Zoom Zoom

And as much as I'd love that kit (and I would buy several), I'm not at all interested in it being a $100 super-duper with white metal sprinkles on top product. $28.99 by Moebius with 1990's Revell-level detail and fidelity, sign me up. I'm a typical car modeler. I like what I like, but I'm pretty cheap thrifty.

Funny you ask; I'd buy two $71 Aston Martins before I'd buy one $5 double dragster. The main value to me is subject matter. Guarantee that's the same with those who value the DD kit far more than the DBS. I already know the Aston builds into a beautiful model with relative ease. I also know how to get an Aston Martin kit for under $45 delivered to my doorstep from halfway around the world. Forget the LHS. They wanted $45 for one of the reissued Round2 double kits in the tin box. My new Fujimi Ferrari 458 lists for the same as the Aston DBS in Japan. The DBS is a bargain by comparison. It has window masks, metal transfers, and photoetch included. Fujimi wants 2400 yen for their optional photoetch, on top of an overly-simplified 3800 yen Ferrari kit. The interior bucket on the 458 is shockingly simplified; no footwells, integral interior door panels w/the tub, seat bottoms molded to the floor. Grille engraving is so weak it's as if they're forcing builders to buy that photoetch. I got my Ferrari for $42 and change, no buyer's remorse, a few details bug me but it's the subject matter that draws me in. The body proportions look right-on. I already know it looks right when finished. Even with a lot of questionable simplifications and too-expensive price, it's far more worth it to me than a double dragster. There is some consolation that Revell is doing the same car, should be available for less $ and will have far more detail. So my second one will not be a Fujimi, it will be a Revell. And perhaps a third... It all boils down to this: every modeler has limits to what they'll spend, and they'll spend what it takes on subject matter that moves them if the price seems fair. If that results in the model company selling enough to make a profit, they'll survive and make more. If not...they won't.

That didn't take long; shipped on the 26th and on my doorstep today Not bad for 780 yen to ship a kit halfway around the world. Friends who ordered and paid for EMS (overnight/fast) shipping got theirs a week earlier, an option that roughly doubles shipping cost. Guess it's time to fire up the camera and get some before, during, and after shots. This one just got pushed to the front burner. It's a simple kit (88 pieces, that includes the 4 polycaps for the wheels), interior is simplified...for the same price in Japan as Aston DBS, this kit is inferior by a good margin. Regardless, I think it's going to look excellent finished and be far easier to get finished than the Revell 612 turned out to be.

Hmmmm...

Excellent work, gentlemen, and great models This definitely helps me with my '62 which is on the bench as we speak. It's a pretty impressive model.

I doubt we'll ever see any new 1/8 scale kits. The market just isn't the same as it used to be. I'd like to see more tooling modifications; why not backdate the 1/8 Trans Am into an SD455, or the original '70 T/A? Or even the ubiquitous '77 T/A. Why not take the '84 Corvette and make a '90's ZR1 out of it? Or a Grand Sport? Take that '65 Corvette and Jag XKE and make 'em into convertibles? Heck...the 1/12 '67 Corvette and '57 Bel Air are ripe for convertibles. Or make a 1/12 '69 Camaro COPO or B-M car? If they won't even consider "easy" modifications like the above, you can be sure they won't be making any all-new kits in the large scales. The diecast market pretty much took care of that sliver of the market.

Very nice!

And also make sure it's not the other way; I've seen the mispriced items much higher than they should be as well. Only seen it a couple times in all these years, but it happens...they use labels, and don't utilize the barcodes...really old fashioned way of doing business, these days.

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed building the few Lindberg kits I have built and definitely not a knock to those who enjoy them, but in the grand scheme of things...they are so plentiful and inexpensive and will remain that way for a loooong time before their potential "loss" will mean much to anyone. I was a little miffed that if they are gone that I wouldn't get the reissued Jag D Type...a crude kit for sure, but still good for what it is (no other D Type in 1/24 scale for less than expensive resin price), but then I saw what the last few sold for very recently on Feebay, quite a bit less than retail would have been...also a bit sad that the police Charger seems DOA or MIA or whatever, considering we're going on 5 years now since the stupid car was announced and we still haven't seen it...every day it gets delayed is a day I care a little bit less about ever building it. It went from being "new & hot" when announced in 2005, to "been there, done that" by the time we found out Lindberg wasn't doing anything...yada yada, internet rumors, blah blah. After being burned by Lindberg so many times with announced kits that never materialized, the only thing I will ever believe about them is product on the shelves...or not. I have zero trust and they have zero credibility in my book when it comes to the games they have played with announcements vs. product on the shelves. In the meantime I'm building brand new kits of hot subjects put out by healthy model car companies that announce a product and have it on the shelves within months. Any model car company that cannot do that or chooses not to, is well down my list of credibility. Put your money where your mouth is, or let the competitors eat your lunch or steal your lunch money.

This I'm looking forward to! Nice work so far, excellent colour choice I have the same kit, almost got built once...keep thinking I need to scrounge up some better wheels/tires.

Clearance items are all at the discretion of the particular store you are in. I went out this AM to see 90+ exotic cars line up locally for a charity run, and went by the HL a couple blocks away. They had a decent selection and several good deals on clearance models (basically seemed like 40% off original prices), but ultimately I only came home with two bottles of paint. The lady in front of me gave me her extra 25% off coupon I did spy an underpriced GT500KR kit that I may pick up when the next 40% off coupon hits.

All this drama over...Lindberg ? Is anything they've ever done worth more than 10 bux? Ever see people fight over a rare/expensive Lindberg kit at a show? They aren't exactly the crown jewels of the hobby. What's next, fighting over toothpicks and cotton swabs? Narcoleptics anonymous, here I come

Thanks! I didn't like the styling of the 612 much when it debuted, but as the years went on they improved it and in the right colors w/the right wheels, it went from boring to attractive. This is the only kit; Revell AG makes it, there is a Revell US boxed version, same kit inside, but the US version I looked through suffered from a lot more sink marks, and the original version has plenty already. Hood fit has always been an issue due to how the hinges attach under the dash. Hoods tend to be warped on many of them. The hinges can be manipulated so the hood will close, takes a lot of test fitting. Getting the interior/engine/chassis assembly up into the body right near the end is frustrating, as the chassis doesn't want to fit in the back, the side glass keeps the interior from settling properly, the package shelf hits the rear window channel. Lots of frustrating fitting work on a lot of parts that are already painted and should fit a lot better. Keep your sanity and don't give up and it's a nice model, but its certainly not up to more modern standards. The upside is it has a ton of detail that is missing from modern kits from Fujimi and Tamiya. Too bad it doesn't go together like a Fujimi or Tamiya kit.

How did I miss this one? Nice model

Fantastic build! I've always been fond of triple black, or black/black vinyl top, red interior combinations on the 71/72 LTD. It has the clean/classy lines that look so good in that combination.

Thanks! The paint is Tamiya pure white with no clearcoat. Never a problem so far with this paint yellowing, including any that have been cleared. My preferred method of painting Tamiya solid colors (and clearcoat layers) is to lay down a foundation of color from decanted paint sprayed through the airbrush, built up slowly. The final couple of wet coats I like to apply directly from a fresh can of paint.

Thanks for all the replies

Anyone who has seen a real Batmobile in person knows the stripes are more of a fluorescent orange than red...that said, the "amber" color in the kit may be more accurate than red. The stripes photograph as red, but in real life they're much brighter.

Thanks! Yes it's the Revell AG kit, from the first issue. Amazingly the two I have didn't have warped hoods like most people experienced. It really is a turd of a kit overall, compared to other kits of modern manufacture. I do realize Revell AG has been upping their game along the way, this is better than their 360 Modena, and their California looks much better. The Superamerica was a breeze in comparison to this.

This one was somewhat a labor of love; inspired by some photos but dealing with a kit that is pretty terrible. I love how it came out, but getting to this point wasn't fun. I customized the front end somewhat; opened up the corner vents and used mesh for the grilles. Wheels are 20" BBS Challenge made by Scale Production. They are painted Alclad steel. Tried to finish this over the weekend but didn't quite get it done then, mostly because final assembly was awful. Nothing fits well; the body required a ton of cleanup/blocksanding before painting, parts like the chassis, side glass, hood hinges, headlight covers, taillights, door panels didn't fit well, requiring a lot of bending, cutting, and re-engineering by Dremel. It's really a terrible kit. I suggest building one of these only if you like the subject, otherwise save your sanity for something else

You sure don't read directions very well, do you?

Hope to finish this over the long weekend. Revell AG's 612 Scaglietti (not US release). Rough body on this one (US version is much worse, sink marks are awful), did a lot of smoothing and customized the front fascia much like the 599 GTO; will have mesh grill inserts. I configured it the way I wanted on Ferrari's online configurator (a fun time waster). Saw photos of 1:1 612's in white w/Challenge wheels, and when Scale Production did the wheels I was finally able to build this. Paint is Tamiya TS pure white and gloss black. Interior will be a reddish-brown color.

That's just plain beautiful in black Nice work!

Had it not been for that I may have been a lot more convinced of "model". Maybe...maybe not

It's in the great new Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA and it's being left as-is. Look Here