niteowl7710

I think the real potential here lies within a business model being adopted by the Revells of the world. This tech still needs work in refinement and price, but unlike traditional means of manufacturing this is TECH we're talking about here which means it will grow exponentially while falling in price. So it's probably a good 5-7 years out still, but imagine if you will for a second where these printers are around $300-500 and can spit out things that are at worst good quality resin, and more along the lines of current model kit parts. The business model then becomes this...say for a kit like the much vaunted '70 Hemi Cuda. Everyone seems to have an idea about how this kit should be done and optioned....AAR, 340, 6 cyl, which wheels, etc etc etc. So Revell sells you your $30 Cuda kit, and includes a redeemable code to 3D parts. You enter the code and your printer fires off a 6 cyl and dog-dish hubcaps. If you decide later you'd rather have a AAR, for $3 viola you have all your AAR specific parts. The variety is endless to make base model cars, to make special edition cars, to make sedans (Print up a new body and interior) and on and on. This could potentially free up gobs of development cash because Revell (or Moebius) would just have digital files of all the "off-the-shelf" parts so one kit of a '57 Chevy could be built as a 110, 210, Bel Air, 4 door, 2door or Convertible with whatever engine and transmission choices you wanted, and they wouldn't be forced to eat the cost of tooling anything other than the initial kit. I bring up the Tri-5 kits because Revell is finally doing a '57 Convertible...and it's what...25 years after the '55 BelAir Convertible introduced the tooling? I think they would sell an equal amount of kits, perhaps more if they released a '55, '56 & '57 "base kit" so you would have all the basic mechanicals and parts to build a model of a Bel Air of each vintage. Then for a fee (which wouldn't be anything resembling the cost of an entire model kit itself -- since you'd be printing the specific parts yourself) you could then print out a '55 Nomad, '56 Convertible and '57 210 Sedan, each of which would require the base kit for the "guts" but the model company itself wouldn't be incurring the cost of modifying the tooling repeatedly over the course of 2 and Half DECADES (and we still don't have a '57 Nomad or '56 Convertible yet). The same thing goes for the '69 Camaro, that tool is a zombie at this point and they're still putting out variations. Imagine after they tooled the original kit, for $5 a piece you could have printed the necessary conversion parts for the B-M, Yenko, Convertible and ZL-1 versions right at your work bench. Revell gets what they want, you buying multiple copies of a kit to pay off the tooling. We get what we want which is every version of the model NOW! O.K. so perhaps there's a bit of over-the-top instant gratification in that. Everyone at Revell keeps their jobs because kits will still be produced and people will be needed to design the parts and how they attach to the base model, draw directions for the kit and parts and all of that. There will still be basic styrene kits for the base kits, and those who for whatever reason (can't afford a printer, are too cheap, are mortified of new Tech) can't/don't want to participate, and I can have a Ferrari Italia Spyder without waiting on Revell AG to decide to modify/create new tooling for one.

Give him 10 bonus points for sticking a perfect landing on top of it all.

A Cain Saw ehh? Bet Abel wished he had one of those...

Seems like the last several runs of those quarter cans all came out of NAPA's Denver warehouse if the shipping labels were correct.

Wouldn't the '57 Convertible have the same setup as the BelAir? The kit already exists, they're just "cutting" the roof off. Beyond the required convertible parts I wouldn't expect much new.

Me thinks those dates on the new tools (Mustang & Cuda) are wildly optimistic.

I stand corrected then, as I will bow to your knowledge of what kits are and aren't currently active. I guess the point I was trying to get at was it was announced back at the time the Gearz contest started, and at that point it was an active release. My LHS has the current former Firebird kit, and it's $5 less than the Foose kit. Man you really gotta want to do THAT car really bad considering you can't build the car in it's stock and drag variations out of the box.

That's where the fine line between critiquing a test shot and bashing a kit comes in. I mean look, the Hudson was put on a spit and roasted here, and the end result was much better for it. Saying something sucks to be ultra-uber nit-picky is one thing, but pointing out obvious flaws in something, and hopefully having the producing company fix them before the kit goes into production is a vital part of the consumer-producer interaction. If everyone sees something wrong, but never says anything about it, then they have no right to critique the end result.

Well they may not be in shops, but they are dime a dozen on eBay and at swap meet/shows. This kit has been reissued a number of times since Miami Vice was on T.V. back in the 80's and has never been particularly popular due to it being a model of the T.V. car which wasn't an actual Ferrari Daytona but a kit car on a Corvette chassis.

No need to wait, they're everywhere for about $4.

I'd really have to go digging into some sources, but I'm pretty sure all if AZDPS Mustangs were equipped with overheads...ironically the lightbar that Revell seems to most be errr emulating in this kit (Code 3 Force 4LP). The handful (and I mean count them on one hand) CHP cars that were not slicktops had Federal Signal Vision bars (the multi-pod lighbar that comes in the OHSP version of the Lindberg Crown Vic kit). The kit's lights would also be correct for Missouri & Kansas as well. Florida had Jetsonics (available in the various issues if AMT's Taurus "Police" kit, RoboCop, Rescue 911, etc). Most other states that had overhead lights used some form if the Whelen Edge strobe bar (usually with the bar-mounted speaker) like NY, SC, NC, GA.

Well there's 5 CHP versions alone, NC had both slicktops and full bars. Missouri had 'em in several colors...Can't forget those ominous black cars the Postal Inspectors & USFWS managed to sneak past the GAO.

I figure maybe 5-6 cases of the Mustang oughta hold me over. Revell is still doing half dozen to a case right? 30 -36 of them oughta about cover it.

I don't believe that's possible, that was an annual kit wasn't it? I believe it was made into the 1969 and then 1970 Impalas, the '70 has been reissued more times than the Impala had cars built that year I think...

Don't feel bad I had to go look myself. '49 makes sense, supposed to be a new tool stock woody, suppose that could usher in a truly stock '49 as well. But as a good friend pointed out this will compliment their '48 Woody nicely, plus you can plow it into the Custom Merc and create quite the interesting resulting custom Woody.

No it's a '49, the '50 has the Mercury wording in a Chrome trim piece on the hood, the '49 just has the letters on the hood.

*whistles innocently*

Exactly although their newest ProStars have full side "skirts" not the open tanks like the picture.

Dedicated Wal*Mart Grocery Distribution Driver. 18 Wheels of Meat & Produce (along with Frozen/Dairy/Deli and the occasional dry freight load) delivering out to 212 W.M.s and 49 Sam's Clubs across Central/SW Pennsylvania, the, Lower Tier of NY, every store in MD from Baltimore-West, North Central W.V., and D.C. & Richmond Metros and I-81 Corridor in VA. Logged 1.5 Million safe miles since I started driving in '98.

I know Juan Pablo Montoya (your jet-dryer killed my racecar, prepare to die) had a LoneStar pulling his trailer this year.

Revell's FB page today announced that because they can't contain their excitement (or some such thing) the announcements have been rescheduled for MONDAY morning rather than Thursday. They must be planning to show up at Toledo on Saturday then and knew the news would be leaked all over by the end if the week?

I'm seeing I need 2 of them, one to do a 98% version of the truck I used to drive (we and most fleets don't use the BIG power NaviStar engine that requires the longer hood/cowl), and one to combine with this reefer kit to make a Dutch Maid combo. Heck I guess I need another trailer too since I'm leaning on going "box stock decals" and making a LoneStar Erb rig now that we have decals for both the tractor and trailer. Perhaps more trailers depending on what decals come from Moebius I the actual ProStar kit.

Simply because I feel the more money I shell out for something, the less basic mistakes I should be forced to deal with...Can I sit down and spend hours fabbing all the missing reefer detail? Sure I can, but $45 it of my pocket says I shouldn't be forced to do so. You can go buck-wild super detailing this thing without question.

Now it's time to sum it all up and get all wordy on you folks. PROS - - HELLO??!?!? It's a modern 53' Foot Trailer!!!! This is a kit that should put anyone with even a passing casual interest in model trucks at a near Mardi Gras level of partying. - In my example there wasn't a sign of warping, odd-ball molding issues (weird texture on the Hudson's hood anyone), or any excessive flash. The warping especially would be a concern with four body parts that are so large. I can't promise you every single kit is going to be that way, but mine was nyah, nyah, nyah. - The molding and detail work of the dirty side parts is fantastic. Whoever sat down and designed these parts needs a raise. - While we're at it promote whomever came up with the terribly basic, but ingenious way of putting the box together with a minimum of fuss and need of 3 of your modeling buddies and an army of clamps. - The instructions are finally everything I think Moebius wanted them to be all along. There are the photos of the actual assembled kit, and there are paint call outs FOR EVERY PART! The technical drawings are large and detailed. My biggest gripe with the LoneStar was it's instruction booklet (like the part where the frame magically assembles itself with no drawing of HOW), and that gripe continued with all of their cars. Small drawings and huge pictures, which was a good thing since not all of the parts had a color call out. All of that fixed in this kit, you guys deserve a pat on the back for that. - This model is literally going to be a tour 'de force with the guys who love to A)Detail Paint and B)Weather. There's a myriad of ways to build this kit from fresh off the factory floor, to beat, banged and full of grime, rust, scrapes and dents. The time alone one could spend with all of those cross members and trailer floor! The trailer floor also has the side rail which will I didn't count them (ha ha rivet counter get it - I slay me), appears to have the correct amount and position of all the cross member bolts. Each one of those needs to be picked out in a chrome/nickel paint different from the brushed aluminum of the side rails themselves...holy detail painting nirvana Batman! Cons - - The biggest flop of this kit is the reefer unit itself. Which says a lot I think. There was a lot that could have gone wrong here, and to have the reefer kinda-sorta look like something, but it's not due to not getting the licensing in time...meh. - For all of that suspension detail including the slider rails there are no slider pins or release handle. Now I know those things can be fabbed up easily, but seems like for all of the work that went into the underside to leave those out is a glaring omission to people who know the real thing. - There is no license plate mount to be found. Have fun explaining that to the scale DOT... - The price. $45 is going to be a high entry point for the casual hobbyist. For truck guys they don't care, they've been buying resin trans-kits and whatnot for years. Overheard Hunter at the 3RAM showing saying he had $300 in aluminum wheels on one of his models there, $45 is petty cash in this section of the forum, but to the cheapo car guys one level up the forum, they may balk at the cost. Pick the Nits - - The sorta-off registration of the warning decals, the not quite right G.D. rear door logo, and missing G.D. silhouette for the front of a van trailer. - There are also no license plates for the trailer. Got ahead a write "LOST PLATE" on the...oh right there is no place to mount one... - The fact this is a Great Dane, and not a Utility Reefer. Utility is by far the larger fleet reefer trailer, other than Erb, I've only personally seen one fleet with this exact reefer set-up and that's Dutch Maid. Wal*Mart Grocery Distribution uses about 85% G.D. (the other 15% being Utility), but we have smooth exterior walls, not the ribbed for your pleasure as in the kit. But with a few minor tooling changes (rear doors, ICC bumper, DOT lights and reefer mounting location) this could be easily kicked back out as a Utility Reefer, perhaps with the ThermoKing licensing rectified, and the appropriate level of detail put into the unit itself. - The lack of sidewall detail...as mention before the lack of panel lines and rivet heads. Probably not feasible, but noticeable to those who deal with the 1:1. - The tires and rims are from the LoneStar, economics being what it is I understand that, but it would have been nice to get some steel wheels, and tires that didn't look most appropriate on a container chassis. A good set of trailer position tires, could have been swapped into the LoneStar and ProStar as steer tires as well. Conclusion - This is by far the best "automotive" effort put forth by Moebius thus far, and yet the reefer unit issue just keeps me from declaring it a homerun. It is however a triple. This detailing is top notch, the mold work is state of the art, and the fact you can finally put a '53 foot trailer behind something is fantastic. I see progress with each Moebius release, this one (pending assembly) has the least issues directly out of the box and that's a good thing. Would I buy another? Yes Is it worth $45? Man that's a tough one, for truck modelers it's an easy yes. For the casual builder making a foray into the world of Heavy Commercial...how bad do you want one? Realize that no pre-existing trailer really looks right behind a modern tractor. Realize also your missing out on a little piece of plastic model engineering marvel by depriving yourself of this one. I give it an A- on a curve. Bring on the ProStar! Anyone who wants to see the full- size images, or page through them without going through the posts scattered across several pages they are all in this Flickr album. http://www.flickr.com/photos/policecararchives/sets/72157631668359308/

You then get two small runners. One has half of your suspension arms, the other has the other half plus the main body of the reefer fuel unit. I'm not sure it was technically feasible due to how the tank mounts to the trailer (on therefore how it had to attach to the runner itself), but had Moebius rotated the tank a 1/4 turn it would have put the molding seam on the tank where the actual welding seam is on the 1:1 item. Next runner has the tank ends, the rear ICC bumper area, the dolly crossmember, and trailer air tank. Moebius scores more engineering points by making the reefer's fuel filler neck and cap a separate part. The other "half" (you can see it was molded as a unit, and then sheared in two) of that runner has your dolly leg side supports, the crank handle, the DOLLY "driveshaft" as it were as a SEPARATE part (connects the two legs together with the gearbox and handle), the main suspension sub-frame, the G.D. logos, along with the "extended" legs inners. The two little "nubs" are two different size kingpins! There is also one of the aluminum "foot" steps for the front of the trailer. It would have been nice if there would have been some way to display the crank handle in it's stowed position (being there are fully cranked dolly pads), but that's an easy fix. One last picture showing the detail of the dolly gear box and aluminum foot step.