Casey

It's not an easy thing to explain, so here's the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic_paint#Differences_between_acrylic_and_oil_paint

Be aware that the active ingredient in DPD is lye (Sodium Hydroxide- NaOH), the same as in Drano, Easy-Off Oven Cleaner (in the yellow can), and many others.

I'm going to guess this 1/24 Monogram T/A will replace the 1/24 Monogram '79 Camaro Z/28 3'n'1 kit in Revell's rotation. While not up to modern standards, it still holds its own as far as body accuracy and proportion are concerned. If Revell would provide multiple screaming chicken hood decals in the various color schemes, it would be much appreciated.

I found this flyer(?) inside a Monogram Big Deuce instruction manual I purchased, so I figured I'd scan it, post it, and see if anybody old enough to have been there is willing to admit it.

I picked this kit up @ Hobby Lobby today to use as reference for my 1/43 scale A-100 pickup and van projects. Sadly, the slicks inside are the worst I have ever seen. Not only do they have sink marks(!), but they are horribly mis-shapen in the 'tread' area, and appear to have shrunk after coming out of the mold. I don't know what happened, but they can't be used. I've never had a problem with the slicks in earlier Lindberg kits, so I'm hoping this is a fluke and I just got a bad pair.

That is the Catch 22 when making functioning doors. Once you cut the door (or trunk) free from the body, you create a lot more work for yourself. It all depends how accurate and true to the 1:1 vehicle you want it to be, but removing the doors is just the beginning. Are you going to add the body structure, to which the door hinges bolt, and which will be highly visible once the doors open? How about the jamb area, where the latch or striker bolt is bolted? Rocker panels? Don't forget you'll be able to see behind the front fenders now, too... I don't think I've seen a better attempt at replicating scale functioning doors than Mark Gustavson's Mercari project in SAE years ago. The problem is parts and pieces in 1/25 scale are tiny and while opening the doors is a great idea, all of the work which goes along with doing just that is not all that fun. Even kits which were designed to have opening doors simply skip over the rest of the details, and end up looking inaccurate when the doors are actually opened, IMHO. I guess I'm of the opinion that if you're going to have functioning doors on a model, you shouldn't take the easy way out and ignore all the other work required for true scale accuracy.

I think it would be a huge mistake for a model company to not announce future releases. Not only does it let their customers know what's coming and what they can expect, but it may also prevent a customer from buying a competitor's product, knowing a new and or better kit will be on store shelves soon. I don't have a problem with kits being announced and later delayed or canceled, as there may be many good reasons for such delays. We almost never hear why an announced kit never made it to production, but look at Revell's recently released Midget kits. They were started a decade ago, put on the shelf, and eventually were finished and produced. We tend to remember the '49 Oldsmobiles and '87 Cutlasses, and we have every right to be disappointed when they don't materialize as kits, but we should also remember the "Hey, what a surprise! I didn't know they were going to release a kit of that!" moments. I'd rather know what might be coming in the next year from Revell, Round2, etc. than to have to wait around, guessing at what might be coming.

Photobucket re-set things when they updated to the mobile-as-defualt settings a few weeks ago. You can Google "how do I re-set my PayPal account" and it'll take you to the PB page which allows you to go back to the old page you were using.

AMT or Revell Parts pack engines? I just saw the Stevens International re-issued AMT engines kit for $27.00 or so at a LHS.

Great execution, David.

Let's not forget about the best looking Canadian Pontiac, the Astre. This one's a '73, but the '71-'73s are all good looking. My favorite Acadian:

They might as well create another kit with some shared tooling then, as what you suggest would require a lot of work, unless by some miracle all the new parts you suggest are arranged on the same tooling insert. I think Round2 realizes the '50 Chevy pickup is one of AMT's best "newer" tools, and Round2 decided to sweeten it a bit with a few new parts, ensuring it could still be built stock in future re-issues. The '50 Chevy pickup was voted Kit of the Year by SAE subscribers when it was released, so when you have a kit which is guaranteed to sell well (see also Revell's '69 Camaro), you don't mess with success.

I wonder if you and my Dad bumped into each other. He ordered the same car, then had it painted black in '87 or so. I bet you remember the "ESP" was pretty much worthless.

Round2 had mentioned, via their blog, they may backdate this kit to the Clear Body Petty version, and it sounds like that's going to happen, but only after the Street Charger is produced one last time: "MPC reincarnates the super-detailed 1/16 scale Street Charger for one limited and final production run." http://round2models.com/models/mpc/big-street-charger That's either good or bad news, but at least it sounds like the Petty kit is moving forward (or backward, maybe? ).

This is one are where Tamiya, Fujimi, etc. kits are leaps and bounds ahead of typical Revell, AMT, etc. kits. The Japanese kits usually have a detailed floorpan showing the metal structure, rather than molded in carpet detail like most U.S. manufacturere's kits do. Granted, not all Japaneses-based kits are like this, but if you're building a stripped down car, it's a huge advantage to start with something that is, well. stripped down. It's only been in the last decade or so that Revell for example has produced kits with the option of leaving out the rear seat ('69 Charger R/T and Daytona come to mind) and addding some structural rib detail in the form of separate parts.

www.ikea.com Easy to assemble, pretty decent quality and price, and easy to disassemble If necessary) when you need to move.

I would be more concerned about high temps than low temps, Blake. Even down at -50* F, as long as they're not handled and shaken, the plastic should be fine. Make sure to protect them from snow s.

It looks like it'll be that same kit, only with '76 English Leather-as-the-main-sponsor decals. I would buy that kit for the Christmas Tree and Buster Couch(?) figure alone.

I guess we'll find out when the kit hits the shelves. Maybe only the body and interior will be customized, with the engine, frame and suspension remmaining stock, possibly with lowered suspension options? How was the Revell '49 Mercury done? Is the suspension, frame and engine stock or very close to stock, or are those parts totally customized, too?

Did you post these pics somewhere?? Great to hear this kit is still on schedule and we will be seeing it in a few months.

It might also be the first of a few Mongoose/Snake kits we'll see in the coming years, perhaps depending upon if/when the Mongoose/Snake movie is released. I'm sure people would not be disappointed if the Snake/Mongoose Duster/Cuda F/C combo kit was reissued again, either.

bump...

Yes, the Chrysler Engine Red is too red. Use Hemi Orange as it's much closer to the real orange color IMHO. I haven't purchased any on a while, but AutoZone, Advance Auto, etc. had the engine colored spray paints in 12 oz cans for $6.99 or so, and a can of that will last forty Mopar model engines or so.

Maybe that's because it's actually a '59. All kidding aside, the '59 was one of Monogram's best kits ever from what I recall, and one of their few 1/25 scale kits, near the end of their independent existence. The newer tool Revell snap kits all have super nice bodies, the '63 Vette and '57 Bel Air especially...and those custom wheels are top notch.

They released it as both a coupe and convertible, so it's a dtraight re-issue. Hopefully it will include the very nice Torq Thrust II wheels again.