim in this brochure And unless they're prearranged with a system of opening and closing gates, redoing mold cavities to come up with a different sprue order isn't a trivial undertaking - you might as well do it from the ground up. But I'll be having a closer look later on, and if I see any evidence that the parts are the same, I'll let everyone know. -
Revell 2010 Ford Mustang GT
Chuck Kourouklis replied to horsepower's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
One of the first things I noticed about mine was how much higher up I seem to sit in it, relative to the Camaro that preceded it - just wrote it off to the insidious dumbing-down factor SUVs have had on general expectations for modern vehicles. It sure don't handle tipsy. But yeah - - it ain't the lowest rider you've ever seen. What can make a model look a bit toylike is not just the ride height, imho, but the way that ride height combines with a sidewall aspect ratio that's outta whack. Revell tends to include the bigger rear SSR tire for things like the Magnum, the Challenger, and the GT500KR when they should really include the smaller front SSR tire that's used as the custom option in a whole bunch of "California Wheels" reissues. I've pilfered a few, they stretch over the wheels intended for the bigger tire, and they look a lot better in sidewall height - that smaller tire on the GT500KR wheel sort of approximates the 1:1 above, and I like it far better for sidewall profile than the rubber that comes in the new kit. -
Revell 2010 Ford Mustang GT
Chuck Kourouklis replied to horsepower's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
I hate to contradict anybody, but a side-by-side comparison will reveal there are no plastic or vinyl parts in common between this kit and any of the '06 - '08 Mustangs. The tires are new, even if they're high-profile like the previous ones, and the chassis is more distinct than it first appears; in addition to the lack of front wheel well filler panels, there's a front frame rail plate over the fuel lines, smooth texture on the fuel tank, and new engraving over the spare tire well. The engine parts are nearly indistinguishable from the previous 4.6, but they are arranged differently on the trees - from the looks of it, to facilitate complete new engine trees in future releases. The separate front and rear fascias appear to make for a quicker changeover to the GT500, and since the upcoming Snaptite convertible has a separate hood, the prospects for bashing between this kit, the convertible, and maybe even the GT500 look pretty good. Revell said this tooling was all-new, and they meant it, even if they may have developed some of it from the '06-'08 master patterns. And boy, what a boon CAD files are. Comparing this body shell with an '11 1:1, there's very little deviation; it's much closer than Revell has been with their vintage subjects lately, and better overall than their '06-'08 models - no too-small headlight reflectors or anything like that. The stance does look a little high initially though, mostly up front - a build-up should help clarify if this is an actual stance problem or an artifact of the high tire sidewalls. -
Revell New Release announcements?
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Rob Hall's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Thanks, Darin! Seems like an answer to a question nobody asked, but hey, it's a nice one. I'll pick one up for curiosity's sake... -
Moebius International Lonestar Sleeper Cab
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Art Anderson's topic in Truck Kit News & Reviews
+1. The Lonestar is the most gorgeous release from a domestic company in years. That, along with Moebius's ability to respond positively - instead of histrionically - to some carefully considered criticism, makes me very optimistic about their upcoming cars... -
GOOD MARKETING, R2. I'd love another one of these, and I'll gladly pick one up while eagerly anticipating the return of the tooling to its original form.
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2011 Revell-Monogram fall releases
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Luc Janssens's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Maybe they could pull an MPC and put "Trans" and "Am" on opposite ends of the decal sheet? Wait - I think I got it! They oughtta do their own fictional edition, with decals in the proper font: The Pontiac Firebird sTar mAn. Let your scissors do the rest. Slick, huh? -
2011 Revell-Monogram fall releases
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Luc Janssens's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
My favorite thing about that 2-in-1 hardtop was that it FINALLY introduced a new set of stock wide-whites to replace all those terrible Predicta tires in Revell/Monogram's previous releases of that genre. That new rubber has single-handedly brought a ridiculous improvement across the board to all R/M's '50s reissues following in the custom '59 hardtop's wake... -
Only thing I'd add is that the unmarked is supposed to have a new deck spoiler, in addition to the wing the predecs came with...
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2011 Revell-Monogram fall releases
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Luc Janssens's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
I was piqued about that at first too, Ken - but they say it's a 1:24 3-in-1, which has me thinking it'll probably be the same ol' same-ol'... -
Revell New Release announcements?
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Rob Hall's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Roger that. DS would be very cool. And the BMW 1600-2002 is long, long overdue for some love - you'd figure if a Trabant could get two treatments from Revell AG, a 2002 could get at least one. -
Cato - out of respect for certain sensitivities over the intended focus of this thread, I've replied to your post in the other major Trumpeter Falcon thread: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=40506&st=260&gopid=459955&#entry459955
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1964 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop
Chuck Kourouklis replied to jjsipes's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
That's 'cause cybermodeler is primarily an armor and aircraft review site. I actually recall one FSM review - 1/12 Otaki Countach, or 1/16 Fujimi Boxer or Miura, I don't exactly remember - where the reviewer basically said it wasn't as important to research the subject 'cause it was a car. I might as well review Hobby Boss's new 1/48 F-14 without even looking up the 1:1... -
Revell New Release announcements?
Chuck Kourouklis replied to Rob Hall's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Well here's a fun bit off the "getting started" tab at Revell.com, anyway: A 1:32 2010 Mustang?? When did this come about? But that 1:32 is finished just like one of the initial 1:25 build-ups, isn't it? So maybe they just reduced the size of the pic for illustration's sake... -
1964 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop
Chuck Kourouklis replied to jjsipes's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Absolutely. The guy's drollness was pretty clear - but you have to come from a rational place to see that. And I think you're dead-on in your assessment of the various ways to quantify all the various peccadilloes - that's what I was getting at when I wondered how close to "100+" we'd actually (ironically) get, given enough time. Ah, my sweet AMT Mustang. If only it coulda been uniformly brilliant all the way thru... but that's alright. Some more appropriate Revell rubber and '68 headlight buckets make all the difference in the world. Gitcha self some MCG and R&MCo aftermarket love, and you're golden. -
1964 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop
Chuck Kourouklis replied to jjsipes's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Well dang. I was thinking that even a black sharpie to fake those indentations on the alternating bars might go some ways to helping things out, but the way the grille is arranged kind of scotches any hope for putting a thicker chrome lip around the top perimeter - you'd have to cover up a few of those top-most grille openings to do that. I'd agree about the engine bay appointments, though - and if those separate accessory drive belts can be installed without looking out of scale, they might just be a neat little touch on their own. Your pics remind me of one other current phenomenon: inaccurate parts of nice material quality. Sometimes it's tricky not to get so seduced with crisp molding and clean processing that you overlook other shortcomings in a kit. That's happened to me on more than one occasion... -
1964 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop
Chuck Kourouklis replied to jjsipes's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Gee. Why didn't anybody think of that before? -
1964 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop
Chuck Kourouklis replied to jjsipes's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Nicely put. I'd go one further and say that personal reactions to a kit critique only betray the objector's own insecurities - but that's just me. Champion of Revell/Monogram that I've been, my own personal favorite is a pretty flawed kit: AMT's new-tool '67 Mustang. Funky stance, iffy headlight diameter, roof maybe a bit too crowned, odd-looking engine details thither and yon - but I just love that kit beyond all reason. You can call it "garbage" for those factors and many others, and I'll just shrug my shoulders and say "more for me". Now wasn't there a wee bit of chuffing over someone at another forum calling out "100+ things wrong" with the Falcon kit? While I do have to wonder what'll surface given enough time, sure, "100+" is an exaggeration... Kinda like calling someone a "rivet-counter" 'cause he says this front fender arch - doesn't look entirely like this one - Or pointing out that "no kit is perfect" in spite of the fact that we've yet to see the critic who claimed he was looking for one... Or calling nearly anything that deviates from unqualified praise "bashing"... Or harping on "dead horses" while failing to come up with any rebuttal that hasn't been uttered over and over again (and debunked nearly as often)... Or condemning all the "negativity", often after turning the exchanges personal themselves and refusing to let up... Come to think of it, do any of you critique objectors have a leg to stand out without wildly exaggerating things yourselves? -
Mine broke.
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Oh, I'm just fine with "naysayer", myself. Of course, the messy little reality I represent is that of the "naysayer" who's getting a kit or two anyway.
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Revell of Germany Mercedes SLS AMG
Chuck Kourouklis replied to larrygre's topic in Car Kit News & Reviews
Seriously! No-brainer subject, right there...