Revell 4Q 2020

[Hard_2_Handle_454]

On 10/8/2020 at 5:36 PM, Jim B said:

I think I built that USS Enterprise back in the 1980s.  If I remember correctly, the main deck is in three pieces with some pretty big seams.

I had the kit around 92-95 (?).  As I remember it was a one piece deck back then.  I may still have it stashed away in a box somewhere.  I just remember being angry that my step-mom broke it.........along with most of my things.  ?

 

[doorsovdoon]

4 hours ago, peteski said:

But European makers were not burdened by the government rules that only allowed manufacturers to use only 4 types of sealed beam headlights.  2- and 4-lamp round headlights, and 2- or 4- lamp rectangular lamps.  European manufacturers were free to use any shape headlights they desired.

That's true. We were still producing the Austin Mini up until 2001, a car barely unchanged since 1959!

[GeeBee]

7 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

ah, ok. In the UK, square headlamps in the 70's was an unusual sight. Our Ford Transit didn't get square headlights until 1978, 13 years into production. The similar Bedford CF almost entirely unchanged from 1969 right up to 1988!

Probably more usual than you might think, plenty of cars during the 1970's had rectangular headlamps fitted as standard 

 

[doorsovdoon]

oh yes, I forgot about the Capri and Viva! I even owned a 1972 mk1 Escort with square headlights,

[GeeBee]

1 hour ago, doorsovdoon said:

oh yes, I forgot about the Capri and Viva! I even owned a 1972 mk1 Escort with square headlights,

I nearly forgot the little Fiat 127 i passed my driving test in had little square headlamps 

 

[Motor City]

9 hours ago, peteski said:

But European makers were not burdened by the government rules that only allowed manufacturers to use only 4 types of sealed beam headlights.  2- and 4-lamp round headlights, and 2- or 4- lamp rectangular lamps.  European manufacturers were free to use any shape headlights they desired.

Here in the U.S., it was a big deal to get lighting laws changed, just as it was to go from  2 headlights to 4 in the 1957-1958 time period.  My comment should have mentioned that it pertained to the U.S., but everyone seemed to know that was what I was referring to.  So it looks like the early 1970s rectangular lights started in Europe.  I wonder when it started in Japan?

I also forgot about the '75 Monza 2+2, Sunbird, Firenza and Skyhawk, which were new and had rectangular headlights.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Motor City

[Richard Bartrop]

And a few American customizers did use those European style headlights in the years before they were technically legal in the States.

[Luc Janssens]

8 hours ago, GeeBee said:

Probably more usual than you might think, plenty of cars during the 1970's had rectangular headlamps fitted as standard 

If you add a black vinyl top and change the interior to beige to this Opel Rekord, it is just like the our family car from 1980 up to '89, it was our first brand new car and still remember my parents choosing all the options they wanted.

[Snake45]

9 hours ago, GeeBee said:

Probably more usual than you might think, plenty of cars during the 1970's had rectangular headlamps fitted as standard 

 

For anyone interested, Welly does a VERY nice diecast of this car in 1/24th. I got mine for $10 at Rite Aid. 

[doorsovdoon]

Was there a kit ever made of that Fiat 127? That would be a nice one to build.

[GeeBee]

2 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

Was there a kit ever made of that Fiat 127? That would be a nice one to build.

I wish there was, Polystil made a die-cast in 1:25th scale,  plus a few other die-cast in smaller scales 

[GeeBee]

2 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

If you add a black vinyl top and change the interior to beige to this Opel Rekord, it is just like the our family car from 1980 up to '89, it was our first brand new car and still remember my parents choosing all the options they wanted.

When I was living in Spain,  my uncle and auntie came to live with us for a while,  spent many a happy hour in their Opel Rekord Estate, same colour as this one

 

[Motor City]

5 hours ago, Richard Bartrop said:

And a few American customizers did use those European style headlights in the years before they were technically legal in the States.

that's true:

Note the Cutlass has the optional wheels used on the '65 Dynamic 88 kit.  Both the '64 Wildcat and '64 Cutlass were GM concept cars.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Motor City
.

[Brian Austin]

CIBIE lights are cool.  Did any of the period custom cars sport yellow-lensed Euro headlights (i.e. French)?

 

Also it's interesting to find rectangular headlights on cars built in foreign markets, but derived from US models, such as Argentina's Ford Falcons.

 

Here is a '78 facelift Falcon.  The prior styling cycle sported quad round headlights in square bezels.

[Brian Austin]

Interesting selection of releases.  The VW camper looks to be a fun subject.

[Luc Janssens]

5 hours ago, Motor City said:

that's true:

Note the Cutlass has the optional wheels used on the '65 Dynamic 88 kit.  Both the '64 Wildcat and '64 Cutlass were GM concept cars.

Here a 1965 Opel Rekord....(once a GM brand)

[doorsovdoon]

The Austin Kimberley and Moskvitch 412 are two more I can think of that had square headlights, two cars I'd love to see a kit version of.

[Richard Bartrop]

Cibie equipped hot rod from 1973

[Junkman]

The car that started it:
 

[stavanzer]

What the!!!? is that?

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, alexis said:

What the!!!? is that?

Looks like a Fuglimobile to me. 

[Junkman]

Citroen Ami.

The first car ever to sport 'architectural headlights'. 

America had a Nazi style headlight dictate imposed by their Central Soviet, aka "The Feds", in 1940, which dictated 7 inch (whatever that is, I guess it's half a pink Flamingo's leg) diameter round Sealed Beam headlights. This was there the only legal headlighting until 1958, when 5 3/4 inch (whatever that is, I guess it's 3/4 of a half a pink Flamingo's leg) round low beam and high beam headlights became legal. Ever wondered why all American cars had dual headlights all of a sudden in 1958? Yep. That's why. Then it took until 1975 and 1976 respectively until some square Sealed Beam headlights complying to the federally imposed tyranny became legal. This hampered American car manufacturers to issue cars with proper headlights for over half a century. It was Sealed Beam, or sod off.

Meanwhile in the rest of the World, car manufacturers could do whatever they please as long as it complied with the general lighting standards set out in the Geneva convention of automotive headlighting of 1947. While America left that table choosing to stick to its even then antiquated Sealed Beam standard, which massively hampered front end design until the early Nineties, European manufacturers had a free hand, although at least initially restricted by manufacturing processes.

Hence it can be argued that either the 1960 German Ford Taunus 17m, or the 1961 Citroen Ami were the first cars in automotive history that made use of architectural headlights.
I tend to favour the Ami, because the Taunus merely had oblong (elliptical) round headlights, whereas the Ami's were actually part of the overall design and in addition based on scientific research undertaken by SEV Marchal, back then a major supplier of automotive lighting equipment well beyond France.

Why do I know all this?

I'm a miserable sod, consequently I wrote my doctorate on the history of automotive headlights.

I really should get a life.

Would you like to know more about the history of automotive lighting?
If yes, tell me where to post it.

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Junkman

[Flynlo]

3 hours ago, Junkman said:

The car that started it:
 

Looks like an angry character from Disney/Pixar's Cars...Pierre P'Ohd or maybe Henri Nastee

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Flynlo

[RichCostello]

Why has this thread gone from Revell releases to really UGLY cars with square headlights?

[keyser]

38 Graham