Will we ever see another all-new tool in 1/8 scale?

[LDO]

I really wonder. The kits are a big, expensive project for the model companies.

My personal opinion; if anything is in the works, it's a new Camaro or Mustang. I can't really see an older subject in an all-new tool. I don't see any other modern subjects that could sell in big numbers. There are already enough '57 Chevies in other scales. There's already a nice '32 Ford out there. A '49 Merc would be wild, but I don't see that happening at all.

What do you guys think?

Pre-emptive strike: No, there's no possibility of a 1/8 scale '74 Pontiac Grand Prix, even though you drove one to high school.

[Jordan White]

I think it would be awesome to have a '66 Mustang with a body that could be either a fastback, coupe, or convertible along with the parts for a six or eight (or perhaps just stock/custom eight), auto and manual transmission, and a few wheel choices. It would cost a bundle but would certainly be worth it due to the different build options. Plus it is a well known and popular subject.

Edit: with what Mark mentioned, it would probably be better off in 1/12 scale.

Edited June 7, 2010 by YJIslander

[LDO]

I think it would be awesome to have a '66 Mustang with a body that could be either a fastback, coupe, or convertible along with the parts for a six or eight (or perhaps just stock/custom eight), auto and manual transmission, and a few wheel choices. It would cost a bundle but would certainly be worth it due to the different build options. Plus it is a well known and popular subject.

Edit: with what Mark mentioned, it would probably be better off in 1/12 scale.

Can't see it. Subject too old. Not viable, even with multiple building options.

[Kaleb]

I would have to agree with bringing in something new, camaro,2011 mustang, or even a truck(this I would like) but as far as cars go some of the new muscle cars such as the challenger. How about the vette concept?

the new charger?

I know its out there....but its different.

[Jordan White]

Can't see it. Subject too old. Not viable, even with multiple building options.

Too old? Even with the '32 Ford and '57 Bel Air being as popular as they are?

[Casey]

I don't. Other than Monogram, none of the US makers touched 1/8, *snip*

Lindberg had quite a few 1/8 scale releases, too. And sadly, Monogram's 1/8 scale kits were often nothing more than scaled up versions of their 1/24 scale kits- molded together engine and tsrns halves in 1/8 scale? And I love Monogram!

No, I doubt we'll ever see another new 1/8 kit. The closest thing we got was the 1/12 scale '69 Camaro/'67 Vette, and '57 Chevy from Monogram in the late '80s, but what vehicle is iconic enough, appeals to a wide enough spectrum of modellers, and would be a good 1/8 scale seller? Most of "those" cars have been covered in 1/16 scale- '57 T-bird, '55 & '57 Chevy Bel Air, '64-1/2 Mustang, '63 Vette, Cobra, VW Beetle, etc.

A VW Beetle might have a chance, but I can't really think of anything that I would bet on.

[LDO]

Too old? Even with the '32 Ford and '57 Bel Air being as popular as they are?

Yes, too old and also somewhat limited interest. How many fiberglass or even metal repro '66 Mustang bodies are out there? How many '32 Ford? Also, too "plain"; especially when compared with a '67 Fastback. If a new kit of an old Mustang were to be made in 1/8, I believe it would be an "Eleanor".

[Luc Janssens]

I really wonder. The kits are a big, expensive project for the model companies.

My personal opinion; if anything is in the works, it's a new Camaro or Mustang. I can't really see an older subject in an all-new tool. I don't see any other modern subjects that could sell in big numbers. There are already enough '57 Chevies in other scales. There's already a nice '32 Ford out there. A '49 Merc would be wild, but I don't see that happening at all.

What do you guys think?

Pre-emptive strike: No, there's no possibility of a 1/8 scale '74 Pontiac Grand Prix, even though you drove one to high school.

I doubt it, I'm wondering if those kits weren't marketed to be "large gift" from "loved ones" to give something substantial to their husband, friend or son.

A market totally lost IMHO, due to the availability and wide range of 1/18th die-casts.

What I'm wondering about is, if it would be possible, to use a Monogram '81 Trans Am, "in part or whole" as a tooling model for a brand new 1/25 scale kit?

Luc

Edited June 7, 2010 by Luc Janssens

[Luc Janssens]

.....I'm assuming you mean the '79? I doubt that if anyone were going to kit a 2nd generation F-body they'd go with the '81.

IIRC...it was first released as a Black '79 with those "flying saucer" wheels, then a few years later came a "copper/Gold" turbo with the wheels like the '77 -'78.

I'll try to check my Monogram catalogs later in the day....

[Zoom Zoom]

I doubt we'll ever see any new 1/8 scale kits. The market just isn't the same as it used to be.

I'd like to see more tooling modifications; why not backdate the 1/8 Trans Am into an SD455, or the original '70 T/A? Or even the ubiquitous '77 T/A.

Why not take the '84 Corvette and make a '90's ZR1 out of it? Or a Grand Sport?

Take that '65 Corvette and Jag XKE and make 'em into convertibles?

Heck...the 1/12 '67 Corvette and '57 Bel Air are ripe for convertibles. Or make a 1/12 '69 Camaro COPO or B-M car?

If they won't even consider "easy" modifications like the above, you can be sure they won't be making any all-new kits in the large scales. The diecast market pretty much took care of that sliver of the market.

[Art Anderson]

I really wonder. The kits are a big, expensive project for the model companies.

My personal opinion; if anything is in the works, it's a new Camaro or Mustang. I can't really see an older subject in an all-new tool. I don't see any other modern subjects that could sell in big numbers. There are already enough '57 Chevies in other scales. There's already a nice '32 Ford out there. A '49 Merc would be wild, but I don't see that happening at all.

What do you guys think?

Pre-emptive strike: No, there's no possibility of a 1/8 scale '74 Pontiac Grand Prix, even though you drove one to high school.

Mnogram's 1/8 scale offerings came about at a time when plastic model building was barely into its adolescence, first with the 283 Chevy engine kit and that spawned a whole series of "Big" subjects (Big T and variants, Big Deuce, Big Jaguar, Big Corvette, and much later, the Transam and the '82 Camaro), but with the exception of the new kit introduction time, they really never sold all that well, except at Christmastime. I think the big trouble was (besides the necessarily high price) that the 60's was still the era of the 1000-1200 sq ft subdivision tract house, with small rooms and still fairly large families living in them (4 kids and parents in a 3 bdrm house for example, leaving limited space for large things). Lindberg also did several 1/8 scale kits, trying to cash in on what Monogram started. Renwal had their 1/12 scale kits, AND their 1/4 scale Visible V8 with a Visible Chassis to go with it. And of course, Pocher began bringing out their line of super-complicated, hyper-expensive 1/8 scale car kits toward the end of that decade. The Japanese companies were enamored with large scale car kits also. Also, Ideal Toy Company had a limited series of 1/10 scale car kits. AMT dabbled with 1/12 scale, with their '37 Cord 812 Convertible Coupe (Sportsman).

Retailers didn't much like the large scale kits though--they took up an awful lot of shelf and/or wall space to display, and tended to gather a lot of dust for about 9 months a year--the retail hobby shops tended to be a lot happier with "normal" sized kits and the boxes they came in, as they could generate a lot more sales in smaller increments a lot faster.

In truth, I think, relatively few modelers ever built more than one or two of those giant kits (Oh I know, someone is gonna jump in on this thread, tell us that he's built them all--but he will be the exception). Also, those large scale kits require a lot more in the way of production facilities, multiple molding machines, multiple sets of dies in order to produce them, which necessarily kicked up the price needed to cover those costs as well.

It's kinda too bad really, because yeah, there is just a ton more that can be done with say, the Big Deuce, of which I've built 4 over the years since it was first released in 1964, but even that is an exception to the rule--three of them I built for other people, but I still have the 2004 reissue kit, SOMEDAY!.

And no, very few of those larger scale kits were merely scaled up versions of 1/24 scale model kits--in reality it tended to be the other way around. Monogram did the Little T and the Little Deuce, based on the drawings done for their 1/8 scale big brothers, perhaps others as well. When Monogram did their 1/12 scale '57 Chevy Bel Air, they had no smaller kit of that subject worthy of the name, as an example.

Big's nice, sure it is, but not always the best investment in model kit tooling, it appears.

Art

[elan]

I doubt it, for all the above reasons. If anything I see the market going to smaller scales 1/32,1/48 curbside such as the ones from Tameo and others.

[Harry P.]

Since we're all just speculating here...

If there ever was a new 1/8 kit, I sure would love it to be a Superbird. I know it's impossible to name one particular muscle car as the "ultimate" one... but if I had to name one, that would be it.

Can you imagine? Options to build authentic NASCAR variations included? Hoo boy, that would be a kit!

[sjordan2]

I think it's a shame that there aren't any good large-scale kits of two of the most iconic cars of all time, the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing and the Ferrari 275 GTB, which are slowly but surely heading toward the million-dollar mark at auction. Both would be stunning in 1/8 scale. The 1/12 versions originally tooled by Renwal and later sold by Revell are laughably inaccurate, incomplete and out of proportion. The best out there for the 300 SL are the 1/16 Gullwing and Roadster, but even those are lacking in several areas, though it's possible to combine parts from both kits to make either one much better.

Edited June 7, 2010 by sjordan2

[Luc Janssens]

Other way around, Luc. The kit was originally done in '81 as the Turbo Trans Am, then re-tooled in the 80s to do the (much more popular then as now) '79 T/A 6.6. Turbo was black/gold on the box art, the '79 was a copper/brown box art car. BTW the "flying saucer" wheels were the Turbo issue. The real car had them on the 1979 10th Anniversary (silver in and out) car, and carried them forward on the 1980/1 T/A. The '79 had the "snowflake" wheel in the wider 8" WS-6 style.

You're right, the Turbo Trans Am was announced in the '80 catalog (carrying snowflakes) but the real kit in the '81 catalog show "flying saucer" wheels, it's kit #2605.

The 6.6 with snowflakes, is announced in the '87 catalog...and has product-number, 2611

[dave riggs]

Don't forget that Icon models created a 1/8 scale model not to many years ago. Sure its a die cast Australian kit, but it is a model!

http://www.iconmodels.com.au/brands/Icon-Models.html

I believe that the frame/suspension would be the same as a Mustang, so it could be converted..

Dave

[MonoPed]

...Take that '65 Corvette and Jag XKE and make 'em into convertibles?

I never understood why they chose the coupe version of the Jag, a roadster version would be sweet!

[Harry P.]

Yeah I'm the one that built mutiples of every 1/8 scale kit our there, I'm the exception!!!!!

I have built (1/8 scale):

2 Monogram Jaguars

1 '67 Corvette

1 '84(?) Corvette

2 Big T's

1 Big Deuce

1 Exterminator

6 Pochers (Currently working on 2 more)

I'd love to see something new...

How about taking the Big T or Big Deuce and reworking it so that a stock version could be built? That would be pretty cool.

[Modelmartin]

I briefly owned a few 1/8 kits many years ago. I couldn't deal with them. Sold them and and all the 1/12 (excepting motorcycles) and 1/16th I had too. Even though I dabbled in 1/43rd and other scales I have settled on 1/24-5 in my middle age as the way to go.

If all 1/8 went away tomorrow I would never notice it!

Rotsa ruck on the Superbird, Harry!

[Harry P.]

Rotsa ruck on the Superbird, Harry!

"I have a dream..."

[jbwelda]

>I never understood why they chose the coupe version of the Jag, a roadster version would be sweet!

probably because many, myself included, consider the hardtop to be the most sexy car ever made and the roadster a chopped up version that lost much of its physical appeal without the fastback and large rear window.

in real life i would rather have the roadster though.

i can think of a bunch of 1/8 kits i would like to see but none of them are from american manufacturers unless maybe a new vette or cadillac xlr. i would rather have something that you could use parts from with the old 1/8 kits and vice versa...in other words i would be more into getting more scale parts out into the parts pool for use in kitbashing.

i would also much more rather see a three in one T sort of thing where you could build a big drag, big rod or big T...something like that. or, the dreaded parts packs and not just reissues but new sets.

as for lindberg their kits were mostly a joke to me. one T and a million slight variations of it. then there is that exterminator which has its high points certainly but most of their "T"s were just kinda lame...Monogram got it so much more right, then as now.