Exotics_Builder

I haven't seen that particular option in the Ferrari catalog

For some reason, I don’t have any photos, but their web site pretty well shows their offerings. I bought a few new issues at the Expo. Below is the link to their site. Motorhead Miniatures

As part of the IHobby Expo, Revell Monogram, Xuron and Testors supported a Make and Take. One of the Model Car Clubs I belong to here, Lake Michigan Model Car Club, ran the event and I was privileged to help out for a few hours Saturday. The primary model was the Revell Wheels of Fire 63 Corvette Stingray Convertible. It was a fun build, with the exception of a lot of broken steering wheels needing glue fix. Here are some pictures from the event. I think the last picture kind of summarizes the satisfaction. The young girl was in the “section†I was covering and I helped her Mom get her through the build. Her brother (supported by her Dad) was building next to her. Although starting later, her brother started looking at the mini-catalog by his place and allowed her to just squeak out completion before him (Not that they were really in competition). Let’s hope they’ll keep the thrill going and do more!

He didn't say NEVER, but was not very positive. The fellow from Accurate Miniatures feels their car offerings are not well accepted for their price point, mid-$30. And, he said they're not thinking of dropping down to the $15 range for a car offering.

First, I’ve already given you a few of the Revell 69 Nova SS and 32 Ford Sedan. But here’s the information I got. Second, please feel free to share these photos with others as you please. My intent is to inform you as to what I saw and learned. Paints: Testors new Lacquer Colors – Per the representative there, they are shipping this week. Expect them soon. They are also redesigning the look of their other spray paint cans to have the colored tops and revised logo. I saw no model kits on display in their booth. They were strictly paints, airbrushes and accessories (with a separate booth for Floquil). Kustom Kolors was there again this year. The person I talked to said they are switching distribution and getting away from the Big Box Stores. They were pushing heavily to the RC crowd. I haven’t tried their paints yet, but some folks that did indicated some problems. Unfortunately, the person I talked to was a sales person and when I got back to their booth before leaving for the day, they were very busy and I wasn’t able to get any more info. Models: Revell, Lindberg, Stevens International and Accurate Miniatures were there for the car modeler side. Tamiya was present, but strictly in the RC side. Steven’s International is doing two AMT truck kits, the Mack Cruise-Liner and Autocar A64B Tractor. As previously stated in posts, Trumpeter had no new car/truck issues and likely won’t because of mixed sales and poor reception. Accurate Miniatures related some sad information to me. Their last reissue of the Corvette Grand Sport Coupe did not do well, so they are likely not to do the Grand Sport Roadster or the Cobra 289 variant. All they had on display at the show were aircraft models. Lindberg had a big display, a lot of which was there last year as well. The 1/6 scale 6.1 liter Hemi is out in kit and built up and two variations of a Ford Flathead are coming out, one ¼ scale and visible. The second one is 1/6 scale and kit or built-up. A Prototype of a Ford Model T engine was also there. Lots of new Dodge concept vehicles box artwork was displayed, including the Rampage P/U concept, Demon concept and Challenger concept. Dodge Charger Super Bee, Viper SRT-10 coupe and convertible were shown as well. The boxes said 1/24 scale. For Emergency Vehicle fans, there is the 1/32 American LaFrance 900 Series Pumper They had the Raminator Monster Truck on display, as it is now out. Also, they’re doing a lot of the previous Testor kits like the 37 Fords. The Lindberg representative said they actually owned those molds. In trucks, more variants on the Dodge L-700 including a box trailer and flatbed with crushed autos. They also had a bunch of the Weird-Oh’s figures box art on display as well as some of the models. The Hawk side of Lindberg is mostly diecast autos as well as the aforementioned Weird-Oh’s. Other than the current Chrysler products/concepts and the newer L-700 variants, it was hard for me to determine what was new and what is a reissue. Revell had the biggest amount of new/reissue kits. In the Hot wheels snap kits, for 2008, there will be a 69 Camaro Z/28, ‘63 Corvette Sting Ray and Dodge Concept Car. Of note in the reissue side is the ‘50 Ford Pickup. The kit now includes corrected Ardun heads. I forgot if the exhaust headers were corrected as well and will need to follow up on that. The 30 Ford Woody now has a 32 grill shell and the sample looked quite nice (picture in the album). A new 32 Ford Sedan is due out with a new tool flathead and Ford small block options. Continuing in the theme of redoing diecasts in plastic, the Uptown Cadillac Escalade and 58 Chevy are due out. I was told the 58 includes the stock parts. Finally, from the diecast side, the Subaru WRX STi will be released. As I am not very familiar with versions of the WRX, I can’t tell you what year range the kit represents. From the Revell Germany connection, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Audi R8 and Audi R10 are due out. Cheaper prices for the US version, and white plastic bodies. A 1970 Dodge Challenger and a 2008 Challenger (1/25 scale) are due out. Revell indicated they are contemplating a production version of the Camaro as well, but did have the Snap version of the Concept on display. On the Ford side, a 1968 Mustang GT, 2007 Shelby GT500 and 2007 GT350H are coming. For the GM camp, we get a 57 Chevy 150 (Black Widow) in both stock and racing trim. It will have the FI engine. The racing version will have roll cage and no back seat. I have an outstanding question on whether the six lug wheels depicted in the artwork are there. The artwork was “photoshopped†so it contains some inaccuracies. Revell indicated those inaccuracies are not going to be in the kit. Also shown, and currently on the cargo ship to the US, is the 55 Chevy Hardtop. Besides some custom options, you’ll also get a window tray with food and beverage. How’s that for an extra? Finally, the big surprise is a 1969 Nova SS with small block Chevy engine that can be done in stock or drag racing versions. The body looked accurate from my viewpoint and, of course, Revell’s very nice Chevy bigblock can always be substituted. Remember that Model Car Garage already has Photoetch for a 69 Nova. Follow the link to the photos. Sorry that some are a bit blurred. 2007 IHobby Expo Photo Album

I'll check on the Mach 1. Now for dinner. Our club open house got cancelled since we couldn't get into the building. Also, I did get an update from Revell, the 55 Chevy Hardtop is on the boat and almost here. It has not been distributed to the Hobby Shops yet. I misunderstood the reply earlier today. I'm glad the Revell guy is a club member and I was able to ask him some follow up questions.

More photos and info tomorrow, I have a club open house to get to

Well, I think I'll put my 49 kit back in the box and move on to a Ferrari kit That is really neat!!!!!!!!!

OK, Here's some pictures of the Revell 69 Nova and 32 Ford Sedan:

I have pics but won't have them cleaned up, loaded and annotated until some time tomorrow. Sorry!

Here are some highlights. Pics coming later as I don't have time to post them right now. Revell: 69 Nova SS 57 Chevy 150 70 Dodge Challenger R/T 07 Shelby GT500 68 Mustang GT 07 Shelby GT350H 55 Chevy Hardtop (is now out) and has a food tray with food items in the kit 08 Dodge Challenger Lindberg 1/6 Dodge 6.1 Hemi V8 1/6 Ford Flathead Stock 1/6 Ford Model T Engine 1/32 American LaFrance Pumper (Steve Goldman photo earlier) 1/24 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe and convertible 1/24 Dodge Rampage P/U Concept 1/24 Dodge Demon Convertible Concept 1/24 Dodge Challenger Concept

The Revell USA is a repackaged Revell AG kit and is cheaper. Either way, it's a great kit.

If anybody needs further information or how to get there PM me and I'll get back to you. Also, I will be taking photos of what's new and post them like I did last year.

The Protar kit is quite close to the car it represents. I found a couple of pictures of the actual restored car on the Web. The only thing I saw was the bottom of the rear pan was too square, but could be rounded. Zoom-Zoom already mentioned the door area. Also, it appears slightly too slim in the rear fenders, but a little more research is needed here. I still think the Protar chassis/engine is the best plastic representation. It beat's Italeri by a mile. Only R&MofM's 250 GTO engine is better. Also, MFH's 250 GTO engine/chassis is more detailed (if want to spend $250 for the multimedia kit).

A little something for everyone Link to the Album

Here is the 300C conversion by Jimmy Flinstone for the Dodge Magnum by Revell. The body/hood is $10. I picked one up at the Wheaton Illinois Toy and Model Show last week Sunday. The body is as delivered. I have yet to trim out the flash and smooth it. It doesn’t look too hard to add a SRT8 spoiler to it. I’ve included the Revell Magnum for comparison.

2007 Misc Car Show Pics

The Drive-in kit is by the Seattle Dioarama and parts maker. I don't have his company name in front of me. It's some like Detail Designs, Design Details or something like that. He didn't have a website the last time I dealt with him. I have part of the Drive-in kit he marketed.

Also, Strada Sports carry them as well. Strada Sports

My old paint booth fan gave up recently and I have new unit coming. Even then, spraying in the basement caused some fumes to remain in the air for a while and my wife is quite sensitive to it. For now, I'm working around any painting that isn't brush work. On the plus side, I've got two projects in which I haven't decided the body color yet, a Ferrari 360 Spyder and a BMW Mini Cooper S. So, it gives me a chance to think a bit more on it before committing. But, I'll need to enclose the new unit in some way to keep the fumes contained. It wasn't a problem in our old house because of how the limited basement storage area was set up. But, the fumes seem to hang in a bit even with the fan exhausting.

Dennis is a great guy and he'll give you great service. He has previously attended some shows in the Pacific Northwest, including the SABA run NNL. He doesn't take Paypal but has allowed a check to be mailed. The reason I add this is credit card companies will hit you with a currency conversion charge.

Same here. Good to hear from you Leon. Hope things are going well.

I didn't recollect, but went to their web site and looked. This picture illustrates what you said:

Thanks again for the added detail. I pretty much had only gotten to the front with a diagonal instead of a body height straight cut. I believe someone did the AMT 300 front end with a diagonal cut onto the Magnum. I agree that this version should be offered in the US. It adds quite a classic look to the Magnum. I also think this treatment was done in an Overhauling episode to a gal's Magnum.

Thank you Bob for the update. I just picked up to Revell 300C yesterday and am planning to do the same thing with the Magnum. Your confirmation of the approach and description of what you did will help immensely.