amt 1202 1/25 AMT 1963 Chevy II Nova Station Wagon - Craftsman Plus

[GMP440]

5 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

 

Fixed.

 

Yawn.......welcome to the world of lowered expectations. This is what's pathetic about this particular segment of the model building hobby. We're supposed to get giddy about the rerelease of a toy-like, minimum parts count, 57 year old kit.

I thought the original one was a full build kit.  Am I correct?  At least Round 2 is trying to get these oldies out .  Hopefully more to come.

[GMP440]

5 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Personally, I would be more likely to buy this kit rather than installment 35 of another Mustang, Camaro or 20s/30s Ford kit.

At least it's something different.

 

A good modeler will have this thing looking like a show winner in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

Totally agree.  Very well said.

[Classicgas]

5 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Personally, I would be more likely to buy this kit rather than installment 35 of another Mustang, Camaro or 20s/30s Ford kit.

At least it's something different.

 

A good modeler will have this thing looking like a show winner in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

Exactly.  I'm looking forward to a simple build for a change. I can't believe the complaining that goes on here. When is the last time we saw this kit? You guys don't complain about Tamiya and Fujimi  curbside kits.

[Tom Geiger]

I just gotta chuckle.. people will gripe no matter what the model companies do!

 

[Rodent]

34 minutes ago, Classicgas said:

You guys don't complain about Tamiya and Fujimi  curbside kits.

Some folks do. The Mustang GT4 doesn't look like a blobular AMT kit when you turn it over though.....

[StevenGuthmiller]

52 minutes ago, Rodent said:

Some folks do. The Mustang GT4 doesn't look like a blobular AMT kit when you turn it over though.....

The technology is a little more advanced and expectations are little higher today as well.

It should look better.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

I just gotta chuckle.. people will gripe no matter what the model companies do!

 

Isn't that the truth!

If we get an old re-issue such as this, it's prehistoric and not worth our time.

If we get an all new kit, it's misshapen and inaccurate.

Then there's always the obligatory comparison to Tamiya, which while they produce exemplary kits, is no comparison at all unless you consider a Porsche comparable to a '63 Nova wagon. 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[GMP440]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

I just gotta chuckle.. people will gripe no matter what the model companies do!

 

Right on.   Finally, Round 2 is starting to get kits out that have not been seen in over 50 years.  People are still complaining.  I bet if you gave each complainer a million dollars  they still would complain.

[Rodent]

39 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

The technology is a little more advanced and expectations are little higher today as well.

It should look better.

 

 

 

 

Steve

Absolutely. And the Mustang is only $55-ish compared to the Nova. Lots of folks are upset that is is curbside for the price, but to me it makes a great shelf model.

I never had any of the AMT Novas back in the day. I may get one of these, or I may not. My childhood friend David's dad drove a brown one (I don't remember what year). It became an extra car when he bought the new 70 Coronet. None of us wanted to ride in the Nova after that. The Dodge had some magical thing that blew cold air from vents in the dash.

[Snake45]

I'll do one with paint, wheels/tires and stance as a cool beach cruiser, and might do a second as a Modified Production dragster in the same vein as my '65 Chevelle wagon. 

[SteveG]

6 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

No.

It's a copy of the original promo issued in 1963.

 

 

 

 

This is a re-tooled copy of the original Craftsman kit with some modest improvements. Round 2 is calling it Craftsman Plus. Updates include clear headlamps and clear red tail lamp lens that have been added along with a side view mirror.  Kit style wheel covers, wheel backs and tires instead of the original promo style pieces.  Glass is now two separate front and rear pieces.  The front metal axle is replaced by pins.  There's also a couple of optional interior accessories included and all new decal sheet with some "fun" commercial graphics and along with the instrument face and body scripts for those who prefer them over paint or foil.   The box is a tribute to the original packaging.  The rest will be identical to the original Craftsman kit. 

There will be another version Nova Wagon kit that will include an engine and other items like the original 3n1 release that's about a year out.   I do not have the full details of that version yet but it's being based on the original release.  Both of these are are being packaged as nostalgic items, not modern tooling. 

Round 2 is considering more of these recreations of other long lost classic kits,  all depending on how well this and another similar item coming out does sales wise.   Personally I can't wait to get my hand on one,  my very first model was an AMT Craftsman kit.  I hope they bring back more... 

-Steve

 

 

   

Edited October 2, 2020 by SteveG

[Tom Geiger]

Photos of the 63 Nova wagons I own. I didn’t build either.

[1972coronet]

4 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Likewise, the annual kit phenomenon lasted until, at a very minimum, the early 70s.

I'd say 1980 , based upon what I remember the dealerships had in their parts departments when I was young . My aunt worked at Downtown L.A. Ford ; she'd bring promos to me from 1970 - 1975 ----- I'd kill to have the Maverick , Torino , Mustang ( and Mustang II ) , and Econoline promos again ! 

Remember in the mid-late 80's there were promos as well : 

- 1984 ( ad seq. ) Corvette

- 1988-1991  C-1500

- 1988-1989  Berlinetta

And the early 90's :

- F-150

- Ranger 

To name the ones I'm able to recall .

But , you're right by-and-large ( not that I'm disputing a nit of your information ) . Further ; I'd like to believe that a reintroduction of promos would be an excellent idea . Kids will be kids --- give them something with wheels and brightwork , and they're happy . 

[Motor City]

I have the '63 Nova promo and it has good detail.  Hopefully all of those whining about the lack of chassis detail will at least give this kit a try, and we can maybe get more of these.  Remember, body detail is more important than chassis detail, and AMT did a great job on bodies on almost all of their 1960s kits.  After all, do you display your models right-side up or upside down?    

[StevenGuthmiller]

52 minutes ago, SteveG said:

This is a re-tooled copy of the original Craftsman kit with some modest improvements. Round 2 is calling it Craftsman Plus. Updates include clear headlamps and clear red tail lamp lens that have been added along with a side view mirror.  Kit style wheel covers, wheel backs and tires instead of the original promo style pieces.  Glass is now two separate front and rear pieces.  The front metal axle is replaced by pins.  There's also a couple of optional interior accessories included and all new decal sheet with some "fun" commercial graphics and along with the instrument face and body scripts for those who prefer them over paint or foil.   The box is a tribute to the original packaging.  The rest will be identical to the original Craftsman kit. 

There will be another version Nova Wagon kit that will include an engine and other items like the original 3n1 release that's about a year out.   I do not have the full details of that version yet but it's being based on the original release.  Both of these are are being packaged as nostalgic items, not modern tooling. 

Round 2 is considering more of these recreations of other long lost classic kits,  all depending on how well this and another similar item coming out does sales wise.   Personally I can't wait to get my hand on one,  my very first model was an AMT Craftsman kit.  I hope they bring back more... 

-Steve

 

 

   

Well that's good!

There is always room for improvements and it's always nice to see that Round 2 is willing to make some of those in a few key areas.

 

I hope that this kit sells well enough to justify others.

It would be a shame not be able to get a crack at a few of these because some folks will only consider fully detailed new tools.

 

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

16 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

I'd say 1980 , based upon what I remember the dealerships had in their parts departments when I was young . My aunt worked at Downtown L.A. Ford ; she'd bring promos to me from 1970 - 1975 ----- I'd kill to have the Maverick , Torino , Mustang ( and Mustang II ) , and Econoline promos again ! 

Remember in the mid-late 80's there were promos as well : 

- 1984 ( ad seq. ) Corvette

- 1988-1991  C-1500

- 1988-1989  Berlinetta

And the early 90's :

- F-150

- Ranger 

To name the ones I'm able to recall .

But , you're right by-and-large ( not that I'm disputing a nit of your information ) . Further ; I'd like to believe that a reintroduction of promos would be an excellent idea . Kids will be kids --- give them something with wheels and brightwork , and they're happy . 

You could very well be correct about the time span of what we consider the "annual" car kit.

There is some disagreement about what should be considered a true annual, but never the less, your point is taken.

 

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Rodent said:

Absolutely. And the Mustang is only $55-ish compared to the Nova. Lots of folks are upset that is is curbside for the price, but to me it makes a great shelf model.

I really don't even consider price and how it corresponds with the contents of the box when it comes to purchasing a model.

The subject is the most important component, at least for me.

 

I will gladly pay $55.00 for a kit that I really want to build, regardless of detail level, but I won't give a plug nickel for a 300 part kit that holds no appeal to me.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited October 2, 2020 by StevenGuthmiller

[Can-Con]

2 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Isn't that the truth!

If we get an old re-issue such as this, it's prehistoric and not worth our time.

If we get an all new kit, it's misshapen and inaccurate.

Then there's always the obligatory comparison to Tamiya, which while they produce exemplary kits, is no comparison at all unless you consider a Porsche comparable to a '63 Nova wagon. 

 

 

 

 

Steve

Well, no, you can't really compare a Tamiya Porsche to an AMT Nova wagon.

 

BUT, you could compare a Tamiya '94 Mustang GT to an AMT '94 Mustang GT ,, or a Revell/Monogram '94 Mustang GT.

But no one really wants to do that, now do they? ?

[Carmak]

How about this for an apples to apples comparison:

Within the last year Hasegawa released a series of full size American car curbside kits (66 Bonneville, 66 Cadillac, 66 Buick, 65 Impala and others) with virtually zero interior and chassis detail (the dash is just a flat place to put a decal). The list price is far above the $30 Nova wagon and they are already sold out at many (all?) retailers.

The Hasegawa bodies are also reverse engineered copies of AMT/JoHan/MPC promos. They were originally sold as slot car kits or slot car bodies. The interior and chassis were tooled up in the 80's.

[moparfarmer]

Many say this is a simple kit and yes it probably is..Remember a 59 Imperial a few years back..Try and find one now..They were simple and many built them to fantastic builds..Some very good builders on this site did some real nice ones.(Steven's Yellow one comes to mind)  The wagon will be a big hit.

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I really don't even consider price and how it corresponds with the contents of the box when it comes to purchasing a model.

The subject is the most important component, at least for me.

I will gladly pay $55.00 for a kit that I really want to build, regardless of detail level, but I won't give a plug nickel for a 300 part kit that holds no appeal to me.

Steve

Same here. And to reinforce the point, I've paid more than $55 for a glue bomb when I really, really wanted the subject matter. 

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Oh what, that horrid, fore-bloated/rear-shortened/pancaked monstrosity that was almost the worst Mustang kit tooled in recent memory? I'll happily put that thing through a verbal wood-chipping anytime anybody likes.  It was something rare from Tamiya: A MISTAKE.  The domestics took the '94 comparisons by default. In a sleeping walk.

The Mustang-not-Porsche they're talking about when they say "GT4", though? A vastly different proposition.  Which is why these mythical, fever-dream unconditional complainers are so incomprehensibly silent about it, fancy that.

Nova wagon, though? Simple build, shmimple build, pimple build.  I wanna see how that thing might look with some Trumpeter guts.

?

[larman]

I will get one of the Craftsman kits and multiples of a 3in1 kit if/when it comes out. Would love to see these do well enough to justify the return of the Craftsman '64 Chevelle and '66 Buick GS.

[SfanGoch]

1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

but I won't give a plug nickel for a 300 part kit that holds no appeal to me.

That's stating the obvious. Why would you buy anything that doesn't interest you?

[chepp]

Couldn't they have included the trailer from the T308 Crew Wagon issue? Image swiped from https://www.scalemates.com/kits/amt-t308-200-63-chevy-ii--1156884 .