DaveM

I'm interested in this too. I have a couple of decent kits in the stash. I will decide what to do as I get closer to the date. I might even do a car hauler, as I just picked up Revell's auto trailer. I don't build many trucks, so the extra time made the difference for me. These things don't just fall together like newer car kits. I will pick a kit later this Fall, and go for it. I may go with the new Mack reissue., or wait and see if Round2 pulls another truck kit out of their archives. (Any Mack, International or Autocar would be great) I'll let everybody know what I am building before the Holidays. This should be fun!

Count me in! I was unable to do the 24 hour build this Winter. I probably won't be able to spend 72 hours at the bench, as I take care of somebody 24/7, but I can take some breaks and still have a decent build. I tried the 24 hour build a year and a half ago, and it went well for the first 22 hours, or so. I built a 1951 Chevy convertible. At the last minute, I couldn't get the body and interior down on the chassis. That 50 year old platform interior and separate fenderwell pieces were just out of alignment enough to keep me from assembling it. Rather than butcher it, I just stopped, and took things apart so that I could trim the parts down and reassemble it later on. I need to pick a smarter kit for this build. Some of the older kits can run into tricky assembly and fit problems. Newer kits have a lot more parts and details, but the fit is so much better. Some of the older kits are pretty simple, and would make east builds. My first thought was an AMT '64 Impala, but those take some major bodywork to fill sinkholes. I have a '63, but that is really too simple. It doesn't have a complete motor, and just has a promo type chassis. The old '80s era Monogram kits are a pretty nice balance, as they all are fairly simple, with bucket interiors and slightly simplified chassis, but they still have decent details. I have a '70 Roadrunner, '69 Superbee, a '71 Satellite, a Superbird, a Torino Talledega, a '70 Chevelle, a Hemi Cuda street machine, some Mustangs, and a Monte Carlo SS and Buick GNX, along with a few older types. ('39 and '53 Chevy, and a '64 GTO. Any of these would be a quick and dirty weekend project. I even have a factory paint color that would be correct for the '70 Roadrunner, or any of the '71s, but I had bought it for a '71 Duster. I also might want to build a newer kit. I have a small stash of Drag projects set aside, including Bill Jenkins' '66 Nova, The Northwind '62 Bel Air, Beswick's '62 Pontiac 421SD, several other '62 Bel Airs, a few '64 Dodges, and some Thunderbolts. The problem with them is that they take a bit more detailing, and I hate rushing the build process on them. They are also some kind of fiddly kits. I might just do the '57 Del Rio wagon for this, instead of doing a review of the kit. I could also tackle the '49 Merc Woody that I have ready to go, or do another '32 Ford of some type. The '32 Ford would be pretty slick, as I have built a couple of them already, so I know their quirks. I could use this as an opportunity to jump start my "Shelf of Chevy" project, where I want to build all of the big Chevy cars from the '50s Bel Airs, to the Impalas from '58 through .67. The problem I have, is all of those kits have been cleaned up,filled, sanded and had the engines, seats and other parts glued up already. Some have been primed, I am going to do this build with a fresh, unstarted kit. (But I will build something that has been opened, before I rip the shrink wrap off of any new kits.) I'll go through my stash and find a kit that calls out to me. I'll make the decision by the middle of next week, and get everything all set up and ready to go. I will also get my work area and airbrush set up well in advance. I will airbrush a couple of parts for other projects to make sure things are working. I will be more ready for this one.

I hope to get back to the bench in the next day or so. We had a minor family medical emergency. (Everything should be just fine, but it took some 'round the clock watching for a few days.) I will try to do the Del Rio right along with the Pickup. The Del Rio might be done as a mild street machine or surf wagon, as I want to use up some paint and I don't have any '57 Ford colors in the stash. I might use some parts box wheels, and do it without all of the emblems and trim. (I hate the look of decal "chrome" ) I was going to set up some '60s era mags and skinny whitewalls, but I am trying to thin the existing pile of parts before buying new stuff. (Where's the fun in that?) I have a couple of sets of big 'n little mags and radials from Revell's '32 Fords. I also have a set of big and bigger mags from the California wheels issue of the '66 Chevelle wagon. (I don't generally go for the big wheel look , but these aren't as bad as some of the other big rims) I think I would have to tweak the suspension, chassis and wheelwells a lot to fit them correctly. I may still look for some more appropriate wheels and tires in the stash. I was thinking that four of Revell's "Rat rod" wheels and tires may work if I keep the model fairly vintage in style. I'll dig into it and see where I want to go with it. I want to keep the build fairly straight from the box, as I intend to make this build thread usable as a review of the kit, too. I am actually thinking about building another one of these as a box stock model for possible contest use. This build will be a dry run so I can look for troubles I might have doing a more serious build. I want to see how the kit goes together, and perfect any problems on the practice model. This means, no motor swaps, scratchbuild interiors, chassis upgrades, or the like. I might make some tiny tweaks to the suspension after I am sure that I have sorted out the stock configuration. I know I said I would start it and post it last week, but things got a bit hairy here. I am taking care of somebody 24/7, so I get time to build, just not always when I want it. This kit looks like it will be a fun build, and I am really trying to get back to it. I would buy a Ranchero too, but I am probably a niche builder too. I would also buy any '58s they released, as long as they were fairly well done.

Yes! I would love to see more pictures. I also am thinking of a Michigan gravel train. I live about a quarter of a mile down the road from a major gravel pit. We used to have a hundred or more loads a day going right by the house. Probably about a third of them were trains. I wish I had taken pictures of them back in the early '90s. Now they are all aero nosed trucks with smooth trailers. Back then, they were mostly Autocars, Kenworths and Macks pulling ribbed trailers. I know where some of these are parked, so I might be able to talk my way in to get some snapshots. I have a pair of the old issues, but I will probably grab another one just because I can still fit another model in the house... somewhere...

It's great to see this come back. I bought the earlier SSP, and the chrome tree had so much flash that I decided not to build it with chrome. I am glad to see they have fixed this. I like the idea of narrowing the hull, and I might try that on one. It gives a bit sleeker look. I always thought this boat would be a good canvas for a scratchbuilt custom interior, with half round styrene tuck and roll, lots of piping, and even some seating, or a padded section on the bow for sunbathing. This kit is a great blank canvas for airbrushers, and when the SSP came out, I saw several at contests with great paint jobs, Almost anything goes for schemes, although I would stay away from really modern ripped graphics, or trueflames, as they would look better on a more modern hull. Panels, crazy '60s graphics, old style flames, and even early '70s style murals are really cool on these things. I always thought the kit was 1/24 or 1/25, but the boat was just a touch wide. I might paint one to match a '69 Ford pickup, but the neat way to do this would be to build the biggest '60s car I can find, and use that to tow it. ('62 Buick, '61 Pontiac, Any Impala or Galaxie, '66 Parklane, Johan Cadillac, Even the Chrysler 300s would work well with this. ) This kit also lends itself to engine swaps, as it really shows off a well built motor. Great review and history, Tim. I am glad to see the Replicas and Miniatures resin parts, as I like building things "Old Style" once in a while. I must have missed the original announcement. I will see if our local craft store still has any left.

I think the grill was carried over. The main visual difference was the turn signal indicators on the fenders. The hubcaps were different. The rest was interior and underhood. Modelhaus makes a conversion for this kit. I need to get one before they retire!

That's what polishing kits are for! (Hopefully any slip made while foiling won't be too deep, as most of us try to use a really light touch and sharp blade.) I agree that it makes me a bit nervous to foil on clear plastic, but if I slip on a normal model, I have ruined the paint, or have to fix it with Micro Mesh. I don't think there's that much of a difference. The glass might be easier to fix if the scratch is light. I'll just have to be extra careful foiling the window trim. It won't stop me from building a couple of these. One tip that may help is to score a couple of passes with the back of a blade, or a scriber along the trim before painting, finishing or foiling. On a body, I usually try to feel the parts I have to foil with a fingernail before I prime. Any soft or shaky edges get cleaned up and defined a bit so that I have a good sharp outline to trim my foil along. This helps to prevent slips, and leaves a cleaner, straighter edge on the foil. Also remember that priming and painting tend to fill in the recesses and soften up the edges a little bit, so you will want a really well defined edge before painting. On a clear piece, you could mask the glass with some heavy tape while you cleaned up the edges of the trim, but you would have the same risk of damaging the glass next to the trim... It's probaby best to just be extra careful while foiling the clear pieces. (Remember, this is just a nice relaxing hobby. No pressure... Just don't screw up... One little slip wrecks a Month's worth of work, but no pressure... Relax... It's just a hobby...!)

I love that box! I like Revell's Charger more than the MPC version, but you can't have too many 1st Gen. Chargers can you? I think they were actually referred to in an ad once as, "Freaky cars for freaky people", or something like that. The MPC kit has some decent street machine stuff.

I have been cleaning up and filling this kit for a couple of hours now. A couple more observations. There are no colors listed for any of the chassis or motor parts, so you will need to have Google up on the computer while painting all of those little parts. I am putting together a folder of pictures, but having some references will be necessary for exact accuracy. I am cleaning up the 1971 Ranger first. So far, I am still thrilled with this kit. That said, there are some little things that need to be done with every kit, and this kit has its own little quirks. First, I misspoke in my post above. The separate bellhousing is on the 1969 with the manual transmission. Obviously the automatic in the 1971 is a two piece casting with a seam to clean up. This model has a very fine texture over most of its surface. It is so fine that it is a non issue. It will not show through even the thinnest layer of paint, and the chrome and some of the fine detailed parts are all polished smoothly. So far, everything I have fit is rally smooth. They did a nice job locating the sprue connections, but there are always some connections that can't be hidden. So far, I haven't found anything difficult to remove. They all have been in areas that sand out easily. The parting lines on the cab are well located, but they are a bit hidden with the texture. They are very fine, and will be easy to remove. There are a lot of keys, pins and locators on this kit, and they are all well hidden, and very positive. The innder and outer bedsides all lock into the floor in such a way that I think I will try painting the parts separately, and then assemble them after polishing and foiling! This way, I won't have paint building up in the recessed corners. The fit is fantastic, and the keys lock things into place so that you couldn't build it crookedly if you tried! The interior is the same way. I am not sure about the panel behind the seat, as I might actually have to touch it with a sanding stick to perfect the fit. You could build the bed and interior completely without filler or putty and not have it look sloppy at all. The fit is that slick. You will still need to get the parting lines and sprue attachment points filed down and sanded smooth, but there were no gaps or seams that the gluing and cleaning up the joint with a sanding stick wouldn't fix. The details are crisply molded, too, so paint detailing, masking and foiling should all be easy, with clean, crisp lines to follow. Again, look up pictures of the real truck on your favorite search engine, because the details will stick out if they are left in the background color! This interior deserves a bit of extra attention. The engine looks nice, so far, although I haven't done that much with it yet. I do notice that the heads are keyed, so that the location is positive, and the heads will end up on the correct sides of the block. Everything looks well molded, and having seen pictures of the completed 390 on the other build thread, I have very high hopes that mine will look nice too. The one slight spot I noticed is the bed floor. The bottom of the bed floor really scared me, because there were some really deep ejector pin marks. Just as I was wondering how the heck I was going to fix them, I tried fitting the frame to the floor. All of the pin marks are located so that they are covered by the frame, and invisible! Nice Job Moebius! The top of the floor does show some very slight ripples where the cross braces are molded into the bottom of the piece. It is very slight, and you can only see it holding it to the light at an angle, but it is there, and if I was building for GLSMCC, or another big contest, I would have to figure out how to sand it out. As it is, it is so slight, and it would be very difficult to smooth it out across all of the bed ribbing, so I think I will leave it. It is not enough of a problem to worry about for 99.99% of the builds. (I am really nitpicking here, it's as well molded as it could be, considering the nature of the part.) The tires are very nice, with no sidewall decal except for a raised band, but the tread is excellent, and they have the right look. I will be starting a build thread in the workbench area, and I might even get some decent pictures later in the weekend. This kit is really nice, and It should build up as well as anything I have done. This should be a decent model for a younger or less experienced modeler, even though it has a lot of parts and details. Everything fits well and locates easily. I'll put any more observations into my workbench thread. This kit, while it will take a bit of care in a couple of spots, is going to end up changing the way kits are made, kind of like the '66 Nova did back in the Eighties. The fit is really nice on the parts I have done so far.

Sorry you saw my joking as a swipe. I was just clowning around with an alternative removal technique. I did mention below that post, how I planned to remove the brace, (a touch of patience) and the fact that a brace like that is much better than the bent roofs that come from not having the brace. I probably should have included a smiley after step 5! I do really like this kit, and I have been pretty positive about it. The brace may be a bit huge, but I am not too worried about it. I am waiting for it to get listed for pre orders, and I will have a pair coming my way. This board really really needs the little devil shaped smiley!

WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! (For people in other parts of the country, feel free to substitute "Yeeeee Haw!, Okie Dokie, or DUUUUUUUUUDE!!! as you see fit) They're here!!! I just got my kits handed to me by the mailman. (I was tearing the box open on the porch while we were asking how each other's kids were doing and wishing each other a nice weekend!) Here is the official procedure... Take kit in right hand Walk up to model building bench... Take left forearm and sweep across bench, clearing all other projects off the side of the bench Open and start building 1971 Ford Ranger XLT... First impressions. Lots of parts Second impression Even more parts Everything's perfectly molded... The few decals look as good as any I've seen in a kit. Perfect chrome... Instructions are better than some I've gotten buying real cars! Possibly the best manuals in 1/25 scale kits. Full color charts, The 1971 has diagrams of the three types of two tones, and a full listing of all color combinations sorted out by the interior colors they were available with. Parts breakdown looks excellent. The engine and transmission are broken down so that the only seam to fill will be on the transmission. The bellhousing is a separate, one piece, molding. Every company needs to stop what they are doing and look at this kit. This may be the new high water mark in automotive models. I can't speak on the fit, yet, as I am still picking my jaw up off of the floor. Hopefully the fit is as good as the rest of the kit. I am sure some little things will pop up during the building of the kit, but this should look so nice when it's finished! I can't wait to get building. I just need to decide which one to do first. The only improvement I can see would be to have some interior colors shown, so we can see how the different interior color schemes look. That is a minor detail, considering that this kit already has the best instructions I have seen since the Hudsons. All in all, the kit and instructions are top notch, and nobody else has come close to matching the quality of Moebius' instructions. These kits had a lot of hype built up, and I was already expecting perfection. I am not disappointed. I will be building all weekend! This is the type of kit I have wanted to build since I was twelve. It's finally here. My only question for Dave is, "What took you so long?!" Seriously, congrats to Dave and the Moebius crew. I know it was a huge project for you guys, and it ended up running a long time, but the end result looks worth it. The only problem is that this is going to be the new standard that all tools will be measured against in the future. Perfection is hard to beat. So get going on the Pontiacs and the Comets! You have an even higher bar now, but take a couple of days off to step back, watch the response to these kits, pat yourselves on the backs and say, "It was worth it." Great looking kit.

I'd buy the Olds too. Maybe they could update it to be the "Professor Proton" version and tie it in to Big Bang Theory. I bet that would help the sales... Moebius should start tooling one of those...

I have just gone through the listing of 1971 Ford Truck Colors. I was looking for paints I could get to match some of the truck colors. Since I am going to put in an order with Scale Finishes, I dug through Paintref and matched up the color codes to see how many of the truck colors matched passenger car colors and then checked to see which ones I could grab from The Scale finishes Website. Many times, colors are used on cars for a few years, then discontinued and relegated to trucks for another couple of years. Other times the truck and car years line up for a certain color. This is not a perfect list. I believe I have the codes matched up so that the colors are the same. (Sometimes names get reused with decidedly different shades, so I used the 4 and 5 digit paintref codes, but these all match the DuPont or Martin Seymour codes too) The Ford Truck paint name is listed first, then the listing where I found the paint on Scale Finishes' website. Then some random notes may be mentioned. I did not check MCW, but some of the information could be used to cross reference the colors there too. They may be listed in other places, as many were used several years, and the Mustang colors may be listed under Ford too, but this is where I found them, and rechecked the codes with Paintref. Calypso Coral 1970 Mustang 1 Calypso Coral Diamond Blue 1968 Mustang N Diamond Blue Royal Maroon 1972 Mustang 2J Maroon (Also used on 1969 trucks) Prarie Yellow 1971 Mustang E Medium Yellow Gold Medium Brown 1971 Mustang 5 Medium Brown Lime Gold 1969 Mustang I Lime Gold Metallic Rangoon Red 1965 Ford J Rangoon Red Winter Blue 1969 Mustang P Winter Blue Metallic Scandia Green 1971 Mustang P Medium Green Empire Yellow 1969 Ford 9 Yellow (Appears to be the same as Grabber Yellow) Candy Apple Red 1969 Mustang T Candyapple Red Grabber Green 1971 Mustang Z Grabber Green Wimbledon White 1971 Mustang M Wimbledon White Raven Black 1971 Mustang A Raven Black Obviously Raven Black and Wimbledon White are everywhere in the Ford Color Catalog Swiss Aqua, Regis Red, Chrome Yellow, Mojave Tan, Holly Green, Boxwood Green, Baja Beige, Mallard Green, Reef Aqua, Light Ginger and Saddle Tan seem to be used exclusively on trucks, so I can't reference them to a passenger car color. Bahama blue looks like it was a 1972 passenger car color Harbor Blue looks like the same 4 digit code was used on 1982, 1983 and 1988 Mustangs as Medium Blue, but none of them show up with the right letter code on Scale Finishes, site, so I need to dig into that a bit more. It's a nice color, though! Fiesta Tan was on trucks only, and was also used in 1969 as Tuscon Gold Ski View Blue was used on Lincolns and Thunderbirds in 1970 as Light Blue, but Scalefinishes doesn't list Ford colors past 1969 (Except Mustangs) (And was also a 1969 Truck Color) Astra Blue was Deep Blue on 1970 and 1971 Lincolns and Thunderbirds Seafoam Green was on 1971 Fords, Mercury, Lincoln and Thunderbirds as H Light Green (Truck code was "0") Pure White was the same as 1964 Pace Car White, as far as I can tell. (Although I had always thought the pace cars were Wimbledon White) I haven't dug through Scalefinishes' outlet page or MCW for these colors yet, as this has already eaten up a couple of hours. If this post is too long, too off topic, or bothers anybody at Scalefinishes, feel free to remove it. I will be making a similar list for the 1969 Ford Truck colors, and I can post that here too, if it is helpful to anybody.

's easy... 5 simple steps Step 1: Lightly score the brace at the edge of the molding to ensure a clean break. Step 2: Use heavy masking tape to protect the window molding and the model surface. Step 3: Superglue a large firecracker to the brace Step 4: Light firecracker Step 5: Order new Pontiac kit... Finish 1965 Satellite while waiting for kit to arrive. Seriously, I had to look twice at that brace too when I first saw the kit. It will take a touch of patience to remove cleanly, but I would rather remove the brace than have to straighten the roof out. I'm doing a '66 Impala that has a bent roof and tweaked up "A" pillar. What a pain! This whole kit looks excellent. Even better than the Satellite. It might be the best passenger car kit we've seen in several years. It looks miles ahead some of the other recent kits we have seen. I will be ordering a couple of these.

Yep. I will take the pickup kits in my right hand, and use the left hand to brush all of the current contents of the bench onto the floor, hence what a couple people up here refer to as a "Sweep the bench" model. Then I need to get them done by the time the '61 Pontiac gets here... Then I need to make room for the '29 A roadster, and somewhere along the way, I need to fit in the '48 Chevy coupe... I am faced with a dilemma. If I quit working, I'll have time to build them all, but I won't be able to afford them all. It's a catch 22. Good times. BTW, the Del Rio looks pretty nice for about a two minute lookover. I like the interior. I don't see any gigantic warts in the body, and the rear bumper is plain! I think I might stick some wider tires, better wheels and zippier motor in it and paint it in a much brighter color, or a two tone. I will dig into it more this evening.

I just got one. I will open it up in a couple of minutes, but I won't have the camera card until later tonight. I am going to go ahead and take it straight to the bench, but it will have to move over when my pickups get here. I will go ahead and get a thread on the workbench forum this evening. I need to figure out if I can make it stock with the paints I have on hand, or if I should just let my hair down (so to speak) and build a street machine so I can paint it a non stock color. (I have a couple of bright ones picked out!)

Uhhhhhhh.. I resemble that remark!

If you have a local auctioneer, contact them. Ebay works well, either singly, or in small lots. Load up a minivan and rent a table at a model show. Load up another minivan and rent a table at a flea market, toy show or car show. Don't expect more than $2 a piece for '90s NASCAR models. (Probably NOT worth hauling to a show or flea market) I am getting rid of a bunch of stuff, both model and non model. It's a balance between price and time. If I could take forever to sell it, and was willing to work full time at it, I could get closer to retail or book prices for all of it. The good stuff is going to consignment auctions, shows and the 'bay. The junkier stuff is going via garage sale, Salvation Army and the curb. (Many resales, like Habitat, St. Vinny's and Salvation Army will take sealed kits.) Do a bit of research so that you aren't spending a lot of time trying to sell a $5 model while giving away a $50 model for nothing. I figure a labor amount of 5 models an hour to list and sell on ebay. (By the time I photograph, list, pack and ship a model, I am probably pretty close) Have lots of packing and shipping supplies and patience!

We had a small , informal "club" of three or four builders, plus a couple of kids. I was always picking up kits for the group, and we would always combine postage and order a few kits together. I used the increased number of kits coming through the house to mask any new acquisitions. Then, she volunteered to act as ordering secretary for the club, and manage the orders and monies. (She is in purchasing and acquisitions in her job) Then, she knew exactly what kit was ordered for whom... Now, I just try to finish two kits for every one I buy, or sell off a bunch every now and then to keep some balance. I have three of the truck kits coming in, so I might have to give her a gift certificate for shoes. (Then she feels too guilty about her stash to complain about mine!)

The '69 is a great shelf model. It has a great body, and just has a good look. I can't speak for Snake, but my definition of a shelf model is a nice body, good wheels, and a decent interior that can be detailed a bit. I build them to be displayed on a shelf, a base, or in a display case. I do build the engine and do paint detailing under the hood and on the chassis, but I usually don't do a lot of scratchbuilding or detailing. The model is not intended to be picked up and judged, or displayed with the hood open to show off my wiring and plumbing work. It is also one of my favorite body styles. The '66 Riviera is a very well detailed kit, and is from AMT's high point in the '90s. IIRC, it was done about the same time as the '57 Chrysler 300c, the Edsel and the '71 Charger. It is a good candidate for a full detailing, wiring and plumbing job. It could probably supply a lot of chassis and suspension parts for other years of the Riv (And similar GMs) I haven't held a '66 Wildcat for many years, but IIRC, it was a lot like the '69 Riv. Nice body, but simplified chassis. It is an older kit. If you are a die hard Buick fan, you need one of each!

I will grab a few of those Vegas! I will also pick up another Cuda or two. Cool news!

Nothing wrong with the tires in the kit, except the lack of branding. A couple of years later, redlines came in, and lots of muscle cars had them for a couple of years. If I am building a couple of copies of a kit, different tires are appreciated. Not that many owners swapped wheels on their cars, but virtually everybody replaced tires as they went along. AMT's redlines would look right at home on this kit. If an owner kept his car up well, it could have worn Polyglas GTs as its second or third set of tires and still looked new.

We'l be keeping her in our prayers. Glad to hear things are going well.

I have chucked them up on the wood lathe and gone at them with the corner of a parting tool tipped on its side, but I like Snake's idea better. I don't even want to think about mounting them on the metal lathe. Modelhaus makes a couple of types, and Stevens International used to sell repops of the Johan ones from the '64 Dodge. Those Johan ones are perfect for all of the Stock and Super Stock builds from the early Sixties. I was thinking of cutting grooves into a couple of AMT Parts Pack M&H Racemasters for a project that needs "The Look" I am going to see if Snake's method will work with a broken Jeweler's saw blade that I have on hand.

Great review! I agree about the bumpy wheel rims. I will be searching for better tires right away, so they will just get sanded off. Not that hard, but a slight nuisance. I am going to wait until I have a kit in my hands to pass final judgement, but Tim's pictures sure make the vent windows look funny. The real Satellite had really tall, narrow vent windows. These look quite a bit shorter and wider, without the same curve at the top front corner. Hopefully, it's just the vent window, and we can just shave the back of the glass and tweak the post a bit and make it look right. Everything else looks fantastic. Moebius sure is hitting a lot of Home Runs as of late. This kit may not be quite to the level of the Ford trucks, or the upcoming Pontiac, but it looks pretty nice. I love the wheel detail and the door handles look as nice as anything I have seen molded. It may not be perfect, but it looks like the best American passenger kit in several years. The tight fitting hood is great for people who build without painting. It also allows us to sand accordingly to match our paint jobs. When I use lacquer and get a really thin paint buildup on some kits, I don't fill in the hood gap enough, and I get a sloppy looking hood fit. With this, the guy who builds without paint leaves the hood as is. They guy making the thin lacquer paintjob makes two or three passes with the sanding stick, and the guy slopping on the Testor's enamel paintjob takes five or six swipes with the sanding stick. It sure is easier to sand a bit of plastic off than to add it on! Moebius is getting right up in Tamiya's grille, quality wise, with their interior and chassis detailing. The buildup of this kit looks as nice as any all plastic kit I have seen. I will have to see the dash in person to know if I can paint detial the instrument panel, or if I will use the kit decal. The dash and door panels look excellent. The chrome looks awesome, and the engraving on the body looks like a Japanese kit. It looks like the mold lines will clean up really easily, and are well thought out. I'm going to have to ask the modeling Gods for very steady hands for one Morning, to cut those door handles and wheel centers off of the chrome tree in one piece! They look to be very close to scale... and delicate! Thanks for a great review of what should be a really good kit.