Building old kits is... (fill in the blank)

[FordRodnKustom]

........ simply a pleasure. The vintage styrene just seems to be of much better quality. The parts are "crisp" and well molded, compared to some modern kits that look to be made from recycled milk jug material. Throw in the nostalgia factor and it's a winning combination, at least for me.

[Mike Kucaba]

I like to build older re-issues that were not my thing when released originally. I had a ball with the ModelKing reissue of the '64 Mercury Comet. Fitting different,more detailed chassis from some of the newer re-issues,cutting open the hoods etc. Some older stuff, like '58'-59 I would rather get high-quality resin and go from there.

[Fat Brian]

I have a hard time building old kits because I want each build to be up to modern standards of modeling, most of my stalled builds are old kits I'm trying to update with newer chassis and things. I just can't seem to leave them alone so each one turns into this huge ordeal.

[TooOld]

I have to agree with the majority on this one . The older kits may have fewer parts and sometimes lack the details of modern kits , but in general they are more accurate scale models of the cars they represent . Besides , we all detail our models using aftermarket parts and scratch built pieces anyways .

If any of you are interested , there is a site dedicated to vintage models of all makes and types , mainly autos and airplanes .

Check it out ! www.retroscalemodeling.lefora.com

[vwdave92]

I have to admit old kits really are not my thing. Then again old cars are really not my thing either. There are A LOT of cars that have been molded... just not in the last 20 years or so. And very likely may never be molded again. I enjoy the challenge of getting the best results I can from any given kit so old or new I'm attacking them the same way.

What I do LOVE about the current state of modeling is right here. The internet. The community and ability to get new techniques and tricks as well as solutions for problems. AND the unlimited amount of ref. pictures out there. I've never seen a Lamborghini Miura and NEVER will see the real Jota version as it was destroyed on the track. Yet with the power of the internet I have as many ref. pictures of the car as I could ever need! Oh the FUN!!! I LOVE cars. What a great outlet!

[stevepye]

Define "old," please. I am working with some near-50-year-old Revell. So, building old kits (or kit parts) is_____________(too young to use such words).

Let's say, "frustrating," to be kind to Jim Keeler and the late Bob Pathe, both of whom I got to know. But, man, that old Revell is fussy!

[robertw]

I enjoy building the older kits. They certainly can be a challenge sometimes but there is certainly a satisfaction in turning a kit that is not state of the art into a presentable model.

Sometimes these vintage kits are the only game in town so you may end up with a kit on the shelf that few other modellers are displaying. Older kits usually don't have p/e sets to improve them so you may have to choose to do some scratch building to improve them and it is sometimes just not worth the effort to correct some of the weakenesses in the old kits but since they are old I never worry about building them to contest quality anyway.

Earlier this year I built the ancient Revell Futura and I'm currently working on the Revell multi piece body Austin Healey and hope to tackle the Club de Mer this winter. In each case I've enjoyed the challenge and appreciated the result even if they merely become shelf models in the end.

I've appreciated the companies reissuing some of these old kits and hope it continues.

rob

[Ace-Garageguy]

I love the old kits, but what I enjoy most is taking an old gluebomb and rebuilding it with a more current level of detail, fit and finish. I've got some re-builds in progress that were first assembled over 50 years ago. For some perverse reason, making something beautiful from someone's horrible old mess has a special appeal for me.

Though I certainly appreciate the results of the application of current technology to kit-making, like Moebius' fine offerings, there's something about the 'soul' of the older kits I find lacking in recent work. Probably just an old fossil thing.

[sjordan2]

Though I certainly appreciate the results of the application of current technology to kit-making, like Moebius' fine offerings, there's something about the 'soul' of the older kits I find lacking in recent work. Probably just an old fossil thing.

I think you could say the same thing about modern 1:1 cars in general.