Atlantis 1/16 Green Elephant Vega Funny Car

[Casey]

Content images of the Atlantis 1/16 Green Elephant Vega Funny Car kit here: https://modelkitreviews.proboards.com/thread/1606/atlantis-h1494-green-elephant-funny

 

New tires and slicks are acceptable...maybe. I hoped for better.

Edited June 8, 2021 by Casey

[Muncie]

Thanks Casey

 

[Dave Van]

Thanks for that!!!!! bet those rear tires will not go flat like some of my Revell did!!!! Overall...good.

[Justin Porter]

A little flashy but nothing too awful particularly at the price point. Congrats to Atlantis for getting this one across the finishing line. 

[Casey]

2 hours ago, Dave Van said:

Thanks for that!!!!! bet those rear tires will not go flat like some of my Revell did!!!! Overall...good.

The "walls" of the slicks are thick enough that I feel confident they will not sag nor collapse over time, provided they aren't in direct sunlight, a hot attic, etc.

The inner sidewalls of the slicks do not quite fully nestle down inside of the outer halves of the slicks as they should, so you will want to address that if you value proper fit and finish.

[TonyK]

Mine is on the way and I hope it's a nice kit. One of my favorite cars from the past. Just have to match that green paint.

[gbdolfans]

Hi, mine is supposed to be here by Friday. I can't wait to begin. I see that it is molded in a lighter green than the box. What green should we use for it and where can we get an injector scoop like the Garlits TF?

Inquiring minds want to know !😆

[TonyK]

No tire lettering and it's 1/16th scale so I don't have those decals readily available. Lettered tires would've been a huge bonus.

[Matt T.]

Mine is arriving today. I’m planning on using Testors Lacquer Emerald Green on it. 

[Daddyfink]

20 hours ago, TonyK said:

No tire lettering and it's 1/16th scale so I don't have those decals readily available. Lettered tires would've been a huge bonus.

That might be due to licensing issues for Good Year 

I'm just glad they finally used better, and more solid tires, than before! 

Edited June 10, 2021 by Daddyfink

[Casey]

On 6/10/2021 at 10:00 AM, Daddyfink said:

I'm just glad they finally used better, and more solid tires, than before! 

I think the jury is still out on the former. The fronts seem to wide, the tread pattern too modern, and there's that molding/fit issue with the inner slick sidewall I mentioned.

Edited June 12, 2021 by Casey

[Mark]

That is probably a molding issue.  Shouldn't be hard to fix, just shave or sand the back side of the insert flat.  I won't be getting this kit (already have one 1/16 funny car, and that's one more than I have built) but if I did, I'd probably scrounge a pair of original Revell front tires.

[Dave Van]

Trim that insert on the rears and zap it with CA and should be good........not something to ruin the kit. 

[Casey]

57 minutes ago, Mark said:

Shouldn't be hard to fix, just shave or sand the back side of the insert flat.

 

30 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

not something to ruin the kit. 

Agree on both, but to be thorough, I felt it needed to be mentioned. 

Jesse, I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) you were comparing these to the older style Revell slicks which were molded in Japan, so I would agree these are a definitely step up from those. Still not on the level of the Aurora 1/16 F/C slicks and tires IMHO, but more than capable. These new slicks and tires should be a direct replacement for the older semi-soft style Revell tires, too.

[Dave Van]

Informative and objective critic is always welcome. And with your photos a added plus. 

[TonyK]

I like these rear tires. Good and solid. Noticed something funny in the instructions where some colors are listed for the parts and some aren't. Not that they are always correct but just strange why only partially listed.

[Daddyfink]

On 6/10/2021 at 10:32 AM, Casey said:

 

Agree on both, but to be thorough, I felt it needed to be mentioned. 

Jesse, I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) you were comparing these to the older style Revell slicks which were molded in Japan, so I would agree these are a definitely step up from those. Still not on the level of the Aurora 1/16 F/C slicks and tires IMHO, but more than capable. These new slicks and tires should be a direct replacement for the older semi-soft style Revell tires, too.

 

Yes, the Japan slicks just eventually fall flat or apart! The new slicks are basically large versions of the Monogram kit slicks that came in most Tom Daniels kits. The fronts look more like modern funny car tires. 

And yes, I wish they could have resurrected the Aurora tires. Tom West told me that those molds where simply abandoned in Canada! 

[Mr mopar]

I’m glad to see it come out but a second set of wheel would have been a nice option .

[Casey]

9 hours ago, Daddyfink said:

The new slicks are basically large versions of the Monogram kit slicks that came in most Tom Daniels kits.

That's an excellent description of them.

2 hours ago, Mr mopar said:

I’m glad to see it come out but a second set of wheel would have been a nice option .

If these 1/16 reissues prove to be popular (Atlantis' words: "We are currently packaging all the H1494 1/16 GE Vega Funny Car. Most preorders have shipped and the first run is nearly sold out."), perhaps they will add something extra for the/a third kit.

[Mr mopar]

I got my hands on one of these kits ,Very disappointed in the rear tires not wide enough  ,but they are tall them the old Revell tires . 

[Larry Rose]

On 6/8/2021 at 11:50 AM, Casey said:

Content images of the Atlantis 1/16 Green Elephant Vega Funny Car kit here: https://modelkitreviews.proboards.com/thread/1606/atlantis-h1494-green-elephant-funnyNew tires and slicks are acceptable...maybe. I hoped for better.

You realize how old this kit is? I thought they did a good job on the tires.

[Casey]

46 minutes ago, Larry Rose said:

You realize how old this kit is?

I do. It's unclear to me what the kit's age has to do with my opinion regarding the all-new tires and slicks, however.

46 minutes ago, Larry Rose said:

I thought they did a good job on the tires.

Considering the tires and slicks are all-new, created in 2021, and not limited by 40+ year old design and technology, I hoped for better. Are they unusable garbage? No, not at all, but "fine", "okay", and "good" are, well, just that-- they could have done better. Aurora had much better one-piece slicks in 1973, so a two-piece slick with a sloppy inner sidewall is a step in the wrong direction.

Edited July 18, 2021 by Casey

[Casey]

From Atlantis, via their facebook page:

"...more 1/16 funny cars are coming. It takes time to make them, We have every body for 1/16 that Revell made including all the engine conversions and other stuff.  1/16 guys will be happy. Each release will be better than the next. The green elephant, get them while you can we will moving on to the next kit in 2022."

[Rick Wolfe]

So does this mean that Atlantis will issue the 1/16 Wild Willie Borsch with the correct Big Block Chevy engine ? 

[Casey]

11 hours ago, Rick Wolfe said:

So does this mean that Atlantis will issue the 1/16 Wild Willie Borsch with the correct Big Block Chevy engine ? 

I think you already know the answer is very likely a no. And honestly, Atlantis doesn't need to do much above and beyond what they did for the Green Elephant kit. New decals, all-new tires and slicks, and a general cleaning up of the molds was a significant investment in a less-than-popular scale, so if all we see in the future are nearly straight reissues of previous Revell kits (like the forthcoming Jungle Jim Vega), so be it. It beats seeing only one reissued per decade.