Casey

I think I was thinking of the dually versions, the Toyoa in pink and the Nissan in periwinkle? Very true. My thinking was the casual modeler wouldn't be as tuned into the differences, nor as particular, when it came time to chose bewtween a Lindberg Firebird Firehawk versus a Revell Trans Am which look very similar to the casual observer. This news should at least add a bit more intrigue when iHobby opens in October.

While the 1/20 Lindberg GMC Syclone/Sonoma/S-10, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Pontiac Firebird, Chevy Camaro, and Corvette ZR-1 kits are "sellable" subjects, all had been released as 1/25 scale kits by Revell, Monogram, AMT and Tamiya, so Lindberg was way late to the party and got the wrong kind of attention with the odd scale. Given the choice of a 1/25 or 1/20 scale of the same subject and quality, 1/25 will win 98% of the time. I've only had the 1/20 S-10 (the original issue from '91, so that may've tied or beaten the Revell Syclone kit to market) and the GMC Sonoma High Rider in my hands, and while both looked pretty good (though not quite on the same level as Revell's Syclone), the super-high polished red plastic of the Sonoma wasn't appealing to me at all. I recall the Totoya and Nissan Hardbody pickups were molded in purple, yellow, seafoam green, and pink, too, so maybe they were aimed at builders who didn't want to have to paint the bodies? I dunno, but the "feel" you get from a kit when you open the box leaves an impression, and I haven't considered purchasing another Lindberg 1/20 scale kit since. Even if they were 1/25 scale, I probably wouldn't buy them.

They have a few mini-history articles, not just about Pyro: http://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/category/plastic-model-kit-history/ From the Monogram and Revell history articles: "In 1991 Odyssey purchased the Matchbox tooling from Lesney and ex-Matchbox kits were released under both the Revell and Monogram names." I wonder if this includes auto kits, too, as I recall there were a few Matchbox/AMT kits created and released while AMT was under the control of Lesney Corp. and the AMT tooling was in Baltimore, MD., but I'm not sure if Matchbox created any 1/25 auto kits during that time period. There's a nice pic of the Revell USS Missouri mold in the Revell article, too: There are some other tantalizing bits of info regarding the Aurora/Moebius monster kits, too, but it's too vague to draw any conclusions.

Exactly. The '64-5 Mopar B-bodies, the '66 Chevelle SS, the '53 Ford, and the '67 Olds 442 are all kits Round2 could use in their inventory, though the '67 is very close to the AMT '66. Not sure how the '90s 1/20 Lindberg kits will be utilized, if at all. Good point. I think Steve Goldman might be able to shed some light on this, as he mentioned the facility in the Lindberg topic.

You might get your wish if this one makes it through the transition and into production: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67210&page=2

In limbo might be the best way to put it. Steve Goldman is probably the person in the best position to comment: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49120&page=3

Not takin' that bet. I wonder how much name recognition the IMC brand has, or maybe it's less about recognition and more about association for IMC, at least as far as people associating the name with kits like the Ford GT and L-700, which I recall people mention were very detailed but quite fiddly to assemble.

Fascinating articles http://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/plastic-model-kit-history/the-kits-of-pyro-plastic-company-an-illustrated-guide/ http://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/plastic-model-kit-history/william-bill-morris-lester-%E2%80%93-the-father-of-modern-injection-molding-and-founder-of-pyro-plastics/

I think it was mentioned some of it went to Union in the '70s and hasn't been seen since, but some seems to have made it to Union and back to Testors. I want to say the ex-IMC '48 Ford was released by Testors after Union released their kits, but not sure... We know the IMC Dodge L-700 tractor and all three trailers (flatbed, cargo, and tanker) still exist, as well as the Mustang II and Cougar II concepts, the 1/20 Beach Buggy, and the LRW Dodge A-100, so I bet there are others. I think the Avenger would be great to see again, but not likely to happen. Maybe Round2 could put together some type of Budd Anderson deal together, and re-pop some of the kits he was personally involved in while working at IMC, MPC, and AMT? I think there have been more HAWK kits released in the last few years than Lindberg, with the Silly Surfers, Bonneville racers, and some other character figure kits, too.

Call me Thomas, but I doubt we'll see any new kits under the AMT label, and with the purchase of Lindberg, I expect more reissues rather than Round2 investing in new tooling. That's not a bad thing, and I'd love to be wrong, but Round2 seems to be doing fine with what they're doing now. Maybe if Round2 sells out the Elvis branded Manx kits, it'll open the door for the Tow'd to be reissued.

I bet that kit's tooling is going to be cleaned up, maybe backdated a bit, and reissued under the AMT label in the next five years. This is big news, and it's a sign Round2 is doing well and is financially healthy. I don't have a lot of love for many Lindberg-original kits, but some of the IMC kits have some interest to me. Maybe the Bullhorn T will be back on track, too.

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11414

Did anyone here ever buy a set of these? Anybody know who made these? I printed out, saved, and recently scanned this eBay auction from 2001, but never bought a set: I see Whoopie Kat makes then now, but I am curious who offered these a decade ago, as I think the same seller offered other 1/16 decal sheets, too.

You will find some of them on the decal sheets in the kits you recently purchased. Gopher Decals has a few sponsor type decal sheets, too.

One could retire selling whitey tighties roadside at that location.

Try your local Ace Hardware store, too.

Try the search feature at the top right page of the forum to find a specific build or builds. Click on the flower/star shape the the right of the magnifying glass, then type in your search words, in this case "midget", "kurtis", or "kurtis midget". That'll save a lot of time versus manually looking though the entire Model Cars: Under Glass section to find other member's builds.

An inner tailgate of sorts. Makes sense. The DPMCC instruction sheet site doesn't have this one listed.

No. The Rallys were a surprise inside a parts lot eBay buy, and the grille and bumper from a swap meet parts bag, so closer to $6.99.

Yeah, baby...

Don't confuse me with Mike! Anyone but Mike!! You should consider selling them on craigslist, too, as long as you're willing to be flexible on price. Yes, you'll get some lowballers, but you may also find someone willing to take the whole lot off your hands, pay you cash, and come pick them up. Plus, it's free.

Round2 seems to be really milking every release lately, especially if there's a movie tie-in: AMT-847 - 1/25 Elvis' Meyers Manx I guess it was only a matter of time before poor Elvis' name was used to sell a kit. Hopefully this one'll include a TCB belt buckle or maybe a scale Fool's Gold Loaf sandwich?

Looks like Round2 is releasing a kit of the HOT ROD Magazine sponsored Mustang F/C, presumably based on the same tooling as the Bounty Hunter kit. MPC-801 1/25 1970's Hot Rod Magazine Mustang Funny Car The original MPC kit: I don't think this was a real car, but rather was a car in model form only. Seems like an odd choice since it has no pedigree nor any sponsor/driver/team owner name recognition, but maybe Round2 has something cooking with the HOT ROD magazine brand, and/or maybe it was cheaper to offer a non-"known" car, too.

"I think Rosemont, and to a lesser extent Cleveland, had costs that made exhibiting an expensive and sometimes cumbersome operation," he said. Obstacles ranging from parking fees to drayage had driven up the cost of attendance for exhibitors, dealers and consumers, Swanson said. Hobby Show Promotions found what it believes to be a better value at the Schaumburg Convention Center, which features free parking and no restrictions that require exhibitors to use unionized labor for drayage or the setup of their booths, according to Swanson. On top of that, the new venue is attached to four-star Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel. Another significant reason for the iHobby’s relocation was its accessibility, Hill said. The HMA polled and contacted exhibitors and attendees as soon as the 2012 show ended, he said, and what it heard was that travel to Cleveland was too difficult for many manufacturers and dealers." Mike pretty much nailed it. This is good news, though, and I'm going to try to attend if Revell, Inc. attends.