Casey

Has anybody test fit the Revell '68 Chevelle frame and floorpan under the Revell '70 Chevelle SS 454 SnapTite body?

Let's stick to facts and not to opinions on other nations, please. Does anyone have an image of a Testor's HSO box they could share? It should be printed somewhere on the box where the kit was manufactured, and the 1999 issue in the glossy white Testors boxes, which, IIRC, came before the HSO series of kits, was clearly made in the U.S.: The above image of the Testors box is hard to read, but Mark nailed it: "Manufactured under license exclusively for The Testor Corp. by SeVille Enterprises.Inc." That seems to lend a lot of credence to the idea that Testors repackaged an already produced product, rather than contracting a mold facility to produce the kits. Knowing what we know about SeVille Enterprises state of affairs in that era, it seems not only reasonable, but highly likely. Unfortunately, that leaves things even less settled regarding what might've become of the molds for the '69 SC/Rambler '69 AMX, '70 Olds 442, '71 'Cuda, and Mercury Comet Pro Stock kits. Did SeVille actually produce the kits after the lawsuit with JO-HAN was over, meaning SeVille had possession of the molds and was able to create product from these five molds? Or were these merely existing kits, produced during the grey period when SeVille used the JO-HAN boxes with "SeVille Enterprises" added?

Thank you.

I think it would be a case-by-case situation, depending upon what each fan for each model or model year/engine looks like. Have you looked at the Flathead parts from the Revell '40 and '48 Ford kits? Both are modern era kits with better detailed parts than the '60s era AMT and Monogram kits, but you'd need to see all the parts to decide if they'd be worth your time an effort versus using a printed resin part you (presumably) would design to your own specifications.

Maybe... Jim, if this scoop is close enough (I think it's actually a Cal Custom scoop, not a Moon), PM me your address, please.

I understood, but essentially, if someone did what you're suggesting, they'd only be using the body parts from the SnapTite kit, and using the donor kit to fill out the rest of the model. Think of it from Revell's point of view, instead of a builder's perspective. How many people are going to spend $20 on a '67 El Camino SnapTite kit, take out the body parts, then purchase a second '66 El Camino full-glue kit, and combine it all to make one fully detailed '67 El Camino? One out of every five buyers? While my opinion isn't quite as pessimistic as some here regarding younger generations' interests and abilities, I feel, even for those in Revell's age group sweet spot, box stock builders make up the vast majority of their customers.

What makes the kit-supplied fans unrealistic to you? Usually the blades are a bit too thick, so thin the edges of each blade with a file or sanding stick until they look correct to your eyes. If you're limited to using the kit parts, you can only thin the blades so much and still maintain enough strength. Try it and post your results. Just to note, most modern era (~'90+ or so) kits have fairly realistic fans, with thinner (and often tapered) blades compared to older kits, so sometimes sourcing a fan from a more modern kit of a similar make (say Revell's '68/9 Charger R/T fan to use in place of a Monogram '70 Dodge Challenger T/A fan) does the trick.

I think you're over-estimating by a large ratio. If 5% of people bought the lone body, I would be shocked. The vast majority of people want a complete kit, not a partial kit, even if there is a donor kit easily available to use with the partial kit/body. The cost to create and all-new mold for a body shell (and hood, etc.) alone would be better spent on a full kit. Kit manufacturers are not in business to sell partial things (with the Parts Packs from Round2 being the exceptions), but rather whole, complete kits. I like your idea, and would be a big supporter if the subjects matched my interests, but I strongly feel I am the minority, and in no way represent the mass buyer public.

Well, here's where we disagree, then. '32 Fords, '69 Camaros, Tri-Five Chevies and the like have proven to be good sellers over the years, and while there is definitely room for new and or different subjects, a '34-'37 Chrysler Airflow isn't going to sell well, no matter how much I want a kit of that subject. To Revell, "different" means a '50 Olds Coupe, an '83 Olds Cutlass 442, and a Midget race car. Safe bets include a '68/9 Chevelle, '69 Boss 302 Mustang, and reissues of similar musclecars. If I was Revell, I would focus on getting everything in order, setting up distribution networks, and getting kits to market in a timely fashion. They have plenty of molds on hand from which they can produce kits which will sell just fine.

It depends upon the type of fan, but since most are stamped from thin metal, replacing them with photoetched or handmade, then assembled, pieces of scale thickness metal would be ideal. The aftermarket flex-blade style are available from the aftermarket, but you might have to hunt a bit to find a specific factory style fan.

That kind of proves my point. I honestly have no idea which company made the car in your picture, much less which specific model it is, or if it was a one-of-five coachbuilt car. I know it's '30s era, and from a luxury maker like Duesenberg, Auburn, etc., but there is zero recognition for me, and I have been into vehicles since I was a toddler. Not a knock on your desires and wants at all, Richard, but any mass marketed kit needs to have mass appeal, and those 'classics' simply don't.

Revell has at their disposal several prewar high end cars like that, and rarely reissues them. Sorry, those kits are still cheap on eBay (Cord, etc.), even the original issues., which means there's not a ton of demand for them. Good for buyers, though.

Are you looking for a shorter (overall height) tire?

...I would bring a 3'n 1 1/8 scale '55 Chevy Bel Air Two Door Hardtop to market, sit back, and reap the profits.

What is the size or diameter of the wheels in the kit? There are more modern radial style tires available, like Goodyear Wrangler ATs from some Revel Chevy and the Dodge Ram VTS truck kits, but they are 16" or 17".

I don't think the Ertl and AMT Kenworth Challenge mixer parts ever crossed over into the other mixer kit(s). Maybe this helps?:

No, it was molded in white a few times:

The most recent issue of the 1/24 Monogram (now Revell) Chevy/GMC Squarebody kit, the '78 GMC Big Game Country Pickup:

This is not aimed specifically at you Bill, but it's not able being able to, nor having the skill set to fix the problems, but rather having the desire to fix inaccuracies. Each builder has their limits, and those can vary from kit to kit, but it's up to each builder to decide how much time and effort they want to put into each kit they build. There's plenty of room for everyone, and if one person doesn't want to correct a detail that others would deem minor and easy to correct, so be it. Each person has to find their comfort zone and build within that area.

The old Eaton style 14-bolt (though it only has a 10-bolt rear cover) is present in the Revell '41 Chevy pickup kit, but for the more modern style 14-bolt, I think you are out of luck. The MPC '84 GMC's rear axle isn't very good, and has no rear bolt cover detail since it's molded in upper and lower halves. You can see the axle assemblies in this video at the 9:30 mark: Maybe you can fake it using a Dana-style rearend?:

It was mentioned in the 2018 Round2 Truck releases topic, but Round2 has only released very preliminary box art, so I didn't bother posting any images yet for the reasons you mentioned. It'll be the same C-600 last seen in Pepsi livery, with new Hostess decals.

I *think* Jeff from Motor City Resin Casters picked up a few items from Uptown Automotive's line and now offers them, but I would suggest contacting Jeff and asking him directly about the work level grille.

Racing Champions era-AMT wasn't exactly moving the bar in the upward direction, and the 2/3 checkerboard-1/3 Dryvit wall texture boxes weren't helping much, either. I don't think the wording was ever proofread, either, as those don't appear to be Rally Wheels, and while you can't even see most of the hood due to the presence of that massive hood scoop, there are no louvers present. And in low-res, semi-blurry pictures, and cheapen the AMT logo even more while you're at it...

Same here. After learning about the inaccurate shock towers, the wrong interior tub, and now the quarter window opening shape/size...already parting mine out.