JMChladek

As I recall from the last contest from a buddy of mine who entered, he did have to provide a receipt of purchase (I don't know how that can be policed though as not every shop has say a Hobbytown style receipt system). I don't know if they still require that or not though. When in doubt, email Revell and see what they say.

Is that one of the diecast Revell Bullit Dodges?

Big Ugly Import Car Killer

I don't know. I suppose I am blessed to live in a region where the contests don't have that kind of favoratism for the most part, but given that I don't enter very many car only shows, I haven't necessarily seen the results of a dedicated car show recently. Granted I am only just getting back into car models, but in my region with the general model shows I have done, the numbers attracted aren't where they are on the East coast or the denser parts of the midwest. As such, local members have to enter the shows to swell the ranks a little. Generally, the members visiting from other regions welcome the participation as they like going up against the local talent to see who really can build the best models. When the average distance between Omaha and other major cities with clubs big enough to host such contests is anywhere from 120 to 250 miles (meaning two to four hour drives one way) and bad weather can sometimes affect those plans, a contest table with no local members entering due to a ban on such things to let the visitors have all the fun can look somewhat barren. Logistically, a model contest in a certain area at least where I live is trying to attract participation from the local people as well as visitors. So a local potentially interested in joining a club might not want to join if it means he can't participate in the big show. As I said, in larger population regions, there might be a need for a ban, but every club is a little different. I would say if there IS such a problem, it will rear its ugly head pretty quick. And if it happens, the problem will either ultimately correct itself or the show will die. In my case, there was one show in a neighboring state I attended for many years. I mainly went since it gave me an opportunity to get out of town for the weekend and enjoy myself. I would pour my skills into something and build to a high level in my category only to at best get 2nd or 3rd even when the local guy who won (and was a friend of mine) said I should have gotten first. But, I had none of it. I said if he was judged to have the better model, he should deserve the award. In these years, typically the category we were competing in had plenty of subjects and I said I preferred to placing second or third in a well represented category than getting first in a category with a tiny handful of models. Eventually, I did start hitting the firsts at this show with my models. But, it was a little weird when a model of mine at a recent show got awarded higher than a friends who I KNEW was built better (I could see the flaws on mine and they were BIG flaws). So I had to wonder if maybe I had begun benefiting from a "good ole boy" network (or the new crop of judges just didn't know how to judge). In the end though, whether one wins or not all we really get is a small plaque or a ribbon showing our place. Most of my plaques don't sit out for long (a year at most) before getting boxed up. It is nice to get a win, the claps of approval and the recognition, but then it is back to square one trying to figure out what to do next anyway. And I am still left with the model that I enjoyed building and it now occupies a space on my shelf. Ultimately though, I model to have fun. The contest experience is mostly just to show off my work in public so I can talk to other modelers about it (or ask other modelers about their work). To me, THAT is the main reason I go to these shows, not the ribbon or plaque necessarily.

Well, if your bro-in-law were driving a 911, you could really have some fun at his expense and call it a Beetle (as in VW beetle, which is what the 911 evolved from). I suppose you could say his 924 is a Beetle with the engine at the wrong end. I pronounce it Tam-eee-ya. But, personally I take the arguement like "Tom Ay To, Tom Ahh To". I've heard it both ways and both sound comfortable.

I am very tempted to enter although I haven't done a car in years. The Mustang GT is tempting, but I probably won't do it for this as I prefer doing the Bullit Mustang instead of the standard boxing. The 68 Charger is a possibility as either Blade's 68 Charger or the bad guys ride from Bullitt (also a black charger). But, admittedly the COPO Nova has me tempted to build it and do something a bit silly (I'll let you know what it is if I do it).

Just got this from FSM: Hobbico acquires Revell Germany Hobbico Inc., based in Champaign, Ill., announced today that it has acquired Revell Germany. Revell Germany was spun off as a separate company in 2006, and Hobbico has owned the U.S. Revell operation since 2007. "We are pleased to reunite the Revell brand under one ownership," Hobbico President Wayne Hemming said. "Now Revell can proceed with a worldwide strategy for growth of the core plastic-model business. "We also view this as an excellent foundation to expand the distribution of our other brands and products into the European market." After starting the original U.S. company in 1945, Revell founder Lou Glaser established the German operation in 1956. Since then, Revell Germany has been a popular brand in Europe for plastic model kits, paints, tools and accessories. For the last four years, the company has also been a player in the European radio-control vehicle market. "Hobbico's acquisition of Revell Germany creates an enormous opportunity for our company and our employees," Revell Germany President Hans Remfert said.

Race car kits are more likely to have figures than street cars. Monogram did it with four of their stock cars in the early 1990s (the Stock Car Plus series) and Tamiya's 2001 Ford Focus rally car has figures of McRae and Grist in it (I believe the rally driver figures are available seperately now). Both AMT and Monogram's Indycars also had figures. Part of the problem Monogram ran into with their driver figures in the stock cars though is the helmet and goggle configuration was very much late 1980s style. So when drivers began going to full faced helmets with the hose ducts leading to the cool air boxes, it dated the figures a bit badly and they quietly got dropped around 1991. AMT/Ertl's Indycars from 1988-89 also looked like they borrowed molds from the 1970s as the helmets didn't look current to that period (they could be modified of course). Proper sculpting of the figure I imagine is one of the reasons why they went by the wayside after about the early 1960s. For a tooler to do a figure requires a different amount of skill than a car body. At one time, both were hand done affairs, but pantagraphing technology was improving in the late 1960s and 70s, so it was probably considered better to focus on that aspect for money savings. It does look like in MPCs case though in the 1970s, they added the figures as a way to add "value" to some of their kits that were warmed over reissues, such as the Happy Days and Kotter repops of cars like the Monkeemobile (they did something similar with the suited alien figure in the Space 1999 total revamp of the Moonscope). Injection molding technology of the time did sort of limit what poses can be done with figures though. The Japanese and Chinese firms have been upping what can be done with figures today, but while 1/35 armor models seem to be embracing that, car models seem left out in the cold. I admit painting a figure is not the easiest thing. But, it is a skill like any other. Besides, I know some modelers that can do great things with figures that would probably scratch their heads when it comes to doing a great gloss paintjob with no orange peel on a car model. As with anything, it takes practice.

A muscle car can be MADE into a street machine. But as we see above, not all street machines come from muscle cars (thank goodness as that Smart car Lambo is UGLY!).

Believe me, Dibbles is still around as my brother and sister manage the place (they didn't back when I was a kid as the ownership has changed a couple times since the 70s). Granted the pickings for car models are a bit light there since they remain mostly train centric. But they have some stuff, as well as a good selection of paint and tools. Concerning that little Monogram kit, it certainly has a Mother's rig "influence" to it. The light and siren placements look right. It just needs an air horn on the passenger side roof and some flashers on the sides of the hood. The hood of course needs to be smoothed over and the bubble side windows need to go as well, but it could make a decent replica. These 1/32 vans seem to be scarce today. I've only seen built ones pop up on eBay with any frequency and have never seen one at a kit swap meet. I guess they all got built.

There was certainly an influence from what I can see. Monogram's Snap Tite line as I recall came out circa 1977-78 and they did two vans in the 1/32 line. The ambulance was essentially their custom van kit with the ambulance top bolted to the roof (and I think a one piece ambulance interior as well). I built two of those when I was a kid (I think I acquired one at Dibbles Hobbies in San Antonio in fact). I hadn't seen the film until I was a teenager in the 1980s, but since I had a couple cousins working in a volunteer fire department and with Emergency! on at the time, my mind was a bit warped that way. The Vanbulance as I recall came out about the same year (did the Vandal come first or was it the Vanbulance, THEN the Vandal?). You know, with all this talk about vans with the Vantasy van from AMT and other stuff, a van specific group build might be kind of cool. One could do anything from the old beater paint truck to a custom ambulance as I see it.

I know "Holy Resurrected Thread Batman"! But I've been eyeballing the Revell Car Craft van kit in my stash and pondering a build of Mother's rig myself (which is why I acquired the kit in the first place, at least for a Mother "inspired" Ambulance rig). Did those better pictures of the van ever surface? In some ways the conversion looks reasonably straight forward. But I see the passenger side has windows (have to add those), the light box on top will need to be added (maybe alter one from a Vanbulance, or an AMT Ford Matilda), turn the four headlight grill into an eight headlight one and I haven't even gotten to the interior modifications yet.