Chris V

On a side note, the AMT Dart/Valiant Sportsman kit can be combined with Lindberg’s (ex. Palmer) 1972 Dodge Challenger to create a reasonably accurate replica of the experimental Challenger “kit car” Sportsman racer.

While this entire thread is largely speculative, It's highly improbable that Round2 would even consider approaching another manufacturer regarding the purchase of tooling that is basically a cheap knock-off of old AMT, Jo-Han, and MPC promo bodies. The Hasegawa "1966" kits lack the crispness of the kits from which they were copied, and are all equipped with the same crude generic interior and chassis/floorpan assembly. Given the amount of tooling required to even issue the kits as somewhat accurate promo-style kits, they would probably be better off starting from scratch with a 3D-scan of the original subject matter. But since we're on the topic of possible future "clones" my bet is on the AMT '67 Ford Galaxie and/or MPC 1968-69 Impala kits...

As much as I love Revell's old Tri-Five "Unbuildables", the '57 Nomad is probably the second worst of the bunch, only surpassed by the atrocity of the '56 Sedan. Actually the chassis, engine, and interior aren't that bad considering the age of the kit but the proportions of the body are horrendous - particularly the front clip, which deviates quite a bit from the '57 Hardtop: For some reason the cowl has been recessed between the fenders giving the lower windshield trim a peculiar "dip". I wonder if the front clip from the '57 Hardtop can be grafted in to improve the accuracy somewhat...

I'm not quite sure if the SS Hatchback was a Tom Daniel design as well. In any case the tooling for the California Street Vette was slightly altered in the late seventies to allow simultaneous production of both models (the countersunk part of the roof for the louvered insert was opened, as the SS Hatchback had a clear sunroof). As previously mentioned, the tooling was partially shared with the '65 Corvette which was issued in two different versions (the "Black Rat" Street Machine, and a Factory Stock with correct Big Block hood). To the best of my knowledge the kit was last reissued in 2005, where it was modified into the 1966 Penske Racing Corvette. IIRC the 4-door "Corvette America" was a separate tool, largely based on some of the same masters. This kit was later modified into the Miami Vice "Daytona".

The wheels were one of the weakest parts of the Revell '62 Mopar kits: They were all terribly undersized. However the mags from the fullsize cars do look really nice as 13" wheels for the compacts... Despite their shortcomings, I really hope that all of these kits get reissued!!! It'll be interesting to see if Atlantis acquired the tooling for the "Revellion" (including the Tony Nancy "22Jr." double-kit) as well.

Despite the blurry images it's definitely the Revell '62 Plymouth Fury (Revell's '62 Dodge Dart tooling was sacrificed in order to make the Revellion). I'm absolutely stoked by the thought of seeing the Revell '62 Mopars reissued and will buy them by the crate if I get the chance! The boxes casually stacked in the background are every bit as exciting as the Mopar test shots, though. We already know, that Atlantis acquired the tooling for Revell's Tri-Five Chevies (Affectionately named "The Unbuildables" for their challenging assembly design), so it's hardly surprising to see a stack of boxes from the previous issues of the kits. However we also find the old Monogram box for Tom Daniel's "California Street 'Vette" hiding in plain sight! It's previously been discussed somewhere on this forum that Tom had a grudge against the former Revell/Monogram management over some licensing/royalty-issues, effectively ruling out any reissues of his designs by Revell/Monogram. Atlantis has since acquired the necessary licensing to reissue several Monogram Tom Daniel kits in their tooling bank. It's gonna be interesting to see if this is an indication that Atlantis has in fact acquired all of the tooling enabling them to reissue the desirable California Street 'Vette kit, which was a replica of Tom's personal car.

Judging by what we've seen from Round2 so far, the '68 Dodge "Fever Bee" Funnycar or the '69 Coronet R/T seems like more likely future spin-offs of the '68 Coronet tooling.

Some of their designs are still available from Yesteryear Drag Decals.

Years ago I found a complete unused body and interior tin for this kit. I still kick myself for not getting a sheet of reproduction decals, while they were available from WhoopieKat Decals…

Interesting that it appears to have the Halibrand wheels from the nineties’ Revell ‘32 Roadster kit.

Yes - It has previously been discussed, that it’s essentially the Street Machine kit from the Early 00’s with Rallye Wheels and decals from the stock version.

Thank you very much for the extensive pictorial report on the new items! However, what really caught my eye was the red ‘32 Ford Roadster in the very last picture. Has Round2 recovered the tooling inserts for all of the drag parts, including the tonneau cover, from the second issue of the kit?

I used Green Stuff World's brush paint Chrome to cover up the bare plastic surface when I enlarged the center hub hole in this mag wheel from Revell's "Beatnik Bandit":

Having tried both of Green Stuff World's Chrome paints I'm far more impressed with the finish of the brush-on version than the airbrush version. Though it's not quite as bright and shiny as real kit plating, the brush-on version lays down incredibly smooth making it ideal for touching up the sprue attachment points on plated parts. It's also very effective to touch up torn or chipped bare metal foil.

On a side note, can we all take a moment to appreciate the new tires, Round2 has tooled up for the '60 and '63 Ford pickups! Although actual name-brand tires would have been preferred, I really like the tread detail and sidewall profile of these narrow bia-ply tires. Upon opening the box I immediately swiped the blackwall tires intended for the trailer to use as frontrunners on an early sixties' style gasser. I really hope that we'll see these nice tires in other future releases, including as a parts pack!

While the modern custom wheels don't do anything for me personally, I'm stoked at the prospect of finally getting the smooth front bumper and a tube grille for the series of '57 Fords. Though the initial plans for a Ranchero based on this tooling were supposedly axed by Revell, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that they will eventually decide to go ahead with the project. Seems like a very low risk investment compared to the sales potential of such a popular model.

Your proof of concept makes an excellent point: A small additional universal chrome parts tree for the entire range of AMT '32 Fords could include the following parts: * Dropped "I-beam" front axle * Split wishbones * Dropped headlight bar * Optional '39 Ford "Teardrop" and '50 Pontiac taillights

I wholeheartedly agree! The crudely detailed Lesney-era Goodyear "Rally Sport" tires gave the models an oddly inappropriate "Off-road" look. A properly detailed dropped I-beam front axle with split wishbones and set of newly tooled vintage bias-ply "Big'n littles" would add tremendous extra value to these classic pre-war Ford kits.

While it would be Nice, I don’t think that a re-issue of the Sedan Gasser has been officially announced or confirmed by Revell. However Revell has announced an upcoming modified reissue of the ‘57 Ford Wagon including new wheels and smooth bumpers without overrider guards if the officially released artwork stands to trust.

Obviously the kit supensions are designed very differently, and would require tooling up even more new parts, but If Round2 goes ahead and clone the AMT/MPC 1929 Ford Sedan (which was later modified into the 1928-29 Ford Pickup/Woodie) as suggested a couple of years ago, it would also be a prime candidate for a new lowered front axle option if new molds need to be tooled anyway.

Given the interchangeability of parts between AMT's range of 1932 Ford kits, has it ever been considered tooling up an improved "universal" dropped front axle assembly for these kits? Of course the early sixties' kit design, namely the solid metal axle construction, has its limitations but the ability to achieve a proper suspension rake without major surgery involved would greatly increase the appeal of these vintage kits to Hot Rod builders. On the subject of rake, the bias-ply tires currently included in most kits look oversized as front tires on a vintage Hot Rod. A matching set of vintage "Big'n little" bias-ply tires would be a very welcome addition to Round2's range of newly tooled tires, and breathe new life into many of your classic models!