NEW! An advance and detailed look at the final production version of the new Moebius Models 1961 Pontiac Ventura kit....

[Bob Ellis]

Apparently, the Moebius box cover is from the 1961 Pontiac brochure.

[High octane]

Tim! Thanks so much for this review! It looks just as good as when I saw up close and personal the final test shot at this past NNL East. One of, if not THE BEST Moebius car kit I've seen-------I can't find a single thing wrong with it!

I definitely have one on order...........I'll probably pick up a second kit as well for good measure, it's that good!

Don't worry Bill, as some rivet counters WILL find something wrong with the kit, as they do every kit that hits the shelves. It's a
"given!"

[carrucha]

This looks like a must have kit.  Thanks for the write up and pictures.

[IJ001]

Where do I sign?

Just after me !!

Ian.

[Agent G]

G

[DaveM]

I'm trying to thin the stash, but I'll buy three or four of these.  They look great.  I love the extra seats too.  

[unclescott58]

Again thanks to Tim for showing us detailed photos of this kit. And thanks to Dave and the others at Moebuis for turning out such a great kit. My only real worry about this kits when seeing photos of the test shots, were the 8 lug wheels. In Tim's photographs they look great. I'm very pleased. Another home run, as far as I'm concerned, from Moebuis. 

[sfhess]

Is this supposed to be a 421 or 389 engine. I read that dealers installed the 421s in the '61 Pontiacs.

It could be either one.  Most Pontiac V8s looked pretty much the same externally.  Heads and intake evolved over the years.

(This is a GENERAL comment.  I know there were lots of changes later, but the basic architecture remained the same)

[Ryan S.]

Thanks for the reviews and the comments. I haven't bought or built anything from Moebius yet, but I'm a sucker for the 60's bubble tops so I might have to spring for this one.

[drodg]

Thanks Tim once again.  

[W-409]

This looks like a really nice kit with very fine detailing and the subject is very interesting too. I will have to get me a couple of these for sure.

But... There is one huge problem with this kit and I can't understand why as this kit is otherwise so good and looks like the guys at Moebius have actually planned how to make it easy to build...Other than this spot. The windows. Why oh why they have that chrome trim molded in them?! Same thing is wrong with the Ford Pickups, but these windows are even harder to BMF as the window has some more shapes on it. One little slip while you're foiling those windows will ruin them and then you have to buy new windows, or a completely new kit. That is a mile-long minus in my eyes on an otherwise super fine kit... Why it is done this way?

I will be buying at least one of them, but I just hope I don't have to order replacement windows more than once.

[modelercarl]

Great review (as usual) of a great Moebius kit! 

I have really been looking forward to this one and have had two on order for what seems like a year.  When I got out of the Army in August 1964 after almost 3 years in Germany, I go home and discovered that my sister and brother-in-law had one of these in blue with the bucket seats.  I fell in love with it and because I didn't have the money for a new car I started looking all over Detroit and the suburbs for one of these.  Finally found a red one with bench seat that the original owner was selling and it quickly became mine.

Absolutely loved this car, kept it for 3 years before selling it to a neighbor kid.  Of all the cars I have owned this is the only one I later regretted selling.

 

[Luc Janssens]

another winner, thanks for the review Tim!

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Thanks for another great overview. Tim - this is the one I really want Moebius to nail, and your pics give me cause to remain hopeful on that front.

And as for the ever-pathetic and pitiful stirring of the pot over "rivet-counters" before ANY criticism in this thread  - 'cause y'all just gotta have somebody in a bad-guy role, apparently - I've only had your number for what, 2 1/2  years now?

(That'd be #9, specifically, in the link below)

[mike 51]

 

And as for the ever-pathetic and pitiful stirring of the pot over "rivet-counters" before ANY criticism in this thread  - 'cause y'all just gotta have somebody in a bad-guy role....

What you fail to realize (maybe) is that a few isolated "negative" comments about new products will cause the manufactures to quit the industry,leaving us with no new car models (ignoring Round 2 of course which has no appparent interest in new kits).  

The fact that this has been proven to be untrue countless times doesn't seem to matter to the "defenders" though........

BTW. anyone know when is Moebius going to fix those F100 grilles?   That's a good way of judging their true interest in putting out the best products they can... 

 

Edited December 1, 2015 by mike 51

[unclescott58]

What you fail to realize (maybe) is that a few isolated "negative" comments about new products will cause the manufactures to quit the industry,leaving us with no new car models (ignoring Round 2 of course which has no appparent interest in new kits).  

The fact that this has been proven to be untrue countless times doesn't seem to matter to the "defenders" though........

BTW. anyone know when is Moebius going to fix those F100 grilles?   That's a good way of judging their true interest in putting out the best products they can... 

 

What's wrong with which Moebuis F100 grille? I have both kits. And they both look good to me.

[mike 51]

What's wrong with which Moebuis F100 grille? I have both kits. And they both look good to me.

If you are satisfied with how they look, you might not want to read the following...

 

The headlight doors are far too big (especially obvious on the 69) because whoever measured the grilles did a very poor job...google pictures of the real thing and then look at yours.  Even a casual observer should have noticed the grilles are divided into equal sections on the real trucks.

To those of us that have seen (or owned) these trucks everyday for decades it's just too obvious to overlook or ignore.  

Edited December 1, 2015 by mike 51

[unclescott58]

If you are satisfied with how they look, you might not want to read the following...

 

The headlight doors are far too big (especially obvious on the 69) because whoever measured the grilles did a very poor job...google pictures of the real thing and then look at yours.  Even a casual observer should have noticed the grilles are divided into equal sections on the real trucks.

To those of us that have seen (or owned) these trucks everyday for decades it's just too obvious to overlook or ignore.  

I went back and read the review/thread on the Moebuis Fords. I can see from the posts on the '69, it's a bit off. But, for me it's not far enough off that it looks wrong to me until it's pointed out. For what ever reason, I guess I just not picky enough. And that's not to put down those who are. But, for me, everything Moebius has done so far has delighted me. They are not like Trumpeter kits or others that I can see the flaws right away.

By the way, my Dad had a '69 Sport Custom. Have fond memories of that truck.

Again, I'm looking forward to Moebius' '61 Ventura. And to my eyes, everything looks good in the photos I'm seeing. I am wondering? Were bucket seats optional in that year's Ventura? I know they were for the Bonneville. But, for the Ventura I'm not so sure. I'll have to do a little research. But, whether bucket are a correct option or not. I'll be building my Ventura with them. I like buckets much better than benches.

[unclescott58]

Just looked at the prestige version of the '61 Pontiac brochure. They only show bucket seats in a Bonneville. But, on the page dealing with options, they state that bucket seats are available on the Bonneville convertible. Then in parentheses below that, they state that bucket seats can be special ordered on all '61 Pontiacs at extra cost.

So the buckets are a go for me for sure.

 

[niteowl7710]

What you fail to realize (maybe) is that a few isolated "negative" comments about new products will cause the manufactures to quit the industry,leaving us with no new car models (ignoring Round 2 of course which has no appparent interest in new kits). 

Oh no Sir, Round2 has in fact tooled up several new kits, just Batmobile excluded they've all been SciFi.  As a matter of fact in December they'll be releasing a 1/48 kit from Space:1999 that has over 400 parts and an MSRP of $108.99...

Meanwhile the automotive hobby is battling the $30 ceiling because 79% of their customer base starts every conversation about kit purchases with "Back in MY day when Pactra Spray paint was a quarter and model its were a NICKEL!"  Round2 has simply seen where they're investments will be most rewarded, with SciFi builders who are no strangers to spending money it's new kits.  With El Cheapo car builders they get Mistalgia box art, a mini box, and maybe some pad printed tires and then slapped with the full new kit price tag.  By and large this seems to tickle car modelers to death and why should Round2 stop bilking their customers for the same kit they already have 8 of that they will never build, when they can get a 9th with fancy box art that reminds them of their childhood, puppies and freshly mown grass?

Back at the matter at hand, Moebius gets two well deserved thumbs up and another $24.50 of my cashola for listening to criticism over the wheels and body and correcting the problems.  However I take issue with anyone that says these kits are the "Gold Standard" of anything until Moebius adopts the chrome runner attachment that are the SoP of Japanese kit manufacturers that attaches trim pieces, wheels, et al to the runner via a nub on the BOTTOM/BACK of the part rather than directly to the part.  It's not actually 1961 anymore, and for this chrome destroying attachment points to still be considered acceptable is appalling.  For anyone who got one of the Tamiya 300SLs go look at how the chrome trim is attached, then take another look at Tim's excellent photos and tell me which way you want your parts attached.  I for one am thoroughly depressed at the though of trying to touch up, re-BMF, Alclad, or have parts re-chromed like this in 2016.  I will happily pay $35 for this kit if I never have to see direct part attachment to trim rings, center caps, and bumpers ever again in my lifetime.

[Nova-ss]

WOW...looks amazing.can't wait to get my hand and creative juices on it...stock it won't be.

[Mr Stock]

Yep Im really liking the look of this one, another one to get shipped over when released.

[John Goschke]

Oh no Sir, Round2 has in fact tooled up several new kits, just Batmobile excluded they've all been SciFi.  As a matter of fact in December they'll be releasing a 1/48 kit from Space:1999 that has over 400 parts and an MSRP of $108.99...

Meanwhile the automotive hobby is battling the $30 ceiling because 79% of their customer base starts every conversation about kit purchases with "Back in MY day when Pactra Spray paint was a quarter and model its were a NICKEL!"  Round2 has simply seen where they're investments will be most rewarded, with SciFi builders who are no strangers to spending money it's new kits.  With El Cheapo car builders they get Mistalgia box art, a mini box, and maybe some pad printed tires and then slapped with the full new kit price tag.  By and large this seems to tickle car modelers to death and why should Round2 stop bilking their customers for the same kit they already have 8 of that they will never build, when they can get a 9th with fancy box art that reminds them of their childhood, puppies and freshly mown grass?

Back at the matter at hand, Moebius gets two well deserved thumbs up and another $24.50 of my cashola for listening to criticism over the wheels and body and correcting the problems.  However I take issue with anyone that says these kits are the "Gold Standard" of anything until Moebius adopts the chrome runner attachment that are the SoP of Japanese kit manufacturers that attaches trim pieces, wheels, et al to the runner via a nub on the BOTTOM/BACK of the part rather than directly to the part.  It's not actually 1961 anymore, and for this chrome destroying attachment points to still be considered acceptable is appalling.  For anyone who got one of the Tamiya 300SLs go look at how the chrome trim is attached, then take another look at Tim's excellent photos and tell me which way you want your parts attached.  I for one am thoroughly depressed at the though of trying to touch up, re-BMF, Alclad, or have parts re-chromed like this in 2016.  I will happily pay $35 for this kit if I never have to see direct part attachment to trim rings, center caps, and bumpers ever again in my lifetime.

A hearty "Hear, hear!" on all points, sir niteowl! "Childhood, puppies, and freshly mown grass," – that paragraph is priceless! Thanks for my smile for the day.

[Brett Barrow]

Let's see, the new 48th scale Eagle, substantial retooling work to Moon Base Alpha kit, 1/1000 Reliant, 1/350 original  Enterprise, 1/1000 Refit NX-01 Enterprise, Thor, Superman and Wolverine figure kits, several new-tool ships added to Cadet Series Star Trek line, several resin kits out (Alien Kane) or on the way (Wizard of Oz)...     And there's more new tooling in the pipeline and I'm sure I forgot a few.   Round2 isn't doing new tool cars, they've said that their investment in new tooling can have more impact in sci-fi where there are fewer kits to choose from (in their own lines and also in the market in general) and also they spent a great deal of money to acquire the AMT/MPC/Polar Lights/Lindberg tooling and they're going to run what they can and get as much out of it as they can first. 

[Casey]

 criticism in this thread 

I got this, Chuck.   

First off, looking at Tim's pics, a can't help but think how much this kit reminds me a lot of AMT's '62 Pontiac Catalina kit, from the parts breakdown to how they are all designed. That's a good thing, as I hold AMT's '62 Catalina in very high regard. I'm sure the vast majority of people who purchase this kit will be more than satisfied. I don't see much on this kits which truly pushes the envelope so to speak, except maybe the eight-lug wheels, but I will wait to see them assembled to see how effective molding all the wheel parts separately looks. AMT's eight-lug wheels aren't exactly something which knocks your socks off, so these only need to be marginally better IMHO.

Alright, on to the critiquing. Until I see a few kits assembled, I will use the built up box art car for comparison to a real car. Not sure if that red box art car is based on an earlier test shot or not, but it's pictured as an accurate representation of what's inside the box, so it's fair game for comparisons.

Using Tim's pic of the box art car and a lower-angle (which will no doubt result in some counter-opinions regarding the angle of viewing), we see these two:

 

I'll focus on differences I see in the front end for now, starting with...

1) The grille surround-- thinner and finer on the real car, heavier and more visible on the model.

2) The Pontiac arrowhead emblem at the forward face of the hood-- not sure if this is due to the overly thick grille surround or if it's just a tad bit too large

3) The headlight surrounds-- on the model, they protrude too much, and it gives the car that 'bug-eyed' look on the built model. Admittedly, they look to be a bit more recessed when viewing the individual part in Tim's pics, so maybe this was addressed between the built model and finished kit? You can see on the real car how the tops of the headlight surrounds meld tangentially into the grille surround, while the built up's headlight surround tops appear to be flush with the forward-most edge of the grille surround.

4) The body-colored strip between the grille and bumper looks a tad bit too thick. It looks worse when comparing the black car to the red built model, but compare it to a yellow car and it still appears a bit too thick to my eyes:

 

5) The clear corner/signal light in the front bumpers 'slot'- there are non on the model, and I don't see them among the clear molded, parts, either. Am I not seeing them or are they not included?

6) This one's hard to tell, but the outer ends of the bumper, where they curl up, look a tad bit too 'smiley' to me and a bit exaggerated, too.

7) Speaking of the bumper, it's a shame there's a prominent mold seam on each side. Not gonna be an easy fix. 

 

Again, this is a really nice kit, and I don't see any major hiccups, but I do see some details which aren't quite accurate or appear to be missing altogether (those clear bumper light lenses), so I'm looking forward to seeing a few of these built. 

Edited December 2, 2015 by Casey