Junkman

The first generation collectors/builders are now starting to pass away. In their bequest the inheritors find boxes with the remains of their builds, and since everything that's older than five years must be worth a lot of money, they list the rubbish on ebay. Wait until the collections of the first serious collectors start hitting the market. You can see this very clearly in Europe at the moment with old Märklin trains and Corgi and Dinky cars. So many collections currently hit the market, that there is an overwhelming oversupply.

I remember when this thing was rushed into production as quickly as possible after the wall fell in late 1989. I think it took less than six months from desicion to retail shelf. It was Revell AG's first kit fully engineered by computer modelling of a 3D scan of the real car. Hence the body shape is slavishly faithful to the 1:1, but appears wrong in scale. Still, it was a valiant effort, an industry first, and it should demonstrate to all what was possible with the technology of 1989. Almost a quarter century later, one would think something like this can be done within hours, which it can, btw. Had Revell AG taken the time to 'correct' the first 3D scan and taken the effort to add tire thread and better engraving, we would have been blessed with a quite nice Trabbi model, but they wanted to rush this kit to the market as quick as they possibly could and cut quite a few corners in the process. As you say, the roof pillars were an ill-fated concept and most of these came out of the box so warped, that they were unbuildable. The AG recently followed up with a completely newly tooled Trabbi. If you want to build one, this new kit is certainly the better choice. For collectibility, the old kit can hardly be beaten, since it is a symbol of one of the biggest moments in recent history and one of them is indeed on display in the Cold-War Museum in the former 'Checkpoint Charly' in Berlin. Btw. 'Limousine' is the generic German term for saloon, or sedan. What you guys consider a limousine is called a 'Pullmann' in Germany.

I thought the earliest Monza is the '61?

It's certainly very high up on my list.

You are mean!

Ralph Nader.

Yeah, but exactly there lies the problem.

Today is the day for all who live in the arid zone.

Actually, the picture on my Ferrari box art is a computer graphic.

Because they have to be shipped from China.

Well the Modellautocenter of course! Modellautocenter Kurfürstenstr. 73 12105 Berlin-Mariendorf Mo - Fr: 10.00 - 18.00 Sat: 10.00 - 13.00 Then on to Modellautos-Budig Leibnizstraße 42 Berlin

Have you looked inside yet? That would be exactly the moment you understand why it costs 75 bucks.

Lord, please drop common sense. Of course it doesn't work on a 71 Challenger or a 65 Pontiac, where the c-pillars and the rear portion of the roof 'flow' into the lower body. But it would work a treat with a 50s GM hardtop, where the top is not as integral with the rest of the body and is merely attached with four thin pillars, which are clad with moldings to boot. On a '57 Chevy it would work a pip.

I can assure you that you most certainly aren't.

Oh, and: Sleep well, model kit industry! Or shall I say good riddance?

Like so?

It's because the model kit industry is run by a bunch of gutless goutbags who still live in the 80s and haven't got a bloody clue of bugger all when it comes to automotive subjects, that's why.

One thing is for sure. If I was a juvenile today, I'd be a career criminal by age 17. Just by doing the very same things I did when I was 16-17 and got away with because they were perfectly legal back then. Well, not all of them. Errr... actually, most of them weren't, but let's presume they were. However, one wasn't nearways as criminalised for minor offenses back then as one is nowadays, and there wasn't nearways such a nanny state in place. Austin, I can only tell you what my father keeps telling me: "Every generation has to make its own revolution."

I want it!

Errrr.... There has never been a 1:25 '57 Chevy ragtop kit.

ROFL! They messed up the decals on the load bed sides. Rhein. - Westf. should be on the front protion, Frachten - Kontor on the rear. I'd love to do this one: I like the colours, I like what it is transporting, and I can remember seeing those when I was a wee lad.

I wrote "German spec clothes pins" but I just realised in another thread that you have the same ones in the States. The ones sold in the UK are different, so the tip to get them from Ebay.de is for our members from the UK.

Why didn't you post this 40 years ago? Now I can never again look at my models built hitherto. There will not be another model built by me without applying this cheap trick wherever I can.