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

[Dave Metzner]

A Catalina is coming in the spring - we've shown a build-up of a test shot at the last Toledo and the last DAMM shows. It'll be a 421 SD car with the Pontiac script on the grille and parking light lenses engraved on the front bumper..

 

[Dave Metzner]

A decal won't work for the Pontiac script logo due to the grille texture..

Pretty certain that there will be a PE set coming for these kits.. that ought to solve the script problem for those who can invest in that set.

A little white/ gray/silver or light blue paint judiciously applied to the bumpers may work to represent the Parking light lenses..

Corrections are being made for future kits .. Not too sure that there is much I can do to fix the kits that are here now..

 

[Dave Metzner]

Regarding Parking lights - I just checked 3D files for these kits - guess what I found? Parking lights on front bumpers.. Being a curious old fart I grabbed my built-up Pontiac test shots, and, low & behold those parking lights are engraved in the front bumpers! I needed to look REAL HARD, but, those lights are engraved where they are supposed to be.. NOT engraved as  as deeply as I'd like, and we'll fix that on next run of kits.

Trust me they are there - the chrome plating may obscure them but the parking lights are where they ought to be...see 3D image attached here.

Guess this makes me one for two on obvious errors- Pontiac script is still missing as it was on the 3D

 

Edited December 4, 2015 by Dave Metzner

[Chuck Kourouklis]

I am really curious......all my life I have referred to building model kits as being a hobby.  Everybody else that I have ever discussed building kits with has referred to it as a hobby.  Brick and mortar stores that sell/sold model kits were hobby shops.  If this is wrong, please enlighten me and I will refrain from referring to the practice of building up styrene, and resin kits as models being "a hobby".  What else should it be called?

Nice side-step.

That you call it a hobby is not what's at issue.  That you CAPITALIZE it, and therefore strongly imply there's a certain uniform seriousness with which everybody should take it, and then use that profoundly arbitrary standard as a rationale to judge certain statements as "ridiculous", is what's at issue.

And quite clearly.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Regarding Parking lights - I just checked 3D files for these kits - guess what I found? Parking lights on front bumpers.. Being a curious old fart I grabbed my built-up Pontiac test shots, and, low & behold those parking lights are engraved in the front bumpers! I needed to look REAL HARD, but, those lights are engraved where they are supposed to be.. NOT engraved as  as deeply as I'd like, and we'll fix that on next run of kits.

Trust me they are there - the chrome plating may obscure them but the parking lights are where they ought to be...see 3D image attached here.

Guess this makes me one for two on obvious errors- Pontiac script is still missing as it was on the 3D

 

Uh, well, yeah, that's what I was trying to get at top of page 3, with my use of the same pic (possibly not with the best choice of words).  And the reason I'm going to try graphically manipulating and reducing a "Pontiac" script to decal stock is not to put it straight on the grille, but to trim out a little chrome "Pontiac"-shaped platform to put it on.  Won't quite match your corrected pieces but it'll beat nuthin', I think.

Deleted the 3D file graphic for brevity, but I really love those...

[unclescott58]

Pre-ordered one off of eBay this morning. Looking forward to it!

[Nova-ss]

wow..that is great Dave..thank you so much..Chris 

[bisc63]

Perfect kit? Nope. Are any of my stash of 500 or more kits "perfect" kits? Nope. Are they still fun and challenging to work with? Yep.

Will I be buying one of these? Nope. It will be impossible for me to buy less than two of these; likely three or four.

Dave and company, keep up the good ( and ever-improving) work!!!!!!

[gtx6970]

Perfect kit? Nope. Are any of my stash of 500 or more kits "perfect" kits? Nope. Are they still fun and challenging to work with? Yep.

Will I be buying one of these? Nope. It will be impossible for me to buy less than two of these; likely three or four.

Dave and company, keep up the good ( and ever-improving) work!!!!!!

I was in my local hobby shop last week . And I told him I want 2 of these right off the bat

[Jon Cole]

Regarding Parking lights - I just checked 3D files for these kits - guess what I found? Parking lights on front bumpers.. Being a curious old fart I grabbed my built-up Pontiac test shots, and, low & behold those parking lights are engraved in the front bumpers! I needed to look REAL HARD, but, those lights are engraved where they are supposed to be.. NOT engraved as  as deeply as I'd like, and we'll fix that on next run of kits.

Trust me they are there - the chrome plating may obscure them but the parking lights are where they ought to be...see 3D image attached here.

Guess this makes me one for two on obvious errors- Pontiac script is still missing as it was on the 3D

 

And that is why.... Moebius is one of the BEST (imho) model kit manufacturers out there! Keep 'em coming!

 

Edited December 11, 2015 by Jon Cole

[Mr Stock]

Just seen on Sean Svendsens facebook page that it looks like the Model King version of the Ventura/Catalina will be a Stock car version ...... very nice !!

[Art Anderson]

Just seen on Sean Svendsens facebook page that it looks like the Model King version of the Ventura/Catalina will be a Stock car version ...... very nice !!

Yes, Little Joe Weatherly's Nascar Grand National '61 Catalina  (for those who never followed "dark side" NASCAR, "Grand National" back before 1972 denoted NASCAR's top level series).

Art

[Nova-ss]

Absolutely. .totally agree with you.Model company's give us all a starting place..its great they fo this,cause if I had to scratch biuld ever piece then I'd build two models in my whole life.so I'm grateful they give us a starting place to either.just biuld it as they present it to us..or mod,mod,mod..it till we make what we want out of it.as a friend of mine says " ever model kit is just a box of parts..build what you want out of the box of parts"...true words.if I want more accurate model..then I do it.not the model company's.I will be getting a few of these  as well. ..Chris

ps...thank you Moebius and Dave..for your great starting places.I appreciate it and many others as well.

Perfect kit? Nope. Are any of my stash of 500 or more kits "perfect" kits? Nope. Are they still fun and challenging to work with? Yep.

Will I be buying one of these? Nope. It will be impossible for me to buy less than two of these; likely three or four.

Dave and company, keep up the good ( and ever-improving) work!!!!!!Absol

[Brett Barrow]

Yes, Little Joe Weatherly's Nascar Grand National '61 Catalina  (for those who never followed "dark side" NASCAR, "Grand National" back before 1972 denoted NASCAR's top level series).

Art

  

Best color pic I could find on the internet. 

[Impalow]

Regarding Parking lights - I just checked 3D files for these kits - guess what I found? Parking lights on front bumpers.. Being a curious old fart I grabbed my built-up Pontiac test shots, and, low & behold those parking lights are engraved in the front bumpers! I needed to look REAL HARD, but, those lights are engraved where they are supposed to be.. NOT engraved as  as deeply as I'd like, and we'll fix that on next run of kits.

Trust me they are there - the chrome plating may obscure them but the parking lights are where they ought to be...see 3D image attached here.

Guess this makes me one for two on obvious errors- Pontiac script is still missing as it was on the 3D

 

So cool to see the 3d model of this.. Thank you Dave for yet another great kit.  I know I asked Santa for a few of these, I see lots of 60's customs in our future.

[unclescott58]

Just got an email from Model Car Moutain that my pre-ordered Ventura is being shipped! Oh boy!

Edited December 22, 2015 by unclescott58

[SpeednSteven]

I am in for one if they are here by Christmas. I think there is a descrepancy in the instructions. The wheel hubs look like they should insert into the main wheel ring from behind to look right. The details in the rings and hubs suggest this. The rings have exposed bolt details and the hubs have round blobs that look like mounting points. I may be wrong but it is just my observation.

Agreed, the sequence is wrong. Rings,Outer wheel,hub.

[MrObsessive]

_{Got one on the way as well! In fact, I'll be getting a second one from Ron Bradley if he has them at our next CPMCC meeting. I want a Catalina too when it comes out. One can't have enough '61 cars after all!}

[Danno]

And here we are with this. Again.

You state "this is a HOBBY", as if that's some kind of absolute - as if "hobby" means the same thing to everybody, or as if YOUR way of seeing a hobby is the only valid one. But it's not. And as long as it isn't, you have NO objective basis to make sweeping declarations about what's "ridiculous".

Different hobbyists have different expectations, but the one constant is that a model is supposed to match a reference, that one of the very points of a discussion forum like this is to discuss where models don't, and that yes, missing grille scripts and signal lights are pretty obvious to some folks.

In my personal scheme of things, one is an easy fix and the other, only a little trickier.  But you're not gonna catch me acting like somebody with his pull-ups all in a bunch raining high and mighty judgment all over the grownups who want to discuss these problems frankly, just 'cause I personally have a lock on the problems. If any behavior is objectively wrong in these forums, that kind of conduct comes a lot closer than criticizing kits.

 

 

The word is 'reigning' . . . an OBVIOUS error.

 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

 

The word is 'reigning' . . . an OBVIOUS error.

 

 

Actually, in this case, Chuck's choice of the word "raining" is absolutely correct, the notion being that the "high and mighty judgement" is "raining" (falling like rain) down on someone.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.     

PS. It looks like a gorgeous model, and though I see and agree with each and every criticism of minor flaws on it, particularly those so well illustrated by Casey, I want several, and I REALLY want a couple of the SD 421 Catalinas.

Edited December 25, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Oh, Dan...

Do you wanna look up the definition of the word "reign" and try again?

Full Definition of reign

1. intransitive verb

2. 1 a :  to possess or exercise sovereign power :  rule b :  to hold office as chief of state although possessing little governing power <in England the sovereign reigns but does not rule>

3. 2 :  to exercise authority in the manner of a monarch

4. 3 :  to be predominant or prevalent <chaos reigned in the classroom>

from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reign

 

So, yes, class, I REALLY DID MEAN rain as in precipitating that judgment all over everybody:

Full Definition of rain

1. intransitive verb

2. 1 :  to send down rain

3. 2 :  to fall as water in drops from the clouds

4. 3 :  to fall like rain <soot and ash rained down>

5. transitive verb

6. 1 :  to pour down

7. 2 :  to give or administer abundantly <rained blows on his head>

from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rain

Were I to use the word reign as you mandate, Dan, I would have said something to the effect of "...high and mighty judgment reigns among all the sniveling puling little pull-up brats", or words to that effect.

Seriously, you really making it this easy?  If not, Merry Christmas - ya GOT me!

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Actually, in this case, Chuck's choice of the word "raining" is absolutely correct, the notion being that the "high and mighty judgement" is "raining" (falling like rain) down on someone.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.     

PS. It looks like a gorgeous model, I want several, and I REALLY want a couple of the SD 421 Catalinas.

Thanks, Bill, but it's such a rake-stomp that we have to consider the possibility Dan wasn't serious.

[Rob Hall]

I got an email today from Model Roundup that my preorder shipped..they are showing them as 'Just Arrived' on their site.

[Danno]

 

Seriously, you really making it this easy?  If not, Merry Christmas - ya GOT me!

 

Ah, well . . .  got you to wet yourself just a little, huh?     

 

 

Merry Christmas to you as well.      

 

 

[Jairus]

Nice photos Tim.  Good coverage and I hope you had something to do with this.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!