Greg Myers Posted November 7, 2015 Posted November 7, 2015 (edited) I know Revell re-released the Grand Sport Corvette. I believe it was just "final stock" as the bags inside were marked " Accurate Miniature". So where did the molds go ? Edited November 7, 2015 by Greg Myers
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 7, 2015 Posted November 7, 2015 ...and the AM McLaren M8 tooling. People whine about it being "too hard" but I think it's one of the most spectacular race-car models ever produced.
Harry Joy Posted November 7, 2015 Posted November 7, 2015 (edited) Accurate Miniatures kits were great, and yeah, they are not hard. They are, however, really fiddly. The designers were serious fans of their subjects, and wanted the builder to have a deep, deep understanding of the car or airplane when done. That's the way I always saw it, especially after building the toilet on the B-25.Pretty sure all the molds survived, but are scattered around. Italeri has a bunch. Edited November 7, 2015 by Harry Joy
Scott - Elm City Hobbies Posted November 7, 2015 Posted November 7, 2015 Not sure what happened to the car molds, but Academy now owns the aircraft molds, and have started re-issuing some of the aircraft. They may have either also bought the auto molds (but have never seen them do a car model) or sold them off to someone else.
1930fordpickup Posted November 7, 2015 Posted November 7, 2015 If Revell owns them they will wait a few years to re release the kits. Has not been that long from the last time around they hit the shelves. Supply and demand.
Greg Myers Posted November 8, 2015 Author Posted November 8, 2015 If Revell owns them they will wait a few years to re release the kits. Has not been that long from the last time around they hit the shelves. Supply and demand. See first OP
Howard Cohen Posted November 8, 2015 Posted November 8, 2015 Academy may have the molds if they did the original molding work for Accurate Miniatures. Academy does a lot of molding for other companies including Italeri and Fujimi. I have built some Academy models for people and the package often has the name of another company.
SfanGoch Posted November 8, 2015 Posted November 8, 2015 I wish that Eduard would consider reissuing the PE which came with the AM and Revell releases. That's what is almost never found when getting opened secondhand kits on evilBay.
louie Posted November 8, 2015 Posted November 8, 2015 Excellent question. I would also like to know what happened to the molds. I am a big fan of the accurate miniatures car models. Have a few, Built a few, would like to buy more. The price that I see on most of the car kits (corvette and McLaren ) are around 40 dollars give or take a few. Not to bad but I certainly would love to see these kits get re-issued someday. Just one more thing that has been on my wish list that I would like to cross off. Thank you. Jeff
1930fordpickup Posted November 8, 2015 Posted November 8, 2015 See first OP Looking at the box art i do not see limited edition on it any place. That leads me to think they have them. If it was a one time release they would have put that on the box.
Scott - Elm City Hobbies Posted November 8, 2015 Posted November 8, 2015 Academy may have the molds if they did the original molding work for Accurate Miniatures. Academy does a lot of molding for other companies including Italeri and Fujimi. I have built some Academy models for people and the package often has the name of another company. Nah, Academy bought the molds outright from whomever had the old Accurate Miniatures molds. I have only seen aircraft so far, but since Academy never did any auto kits it wouldn't surprise me that they wouldn't be interest in the car molds
Scott - Elm City Hobbies Posted November 8, 2015 Posted November 8, 2015 Looking at the box art i do not see limited edition on it any place. That leads me to think they have them. If it was a one time release they would have put that on the box. When Revell issued that kit, they were issued, and out of production very quickly. I think I got my initial allotment on the Revell Preferred Buyer's program and once they hit the open market, they were snapped up pretty quickly and then subsequently out of production again. Which would lead me to believe that Revell doesn't own the auto molds, or at least didn't at that time. No telling who has the auto molds now. Whether Academy bought them when they got the aircraft molds, or whether they were sold off to someone else.
SfanGoch Posted November 8, 2015 Posted November 8, 2015 When Revell issued that kit, they were issued, and out of production very quickly. Don't you think Revell would've continued producing this kit, considering its popularity and that it was selling out so quickly, if it was in possession of the molds?The kit was out of production ever since AM went out of business. Revell never had the molds and never produced any new kits. It was all final existing stock boxed up by Revell.
Crazy Ed Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 Seems to me there are still plenty of the AM kits floating around unbuilt, Corvette and McLaren M8B's alike to fill the needs of builders for a while at least. I think the rush to the Revell release was inpart a belief that it was a New Tool Kit as I recall several dissapointed reviews that it was simply a rebox.
Greg Myers Posted November 9, 2015 Author Posted November 9, 2015 I believe the "Rush to Revell " WAS due to the fact that many of us DID know it was only a "Final Stock' release and didn't want to miss out on a last chance at these great kits. The "Accurate Miniature" marking on the bags telling you they weren't bagged by Revell. and the question remains, who has the molds ?
Exotics_Builder Posted November 9, 2015 Posted November 9, 2015 I believe the "Rush to Revell " WAS due to the fact that many of us DID know it was only a "Final Stock' release and didn't want to miss out on a last chance at these great kits. The "Accurate Miniature" marking on the bags telling you they weren't bagged by Revell. and the question remains, who has the molds ? As Greg has said many time in this post. Revell claimed that they acquired the remaining stock, not the molds. If I recollect correctly, it was considerably less than 5,000 units. They apparently saw an opportunity with the stock on hand. As stated at the time, the reissue of these by AM did not have people rushing to the LHS to buy. But it would be interesting to know if anyone did acquire the molds. At least I have about 4 extra Vettes and a couple of the McLarens if I want to use to them for anything.
Brett Barrow Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 They were bagged kits found in AccMin's warehouse and were sold during the sheriff's sale after they ceased operation. Revell just had to make the paper goods - box, instructions, decals, etc. As for the molds, I've been told they are at the same facility in Korea where they were last made, the same facility Academy uses, but that this doesn't mean Academy owns them or has any plans to reissue them. I don't believe Academy actually physically owns any of the AccMin molds, they simply own the name and trademark and licence the tooling from the molding facility.
SfanGoch Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 What's a good set of replacement tires for the GS kit? The tires in the Revell rebox have a pronounced concave dip running around the entire circumference. I have ten of the AM releases and none of the tires in these kits have this problem.
Brett Barrow Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 Have you checked Historic Racing Miniatures? Maybe something they have will work.
SfanGoch Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 Have you checked Historic Racing Miniatures? Maybe something they have will work. No dice with HRM. Nothing remotely close. The only alternative, it seems, are Carrera 85366 1/24 Replacement tires for the Chevrolet® Corvette® Grand Sport Mecom Racing Team, Sebring 12h 1964. They're slot car tires. Better than nothing, I guess.
Dann Tier Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I used tires from a Fujimi Ford GT40 on mine!
RancheroSteve Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 What's a good set of replacement tires for the GS kit? The tires in the Revell rebox have a pronounced concave dip running around the entire circumference. I have ten of the AM releases and none of the tires in these kits have this problem.Modelhaus, maybe? http://www.modelhaus.com/index.php?c=0&p=69210
Greg Myers Posted May 17, 2019 Author Posted May 17, 2019 The Corvettes mostly. Yes Monogram ? Revell sold off their remaining stock, but the molds?
Matt Bacon Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 Their early Mustangs (P-51s, not Fords) were works of art, and still haven’t resurfaced. Italeri re-released the TBF/M Avenger and B-25 Mitchell, but that could have been selling off bagged plastic rather than running new kits from the tooling. I don’t where AM kits we’re moulded, but best hope would be that the tools are still with some Far Eastern production house. Worst case they’ve been recycled for the sake of a few $000s by the creditors when AM disappeared... best, M.
Mark Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 Didn't Academy announce a reissue of the Corvette kits not long ago?
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