Atlantis models for 2021 !!!!

[Dave Darby]

59 minutes ago, iBorg said:

So I found this. Looking at the Revell body I FINALLY see what's wrong. Take a look at the greenhouse. Instead of Revell moving the engine forward, the pushed the windshield back. The greenhouse needs to be extended forward to make it look right. The posted model used a chassis from a 1320 diecast but I found a build here: https://automodeler.com/news/strip-track-and-trail-group-build-gallery that shows it. 

So want to correct the Revell body, take some out of the hood and lengthen the greenhouse to compensate.

 

Holy cow that thing's off every which from Thursday. Even the rear wheel wells are off. That thing makes Trumpeter's kits look good. I'd be almost tempted to modify an AMT or MPC body.

[Mr. Metallic]

On 7/26/2021 at 10:07 PM, Tabbysdaddy said:

Thanks. I go there fairly regularly and nothing yet.

I haven't seen any of the automotive kits from Atlantis at HL yet, but plenty of aircraft. To be fair, they haven't done a lot of automotive stuff yet. And with the way the buyers for HL seem to be purchasing for the automotive section, if it's not a Mustang/Camaro/Corvette the pickings are getting slimmer and slimmer.

Thankfully i have a really good LHS, but I know not everyone does

[CabDriver]

This sounds interesting:

 

[Snake45]

The Fiat back! Most very hella way cool! 

But August 13, 2021 is next Friday. WTF? 

[Mark]

Looks like a savvy move to me...who will know more about putting kits together from the Parts Packs than one of the guys who helped create them?

[Dave Van]

42 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

The Fiat back! Most very hella way cool! 

But August 13, 2021 is next Friday. WTF? 

One word......DELOREAN  

[Bernard Kron]

1 hour ago, CabDriver said:

This sounds interesting:

 

Great news!  I couldn't find it on Atlantis' press release pages. Where did you see this?

50 minutes ago, Mark said:

Looks like a savvy move to me...who will know more about putting kits together from the Parts Packs than one of the guys who helped create them?

Clearly It shows that Atlantis has an aggressive and active approach to it's Revell molds acquisition. They're not shy about negotiating licensing deals (i.e. Mooneyes, General Motors) to clear the boards to get maximum use out of them. And now they seem to have given Keeler a means to revive his legacy. I can only hope that Atlantis' early efforts have been encouraging sales-wise and that's why we see them reaching out specifically to the U.S.-style car modeling community. The contrast with the "New" post-bankruptcy Revell couldn't be more stark. Hopefully sales success on Atlantis; part will wake ROG up...

Edited August 8, 2021 by Bernard Kron

[tim boyd]

This project has been in the works for a number of months now.  Glad to see a formal announcement.   Certainly a highly promising development!   TIM 

[CabDriver]

39 minutes ago, Bernard Kron said:

Great news!  I couldn't find it on Atlantis' press release pages. Where did you see this?

Saw it posted on one of the modeling Facebook groups 👍🏻

[Casey]

[Dave Van]

29 minutes ago, Casey said:

Wonder if they got the SCCA license for 'Trans Am'??? That was the issue with AMT and Revell for years.

[niteowl7710]

16 hours ago, Bernard Kron said:

The contrast with the "New" post-bankruptcy Revell couldn't be more stark. Hopefully sales success on Atlantis; part will wake ROG up...

Jim Keeler's personally involvement with the tooling he made all those years ago coolness factor aside...playing mix n match with a bunch of...60 yr old tooling, is hardly a threat to Revell, Round2, or any anyone else.  

Have people already forgotten about the 69 Boss 302, '68 & '69 Chevelle, and upcoming '71-'73 Mustang already?  Or that 2020 was basically cancelled?  I mean Revell always had a spring new kit, fall new kit, and usually Spring & Fall Reissue Variant, and then everything else for the year was a boat load of reissues on the 8 year cycle.  They released new kits, started planning their first new post-sale kit, then the world went on pause.  The recent merger and relocation of things to Atlanta doesn't help speed things up either.  Let's see what they have to see for themselves in Vegas next week before we finish kicking dirt on their grave and proclaim another company of ancient kit reissues as the model to follow.

[Dave Darby]

17 hours ago, Snake45 said:

The Fiat back! Most very hella way cool! 

But August 13, 2021 is next Friday. WTF? 

It's a preview of the press release that will go out officially on the 13th.

[Mark]

2 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

 

Have people already forgotten about the 69 Boss 302, '68 & '69 Chevelle, and upcoming '71-'73 Mustang already? 

The Mustang and Chevelle were completed pre-Hobbico bankruptcy.  Already tooled, ready to go, all the new company had to do was produce them.

What '71 Mustang?  One brief mention on FB, quickly deleted. Until there is an official announcement and release date...it doesn't exist.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Mark
Spelling

[Justin Porter]

Just now, Mark said:

The Mustang and Chevelle were completed pre-Hobbico bankruptcy.  Already tooled, ready to go, all the new company had to do was produce them.

What '71 Mustang?  One brief mention on FB, quickly deleted. Until there is an official announcement and release date...it doesn't exist.

They also have just shown test shots of their all-new 1/48th scale SR-71 Blackbird (the first all-new Blackbird kit in decades) which is likely to be a bigger seller than any US domestic car kit could be. 

[Rob Hall]

I’m looking forward to the VW T2 bus and camper, and the new tool 70s Porsche 911s.  

Edited August 9, 2021 by Rob Hall

[niteowl7710]

56 minutes ago, Mark said:

The Mustang and Chevelle were completed pre-Hobbico bankruptcy.  Already tooled, ready to go, all the new company had to do was produce them.

What '71 Mustang?  One brief mention on FB, quickly deleted. Until there is an official announcement and release date...it doesn't exist.

I gotta admit I'm sick and tired of this same BLAH_BLAH_BLAH about "believe it when I see it on the shelf", which seems to track around Revell more than anybody else.  Has any company offered to make a new tool, and then subsequently cancelled the project since the days of Wal*Mart being blamed for killing off the Donk G-Body and Studebaker and '50 Olds from AMT? 

Does the Moebius/MK Ford Ramp Truck not exist because it hasn't been officially announced?  Is the Salvinos J R modified a deep fake since it's only been mentioned on FB? 

Show me on this doll where The Hobby touched you in the 1990s...

[niteowl7710]

47 minutes ago, Rob Hall said:

I’m looking forward to the VW T2 bus and camper, and the new tool 70s Porsche 911s.  

Those aren't real, you can't get them in the U.S., and several of them don't have actual release dates...HLJ has the bus T2s in stock, I just ordered one this morning.  But don't tell the people who can't see it on a shelf, they might think I'm hallucinating.

[Mark]

There's a huge difference between something being available in other countries, and a picture posted briefly on FB and then deleted...

[Tom Geiger]

I was pleased to see the Jim Keeler announcement!   Jim is the nicest guy!  And it will be interesting for the hobby.  Ya never know what'll happen next!  

[tim boyd]

FWIW, the last I heard work was still proceeding on the '71 Mustang kits, even if the announcement (and subsequent withdrawal) was WAY too premature....TIM 

[GMP440]

4 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

I gotta admit I'm sick and tired of this same BLAH_BLAH_BLAH about "believe it when I see it on the shelf", which seems to track around Revell more than anybody else.  Has any company offered to make a new tool, and then subsequently cancelled the project since the days of Wal*Mart being blamed for killing off the Donk G-Body and Studebaker and '50 Olds from AMT? 

Does the Moebius/MK Ford Ramp Truck not exist because it hasn't been officially announced?  Is the Salvinos J R modified a deep fake since it's only been mentioned on FB? 

Show me on this doll where The Hobby touched you in the 1990s...

In reference to the Salvino's JR modified;  that's a done deal.  That's an exclusive through Wes's Model Car Corner. He is heading that up. That release will be the early part of 2022.  He was also involved with the Salvino's JR 1971 Dodge Charger no decal stock car kit exclusive.  Same type of deal that the Model King did with Round 2 and is currently doing with Moebius.

[Casey]

On 8/8/2021 at 6:03 PM, Bernard Kron said:

Clearly It shows that Atlantis has an aggressive and active approach to it's Revell molds acquisition. They're not shy about negotiating licensing deals (i.e. Mooneyes, General Motors) to clear the boards to get maximum use out of them. 

With which other kit are they going to amortize the Mooneyes licensing hit? AFAIK, there's no phantom Jocko Johnson bodies streamliner kit, and is anyone really clamoring for a reissue of the Jim Dunn Dodge Avenger Mooneyes F/C from the '00s? I'm not doubting the '60s era Mooneyes dragster isn't going to be a smash hit with the AARP crowd, but it seems like a one-and-done deal on that licensing agreement. I suspect a second run will happen, and maybe a third? Time will tell.

On 8/8/2021 at 6:03 PM, Bernard Kron said:

And now they seem to have given Keeler a means to revive his legacy.

I think we're really talking about the .001% of the model building community here, to be honest. Unless you are over 65, have a 30+ year history of building models non-stop, reading the model-specific magazines, and are well versed in Revell's history, Jim Keeler's name isn't going to mean much to you. I think many of us here can appreciate the name-dropping tie-in, and admittedly, that is the market Atlantis is aiming squarely at with this 'series', but I have to be honest and suggest the potential sales volume is limited from the start. I guess this might finally be the real world test of the "if the vintage Revell double kits were reissue, I'd buy a case of each!!" crowd, and I honestly hope the sales numbers bankroll Atlantis for the next three years...but I'll be cautiously optimistic at this point.

On 8/8/2021 at 6:03 PM, Bernard Kron said:

I can only hope that Atlantis' early efforts have been encouraging sales-wise and that's why we see them reaching out specifically to the U.S.-style car modeling community.

I think Atlantis' customer target has been the 60+ year old crowd from the start. They are pulling at those nostalgic heart strings twice as hard, and while that type pf strategy isn't sustainable for long, I hope (and suspect it will/does) work out well for them in the short term. They are really mining the niche market which Revell seems to have willingly abandoned, and which Round2 has previously shown exists, and perhaps more importantly, can turn a profit.

Atlantis has a decade plus of old molds for which to produce retro kits, so they'll be fine for a while. I'd dare say they'll run out of customers before they run out of subjects/kits to reissue.

4 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

Show me on this doll where The Hobby touched you in the 1990s...

Dude. 🏆

[Bernard Kron]

2 hours ago, Casey said:

With which other kit are they going to amortize the Mooneyes licensing hit? AFAIK, there's no phantom Jocko Johnson bodies streamliner kit, and is anyone really clamoring for a reissue of the Jim Dunn Dodge Avenger Mooneyes F/C from the '00s? I'm not doubting the '60s era Mooneyes dragster isn't going to be a smash hit with the AARP crowd, but it seems like a one-and-done deal on that licensing agreement. I suspect a second run will happen, and maybe a third? Time will tell.

I think we're really talking about the .001% of the model building community here, to be honest. Unless you are over 65, have a 30+ year history of building models non-stop, reading the model-specific magazines, and are well versed in Revell's history, Jim Keeler's name isn't going to mean much to you.  ...  I have to be honest and suggest the potential sales volume is limited from the start. I guess this might finally be the real world test of the "if the vintage Revell double kits were reissue, I'd buy a case of each!!" crowd, and I honestly hope the sales numbers bankroll Atlantis for the next three years...but I'll be cautiously optimistic at this point.

I think Atlantis' customer target has been the 60+ year old crowd from the start. ... that type pf strategy isn't sustainable for long, ''' hey are really mining the niche market which Revell seems to have willingly abandoned, and which Round2 has previously shown exists, and perhaps more importantly, can turn a profit.

Atlantis has a decade plus of old molds for which to produce retro kits, so they'll be fine for a while. I'd dare say they'll run out of customers before they run out of subjects/kits to reissue.

...

I can't disagree with you. I was surprised at the Keeler tie-in as PR, and for branding, as I would think he's pretty obscure when it comes to the general public, regardless of age.

But I think the issue is a broader one, one which Revell in Germany also has to face, and that's the decline of car culture, and indeed most of the cultures (music, film, TV, etc.) nurtured in rich western countries during the postwar media golden age. For now there's no obvious replacement and these markets appear to be getting more and more concentrated and niche-like. It's hard for me to imagine these kits selling much beyond, as you say, the AARP crowd in North America, on the basis of their history, so it has to be for their kitsch or collector value for younger demographics. I'm not on the inside in the hobby industry (whereas the management at Atlantis very much is) so I don't know how they see it. But Revell in Germany is really no different, only from a European perspective, if they are releasing freshly tooled VW vans, E-Types and Land Rovers (Revell calls them "Old-Timers", no doubt translated from the German, on their web site). At least the Revell releases are status items among the burgeoning Asian middle class. Hot rods and drag racing subjects, on the other hand, function, at best, when it comes to younger Europeans and Asians, as post-punk rockabilly references. So yes, Keeler, in this context, is an irrelevance.

My comments were more about the energy and commitment shown by Atlantis and their willingness to pursue licensing and to exploit their assets; I view them as a small company and have been impressed by this. This is in contrast to Revell, whose Euro-centric conservatism thus far, make them seem lethargic in comparison.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Bernard Kron

[Justin Porter]

11 hours ago, Bernard Kron said:

 

My comments were more about the energy and commitment shown by Atlantis and their willingness to pursue licensing and to exploit their assets; I view them as a small company and have been impressed by this. This is in contrast to Revell, whose Euro-centric conservatism thus far, make them seem lethargic in comparison.

Revell's current position is not at all dissimilar to the one Airfix was in several years ago. Badly aged product catalog full of missteps. Lack of operating capital. Decentralized manufacturing. Zero product focus. It has taken them the better half of a decade - and some pretty shocking quality control missteps - to find their place in the model kit market again and now they're back to being a reliable seller of 1/72nd and 1/48th scale aircraft with a few oddities and vintage throwbacks mixed in (and clearly called out on box lids in their Airfix Classics line). 

The German owners have been very methodical in setting Revell up to succeed for the future. Bringing the Revell paint and supply line to the States to take advantage of the Testors implosion was a VERY smart decision. Dissolving the remaining Morton Grove HQ and merging the Revell USA offices with the Carrera USA offices for product research, marketing, and distributing was clever and necessary. Selling off decades old unused tooling to Atlantis was inspired. Making Revell leaner, more streamlined, and preparing the company for a 21st century way of doing things that can make them competitive with their global peers was a long time coming. 

Whether or not the company is announcing new kits doesn't tell the whole story in regards to health. The whole picture shows Quantum working to finally give Revell some unification after decades of rudderless lunacy on three continents.