Casey Posted December 26, 2014 Posted December 26, 2014 Yes, no, maybe? Are the outer, "vertical" edges of the grille too flat? Yes, definitely. The horizontal grille pieces, above and below the parking light housings and between the headlight bezels, should almost touch the parking light bezels, too: Nice shot of Grump's '67 in the Victory Circle, showing just how tall those front tires were:
Snake45 Posted December 26, 2014 Posted December 26, 2014 Are the outer, "vertical" edges of the grille too flat? Yes, definitely. There it is. The kit grille is a deal-breaker for me. I'd rather part that kit out than build it OOB with that grille on it. Oh, it's not only too flat, it's symmetrical top to bottom, too. Which the real one most definitely is NOT. The real grille shape has a definite top and bottom to it. And fixing the grille will require modding the body in some way, one way or the other. It's not that this problem CAN'T be fixed, it's just difficult to understand why in 2014, we should HAVE to. We can put a man on the moon, why can't we...oh, wait, we can't do THAT anymore, either.
Guest Posted December 26, 2014 Posted December 26, 2014 It's not that this problem CAN'T be fixed, it's just difficult to understand why in 2014, we should HAVE to. We can put a man on the moon, why can't we...oh, wait, we can't do THAT anymore, either. This has been covered in another thread.
lordairgtar Posted December 27, 2014 Posted December 27, 2014 (edited) I looked and looked and looked some more. I just don't see the discrepancy, well maybe the symmetry thing. Not a deal breaker for me. At car shows, these are by far the most popular cars i draw. I've sat in front of these countless times that I can draw one without looking at it anymore. Edited December 27, 2014 by lordairgtar
Snake45 Posted December 27, 2014 Posted December 27, 2014 I looked and looked and looked some more. I just don't see the discrepancy, well maybe the symmetry thing. Not a deal breaker for me. At car shows, these are by far the most popular cars i draw. I've sat in front of these countless times that I can draw one without looking at it anymore. Well, I see it. As I said, I've got four different '67-'68 Camaro bodies. All four have shape problems, in different areas. All four look like early Camaros, more or less. All four will require work before they get to sit on my shelf.
Guest Posted December 27, 2014 Posted December 27, 2014 I see it, but it is something I can live with. What bugs me is multi leaf springs when 67's has mono leafs.
Daddyfink Posted December 27, 2014 Posted December 27, 2014 Trust me, once you paint everything underneath the car black, you can notice anything!
Snake45 Posted December 27, 2014 Posted December 27, 2014 I see it, but it is something I can live with. What bugs me is multi leaf springs when 67's has mono leafs. Wow, I can think of two different ways to fix that in less than 15 minutes.
Guest Posted December 27, 2014 Posted December 27, 2014 (edited) Wow, I can think of two different ways to fix that in less than 15 minutes. Yep. 1. Sand the springs. 2. Use the setup from Trumpeter's 63 Nova. I have them somewhere if I can find them, lol. And Richard, each to their own about what bugs them on this kit. Edited December 27, 2014 by midnightprowler
Snake45 Posted December 27, 2014 Posted December 27, 2014 Yep. 1. Sand the springs. 2. Use the setup from Trumpeter's 63 Nova. 3. Make new springs out of sheet styrene.
Craig Irwin Posted December 28, 2014 Posted December 28, 2014 I see it, but it is something I can live with. What bugs me is multi leaf springs when 67's has mono leafs. None of the 1:1 SS 396 SS's did after they were about 6 months old.
Guest Posted December 28, 2014 Posted December 28, 2014 3. Make new springs out of sheet styrene. That will work. None of the 1:1 SS 396 SS's did after they were about 6 months old. Very true, but when modeling s showroom new vehicle, it presents a bit more of a problem.
unclescott58 Posted December 28, 2014 Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) I still, with flaws and all, I like this kit. And I'm still hoping for a '67 SS/RS convertible down the road. Scott Edited January 10, 2015 by unclescott58
samdiego Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 Nice Grump, Jessie. I'm in the middle of liking this kit. My grille came out about the same as Daddyfink's. Obviously, the eggcrate is engraved where the bars should be. I'm thinking of a stiff wire that I could lay in there, or maybe some frets from my photo-etched stash. I find that the modernity of the design and layout of the kit itself is worth the investment.The attachment points on the chrome tree are one huge improvement over the old kits. The gauge treatment is nice. I would have liked a more detailed carb, though. The emblem issue is obviously a concession to maximizing the options for future releases. I'd guess I'd rather have decal emblems than to have to sand them off for base model builds. An RS small block is almost a certainty, I figure. Maybe they'll fix the grille and leave it on the tree plus the hidden headlight option. I'm also trying the wheel and tire combo from the Snap-tite '34 Ford. 15 and 14 in Torque Thrusts to give it a rubber rake like I wanted as a teen in the mid 70s. I did almost feel the price increase but was able to trump Hobby Lobby's $25.99 with a coupon and got it for under $17 inc tax. Getting to be the only way I can afford to buy kits. The days of springing for a kit just for the wheels or motor are gone for me. 1 glue covered thumb up.
samdiego Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) As far as the "how". From what little I know of industry, American tool and die makers are in short supply. Tooling may have been done in China by someone who's never even seen a '67 Camaro. My money is on somebody missing a "bring layer to front" command when this was layed up on a computer. I've done it and it's easy to miss. Edited January 10, 2015 by samdiego
Snake45 Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 The emblem issue is obviously a concession to maximizing the options for future releases. I'd guess I'd rather have decal emblems than to have to sand them off for base model builds. An RS small block is almost a certainty, I figure. Maybe they'll fix the grille and leave it on the tree plus the hidden headlight option. I'd rather have decal emblems than weak molded emblems that disappear under paint and NO decals. Much better yet would be bold, strong molded emblems AND decals as an option. As for Revell eventually doing a RS, I'm not hopeful about that. Not only is the shape of the grille wrong, the cavity in the body is wrong (to match it), too. They can do an RS grill but unless they fix the body to match, it's going to be just as badly shaped as this one is. I'm sticking with my plan of using a Modelhaus AMT annual '67 repop grille, and reworking the body as necessary to fix it (which shouldn't really be that hard).
Craig Irwin Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 Maybe the model companies will figure out that they don't make kits for 12 year old's anymore and include the scripts in PE if they don't want to engrave them on the body.
Snake45 Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 Maybe the model companies will figure out that they don't make kits for 12 year old's anymore and include the scripts in PE if they don't want to engrave them on the body. That would be great but how much would that add to the price of the kit? $5? $10?
Craig Irwin Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 That would be great but how much would that add to the price of the kit? $5? $10? Better than $16 plus shipping for MCG sets.
Guest Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 Maybe the model companies will figure out that they don't make kits for 12 year old's anymore and include the scripts in PE if they don't want to engrave them on the body. That's what I think also. Which would cost more? The engraving on the body or the photo etch? Kit companies could produce or buy photo etch in bulk bringing the cost down a lot. And they wouldn't have to produce every conceivable piece (it would be nice. but..) for the kit. Just the emblems for that particular kit. I would rather pay an extra $5-$10 for the photo etch in the kit than have to spring $15-$20 for it separately and have a lot of stuff leftover that wouldn't be used.
Luc Janssens Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 That's what I think also. Which would cost more? The engraving on the body or the photo etch? Kit companies could produce or buy photo etch in bulk bringing the cost down a lot. And they wouldn't have to produce every conceivable piece (it would be nice. but..) for the kit. Just the emblems for that particular kit. I would rather pay an extra $5-$10 for the photo etch in the kit than have to spring $15-$20 for it separately and have a lot of stuff leftover that wouldn't be used. Why not self adhesive metal transfers for body lettering and emblems like Tamiya does?
tim boyd Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) "Maybe the model companies will figure out that they don't make kits for 12 year old's anymore..." ************* Depends on the price point and content, but I can assure you that the model companies know every well that the target for their full detail kits is adults. We won that battle (more or less) back in the 1980's. This debate then is simply a function of cost to the manufacturer vs. customer price point - what can the product be priced at, and what can be included in the kit at that price and still make a profit. Unfortunately, adult model builders in the Americas have shown to be very price sensitive (vs. adult modelers in other markets worldwide), and that restricts the options for the model companies. Personally, between photo-etch and deeper engraving, I'd like to see the emblems engraved with greater depth, but failing that, decals are an OK solution. In cases like the Revell Camaro, where all indications point to future derivatives, engraving nameplates just doesn't work. Photo etch sheets, as a variable expense, are a big hit in the cost of the product to the manufacturer. I like the idea of photo-etch at a higher kit price, but don't forget that the original Revell Pro-Modeler 1970 Torino GT kit, with its original much higher price point, included a fairly extensive sheet of photo-etch. Apparently it was not valued, as the kit was not a great seller. Great news is that the kit was just reissued, and still includes the photo etch (along with some other updates/corrections), at a more mainstream price point. It will be interesting to see if the addition of photo etch at a mainstream price point increases sales the second time around. Also, I like Luc's idea of metal transfers, but that again carries a higher cost to the manufacturer - will the (adult) modeling public be willing to pay the higher cost? TIM Edited January 10, 2015 by tim boyd
Snake45 Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 I like the idea of photo-etch at a higher kit price, but don't forget that the original Revell Pro-Modeler 1970 Torino GT kit, with its original much higher price point, included a fairly extensive sheet of photo-etch. Apparently it was not valued, as the kit was not a great seller. Same was true with their Pro model airplanes. They didn't sell at the higher price point. Couple years later you could score them at places like Big Lots and Ollies, sometimes for less than their "standard" issues.
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