Junkman

I actually have a work in progress. A 1:20 scale Mitsubishi Jeep. Others I want to do include - a 1:25 bone stock Jeep CJ-5 from the MPC Daily's kit - a 1:25 scale scratchbuilt Icelandic Formula Offroad - a 1:35 scale Ural 4320 logging rig

Considering how old those kits are, they really stood the test of time well.

I wonder how long the Hennessey will last on an Autobahn, vs. the TIKT. Technically, the German approach makes more sense. A lot more.

Found it:

No, the Victor Estate was just another kit in the series, so was a ADO16, a Ford Cortina MKI and a Jag E-Type. The cars have been reissued under the Novo Banner in Russia, but the Ambulance was never seen again.

Those ESCI Transits weren't really rare. I had two at some stage and didn't buy more despite you could find them in hobby shops everywhere back then. I guess most Europeans simply didn't buy them, because they were just too 'ordinary'. Vans never enjoyed such a cult in Europe as they did in the States, they always were utility vehicles, nothing more. To build something the plumber drove just didn't appeal to many and the Transit was of no use for the military modellers either (contrary to the VW vans). I'd say most of them ESCI kits got tossed out eventually because they just didn't sell.

A friend of mine has a kit of the Studebaker Champ pickup, but I can't remember whether it's a Premier. I'll ask him next time I speak to him so that we can outrule that it's a ghost. My guess is also 1911 Chevy for being the rarest car kit. Also rare as hen's teeth is the Frog 1/16 Ambulance kit. I have only seen one once - in the same collection where the Studebaker Champ pickup is. Oh, and the 1/12 (no, this is NOT a mistake!) Bandai 1968 Mustang.

WOW! Those are rare even in Japan. Where did you find those?

Apparently it is possible to extract a bit of power from the new ZR1: http://www.carbuzz.c...C6-ZR1-7706820/ Gosh. You can slag them Germans as much as you want, but if they come up with something, it bloody works.

Wouldn't this be the correct push (and tow) truck for the Winged Express?

Yes, the Opel Blitz is back, too. So is the Land Rover 109 and the Willys Jeep, all in this military series. But they can be civilized easily I'd say.

I sure will, once prices have cooled off a bit. Teh only thing missing from the old civilian version is a roof, which I think is not too hard to fabricate.

I was able to snap a test shot they had at the SMW in Telford. What I saw looked promising: The engraving looked razor sharp, so they must have done quite some work to the tool.

What is the future of the supercar? I guess the same as its past. It will continue to be the showcase of what is possible in terms of performance, design and panache and it will continue to be priced in regions only a selected few can afford, albeit the number of the latter is increasing at a rapid rate. While the 'ordinary' people struggle ever harder to be able to afford a car at all, and mass market producers subsequently having to be bailed out in regular intervals, the supercar manufacturers celebrate two digit growth rates and one sales record after another. Also, hardly any supercars remain standard. They don't seem to be expensive enough, hence they usually get customized.

Yes, if the AMC kit was released in 1957, then the Kitmaster kit did indeed come later, in 1959 to be exact. It was the 3rd kit in a series of 34 railway models and I have them all. Kitmaster only made railway kits from 1959 to 1962. The Kitmaster New York Central Hudson was later allegedly shamlessly copied by Revell, so I'd call it even.

X2

I have about 1500 car kits, of which about 2/3 are collectors items not intended to be built. However, the collection will not get any bigger in future. Rather smaller.

I think the idea of Supercars is completely lost on you. People buy Supercars BECAUSE they are umpteen times more expensive than a Mustang or Corvette.

Could this be the same kit:

Ride on, Josephine. Well, Josephine drivin' a hot rod Ford Twin carburator will eat up the road Twin exhaust stickin' out the rear Somethin' that will really take away from here... Have we now derailed the thread far enough? What about a '60 Rambler American kit? Does any resin caster make one?

Don't forget to stop over at Les Dunham for proper discomobile treatment. Now we're talking.

Nothing like torque for racing, period. Torque is for racing, horsepower is for bench racing.

Yeah, if your face is on the cover of GQ, Forbes, or The Financial Times, they tend to generally argue less.

Those 'oddball' cars, like the Pacer and Gremlin, were really nothing more than fashion gags. Nothing changes faster than fashion. Once the world had moved on, the cars were thus severely out of fashion and I bet a lot of them were discarded just for that long before the end of their useful life was reached. I'd say today the Pacer and Gremlin aren't loved by some because their design aged so well, but rather because they are the automotive personification of this gleeful disco age hipster chiqueness and that contributes a lot to their cult status. Wear bell-bottoms, afro-look and sideburns when you drive one and you'll never be lonely once you park it.

If I had to hide anything from my wife, she wouldn't be my wife.