Which Model Gave You a Whoopin'?

[Jim N]

When I was a teenager, I really liked the Gatorade McLaren Indy car.  I bought it and never finished it as it was far beyond my skills.  About 10 years ago, I found the kit on Ebay and bought the Fred Cady decals for the kit.  It almost beat me again.  It took a lot of work, but I finished it and it looks pretty good.

[Greg Myers]

The fuselage, with all its working this and operating that, didn't want to go together like a good little fuselage.

I know the Revell AD-6 you speak of. It's an oddball scale, about 1/40. I started on in 1972 and didn't get far with it. It's still around here somewhere.

 

[Greg Myers]

See above Revell AD-6, everything worked, ailerons,flaps, retractable landing gear, retracting tail hook, sliding canopy, folding wings, removable engine cowlings, spinning prop. 

First and ONLY model kit I flew into the wall. My mom was in the other room, " I think you dropped something."

and then . . .

. . . I picked up the pieces and finished the kit, hard to believe but I did manage to get everything to work. 

[Snake45]

See above Revell AD-6, everything worked, ailerons,flaps, retractable landing gear, retracting tail hook, sliding canopy, folding wings, removable engine cowlings, spinning prop. 

First and ONLY model kit I flew into the wall. My mom was in the other room, " I think you dropped something."

and then . . .

. . . I picked up the pieces and finished the kit, hard to believe but I did manage to get everything to work. 

I have the operating landing gear assembled, and it really, really works--very cool. The only problem is that it's way too short. So I have to make a decision: Keep it working, just for the coolness factor, or put scale-length struts on it, in which case it wouldn't be able to go into the wing anymore?

Luckily for me, there are now several superior Skyraiders available in my preferred 1/48 scale (the Revell kit is an oddball 1/40).

[Mike 1017]

Something here hopefully on a lighter note.

When I was a kid, a new Revell model came out, the Orange Crate.  Geez, what an experience.  I broke several long chrome parts before they were even completely separated, and finally I just gave up.  That kit was over my head.

Decades later, the Heller model of the 5 mast ship Preussen, the very first step needed 150 very small loops made for the rigging.  The box is still waiting to be opened again, that was 30 years ago.

Which kits have kicked your butt?

Which kits just did not agree with you at the time.

I to was exited when I got the Orange Crate. Could not wait to start the build.  It was the worst model I have ever tried to build

[Mr mopar]

Revell TV tommy ivo four engine dragster what a nite mare .

[slusher]

Years ago, I was one of the many tempted by this beautiful box......we all know the rest of the story

Is there two different 57 Nomads by Revell??

[10thumbs]

@Dale, man I bet that was a frustrating build!  Reminds me of the AMT33 Willys I did recently, it was a problem too, just not as bad as yours.

@Greg, congrats that you did well on that kit.  The box art doesn't ring a bell with me though, I'll do a search to find the one I might have had.

@Snake, this sounds interesting.  I like propeller war planes, but I'm still not sure if I could win against this kit.

EDIT: Snake, I just did a search for the box art and I think the one I had must of been the 1:48 kit, the Navy version.  Don't remember a camouflage airplane back in the early 60's.  Lots of great pics, the kit is certainly difficult.

Edited July 17, 2016 by 10thumbs

[10thumbs]

@Michael, so that beast gave you a hard time too, eh?  Sometimes though I still think I might like to tackle this one again.

@Doug, did you ever finish it?  Any pics?

@Carl, I don't remember even seeing the Nomad, just the Bel Air coupe gave me a beating.

I like reading these.

[Mark]

Revell's Sixties offerings were usually tough.  I did get a '56 Chevy into one piece when I was about nine years old, and all the working parts worked.  A couple of years later, I built a '55 hardtop for a relative, and that one went together pretty well.  When Revell reissued the Tommy Ivo Showboat in the double kit (with the Mickey Thompson Challenger I), my older brother bet me I couldn't get the Showboat assembled.  I did, it actually isn't too tough other than getting it to sit squarely on all four wheels (mine does; I used a piece of plate glass as a "chassis plate"). 

I didn't get to the '57 hardtop until about three years ago.  The Ed Roth one wasn't out yet (that's the one I wanted to build), but it was released while I was working on the issue before that one.  It actually goes together pretty well for the most part, but has its quirks.  The frame-to-bellhousing "rear engine mounts" don't come anywhere close to where they are supposed to be.  I couldn't get the rear glass to fit, didn't want to pirate one from an earlier issue so I tried different things from the parts box.  I actually cut down a '60 Starliner rear window and got it to fit.  I still want to build that Roth version, and I've got a first-issue kit which is actually quite a bit different from later ones (different engine, different wheels and tires, different hood and trunk hinges).  Then, on to the Nomad, which I haven't tackled yet.  Most of those have a droopy cowl on one side, which needs to be fixed before you go any further...  

[Edsel-Dan]

Revel had altered their Nomad a few times.

Different options, No stock rims, tires, etc

Color of plastic, but No, it is Still the same kit

 

What ,may be throwing you off, is Monogram

has a Nomad too

1/24 scale only an opening hood!!

MAny say the roof is too Flat

Also the chassis is a Straight copy of the Hardtop piece 

Fuel tank & Spare are incorrect for the Nomad!!

[martinfan5]

Models with opening doors always seem to give me a whooping.

[Belugawrx]

Not so much the Kit ,as my inexperience, with primer et al,...

started like that,...shoulda stayed like that, but, no..

After a couple paint removals,...

And then

Still laugh about that one 

 

Yep

[russosborne]

This is embarrassing, but lately I would have to say every kit I start. The problem is really me though. I get to a point where I just am not enjoying working on it anymore because of some minor glitch so back into the box it goes. 

As a kid I built all of the Revell Chevys, the SWC car, Ivo's car, etc. I honestly don't remember if I got everything to work, but I know the doors, hoods, and trunks opened. Now, they may not have been well aligned, but I wasn't worried about or really even knew about that stuff then. Everything also was out of the box except for glue. I didn't paint anything until I was in my teens if I remember right. And I played with them when they were finished. Usually before the glue really dried. Ended up with lots of parts that I would melt together using a woodburning tool. And then I played with those until they broke apart. Rinse and repeat. I also got more excited when we would be out driving and passed a junk yard much more than a car dealership. Yes, I am weird.

Russ

[Force]

The only kit I have ever given up on is this one.
It's a modified reissue of the Orange Crate kit and if the Crate is difficult this one is even worse as it doesn't build up the same way...well some things are but other things doesn't.
I bought it back in the 70's and I thought it looked cool but it was unbuildable at my age, I think I was 13-14 years old at the time, I've got one more (and a couple of the Crate's) and will give it another go when I feel up to the challenge.

 

Edited July 18, 2016 by Force

[RiskyBiscuit]

On 7/10/2016 at 3:06 PM, pack rat said:

Years ago, I was one of the many tempted by this beautiful box......we all know the rest of the story

I, too, was seduced by this sexy box (and it's reissue) when I was 10, and again at 13. Why would Revell do that to a child? Currently, I am doing a "revenge build" of this beast in an attempt to get it (mostly) right now that I'm 54. It's just as bad as I remember, but with better tools and more skill, I think I can at least finish it. My other white whale model was the first one I ever built (at 8 years old): the infamous Baja Chopper by Rev(hell), which I have since rebuilt successfully.

[Tom Geiger]

Yea, that Revell '57 Chevy Nomad was my arch rival as a kid too!  Every year I'd buy a new one figuring my skills had improved over that year... nope!  Still never got one together!  I even have one about half done from 30 years ago when I got back to modeling as an adult.

[Rob Hall]

The Revell '56 Chevy 2dr sedan 'Bad Dream' was my nemesis as an 8 year old.  It was my first glue kit attempt.  The Revell '59 Skyliner was a challenge also when I was a few years older...but I got the top mechanism working. 

[Ramfins59]

On 7/17/2016 at 9:08 PM, russosborne said:

This is embarrassing, but lately I would have to say every kit I start. The problem is really me though. I get to a point where I just am not enjoying working on it anymore because of some minor glitch so back into the box it goes. 

I don't have those problems with every kit I start, but for the past year, it seems that once something "glitches" the kit goes back in the box to be revisited at some later date.  Usually the "glitches" are either fitment or paint issues.  I do manage to correct or overcome the "glitches" when I revisit the kit with a clearer and fresh outlook.  Maybe it's because I'm getting older (almost 72) and losing some of my patience levels.  

 

[Jantrix]

Aside from every model I have ever tried to customize or kitbash, these two stick in my head.

[Greg Myers]

digging up an old thread, I can only say the worst, but certainly not impossible, two come to mind.

First , of course, the early Revell Tri- Five kits, all of them. The '56 being the worse.

[Greg Myers]

next up, and if you've never seen any of these, beware, the IMC kits, just about all of them. We're talking opening everything just like the Revell kit as well as multi part bodies similar to some early Revell kits, I.E. their '60 Corvette

Edited February 8, 2019 by Greg Myers

[Greg Myers]

yep, this guy.

[John Pol]

the orange Crate from revell was my worst kit started years ago still in the box

[Snake45]

Late last year for the BOYD completion build, I dragged an IMC VW Beetle I started nearly 50 years ago across the finish line. The more I worked on it, the more I remembered/realized why I never finished it during the Nixon administration in the first place. What a PITA that backbirth was!