Junkman

So far, it is the nicest one I've ever seen. And something loony is quite appropriate for this car.

Thanks God for that. Still got to get me those Holden kits.

And many Tamiyas, and the Polar Lights Beetle. It seems to go into that direction finally - after 50 years of car model kits.

How come the diecast guys can do it?

I'm sure it would have. But possibly price was also a consideration. 12V batteries were expensive. Once they became cheaper and more compact, they were used. However, this shows you how long this kit has been around. The Taxis were 'dieselized' already in the late Seventies (Perkins, the same unit as used in most European built Jeeps). For the past twenty odd years, the most commonly used engine was the 2.5 Litre Nissan Diesel. You would be hard pressed to find a taxi without it now.

Yes it is. It's the ancient Imai rubbish. Back in the 16th century when these were new, they had two 6 Volt batteries switched in line to get 12 Volts. One 12 Volt battery with the same power output wouldn't have fit anywhere.

I paid £39.95 at Hobbycraft today, which is suggested retail for the UK by Revell AG. You may get it cheaper by 3 or so bob if you shop more carefully. I just couldn't resist this when I came home:

I got it! I got it! And it is mine! That thing seems to fly off the shelves. There were at least 20 where this came from on Friday. I went today and it was one of three left!

What else is there to see?

Trust me, if you are in Paris, you MUST go to Au Chat Botte: http://loisirs.118000.fr/v_paris_75/c_modele-reduit-detail/e_au-chat-botte_0142504162_C0000229666 It is more important than seeing that metal scrag they make all this fuss about. How does a resin Citroen H-Van in 1/24 sound to you? Next in line would be Tonyshop: http://www.tonyshop.fr/ Then there is AJC: http://www.ajcminiatures.com/achat/index.php?id=93 There are more, a lot more. But by the time you are through these three, you will be so broke that you can't afford a sack of bull durham. Please let me know if you want more nevertheless. Diecast perhaps? Trains? Honestly, you go to modellers heaven if you so much and set your foot into France.

Art, you always explain very neatly where compromises have to be made due to engineering constraints and necessities, which are understandable, unavoidable, and I'm sure (as you mention too) are prevalent in areas in non-automotive models, too. What this doesn't explain though, is the lack of sharp details in things like belt drives, engine ancillaries, dashboards, etc. Or why the window frames are still molded to bodies in the overwhelming majority of new kits, and not to the windows, where they belong. Or why the chrome pieces are still attached to the sprues so a nasty scar is left in them when one detaches them. In short, all those things that are still rather unsatisfactory in car models kits, but have long been overcome by the diecast guys, aircraft model kit makers, and model railway manufacturers. And I think it's these things this thread is about, not the compromises that need to be made for engineering reasons.

Would this be the issue that has a fair amount of original Ala-Kart pieces in it?

There you go:

I stand corrected. It's on my 'buy next' list.

Show me one full sized car that shouldn't be kitted. With the Fords we are actually lucky, very few are missing, if you count in the resins.

Afaik MLR does the '71 Galaxie 500. A 78 LTD is available from Blue Oval ResinWorks, as well as a 88-91 Crown Vic. http://blue-oval-resinworks.com

You beat me to it! Will you show us the contents of the box in the new kit review section, please?

For indentification of cars in movies, you can always refer to the Internet Movie Car Database at http://www.imcdb.org I also encourage everyone in this forum to sign up to the site and help identify unidentifed vehicles. There is a '78 LTD resin kit out there somewhere, but who makes it only Dr. Alzheimer knows atm.

ALL remaining double kits should be reissued. Actually, all Trophy Kits, when I think of it. Alas, with the Ala-Kart I see little chance, since it was reincarnated with this oddly soulless new tool a few years back. May I ask which reissue exactly is referred to, that has 'almost' all Ala-Kart pieces in it? Maybe the remainder can be kitbashed from the new tool?

We need kits of the Delahaye and Buick.

I just bought an absolutely MINT one owner 1984 Saab 900 non-turbo. It cost me all of 300 quid. I cannot believe, what 'ordinary' poeple are willing to shell out for their cars. My neighbor just paid 5,800 quid for a 2005 Kia Picanto, for crying out loud! A one owner 2002 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 is offered for 2,700! The latter was a 60k car when new, sod depreciation. Then comes the insurance. I insured the Saab on a classic car insurance, fully comp, commuting, social and plasure use, capped at 5k miles a year, for 185/year. The picanto costs 660 to insure, unless you have some NCB racked up. But even with full NCB, it's still 330. I haven't even looked at new car prices lately. I lost touch with new cars twenty years ago. I just don't have the money to pay for them and if I had I still wouldn't pay those prices.

Terry, I have rarely agreed with anyone more! And just to add insult to injury, I mention railway models. The progress that has been made over the past 30 years in those non-automotive subjects is simply incredible. Same goes for diecast cars really. And what I find seriously annoying is that all the common glitches we actually do moan about, like sink marks, ejector marks, chrome pieces attached to the sprues in visible places, mold separation lines, etc. have all been mastered by the armor, aircraft, and diecast guys, yet the model car kit makers keep telling us it is technically impossible. I think they are just living in the past (this is to an extend confirmed by the subject matter they release) and I also think that none of them have been to appropriate exhibitions of the trade in ages. I don't mean model exhibitions. I mean mold making and molding equipment exhibitions.

Hi folks, I am in the process of getting the Smokey and the Bandit decals (sticker type, like the originals were) made for the 1:25 scale Ertl Great Dane reefer trailer. I was wondering if any of you would be interested in a set, since the opportunity won't come up too frequently. Please let me know if you want a set, and I'll come back with a price soon. Cheers

Saab always had it's community of loyal customers. For six decades, it fed this slightly eccentric crowd exactly what it wanted - quirky cars that made them stand out. This was a winning formula, but there was little, or no room for growth. A steady going business so to say. Enter GM with it's (stereo?)typical concern policy of growth and milking, and Saab automobiles were quickly watered down to appeal to a wider client base, losing much of their originality in the process. This backfired both ways - new customers still couldn't be lured into Saab ownership and old customers were driven away because the cars became too much like the cars they wanted to avoid exactly by buying a Saab. GM should have known better. The concept had already failed with Opel/Vauxhall, Oldsmobile and Pontiac, but GM won't stop until they are finished with Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet, too. But there is no reason for them to learn. If things to too wrong, they are bailed out with tax money. We all pay off a GM car despite it isn't parked in front of our house.

I'm not entirely sure whether I really understand what you are asking. There is no way we could tell which truck you prefer to build. One thing all AMT trucks have in common is that they were state of the art when they were first released and they can be built into superb models, even by today's standards. Add to this a sheer unlimited aftermarket industry catering to model trucks, and your possibilities are endless.