LOBBS

I do also have plans to do just the 6-speed T-56 tranny as a stand alone item as well. Using the bellhousing from the '02 Camaro is reasonably correct to use behind a traditional SBC or BBC. The master for it will be sent along with the full crate motor. The tranny could also be used to correct the fact that Revell used an automatic in their '10 Camaro SS kits.

Just a quick update. All the parts are gathered up and when I get home from work tonight I have to get some pics sent off to the caster so he can give me an estimate. I'm loving the excitement being shown here as I think this is a long overdue offering to have out there.

Although the LS motor can be had in displacement upwards of 7.0L (427 cu in) in the Z06 and others it is generally considered to be part of the small-block evolutionary tree. The last real incarnation of the true big block line was the 8.1L (496 cu in) or Vortec 8100 produced from 2001-2006. It essentially was a big-block Chevy that was partially re-engineered to try and take advantage of the technological advancements of the LS/Vortec small-blocks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Vortec_engine

VCG Resins has the 572 valve covers listed separately. As has been mentioned previously in this thread any traditional BBC will work to simulate a 572 once you slap on those valve covers.

Very clean build and a great color. Swapping on doors from the '68 to eliminate the vent windows is a common mod.

Sinister

VCG Resins carries several variations of the 572.

I did a fair amount of research on the GM 1:1 crate setup when I put together the motor for my Nova. I've got the parts to do another master that's identical with the exception that I'll include the newer C6 beauty covers. Someone else would be doing the casting.

I found a caster that may be interested in producing this setup for me. To do a fairly convincing version of a crate motor for a pro-touring project you really need the block/tranny from the Revell '02 Camaro/'98 Firebird combined with the front cover+pulleys/belts+heads+intake+beauty covers from the C6 Z06 Vette and a modified oil pan and filter from the Silverado. I built this crate motor for a '69 Nova project of mine and with the exception of the beauty covers being from a C5 Z06 instead of the C6 Z06 is largely what I'm looking at having done. I've picked up a bunch of the Revell '02 SS Camaros over the years to steal the LSx motor and/or T-56 tranny from and otherwise have found little use for the rest of the kit. On top of that, you really need at least some pieces from those other two sources to flesh it out properly. I'm posting this up here to gauge the interest in such a setup. Obviously, if we can show the caster that there is a market for it the more likely it is to actually happen.

I'd love a 2007+ GMC Sierra in any trim but would prefer the Denali. There are, my humble opinion, some of the best looking trucks ever made. They're right up there with the '67-72 GMs. Historically, I've always preferred the Chevy version but this time around I think GMC got the better design. The latest Rams are hot too. The styling of the latest Fords is hit or miss with me.

Below I have posted a link to the general homescreen thread to an Android forum known as XDA. It is by far the largest Android forum online with well over 3 million members. The majority of the posters there are your Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials, etc. This thread in particular is their open forum to display their creative sides. Do any amount of surfing and you will see a dozen or so real trendsetters. There are some icon sets and clocks that get popular but it's really no different than seeing Torque Thrusts on multiple builds. These "kids" do have passion to create and do take pride in what they put together it is just a different medium. This energy is what I'm referring to that could be tapped into. I'm not saying they should be forced to build models but if they had subjects that inspired them to do so, it may be another avenue of expression. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=476483 Venture outside this thread and you will find thousands of developers, most self taught, doing everything they can to offer the best apps, ROMS, themes, etc. so that members can essentially hot rod their devices. Devving is not easy, I am one so I can attest. Edit: I guess to be fair, I'll post a couple of my go-to setups for reference. With the exception of the Vette wallpaper, everything you can see here is of my own creation; icons, clock, carbon fiber wallpaper,etc. My apps on Google Play are here to check out my other stuff. I've only recently, in the last couple of months, started listing there so this would be my most current work. https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=LOBBS

As I stated in the OP, I encouraged the return of true 2n1 kits. Maintain a stock option but flesh out the 2nd option to be more complete not merely wheels and tires and a few tidbits. I'd even be completely in support of a return of the parts packs with complete engine assemblies such as LS motors, modern Hemis and the Ford modular motors so that those interested would not have to part out an entire Camaro, Mustang or Charger just for those pieces. Same goes with the wheels sets similar to what Aoshima and Fujimi have done for years. Oftentimes, those wheels were offered in a full kit and concurrently sold as a stand alone item. They were almost always a hot seller sometimes requiring a pre-order to even obtain in any quantity.

If you need any help getting set up, just let me know.

Thanks for the kind words Kerry.

Subject matter is huge with kids. With my kids, at their birthdays, I take them to the store and give them a budget. They are then free to pick anything they'd like as long as it fits into that number. Having 4 kids, I could give countless examples of how this has played out to prove my point but for the sake of argument, I'll go with my older boys and their love of Lego sets. Lego, quite frankly, is run by geniuses of marketing. Nearly every blockbluster movie is followed shortly after with a full line of building sets. My boys, cash in hand, go in and work their budgets to the max to get as much as possible from each of these lines as they can. Being close in age and having b-days only a few weeks apart they've even been known to pool their resources to gain the bigger, more exclusive sets. Now, when they hit the aisles, there are no shortage of other styles to select from. Everything from un-themed basic brick sets to a half dozen other lines that run concurrently much less toys of a completely different nature they could pick. But, it is almost always without fail, the subject that drew them in that gets their dollar at the end of the day. If they go in and can't find a set they had in mind, I encourage them to save their money instead of wasting it on something that they don't love. There are always other stores or the internet to have another chance that it may turn up.

I am a developer for Android apps in the Google Play Store. I have several icon packs and clocks that people can download and customize their smartphones or tablets with. https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=LOBBS

I have four kids and the three oldest have all expressed an interest in building as well. The difference I'm trying to point out that my generation and older all had offerings that were relevant to their interests. That becomes a self-fueling process because you're always looking for the next project. I'm not saying that kids should be forced to build but it is ridiculous to insinuate that the model companies should just please the older crowd and never make any solid motions to change their offerings to serve the next wave of generations. That is akin to committing business suicide. At some point, the older generations will have passed on and they've done little to nothing to save their own existence. Perhaps if the model companies were paying more attention we wouldn't have to be debating the future of the hobby. Now, I don't know when exactly I began to pay real attention to what the younger generations prefer, probably about the time my oldest boys became of building age. The genres I pointed out are however based on my own observations online, at car shows and cruise ins and in the aisles of hobby shops themselves in addition to paying attention to what the owners of 1:1s of the younger crowd tended to own themselves. It was not meant to be all-encompassing but certainly what they are drawn to more often is greatly underserved.

At 33 years of age, I'm "old" enough to have grown up building models. It was an important and satisfying part of my childhood and as such the hobby followed me into adulthood. From my years here and elsewhere it is safe to say that I am on the younger end of the group that strongly supports the pastime. I'm coming back into the hobby after a couple of years. While I was away, I took up an interest in developing for Android especially on the visual side of customization. I have several items available in the Google Play Store for theming one's smartphone or tablet. In the time I've been involved there, I can comfortably say that I am on the older end of that spectrum. Modeling needs to attract these newer generations if it is to continue on for much longer. That realization has been around for years. Being a member of this middle ground, this gray area between the younger end of one and the older end of the other, I can see some real opportunities for the modeling community to draw in these "kids". From seeing countless screenshots and setups they've posted there is still a love for things automotive. They are willing to learn new methods to come up with something that fits their vision. The question then becomes how to channel that energy into a physical manifestation of a model rather than a digital one in their technology. First and foremost, is the available subjects. They tend to most interested in the newest high-end sports cars and classic iron of the pro-touring variety. Companies such as Revell have to get better with bringing these to market much quicker. ZL1 Camaros, Shelby Mustangs and Vipers, Italian and European supercars need to be ready to go when the real ones hit the street. On the pro-touring front, it's not good enough to slap a set of big-inch billets on an old tool ala the Cali Wheels or Foose and call it good. They have more limited funds and buying a kit just for that LS7, or Cobra motor or new Hemi is a hurdle for them. We need the return of true 2n1s that have the stock pieces to satisfy the older crowd but also the separate tooling of the modern performance pieces that the younger crowds see in their magazines and online. The same goes for the wheels. There needs to be more of the true pro-touring wheels much like the sets Aoshima and Fujimi put out. Some of the heritage-style wheels, from the Cali Wheels series for example, are fitting but in general the options are seriously lacking in scale. I have never once seen a drag racing or rep stock classic car in one of their screenshots. These subjects are pretty much a representation of a bygone era and they have no connection to the subject matter at all. Secondly, mobile computing and social networking is here to stay. The era of the desktop PC and even laptops is drawing to a close. Online forums are a royal pain to navigate with a mobile browser. Most forums today offer an app hosted thru Tapatalk, or an equivalent, that is much better suited for phone or tablet based browsing. I've yet to see this adopted in the scale communities. I'm sure that some of these observations will ruffle some feathers. I do truly love both of my hobbies however I do fear for the future of modeling if there are not serious changes in strategy soon. Continuing to push re-issues of kits that have no appeal to younger builders is a mistake. Half-heartedly trying to capture trends they do have an interest in will not work either.

I can see possibly picking up the '67 Vette for the road-racing parts and maybe the Foose Camaro. I'm still holding out hope that someday Revell will tool up a new '67-72 GM truck and a '67 Camaro based off their '69 tooling. Pipe dreams.

Thanks Jonathan, I started this project so long ago the original thread doesn't even show up anymore in a forum search. I guess they cleaned house while I was away.

Wow, just wow

Xara is also another great vector program that is not terribly expensive. I've been using it for about a decade now.

Great looking Nova. Love the color

Very nice build

Sinister