SteveG

I will try to post some images sometime after the Thanksgiving Holiday of the latest mockup for item #4 of next year. In the meantime, here's a big hint! I have paired up several of these projects, the 65 and 68 GTOs were paired up to make the development easier. This next item was paired up with '92 Chevy C1500 short bed pickup. -Steve

This version has been stripped of its badges and the wipers too so it's really not a good starting point for a stock conversion. Personally, I'm a big fan of the GM intermediates 64-72 so I'm hoping to keep filling in some of the gaps of what's missing especially with the ones we can clone easily from our own designs. I've already got eight cloning projects going for 2023, you've only seen the first three so stay tuned. -Steve

The Rally IIs are same as the original promo except slots molded open. If there's any issue with the side window openings then it was also on the original, but I'm not seeing it. The Rally I's will be a wheel option in the 68 GTO too. An open headlight grille may appear is a later issue, adding it now would put me behind schedule and over budget. The 65 GTO will have three wheel options. Original Rally Is, Steelies with the poverty caps or open steel wheels as the proper front - rear hub and lug details are there. To attach the hub caps you open a blind hole on the back of the steel wheels and attach the hub cabs with a center mounted pin inside the hub cap, easy-peasy. I supposed I could have made the one year only 65 Lemans - GTO full wheel covers or even the 64-66 Wire covers but I believe the poverty hub caps will have more appeal and are way overdue to be done in 1/25th scale in my opinion. -Steve

This kit uses the standard 245/45R20 tires with a tread design similar to the Firehawk GT but they are no-name tires. Last time I checked the scaled out correctly. Pursuit package cars run on 18" wheels. -Steve

There are now three sets of headlamp housings, one with the eyebrow, one without and a Lucas style housing. The Nomad chrome tree had been altered several times, the latest attempt was so it could share parts with the Bel Air kit and was barely useable when AMT637 version was run in 2009. We even re-grouped all the part and added number tags for easier assembly. -Steve

We might have those parts but right now all I have to work with is a list of inserts that I can potentially use in a future version. I really won't be able to explore them at all until after this version has been run and any reorders have been filled. -Steve

It's a great idea, but in this case, we cloned something that was always 100 % from the AMT brand. Hopefully you'll have your answer tomorrow. Steve

Yes, I just double checked the test build, and the clear side windows are in there. -Steve

To be clear the only found part of this was the mint original AMT '65 GTO promo that was hiding at the bottom of a crate of leftover '90's Ertl Corvettes and Geo Storm promos that was in the warehouse for many years. true story. The '68 GTO was in there too. The minute I opened the box and saw what it was, I knew what I wanted to do with it. We recreated it all new and made a few improvements. All part of a bigger project, let just hope my gamble pays off in sales. -Steve

Wheels are from the later Pro Gas version with the stepside bed, and we retooled the tonneau cover. Everything else is the same as the first Lil Hustler version. -Steve

I have the first-round test shot of the Mystery kit in front of me, it should be at the Detroit NNL if all goes well. The Lil Hustler Drag Truck is from existing tooling so that a no. Our Mystery kit had to be 100% re-created (cloned) from a vintage kit. -Steve

Interior is unchanged from the Deserter kit as the original Sod Buster kit used the bucket seats and the bench seat is missing from the tooling. We may retool it later for a future release. Decal sheet is expanded from the original with gauges and badges plus some other goodies. There's been discussion about making some 3D transfers previously that haven't got anywhere for a number of reasons including the extra costs. -Steve

Has anyone actually built the telephone booth from this kit, being mostly all clear parts, it looks challenging to me. I'm wondering if those parts are worth bringing back? The utility rack still exists and could easily be added back to make the telephone truck. Thoughts.... -Steve

It will be molded in white this time. Since the cab also makes the GMC versions our option for badging is limited. Re-engraving different badging over and over again in the same spot to change versions can damage the tooling, having different body slides are expensive and if we made a separate chromed badge part it would either end up being fiddly or made oversized. Although not my favorite solution, adding the C10 Scottsdale badge to the decal sheet made the most sense. -Steve

Both of our modern tools Dodge Charger and the Ford Bronco started with factory supplied date, the Moebius Chevy Nova's were done the old-fashioned way starting with photographs and measurements. The 3D mockups are really just an evaluation tool, a bridge between 3D design and the tooling. There's a lot that can and does go wrong during the whole process. For example, I have had it where a certain part has gone through several design changes until finally approved. Only to discover later during a test shot review that the tooling was cut from one of the earlier file versions or even where a completely wrong part file was used. It's happened more than once, it just human error. All those fixes take time and in many cases after the tooling been cut, cost extra money. -Steve

Assuming we can get a willing classic car owner, their car and third party with the proper equipment all together to create the necessary 3D data for us. that's one expense. Then that data has to go to our tooling and design vendor to convert it into the individual files to make each part one by one, similar to when we get manufacturer's data. That's another expense. It took close to a year to take Ford's data to get an acceptable 3D printed mockup of a buildable model of the new Bronco, and it's a curbside design. The full detail Dodge Chargers took even longer. I can now take an existing promo model, send it straight over to our tooling and design vendor and have a 3D printed mockup back to review in eight to ten weeks assuming I make minimal changes and at half the cost. -Steve

Those old Johan molds are difficult to work with, even if we could locate them again. The better option would be to find an original 73 Olds Cutlass promo and reverse engineer it. It's much easier to alter it digitally after that. That would fit in with what we're already doing. -Steve

Personally, I'm all for doing new Colonnade subject matter. However, there's always a ton of challenges when creating all brand-new tooling of vintage cars. Go through the threads on any of the Moebius new tooling and you're just seeing the tip of the iceberg of what's required to get these types of projects done. -Steve

I just double checked, and the extra Laguna nose is not in this version, but it is still in the tooling available for a future version. The spot above the radiator support is where it goes. -Steve

Correct, for some reason they used the artwork the goes to the printer that shows clear carrier layer outlined in pink. The actual decals included won't have those outlines. Not sure how that happened. Just shows were still human. -Steve

The '29 Woody Coke version comes with new die cut filler panels and instructions on how to convert it to the Delivery version. -Steve

The crooked mirrors are on me, that was just a quickie build just to confirm that we had all the right parts now. It was never meant to be photographed but Chad asked nicely so I couldn't say no. Tip to myself for next time, glue the mirror bases to body and then attach the heads and not before. The flare are separate parts, I think the truck looks better without them, but I needed to make sure they fit. Those Desert Dog tires are freshly retooled. Still hoping it will be released by the end of the year, but I found a few items that needed fixed, so we'll see. -Steve

Jim, In this case the promo and the kits shared many of the same parts including body and interior. a number of parts were either permanently changed or lost when it was converted to the Monster truck kit. With all that being said and the popularity of the Monster truck kit, it makes senses to create a new tool which I hope to expand upon. -Steve

Yes, the plan is for clear headlamp- side lamp lenses. One of the areas still being worked on. -Steve

What was briefly shown at Plastic in the Park is a 3D printed mockup of an early nineties Chevy C1500 Short bed pickup with a set of SS style wheels. It's not a 454 SS kit, it's a clone based on the Promo tooling which we no longer have. What's left of the OBS Chevy Pickup tooling was turned into the familiar monster truck issued a number of times. Assuming this goes into production there won't be any parts shared between them. Until we decide to announce our plans with it, I can't really share any more details about it at this time. -Steve