Chuck Most

So, Lanny- are you saying building this kit looks like an uplifting experience?

Seriously- I can see Buick becoming a 'China-only' brand. They've been an 'old man's' car for too long, but in China they seem to have established an image similar to the Buick of old. I suppose we'll see. GM's decision to make each brand 'everything for everyone' is what got them into their current sitiuation. Instead of diluting a well-known brand such as Saab, why not strenghten and maintain it, instead of making it into something it isn't. Thing is, GM has cut back so far I think that's a lesson they don't need to learn. I'm fairly sure one day it will be just Chevrolet and Cadillac- main line and premium line. That setup seems to work pretty well for the Japanese manufacturers (Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti).

STILL haven't finished any of mine. This one's making me feel bad about it.

I think Modelhaus sells a set of 1-ton truck tires like that, or something similar in tread/sidewall design.

Then again, it could just be a one-off made specifically for the commerical from an existing product or toy.

I have mentioned I'm working on a '78 Cutlass, but that might be a while. (Just ask Chris how slow I can be sometimes! ) IF that happens, and IF it gets cast, and IF there is enough interest/sales, I will ABSOLUTELY do an '81-88 variant. I do hope Revell at least considers 'fixing' this one (suspension/wheels wise, anyway) and eventually releases it. Even if they do it as a curbside with a sealed hood and 'coaster' chassis, I'd buy more than a handful.

Bob- I think you have the '76 Chevy C-10 glue kit. It is similar to the GMC Wrecker snap kit (a few parts do interchange) but that one comes with an open engine bay and a full engine. Kitbashing that one with the Wrecker wouldn't be a big deal, same goes for the AMT/MPC '84.

They say the same thing about supercars... but Tamiya just trotted out a Lexus LFA, and new Ferrari kits are brought out on a fairly regular basis. You tell me- what do you see more of at constests and shows, European super cars or light trucks? I know a lot of guys would love to see that Tucker... but really, how many ways are there to build a Tucker? They made, what, 50 of them? And how many of them were painted the same colors? Not to mention the tooling could not be used to produce other kits. I know there's a bit of hatred toward diecasts, but there are a few late model trucks and suvs available as either factory-built models or kits. That's the only way to get a Super Duty Ford- although the Maisto kit is a bit under-detailed, even for a cheap diecast kit. You can even build it as a single rear wheel pickup or a flatbed. Same deal for a first-gen Lincoln Navigator- there is a 1:24 diecast, but it's more 'cheap display model' than 'replica' quality. And if it makes the guys who hate diecast but still want a pickup kit- hey, the chassis plates and interiors in them are usually plastic. Call it a 'multimedia' kit if it makes you feel better. If you are willing to look past the 'standard' 1:24/1:24 scales, the choices grow a quite a bit more, though those choices skew more toward the smaller scales. I'd say about the only current truck kit that has even the tiniest chance of being kitted (well, the most obvious one to me anyway) is the SVT Raptor. I have every other SVT model ever produced. Even the Focus. Even if it were done as a 'promo' style kit (no engine, sealed hood, etc.), I'd be up for a few of them. And a little plastic surgery could turn that Raptor into just about any '09-up F-150 variant you'd care to model. I have to think the F-series kits have done fairly well- as far as the '97 style goes, only AMT has not reissued theirs, but last I checked the Revell and Lindberg kits were still available.

The other half of it is that they see what they are doing not as reinventing Buick, but trying to restore Buick to its former glory. IE, an 'entry level premium' make. That might be workable, but I still see the same types of buyers behind the wheel of Buicks- can't think of a single person in my age group that has any kind of modern Buick on their shopping list. Even in my area, where there are quite a few current and former GM employees, you are more likely to see an Acura than a Buick- and the owners range anywhere from late 20's on up.

Awesome job, Lyle! Only thing better than a Hudson Hornet is a period custom Hudson Hornet.

Well... ALMOST had a kit ready to do for this CBP. Got a Tamiya Nissan Skyline GT2000 GT-R in the mail last week. Trouble is, when it arrived the box looked like it had been backed over by a dually five or six times. Good news is the guy refunded me, paid to get the mangled kit shipped back, and says I have first crack at the next example of that kit he gets... and he's not sending it UPS next time. Long story short... might end up digging out an AMT Opel GT just to have something on the bench in the meantime.

Or the Oldsmobile 'let's reinvent the brand and try to sell it to a totally new market' tack? Or the Pontiac 'niche market' angle? Can't wait to see how Buick is dealt with.

Told ya... In your hands it should be a marked improvement over most of the models built from this kit, at the very least! Fit of the nose pieces and wing are already worlds above what's possible by just gluing them on with this kit. If you really want to practice bodywork and parts fit, this might not be a bad kit to work on in that respect. As far as the bad kit sweepstakes? '67 GTO? Come on... the AMT '65 GTO is waaaaaay worse!

The grille should be different as well- being a '52 it should have the triangluar feature in the center section- No... not at liberty to say how I secured a '52 grille and wheels.

Or dig it a little larger and fill it with a Ferrari 400.

Another thing about those photoetched hinges.... careful bending them, they are BRITTLE.

Even if they had used the Lincoln, it was discontinued a year after the T-Bird, so that only would have given them one more year to get the Taurus approved for NASCAR.

Only thing is- they look like the AMT Ramblur wheels, and those are kind of in a goofy size- I'm not sure you could find too many wheels that would work with those particular tires.

Great lineup. Not big into modern NASCAR, but I do like the ones you completed this year. The Dodge 4x4 and T Sedan hot rod are just killer!

You mean rivets, right? Still, which kit is the bigger nightmare? Yep, the '70 Cuda, as botched by Revell. TWICE!!!!

Bill- I'm not aware of anyone who sells individual photoetched letters, but Al Raab at Ma's will do custom photoetch sets. I never quoted him for a price but I did ask him about it- he says supply a drawing/image four times larger than the actual etching and he can do it.

Here's what I'm thinking...

Whe/ if that happens... wonder when they'll roll out a new 1:25 Challenger built on the new Cuda's platform, and 'reproportion' the body to suit...

Just worked fine for me. I've had that same thing happen with Flickr, but never with Fotki or Photobucket.

Premiere did a Corvair Rampside pickup kit when the 1:1s were new, but good luck finding one! (Yeah, I wouldn't mind one of those or a Greenbriar van either! )