larrygre

George, you should be OK with the Tamiya primer as long as you let it outgas and cure for at least 24 to 48 hours. I would use their white primer over that black body, and DO resist the temptation to use heavy coats. A light sanding with #1200 grit wet or dry sandpaper or a red (fine) Flex-Pad sanding stick should be all you need before you shoot your color coats. Lately I have taken to doing a light surface wiping using a fine microfiber cloth after sanding to remove any remaining sanding dust. Also, wear a good quality respirator (NOT a dust mask) when you shoot that Tamiya primer. The fumes are noxious and hazardous to your health. Use an OSHA approved respirator rated for paint and chemical vapors. Your lungs will thank you! Hope that helps!

Beautiful job on the grille, Tommy. This is going to be spectacular when done, I think.

Sounds good to me Nick. That's one I've wanted to do since the AMT 58 came out, and I seem to remember making a point of that in the "Strictly Stock" column I reviewed it in. Long long ago in a galaxy far far away....!

Tim, this puppy may go past "highly recommended" to "buy a bunch of 'em." I'm quite impatient for mine already. You think we might see a Vicky from them too perhaps?

Hey folks, Anyone know of any references on this car? So far I have only been able to unearth two photos and neither one of them are helpful as far as building and detailing this model. Any help is gratefully appreciated.

Tim, that puppy looks REAL good. Question on the new engine: there seems to be some controversy as to whether or not it represents a 392 Hemi. If so, how does it compare with the very nicely done 392s in the new tool 41 Willys kits?

This is fantastic work! Great job! I'm impatient to see how you handled the grille and the full-width taillight panel. Thanks for sharing with us!

Steve, actually it isn't. The body in the original '69 annual kit was quite different from the body in the 1984 "SS 350" and recent "Fast & Furious" releases. For one thing, the front end was way too narrow - if you compare the original body to the "reissue" you will see a noticeable discrepancy in width. Also, MPC's original kit featured the standard grille with exposed headlights that will not fit the "reissue". Neither the MPC original, nor any of the "reissues", is anything to write home about. As for the Monogram '69 Z-28 in all its incarnations including the "Rampage" version, that was one of the worst proportioned of all of Monogram's 1970s-era models - and that includes the hideous "pagoda roof" '56 and '57 Chevies. Yet it stayed in the Monogram catalog for years because it was a perennial best seller in mass market outlets (Wally World especially). It is to Bob Johnson's (product line manager for Revell at the time) credit that he bucked the number crunchers and got the 1/25 '69 Camaros in the mix circa 1990. And that is a direct result of the 1/12 scale '69 Z28 kit. The masters for that kit were also used to create the smaller version. Perhaps Revell will see fit to issue one or more "special edition" versions of the Camaro kit with (and yes, Revell, these are direct suggestions): 1. Z/28 - stock non-chambered exhaust system, stock exhaust manifolds, the more normally issued single four-barrel intake setup, and a flat non-Cowl Induction hood. 2. COPO 9560/9561 and/or ZL-1 (from Yenko kit) - stock non-chambered exhaust system, stock exhaust manifolds, steelie wheels with dog dish caps, and Bow Tie logos for the grille and rear deck. 3. SS396 (from Yenko and Convertible kits) - stock non-chambered exhaust system, stock exhaust manifolds, SS hood with separate chromed louvers (as in the snap kit/promo), and a choice of both standard and RS grilles.

A little history on the "AMT" '69 Camaro kits: The original MPC '69 Camaro tooling was hacked up into the Jeg's Camaro racer kit that was available sometime in the mid-70s. In 1983-84, MPC decided to "restore" the kit into a stock '69 and was issued as an "SS 350". The result was a new body with several serious proportion errors draped over the existing '69 Firebird running gear - including both Pontiac engines and not a Bow-Tie mill to be found in the box! Adding insult to injury was the deeply-smoke-tinted window unit that was so dark you couldn't see squat through it! In late 1985 MPC was acquired from General Mills by Ertl. In 1988, this kit was re-tooled to have a new convertible body and a big-block Chevy engine and issued two ways - by itself, and as part of a three-car Indy Pace Car set. The retooled body was as bad as the original coupe, and the big block motor bears only a passing resemblance to the real thing. Not MPC's finest, for sure.

Revell's snap '69 Camaros are unassembled promotional models. The hoods and grilles are done separately so that different variants of the car can be marketed both as assembled promos and unassembled kits. The "Hot Wheels Z28 RS" kit actually has a non-RS grille and an SS hood with separate chrome "louvers". The "Z28 SS" kit has the cowl induction hood and Rally Sport grille (the one with the hideaway headlights) - and BOTH kits have the Rally Sport-trimmed taillights! Like I said in my review in the magazine, for a non-RS car you'll need to swipe the standard taillights from any Revell '69 Camaro kit. A little creative parts-swapping between the two snap kits, plus some promo wheels from Modelhaus and tires from the spares box, will give you several different '69 Camaro variants, promo-style. Enjoy!

Now that Revell has announced the '66 Impala, I wonder who in the resin world might be first with a '66 Caprice Coupe conversion for it. Modelhaus? R&R? Missing Link? Time Machine? Place your bets folks!

Ken, they will have to have done a fair amount of work on the pup to make a Bel Air from it. New interior for one, seats, side panels, wheels/hubcaps. The body would also have to have a fair amount of changes, notably the side coves and trim, and the fin top chrome. I would have preferred seeing something a bit "sexier", say, a CONVERTIBLE (something never done in 1/25). As to a Bel Air hardtop, it could be kitbashed from the snap kit, this kit, and a fair amount of work with a saw or two. Just my dos centavos, mi amigos.

OMG, Harry, I still have some of them too. Remember the lame jokes on the back sides of those things?

This is "right on time". I've been working on the Heller 1/16 DS (nice kit, BTW) but to have one in "normal" 1/24 scale is a real blessing. Thanks for the info Ron. What other types were offered besides the DS? Thanks!

From the description, it almost sounds like it already has all the aftermarket it needs - except for alternative decals, probably. In any event, this is likely to be the kit of the decade - for those that can pony up the bucks.

They are NOT factory. They were supposed to be Dayton-style lowrider wires. To this day I still do not get why Lindberg/Craft House did up the kit this way. The original plan was to do the kit as a NON-SS Impala droptop (I know that for a fact - I was consulted in the planning stages!). That was the year that RPM sold Lindberg/Craft House to a venture capital firm and all of the good work and good relationships Lindberg built up with the modeling community unravelled. Replace the wires with Modelhaus '61 Chevy AMT hubcap repops, change the intake system to trips (Monogram '59-'60 Chevies or the AMT '59 Elky can supply that), leave off the grab handle on the dash, and use Model Car Garage's NON-SS photoetched side emblems. That's what I did for my non-SS '61. Simple but effective.

Count me in my friend. See you there as always!

Bob, don't forget the 275 NART Spyder in that list. Talk about a sweet kit...! As for the T1 Samba, best odds are it's Hasegawa's.

No release dates given. CARS 07193 1/24 '66 Shelby Mustang GT350R (ex Revell-Monogram) 07198 1/24 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (Reissue) 07191 1/24 Ferrari California - Closed Top (NEW TOOL!) 07276 1/24 Ferrari California - Open Top (NEW TOOL!) 07256 1/24 Trabant 601 Limousine (Reissue) 07399 1/24 VW T1 Samba Bus (New Tool? Hasegawa? Unknown!) 07197 1/25 '67 Corvette 427 Convertible (ex Revell-Monogram) 07192 1/25 '69 Corvette Coupe (Stock version - ex Revell) RC00014 1/32 Rolls Royce Phantom I "Black Diamond" (ex-Matchbox) TRUCKS 07496 1/24 DAF XF 105 Space Cabin (ex Italeri) 07497 1/25 Kenworth W900 Conventional (Reissue) Nice list eh? The Ferrari California is of course the new front engined V8 car and not the California Spyder of yesteryear. It will be nice to have the Trabbi back, and I'm especially looking to the very nice ex-Matchbox 1/32 Rolls Royce Black Diamond to reappear. Those 1/32 Matchbox car kits were VERY well done indeed.

Posted on Revell's web site, today, December 8, 2008: ANNOUNCEMENT December 8, 2008 To Our Loyal Customers: Over the years we have been pleased to provide you with the finest NASCAR plastic model kits featuring the most popular drivers. Regrettably however, over the last several years we have faced increasing licensing costs that are greater than our increase in sales. Despite our best efforts to secure reasonable licensing terms for NASCAR model kits in general, and the Car of Tomorrow in particular, we have been unable to develop a program that allows us to market the product at a viable price point. Consequently, we will not be issuing a kit on the Car of Tomorrow and, in fact, will be exiting the NASCAR business altogether. We will discontinue all sales of NASCAR plastic kits by February 28, 2009. This has been an extremely difficult decision to make as we are fully aware of the avid fan base of NASCAR model kit builders and truly appreciate your support over the years. We trust you will find other model kits in our line that will be of interest and that will provide you with the model building enjoyment you desire. Please note that we still have inventory of selected models as shown below. Check with your favorite dealer to see if they are carrying any of the items. If they are out of stock, they can obtain any of these items for you very quickly through their distributor. * 85 2029 0 0012 #20 Home Depot Monte Carlo ('04) * 85 2030 0 0012 #48 Lowes Monte Carlo ('06) * 85 2075 0 0012 #24 DuPont Monte Carlo ('07) * 85 2078 0 0012 #20 Home Depot Monte Carlo ('04) * 85 4206 0 0012 #11 FedEx Denny Hamlin Sorry to bring bad news, folks.

From Revell's own web site, posted today, December 8th, 2008: ANNOUNCEMENT December 8, 2008 To Our Loyal Customers: Over the years we have been pleased to provide you with the finest NASCAR plastic model kits featuring the most popular drivers. Regrettably however, over the last several years we have faced increasing licensing costs that are greater than our increase in sales. Despite our best efforts to secure reasonable licensing terms for NASCAR model kits in general, and the Car of Tomorrow in particular, we have been unable to develop a program that allows us to market the product at a viable price point. Consequently, we will not be issuing a kit on the Car of Tomorrow and, in fact, will be exiting the NASCAR business altogether. We will discontinue all sales of NASCAR plastic kits by February 28, 2009. This has been an extremely difficult decision to make as we are fully aware of the avid fan base of NASCAR model kit builders and truly appreciate your support over the years. We trust you will find other model kits in our line that will be of interest and that will provide you with the model building enjoyment you desire. Please note that we still have inventory of selected models as shown below. Check with your favorite dealer to see if they are carrying any of the items. If they are out of stock, they can obtain any of these items for you very quickly through their distributor. * 85 2029 0 0012 #20 Home Depot Monte Carlo ('04) * 85 2030 0 0012 #48 Lowes Monte Carlo ('06) * 85 2075 0 0012 #24 DuPont Monte Carlo ('07) * 85 2078 0 0012 #20 Home Depot Monte Carlo ('04) * 85 4206 0 0012 #11 FedEx Denny Hamlin Sorry to bring bad news, folks.

Hey all, I seem to remember someone out there coming out with photoetched detail parts for the Revell (ex-Protar) Ferrari 250GTO, but I cannot seem to locate it - only parts for Fujimi's kit. Anyone know of just such an animal and where I can get a hold of it? Thanks!

Thanks a gazillion Mark!

I saw that COmpuServe closed all the OurWorld web sites as of 10/31. Anyone know if MCW has a new website or not? Thanks,