Duntov

Hi Mike: the term "half-cast" is a flip comment on my part and is my way of taking a swipe at rear axle differential castings that have only the bottom fully cast and the top missing.....the model companies assuming that you would not see the top of the differential any way..... so "half-cast" is my euphemism of "half - XSSed" ..... the rear axle in this kit is in fact fully cast top and bottom which I really appreciate and like a lot..... an example of half-cast is the old AMT 36 Ford (Dick Tracy coupe for one....amongothers)..... the top of the differential is missing.... ) Regards Bill (Duntov)

Thanks for this review.....I have several of these on my shelf....in different versions and most recently this one.....this is just a neat kit and affords a ton of flexibility....great review of a favorite old kit!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

HI: I picked this up at the hobby shop a few days ago. This is the Revell SSP reissue of the Austin Healey 100-Six. It has been out for some time so I wanted to get it and figured it would be worth a review. I will review the kit here but a few words first. This is a nice kit but you need to be aware of three things. First this is a multi-piece body build up so if that is not your cup of tea then pass this up – the money will be better spent on a one piece body and newer tool. Second, just be aware that this is an older tool….it has aged very well and has minimal flash but just keep the age in mind if you get this one and third….this may be a deal breaker….this thing is expensive. At $30 plus it’s a matter of deciding where you want to put your money. For me it was OK because I like the subject and enjoy the challenge of the older tools when assembled with state of the art paints, glue and tools……so here we go…… The box is pretty much the same art as the original if memory serves….don’t hold me to that though… The body is a multi-piece affair as I mentioned. It runs around 10 to 12 pieces with all the panels, hatches, inner panels and roll pans…..go slowly here and test fit everything…..it will come out just fine if you do….hurry this and you will have problems….there are hinges too and they are a bit delicate so be careful there as well.....the frame is nice and needs just some minimal clean up to look good. It has the belly pan and some front suspension components cast onto it so plan accordingly for painting and detail work. The chrome and glass come in their own separate packages (something I really like – it is amazing how quickly chrome wears off just sitting in the box!!!)….the chrome itself is OK…not great but it gets the job done quite well. The windscreen is clear and thin and is well done overall. (A race car version would be cut down any way.....). The healights and lenses are cast as one piece on the chrome tree so substituting parts box pieces or reworking the kit parts with clear lenses will help immensely with realism.....also...the windscreen frame is cast in white plastic so some Alclad is in order.....maybe BMF but you decide..... The front and rear suspension is simplified but will benefit from careful detailing and perhaps a bit of scratch building here and there. My pet peeve is well addressed here too!!! That being a two piece fully cast rear axle. I really get miffed when I spend $$$$’s for a nice kit and the rear end is half cast!!!! The engine is a well done representation of the original albeit very simple…at just ten pieces it will benefit from doing your research on the original and some scratch building and parts swapping. Just messing around I compared the kit engine to a Chevy small block......the length is just about spot on in 1/25 th scale....HMMMM....have to think about that one!!! Also, R&M has some really nice Webber carbs (40's) avaialbe in resin....they may not be the exact items (again do your reseach) but would look great with a set of small Parks aluminum air cleaners that match the stock items. The interior is well done and builds up from multiple pieces. A small decal sheet provides gauge faces and some very well done UK license plates. Multi-piece body and simplified drive train aside the one big disappointment here are the wheels and tires. They are the original two piece hard plastic wheel and tire composite. At this price point vinyl tires and separate wheels would have soothed the sting a bit. You can build them up as is and they will look really nice but this will take time. There are several after-market options available as well as several swap-in’s from other kits to address this. For me I may be doing this as an SCCA racer anyway so I will address the wheel and tire issue in that manner with aftermarket items. Overall, this is a neat kit and I did not hesitate (much) when I picked it up. The price will be an issue for some but if you like the nostalgic stuff and enjoy the challenge of the multi-piece kits this is a good one for you. Do your research and build this SLOWLY and you should end up with a nice addition to your collection. Box stock this can be a fun build but the possibilities for parts swapping here are huge..... Have fun. Regards Bill (Duntov)

Wow ....this is cool...from the description it does not sound like it would work but you certainly nailed a fine looking build..... I really like it when multiple parts and elements come together....you did a fine job on this car!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Very nice.....clean build very well done...... Regards Bill (Duntov)

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! That is nice......!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Holly cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a bit of attention and this is already looking 100% better.....nice work!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Nice!!!!!!!!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Hello: I started this '37 Ford Pick up (Revell) build recently. I am using several different items. This first picture is the flat head motor from the Revell 40 Ford kit with resin Offenhauser heads and distributor from R&M. I used orange plug wires and boots from Parks to set it off a bit. The headers are scratch built from sprue. The second view is the frame. I cut out most of the stock components and fitted new front and rear suspension pieces from styrene shapes to get the truck to sit lower. The frame with the flat motor mounted…..the wheels and tires are from a junked Chrysler promo model I picked up on sale at the hobby shop near my home. They are really nice big and little items. I saved the disc brakes from that model as well. Here is the mock up of the body, motor, frame and fenders. The top has been chopped very mildly….just to take the tall look off it. Last is a trick I used to avoid tubbing the rear end. I substituted the fenders from the Revell 32 Ford coupe kit. They are much wider than the 37 fenders and mounted to the fender casting with minimal surgery. This way the bed stays intact and the wide rear wheels tuck neatly into the fenders. The fender itself is just a bit wider in front than the running boards but I will not be messing with that since it looks just fine regardless (see above)......the mounting hole for the spare tire will be converted into a gas filler with a large cap and aluminum tube running through the front of the bed to a tank mounted between the rails. Hope you enjoy this one…..more as time and travel schedule permit. Regards Bill (Duntov)

Nice work!!! You have really generated some nice builds here......keep posting!!!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

This is "STUNNING" work!!! Very nice indeed........NOW if I could just find a real one!!!!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Hey Tony....great photos of what looks like a really neat set of cars. Keep up the excellent work...it is really neat to see some creativity with mixing and matching these kits!! Keep the updates coming...... Regards Bill (Duntov)

Here is a review of the recent re-release of the Monogram Black Widow. Here is the disclaimer: this is a kit that is pushing 50 years since it’s first release. So view it in that light. It is rather toy like but for some good clean fun you can’t beat it. It is NOT a scale rendering…..even if it was very few folks on this board would build it box stock anyway…..so here we go. (Yeah yeah.....I know....we NEED all kinds of new tools of interesting subjects...... geeesh....you telling me you have built everything in your stash already!!!?????....oops...got a little off point there.....) Anyway here we go...................... The box is pretty much what it was originally. At around $20 it is way more expensive than it was in the first release but…time moves on. The tires are the really big upgrade here . They are a nice no-name set of big & little tires (or is that big & bigger!!!). They are vinyl and not the hard plastic halves of the original. Maybe they could be used on a different build. Truck perhaps???? They really are that good….. See the comparison to the AMT Firestone skinny at the far left of the picture for an idea of the relative size. Remember that the BW is 1/24 and the Firestone skinny here is 1/25. The rear tire is really nice....note the tread!!!! The seats, top, bed cover and several other items are done up in an ivory colored plastic. Should look nice if you paint them carefully per the directions. The chrome is very well done and has fewer issues with attachment lugs being poorly placed than you will find a full scale glue kit. (Seems like the snap kit guys and some of the SSP re-releases have figured that out!!!!) There are a few tricky spots but overall this tree is quite nice. The main tree is black plastic and offers the body, frame, engine halves, fenders, wheel backs and other detail items. Keep in mind this is 1/24 th scale but is not really “SCALEâ€. The frame is actually pretty nice..the body and pick-up bed are well done but rudimentary and proper for this type of kit. (Looking at them in the box you "Just know" some-one will use them in some outrageous custom build!!!). The decal sheet is very nice. It has the pinstripes, numbers and even some very small but very well done gauge faces. Once again if this genre is not your cup of tea i.e. old fashioned, toy like, out of scale, nostalgic re-release then pass it by. But if you had one of these as a kid, like I did, and either botched it, lost it, broke it or otherwise fouled it beyond recognition then this is your chance to build it again. Put the photo-etch, the BMF and the airbrush away and use some of the new techniques and the high-tech paints and glue on this and take your time…..it builds up nicely and is a welcome change from the gut wrenching detail adventures to which we sometimes subject ourselves. (Oh yeah....follow the directions on this too...it's part of the FUN!!!). Besides, visitors to my garage flash a classic dumbfounded look when they see this sitting next to a contest quality build. Enjoy it for what it is. Regards Bill (Duntov)

Well done period piece.... Nice stuff!!!! Reagrds Bill (Duntov)

James2: I really like what you have done here. The execution is perfect. This looks like it will actually drive and run and has some really cool elements of hot rod "style" included. Thanks for buildig this and posting it here....great job!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Nice build....these are always interesting and you did a nice job with this kit.... Regards Bill (Duntov)

HI: I was wandering around the hobby shop yesterday, feeling sorry for myself (dangerous activity in the hobby shop) and picked up the 55 Corvette from Round 2. Cost was $19.90. The kit is pretty nice. It has a neat set of printed white walls that I really like (see the picture). The one big disappointment in the tire area is the two part racing slicks rendered in hard plastic. The body is well cast and represents the real car quite well. A nice set of decals with both black and white stripes are included. There are some other neat window decals but no street plates are included. The chrome tree is very well done and includes the larger “V†for the Corvette side script for 55 Corvettes only (it denoted the V-8 engine on the real car). This is a very delicate piece so be careful if you decide to use it. The head light buckets and bezel are cast as one piece with a rudimentary set of rock screens cast on the clear sprue. You will need to get the MCG photo etch to represent the screens and replace the “V†while you are at it….same with the side scripts although the cast on items are quite good. The stock hub caps are stunning when trimmed in red and mounted on the kit supplied wide whites.....great for a chevy street rod too!!! The rest of the kit has aged well. One nice touch is the inclusion of two different transmissions, one for the PG automatic and one for a four speed….you could fake a factory 3 speed here if you are crafty about it….check your references. There is also a nice separate one piece frame. An up-top is included too so you have a ton of latitude with respect to how you build this one. A set of headers that look a bit toy like are included but the stock items are by and large correct. The V-8 engine is very simple and uses the tab-slot affair and frame pins we used to see in the old trophy series 40 Fords to mount to the frame (yes I am that old!!!). Any more modern day small block could pass for the original 265 V-8 with a little work and proper engine mounts. The suspension is simlified but the rear end is a two piece "fully cast" item so you don't have the "half-cast" rear end typical of some other more expensive kits....this is a nice touch and real pet pieve of mine!!!! Overall this is a good kit and I did not hesitate to add it to my collection when I saw it. I have built three other earlier issue stock versions, one for my own collection and two on commission as desk models for presentation with full size restorations of the real cars (given to clients). A reasonable price and lots of possibilities make this a good kit to have……..get one and have fun!!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

HI: I pass this “orphan†every week on my drive back home from the Atlanta air port. I am not a truck guy per se but this really caught my eye. I am assuming here (in a big way) that this is a Mack B-61??? American Industrial models has both a conversion cab and parts and a full kit for this truck. It would make an interesting build and although I am not a truck guy it is now officially “ON MY LIST†rust and all to build. Maybe Cranky can give some tips!!!! See the pics…. Regards Bill (Duntov)

HI: Got a bit excited waiting for Santa and decided to build this to kill some time. This is the Revell Z 28 snap kit. I wanted to make the car a bit more "pedestrian" (but lethal – see the hood) and get away from the boy racer look that the Z cars sometimes portray with the stripes. Here are the overall shots...... I used the excellent resin wheels and dog dish hub cabs from Don Holthaus and mounted them on some old Satco tires I had kicking around. The wheels should be body color but I reasoned that ralleys were painted Silver (Argent) any way so….. I added the valve stems from stretched sprue. f THe dog dish hub caps are actually for '75 and up but they seem to do the trick here quite nicely..... The front shot: The rear I forgot to build some custom tips so I just painted the cast on pieces....they look ok for the most part.... The interior is quite nice if you spend a bit of time on it…… This was a fast and fun build .... one day start to post here....fun stuff….a little foil and some Tamiya perl green paint, license plates and a bit of detailing and done….. hope you like it. Regards Bill (Duntov)

Hey there......you really do some nicework.....well displayed in your photo layout too!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Thanks Brendan:......the hobby shop suggested that Alclads primer in an air brush was really very good......anyone have experience with that? I may also try sandable auto primer (1:1 type) but would prefer a product specifically for hobby use..... Regards Bill (Duntov)

I was not sure where to put this one so I dropped it here. I have not been able to locate Tamiya Fine Gray Primer for about two weeks. Locally, no one has it….backordered they say. The web is no better. I have been told two things 1) There has been a labeling issue (thanks to the state of California) rendering the product “not available†to all of us and / or 2) There was a simple “fumble†in the ordering process that has caused the pipeline to dry up until it is shipped again. Does anyone have any info on this? Regards Bill (Duntov)

Juergen: This is a very fine build.....your craftsmanship is remarkable.....thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!!! Regads Bill (Duntov)

Wow!! Very nice indeed.....keep up the good work!!! Regards Bill (Duntov)

Hey Justin.....nice buildup. I like cars like this one that look like they actually can run and drive!!! Great job....thanks for sharing!! Regards Bill (Duntov)