MPC Grumpy's Vega

[1972coronet]

Verbatim from the email from Model Roundup regarding the (long-awaited) Grumpy's Vega :

" We do expect those kits to start arriving in our warehouse in about a week to ten days. " 

Certainly , that would seem to allude to M.R. shipping them as soon as they're received-in-their-system ( "inventoried" ) --- realistically , about a month from now .

['70 Grande]

Any thoughts about using the chassis and suspension pieces from the 1/25 '66 Chevy Nova Pro-Street kit as a chassis-upgrade for this Vega reissue?

(Understanding, of course, that you'd have to cut a section-out of the overall-length to get down to the Vega's shorter wheelbase, and probably have to narrow it as well).

Edited August 22, 2020 by '70 Grande

[tim boyd]

Scoop detail....the kit will have four different hood scoop layouts and two hoods to facilitate them.  Don't know which ones are correct for the Jenkins Pro-Stocks, but they're all four there.  Here are some pics from the kit preview I posted  at my Fotki site a few weeks ago.... .  

TIM 

[Casey]

 

[oldscool]

Thanks very much for that Casey. I have started calling Hpiguy the Bob Ross of modeling.

[Deuces ll]

Yep! I watched the video also.... I just wish the whole kit was a new modern tool kit.....

[my80malibu]

Most of us Realize that the Engine is not a 350 Small block Chevy, But rather a Big Block Chevy engine.

[1972coronet]

2013 article about the then-recently-restored Grumpy's Toy X , which includes a nice shot of its 331" engine :

https://www.dragzine.com/features/pri-coverage/pri-2013-bill-jenkins-restored-grumpys-toy-x-pro-stock-vega/

[gtx6970]

On 8/23/2020 at 11:58 AM, Deuces ll said:

Yep! I watched the video also.... I just wish the whole kit was a new modern tool kit.....

Most will agree with you.

Im sure Round2 looked at costs versus gains to spend a little bit to rectify an old kit versus all new.

Im confident this kit will do very well for them just like it is. Would it have done  better if it were all new / more accurate? probably . But at  a much higher tooling costs for the manufacturer / and the end buyer ( aka US )

 

 I might  / maybe / maybe not  buy one or two  of them . But odds are no more than if it were all new if I do buy.    I don't do contests and I don't display my builds chassis side up so the chassis detail is moot point ,,,at least for me

Edited September 10, 2020 by gtx6970

[Snake45]

I've been catching up on old episodes of Street Outlaws, and have grown fond of Shane's Vega. I might have to pick up an extra copy of this kit to build something along those lines. 

[niteowl7710]

8 hours ago, gtx6970 said:

Most will agree with you.

Im sure Round2 looked at costs versus gains to spend a little bit to rectify an old kit versus all new.

Im confident this kit will do very well for them just like it is. Would it have done  better if it were all new / more accurate? probably . But at  a much higher tooling costs for the manufacturer / and the end buyer ( aka US )

 

 I might  / maybe / maybe not  buy one or two  of them . But odds are no more than if it were all new if I do buy.    I don't do contests and I don't display my builds chassis side up so the chassis detail is moot point ,,,at least for me

From more than one retail source I've been told it's already sold out at the wholesale level, (my LHS is rationing them out so people don't try to come in and buy them all) and it's going to be Late October/Early November before they can get another batch made and sent over.  So if you want one and can't possibly wait, buy one - because there's likely going to be a small gap where they're not going to be available, rumors will of course fly - Round2 is bankrupt, the Chinese military overthrew the factory, blah_blah_blah, and the prices on eBay will rocket out of control for a month.

[Mark]

I've already got one, so I'm not looking for another, at least right away.  LHS has a couple of them, priced with the recent Moebius F/X and pickup truck kits.  Haven't checked them on eBay, but what little I saw points to "what the market will bear" pricing for now...

[Justin Porter]

7 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

From more than one retail source I've been told it's already sold out at the wholesale level, (my LHS is rationing them out so people don't try to come in and buy them all) and it's going to be Late October/Early November before they can get another batch made and sent over.  So if you want one and can't possibly wait, buy one - because there's likely going to be a small gap where they're not going to be available, rumors will of course fly - Round2 is bankrupt, the Chinese military overthrew the factory, blah_blah_blah, and the prices on eBay will rocket out of control for a month.

Can confirm. At the moment one of my distributors (Hobbytyme) is Out of Stock on the Vega and the other (Stevens International) has it still listed as TBA release date. Would have been in less of a holding pattern on the Vegas if Rye Field Models hadn't just rolled out their full interior Sherman and if I didn't have such a run on Eduard's MkI Spitfire.  

[wrenchr]

waiting on mine from Model roundup. 

[Rob Hall]

Waiting on mine from Model Roundup.  Was supposed to be here yesterday, but the package got delayed in the USPS...

[Rob Hall]

Got em today. 

[Casey]

It appears the front tires are generic radials, is that correct? I couldn't make out the detail in Chris' video, but they look too wide for an early '70s P/S car.

[Rob Hall]

7 minutes ago, Casey said:

It appears the front tires are generic radials, is that correct? I couldn't make out the detail in Chris' video, but they look too wide for an early '70s P/S car.

At first glance they appeared round and black.  I'll have to check again.

Edit:  pics of the tars. The front ones are narrow generic tires 

 

Edited September 16, 2020 by Rob Hall

[Snake45]

On 9/14/2020 at 12:05 PM, Rob Hall said:

Got em today. 

Ordered mine from MR on Monday, order said they were out but would be "arriving soon." Yesterday I got the email that my order had been shipped! 

[Mark]

The front tires are the smaller wide tread tires used in kits like the '75-'76 Dart, with no printed lettering or stripe.  MPC likewise used the equivalent annual kit tire in the original version of the kit.

[GMP440]

 

  The Grumpy kit has been a great seller.  Just heard it's been sold out already.  But, more are being produced.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2020 by GMP440

[Rob Hall]

On 8/22/2020 at 4:19 PM, '70 Grande said:

Any thoughts about using the chassis and suspension pieces from the 1/25 '66 Chevy Nova Pro-Street kit as a chassis-upgrade for this Vega reissue?

(Understanding, of course, that you'd have to cut a section-out of the overall-length to get down to the Vega's shorter wheelbase, and probably have to narrow it as well).

Definitely would require a lot of cutting.  Some size comparisons: 

['70 Grande]

Was thinking if I were to kitbash that '66 Nova Pro-street chassis, I'd narrow-it-down by cutting on each side, just outside those extended frame rails... taking some width out of those rear wheels wells in the process.

[Mark]

The Nova has mono-leaf rear suspension, nothing near the three-link setup Jenkins used.  Front suspension is way off too.

Jenkins' first Vega started out with stock front suspension, except for Pinto R&P steering (left more open space for header routing).  You can get that from an AMT (not MPC) Chevy Monza kit.  You'll probably have to scratch the rear suspension setup.

[1972coronet]

I have a feeling that Chief Joseph will be designing and creating an accurate P/S chassis and suspension for the Grump's Vega . 

In the meantime , I'm going to enjoy building it out-of-the-box .