Casey

That board is very much worth your time. The Gasser thread alone is amazing- who does a BMW 2002 gasser?

I can't say if the louvers I mentioned are in all the '54 Chevy kits, as I only had the '54 sedan delivery molded in maroon plastic ('80s issue)

Looks pretty nice to me. I built the Tasca Ford version when it was first released and it went together fairly well as I recall. I still use spray cans and bottle paints for most of my work, so you're not alone. A paint polishing kit and Bare Metal Foil are two of the great equalizers in this hobby, so once you learn to use those, the look of your built models goes up dramatically. One other thing I've noticed is people who pay attention to the basics such as making sure cylinder heads are on the block squarely, there are no gaps between the intake manifold and heads, all joint seams (such as when and enigine block and transmission are molded in halves lengthwise) are sanded and no longer visible, etc. Even with no airbush and building box stock, there are lots of things you can do to constantly improve your builds. I've been trying to improve for almost 30 years. Never be afraid to show off your work- there's no such thing as a perfect model.

Ah, I see. I think it was th other kit I mentioned I was thinking of which comes with a case of beer bottles, a tommy gun, etc.

For the 5A faux fender vents, you might try using the louvers included with the Revell '54 Chevy Sedan Delivery kit. You'd have to splice two together to get the correct height and shorten the length, but it might work. Are you modifying the grille to a Lebaron style?

I'd love to see some close-up pics of the extras included with the kit- rifles, etc. Or am I thinking of the MPC '28(?) Lincoln "Gangbusters" kit?

Here's a 40% off coupon for Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Michael's accepts competitiors coupons: http://www.joann-mail.com/J0943AMG/coupons...240249202840405

I started this project before I was aware a resin 1/16th Chevy big block was available, so at that time I decided to use the Revell generic chassis and aforementioned Donovan engine since I had both on hand. I will probably end up scratchbuilding the main chassis entirely, since if you go this far, you might as well do it accurately, right? At least the paint scheme is easy on the DC bug.

I'm assuming this is a pre-release kit supplied to you buy Revell, correct? At any rate, it looks fantastic and this one'll definitely be on my "to-buy" list when it hits store shelves. I love the upholstery decals and the three-speed transmission, as it'll be perfect for kitbashing other GM products. Just another reason I pledge my allegience to Revell.

They let you use the 50% off coupon on a clearnace item? Huh. I may have to try it and see if they allow it on a clearance item, too.

Ok, I see what you're talking about now- these kits, correct?: http://www.shopatron.com/index/642.0.41935.0.0.0.0

No, just the standard cab AMT kit. I think SJS may have done a resi-cast vesion, as they did do an extended cab S-10. They had some cool resin stuff!

We have six Milwaukee area Michael's stores, and the newest one carries very few model kits- maybe ten total! The others have a decent selection of 25+ or so plastic car/truck kits, mostly Revell: '69 RS/Z28 Camaro '69 Yenko Camaro '71 Hemi Cuda '71 Hemi Cuda 'vet (clearance for $9.99) Dodge Magnum ($9.99) '69 Coronet Super Bee '71 GTX '70 Challenger T/A '55 Chevy Street Machine '06 Stang GT Saleen Speedster Mustang Z06 Vette '68 Vette roadster Porsche slantnose '69 Charger R/T '57 Chevy, Fire Engine, & '63 Vette vert Snap Tites '70 Chevelle SS Viper GTS Ferrari Scaglieta (sp?) Mustang GT-350 H- both '66 and '08 '65 Mustang 2+2 '79 Camaro 3'n'1 Datsun 240Z '58 Impala Lowrider '64 Chevy Impala lowrider 2'n'1 Dodge Charger Uptown Caddy (small car one) Uptown '68 Firebird 2'n'1 '69 GTO Judge Peterbilt 359 AMT '34 Ford Revell Street Hemi engine ($14.99 clearance) That's all I can think of at the moment.

Hobby Lobby updates their coupon every Sunday. It was 40% off anything for two weeks, then some % off a specific craft item (framing, silk flowers, etc.), then last week it was 25% off everything. If you can wait a week or two, you can probably score a 40% off coupon to maximize your savings.

You can print it out online, too: http://sdm3.rm04.net/servlet/MailView?ms=M...p;mt=1&rt=0 FYI, Michael's accepts competitor's coupons (the only craft type store which sells models I'm aware of that has that policy), and Hobby Lobby usually has a printable coupon on their website- this week it's for 40% off, so you can use it at either Hobby Lobby or Michael's. The coupon is good for six days, from Feb. 16th-21st, since HL is closed Sundays. HL 40% off coupon here: http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm?page=2

Model King is leasing some of the AMT/MPC tooling and selling the subsequent kits as limited releases, producing only a certain number of kits. I assume this is because they know from experience that a certain number of kits (say 5000 for this discussion) will sell to distributors and they will sell all of the kits they produce. Better to produce a few less and sell them all than to produce too many and have them sitting in the wharehouse. That's just smart business, IMO. They've been leasing tools and releasing limited edition kits for almost (maybe more than?) twenty years. I bought both the 1/16th Revell Jungle Jim Vega funny car kit they released in the early '90s, so they have experience on thier side. As far as regular releases by AMT/RC2, I honestly don't pay much attention as I don't care for the feel and look of most of the AMT/MPC kits, so I can't comment. My LHSs seem to have a great selection of all kits, both current and out of production, so maybe there's something your LHS owner is leaving out of the story? I don't know. I did talk with the owner of an independent five and dime type store I have shopped at for years, and he did confirm that he know has to buy from one distributor (Hobbico) when ordering Revell kits and that he stocked up all he could before the price increases went into effect- I confirmed that looking at the cases upon cases of Revell kits he had in the basement. This store did have LOTS of current and recent AMT kits on the shelves, though, so I don't think there's a widespread problem at this point. I shop at Michael's and Hobby Lobby, too, and HL always has current releases on the shelves, but most are Revell kits, which is fine with me. Michael's doesn't stock new releases as they come out (like any good hobby shop does), but they do have a decent selection of mostly Revell kits, with a handfull of AMT kits on the shelves. Maybe it's a LHS vs. Mass retailer deal? I don't really know, but there are lots of options for buying kits, even if your LHS can't stock them, for whatever reason.

I dug out a few of my 1/16th scale Revell F/C projects today and snapped a few pics to share. First up is a replica of the Warren Gunther Durachrome-sponsored VW Bug that I started over a decade ago, using the body from the Revell Germany 1/16th VW Kafer kit. The chassis is a shortened Revell F/C chassis, but other than assembling it and adding some new body support structure at the rear, there hasn't been much progress...mainly because I thought I lost it years ago. I found it late last year inside a suitcase! Clearly, we don't travel much. The bodywork is very rough and it was originally slated to use an Aurora Donovan Hemi engine, but since I thought the model was lost forever, I sold it. No matter, since there's a resin 1/16th BB Chevy available, which is the correct powerplant. Second is a Revell Vega, to be done up like the Barry Setzer Vega, complete with Slixx decals and front American 5-spokes from Competition resins. I mastered and cast the rear Halibrand wheels myself to use for this and other 1/16th F/C projects, but besides swapping a few chrome parts (blower and bug catcher) from a 1/16th dragster kit, this one is pretty much box stock so far: Last up is a Pure Hell Demon with Slixx decals and the same wheel and tires combo as the above Vega. Since this kit originally came with only an injector atop the blower, I had to clearance the windshield to clear the new injector hat, and eventually, the "tinwork" which will cover it. I did manage to remove the old and install new engine mounting points to locate the engine correctly, as the box stock position was too far rearward. I have an old built up engine in place for mock-up purposes in the pic. Lots of work still to do on this one.

That link will come in handy on other forums. "Before you ask, Google it." is a good rule to follow.

Considering the Black Widow '57 and the new Challenger had theire release dates pushed back (which is not at all uncommon), I wouldn't expect to see the '38 Ford unitl at least the second half of '09. www.modelroundup.com usually provides updates when they get info, but there's absolutely nothing regarding the '38- not a good sign. I hate to say it, but I get the feeling this one's on the back burner at Revell for now. $.02

I picked up this kit today and was pleasantly surprised to find many (all?) of the parts from the '68 GTO kit included- nose, rear bumper, grilles, side view mirrors, sidepipes, velocity stacks, and the very nice American Torque Thrust D-spoke wheels. While I still intend to build the kit as a '69 Judge, it's nice to see an old favorite is now packed with some 2'n'1 parts for those who prefer to build it as a '68 GTO or a street machine of either year. The kit is a good example of early '80s Monogram kit technology (which isn't a bad thing), meaning it has neither a high parts count nor a lot of detail (tub interior, exhaust and rearend molded as one, engine block and trans molded as one, etc.), but it still builds up into an accurate scale version of the real thing. I noticed the decal sheet has been upgraded again, too, now featuring tri-color side stripes and "THE JUDGE" decals, and also what appear to be Bobcat Royal-type stripes, which are a nice touch. I guess that'd make it a 3'n'1 kit now? Kudos, Revell for nicely upgrading an already solid kit.

Just one comment to add. I bought the kit for the custom wheels, since they replicate American's 200-S ("Daisy" or "Coke bottles" by some) wheels, and I've never really found any good bi-scale kit source for these wheels. They are fairly decent looking wheels in 19" (front) and 20" (rear) scale diameters, but the real bummer is the out-of-scale bolt circle diameter which measures almost scale seven inches! The large center area also hurts the look of the spokes, making them look too short and chunky. It's really a shame these aren't more accurate, 'cuz I would buy more just for an accurate set of large diameter American 200-S wheels.

Those are truly some nice-looking flames, on both the '57 and the late model 'Stang. You've got great talent.

Just so I understand correctly, all of the variations of the new Revell 1/25 '55-'57 Chevy line are: 1) '55 Bel Air convertible (originally released under the Monogram brand): 2) '55 Bel Air hardtop 3) '56 Del Ray: 4) '56 Nomad: 5) '57 150 Utility Sedan: 6) '57 Bel Air 2-Door Sedan: 7) SnapTite '57 Chevy Bel Air:

Yep, this thread is two years old, but what the heck, it's still a nice review and worth reading. I noticed Michael's has this kit on clearance for $9.99 today. I might have to pick one up, as that guitar is just too cool of an accessory not to have on hand.