Chuck Most

NOT what I was expecting! Nice job on this.

Speaking of business cases... I think Revell (and a few other manufacturers) could save a few bucks by simply not including tires in some of their kits. Just put a disclaimer on the box saying "Look, we tried, but... you're better off just using something from the spares box for rubber here." (And I am only half-joking .)

Right- for a US model, which is how I originally intended to build it. But the optional RHD setup was just too cool to pass up, so... I kind of went with an "exported non-export" model kind of theme.

I was afraid the windows on the Revell Beetle would fit poorly- but they actually fit great! The problem with the tires (for me) isn't so much that the sidewalls are blank, but that they are flat. No bulge in the sidewall at all, not even once they're slipped onto the wheel. That and the ones in my kit were poorly molded- I can't vouch for that in every single example of the kit though.

I've been moving a lot of my former Fotki photos over to Photobucket, and I've been rediscovering a few favorites. Like this Pete that seems to think it's an Oshkosh...

The only thing I hate about that kit is the tires, but the balance of it is really nice. It's at least on par with the Tamiya '66 in most cases, just a little behind it in others... but actually better in a few areas, IMHO.

^My neighbor has that same way of thinking... but weirdly he doesn't seem to mind the Kawasaki engine in his John Deere, or his Honda Rancher ATV, or the fact the Duramax diesel in his beloved GMC is an Isuzu design. I don't know if he knows his Impala was assembled in Canada... Personally, I don't care who built it, or where- I'm not going to waste my hard earned money on junk. And I don't believe in the "Just because it's made in America/Japan/Germany/Narnia that alone automaticallly makes it superior to all else" school of thought. It has more to do with the manufacturer's dedication to producing a quality product than the country of origin.

Finally got around to building the Revell Beetle I've had sitting around. Since it has the wrong fenders and engine for the year it's supposed to represent, say the guys more knowledgable on air-cooled Vee-Dubs than I, I decided to do it as a beater.... Engine/bumper/equipment discrepancies aside, my only real gripe with the kit was the tires. In a word, they're awful. It's not so much the fact the sidewalls are blank, but the sidewalls are flat as well. So I nabbed a set of narrow AMT Firestones, and used those instead. They fit the Revell wheels like they were made for them- I just installed them with the thicker bead (the side that had the old "spider"you had to cutout) facing out so the outer part of the wheel would sit nice and flush with the bead. Aside from that, its box stock- right down to the factory style trailer hitch. My next project might be to do a VW-powered rail, and put it up on a trailer for this Beetle to tow.

That's it exactly. Even those "perfect" Japanese cars get recalled every so often, but there's a point where you just have to sit back and ask "are you flippin kidding me???" Maybe if they changed their name to American Leyland it would bring them better luck.

Sounds like that guy wanted to be decked in the face.

I like where it's going. I've messed with the idea of stuffing a Mod motor sideways in one of these kits.

I'm just stunned GM has managed to push 500,000 of that wedge-shaped doorstop of a car. Hearing about GM's inability to design a vehicle that isn't junk? That should suprise no one at this point.

Looks like the '30 my grandfather has in his shed. He's restored seven or eight other Model As in the 40 years he's had that one, but for whatever reason, that one just sits there.

That is certainly in the Top Ten of "Greatest Descriptions I've Ever Read".

Must have missed the announcement this kit was on the shelves- I knew it was coming. Gotta get one now! Great job on this one- for some reason it's making me think of an old rally car.

Lee- not only are there unused dome flasher lenses, but check out the inside of the roof- it's full of flashed-over holes, which are covered by the separate headliner. Expect more from this tooling. (Note that last sentence is little more than an educated guess on my part. ) I'm finally getting around to working on this kit, and I will say my one big disappointment is the tires. Not just the blank sidewalls, but the ones in my kit are really poorly molded. BUT- I robbed some of the old skinnny, hollow Firestones from AMT (they're in the Bill Jenkins Grumpy Toy '66 Nova and most versions of the '49 Merc among others), and they fit the kit wheels pretty well. If you have a set of these, notice that one bead is a bit thicker than the other- slip the tires over the wheels with the thicker bead facing out, so the outward-facing part of the wheel will fit nice and flush with the bead of the tire. The AMT Firestones are a very nice alternative to the kit tires.

You had me at '60 Edsel. No matter what you do with it, I'll be watching.

Click an individual photo- that'll take you to the Photobucket album with larger images. Really nice! A Ford AA is in my to-do pile.

Bummer on the damage to the woody, but good to hear it's easily repairable. Notes taken on making room for the Ardun. Still need to get back at mine.

Love it! Didn't know JF cast such an animal.

Doing a little after-the-fact-fact-checking, I think you're right. Still, just sayin' such an animal could support a few spinoffs. I can't really make a solid business case for that particular subject- I think it would be a decent seller, but not the blockbuster most kit manufacturers seem to want nowadays, but if it's any consolation I'd end up with about three caseloads of the thing.

Oh... ye of little faith. If that's the case, riddle me this- Why do so many guys in my age bracket (25 to 35, and therefore closer to fifty years, not fifteen, from the grave statistically speaking) buy and build models of old Fords, and yes, even old Studebakers, not that there are many of the latter? And a few of those guys even build the same subjects in 1:1. Interest in pre muscle-car era stuff isn't going away anytime soon. Another thing I've noticed- those Hudsons, Chrysler 300s, '50 Olds coupes, and other "greybeard" subjects that have been introduced over the last few years? I can't help but notice many of them are being built by twenty/thirtysomethings. Not all, but a pretty considerable number. I know I'd be up for a Stude or two... if somebody really wants to floor me, make it a '37 Coupe Express (they could use the same base tooling to do a coupe or convertible version, cough, cough). That being said, I do agree it would be idiotic of the kit manufacturers to put all their eggs in that particular basket- there are quite a few later (sometimes much later) model subjects which need to be addressed. Such as a VW Thing- given the fact that there's already workable air-cooled VW kit tooling out there it literally stuns me that there is no such kit, even though that's one that always seems to be on people's most-wanted lists. I'd be more than up for a few of those myself- like you said, quite a few possibilites- flip through a copy of Hot VWs or do some online searching and you'll have at least a half dozen different ideas on how to build one in mind.