Maybe getting back into models-recommendations?

[wvrailfan]

Hi folks.  I haven't built a model car in a couple of decades.  Lately I've been thinking of picking up a kit or two and building again.  

 

I'm an old late '60s early '70s MOPAR guy so I thought I'd ask what good MOPAR kits are out there these days?

 

Thanks

 

JB

[mod3l Lover]

   Hey Jim,  Welcome, first of all!!   I was going to suggest maybe a cool

"Snap-Tite" kit of some kind. They are great for getting your "Mojo" on!?!

  But you being a Mopar man, there is not too many snappers out there

for your tastes!  (At least not in recent release stuff)

  Over-all though, Mopar kits have many good choices that have been

newly tooled beauties.  Revell has the '70 Charger, '70 Cuda and Round2

has many re-released Mopars. 

  If I were you, I would just get looking for kits on the internet, then when

you find something go buy it maybe at a local hobby shop, or Hobby

Lobby, etc.!!

 

      Best regards,

      David S. 

[stavanzer]

Welcome back.  I'd choose a kit, but before buying it, ask the helpful members here for any opinions on how easy it will be to build. We can give you feedback and tips on any kit you chose.

Remember that many of the AMT or MPC kits you grew up with are out there in fresh Round2 boxes at HobbyLobby or the LHS. They have nifty pad-printed white walls & great new decals, but it is the same well loved plastic in the box. And Round2 kits now feature a parts layout drawing on the bottom of the box, showing everything you get in the kit.

Good Luck! and Happy Modeling!

Alan

[Greg Myers]

any of the newer Monogram / Revell '68- '69 Charger kits.

Being away for awhile you may be surprised to find many changes in the hobby today.

Reading through the many threads on this board should get you up to speed.

Welcome back.

 

[Greg Myers]

Your next quest will be where to find these kits.

Many hobby shops have gone by the way, leaving the internet or craft store selections , I.E. Hobby Lobby, Michaels.

Good luck

[styromaniac]

Sad but true....that many mom and pop Hobby Shops are history....I know we have lost a few good ones in the Northern Virginia area outside DC...surprising when you consider population density and the number of high income and military people in the area.                                                      Being a Mopar guy you might be in luck as most of the franchise type craft and hobby stores like Michaels these days ...if they carry model car kits at all...seem to lean towards muscle cars. I know my nearest Hobby Lobby has a decent selection of muscle cars and trucks...but lack choices in the hot rod and fat fendered automotive subjects.

[Tom Geiger]

I was in the same place you are some 30 years ago!   I was always a Mopar guy and had a couple cases of neat Mopar models I had bought over the years but never did anything with.  I wanted to build them, but was afraid to ruin them with my then poor modeling skills.

Then I found Scale Auto Enthusiast Magazine at a large magazine store.  I had no idea there was a model magazine back then.  Note this is long before the Internet.  In the back of the magazine, there was a small ad for the Tri-State Scale Model Car Club. I responded and they invited me to a small modeling gathering they were hosting in a few weeks.  That was NNL East 3.  I went and was floored by all the work people had accomplished.  So I joined the club.  

Still, I didn't want to learn my skills on my beloved stored Mopar kits, so I practiced on a Johan '62 Studebaker convertible. The club had an internal contest using the AMT '57 Ford kit, so I bought one of those.  With a lot of guidance from the club membership, my modeling skills jumped exponentially from that of a 15 year old,  to something I could be proud of!  I found that I was using the wrong glues, sandpaper, paint and learned tons of little tricks and techniques.  And I was hooked! 

I met a fellow named Joe Cavorley who was building fantastic old weathered trucks.  He was very happy to teach me and share his wealth of knowledge.  So I found a niche in weathered old vehicles, especially light commercial trucks and cars.  That changed me drastically.  And as I've gone on I've learned to appreciate different 1:1 cars, solely from my exposure to them via other modelers.  I have a shelf of neat little 1930s street rods, and a variety of subjects I never thought I'd be interested in.  

In the past 30 years my skills have grown, and I'm still learning new things. The exposure to modelers has vastly expanded my knowledge of modeling, cars in general and respect and interest in a wider spectrum than I originally envisioned.  Some of my dearest friends today, are fellow modelers, some of which I've known the entire 30 years I've been involved as an adult!

There are so many more resources today than when I started.  You can get questions answered and advise instantly on this and other boards.  You can do research on any vehicle via Google.  One of my favorite places to find detailed photo sets for any vehicle is on eBay Motors.  The kits being produced today have unprecedented detail and ease of build. The aftermarket has so many options for parts and materials.  You can make your own decals on your home printer.  And 3D printing threatens to change the whole game!  

Now the ironic part?  I've never once touched any of those Mopars I originally intended to build! But it's been an incredible journey, and I wouldn't change a thing! So jump in if you dare.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Tom Geiger

[Snake45]

Two of the most troublefree kits I've ever built were the Monogram '70 Superbird and '70 GTX. The latter lives on as the Revell '70 Road Runner. Not sure about the status of the former, but either of these would be perfect "first builds" for someone with your interests. 

The Monogram/Revell '71 Cuda and '69 Dodge Superbee are pretty easy to get together, too. 

[Dragonhawk1066]

The Revell 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A is a pretty good and fairly easy kit that I could highly recommend for a first kit. I, myself just got back into the hobby last year after not building for over 20 years and lucked into a few pretty smooth building kits. My first was the Revell 1967 Chevelle( I know, it's not a Mopar) and I couldn't have asked for a more builder friendly re-entry into the hobby. The aforementioned Challenger kit was my fourth new build and was also as builder friendly as one could ask for. Just my 2 cents. I hope you find yourself a great "first new build in a long time" kit, and welcome back to the hobby.

 

[wvrailfan]

Thanks folks.  I'm lucky in that I do have a pretty good LHS near by.  I just haven't checked out the model cars in a long time.  Got into RC flying a while back and, well, you can guess how that story goes;-)

I think the Revell '70 Cuda kit may be calling me.  I had a 70 Cuda in my younger days.  The old MPC 70 Cuda kits were hard and expensive to come by, I never got to build a model of my car.  I think this will be my starting point.

 

JB

[R.D.F.]

  On 1/13/2019 at 8:41 PM, wvrailfan said:

Thanks folks.  I'm lucky in that I do have a pretty good LHS near by.  I just haven't checked out the model cars in a long time.  Got into RC flying a while back and, well, you can guess how that story goes;-)

I think the Revell '70 Cuda kit may be calling me.  I had a 70 Cuda in my younger days.  The old MPC 70 Cuda kits were hard and expensive to come by, I never got to build a model of my car.  I think this will be my starting point.

 

JB

Expand  

Go for it.

Me, I'm waiting for a 69 Chevelle SS to be released  Had two 1:1 wish I had them now.

Sorry if I might have hijacked your thread.

Edited January 13, 2019 by R.D.F.

[mikemodeler]

As was suggested, read through the different sections here and you will learn a lot about what has happened since you last built a kit not to mention the wealth of information available here. And as always, don't be afraid to ask questions, we are a helpful bunch. 

Welcome Back!

 

[NOBLNG]

Here's a little inspiration! I can't give you advice on what's good or bad, 'cause I've only built this one.

Have Fun!

[misterNNL]

Glad you're back on the bench. If there ever was a golden age of modeling,this is it. There are means of research and inspirational information we could never have imagined a few decades ago. Now go forth and create all those cars that have been rattling around in your head!

[1972coronet]

In my opinion , the 1970 Road Runner kit would be an excellent starting point . Like Snake stated , its lineage dates-back to the Monogram 1970 GTX ; however , its tooling was updated (downgraded ?) to represent a Road Runner , and has a number of improvements versus the c.1981 original :

- Separate door panels ( i.e. , interior sides )

- Bench Seat (with correct Road Runner upholstery pattern)

- Two sets of wheels ( the old standby 'Road Wheels' [ colloq. , 'Magnum 500' ] and a set of 1978 'A38' Police Car / Taxi Wheels with some nice c.1969-1974 Plymouth hub caps )

- Expanded and nicely-presented decal sheet (including a 'poster' of the 1970 Rapid Transit System dealership showroom dress-up !)

It's a very simple kit (construction-wise ) yet it yields impressive results with a minimum of efforts .

[Deathgoblin]

A good one I started with is the Revell 1994 Impala SS.  It's based on a snapper and it's a little simplified, but has enough detail that you can have fun with it.

[wvrailfan]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and suggestions.

I decided to go with the AMT '71 Duster.  Built out of the box and painted with the basic Testors enamels.

It is a nice kit.  Everything seemed to fit as intended and it came with some very nice decals.

It's not a contest model by any stretch, but it was a fun kit to get reacquainted with the hobby.  I feel a '70 Cuda in my future;-)

Thanks again.

 

Jim

[Kit Basher]

That came out great, Jim!

[Oldcarfan27]

That came out really nice, especially for having been away for a couple of decades. You must've had some skills back then!

Keep on building. 

[wvrailfan]

Thanks guys. 

I found an old MPC 69 Barracuda kit that I had not built.  Comparing it with the Duster kit, I think the Duster chassis will work under the old 'Cuda.  Since they are both A bodies, it would seem a natural swap to replace the old MPC one piece chassis with the much better looking Duster chassis.  I'm sure it will take some minor cutting, but I think that is the next project.  I'm off to the hobby shop to get another Duster kit.

 

Jim