Box art and your decision?

[jbwelda]

if I do not know what is in a kit, I will not buy it if the box art contains only fanciful drawings or paintings. I want to see a real buildup, no matter how dorky it looks, and it usually does. and I don't want the buildup to contain stuff that isn't in the box. I would like to see the contents of the kit not some artists idea of a kool scene incidentally featuring something resembling what I am going to put down money for. call me old fashioned but I been sucked in by that mcdonalds burger poster one too many times and I think the same ad agency works for some of these model manufacturers, not necessarily all from the USA.

jb

[lordairgtar]

for me, I can pass on a kit with some nasty box art because down the shelf is another kit I would like to have that the box art just looks cooler. so you pass on one to get another because I never go in a store to buy a specific kit. I always have a few in mind and the box art is the deciding factor. at least for me, the box are dictates which one I buy.

So you have a lot of Palmer kits too?

[lordairgtar]

Why let the building ability of someone else determine whether or not you buy the kit? Who's to say that you couldn't do a better job than the guy who built the model for the box cover?

truth...That would be like not dating a woman because her stylist screwed up her hairdo.

[lordairgtar]

When I was a kid, IMCs art of the Ford race cars always mesmerized me. I could not do those models justice with my limited skills back then. I would go and just stare at the art of those kit boxes and lose myself in the image.

[Luc Janssens]

This kit has some great box-art, bought it because of it, back in the day. (still remember the full page ads in the German modelkit magazine Modell-Fan)

But now in this day and age I always wait for the internet reviews.

Still, I think good box-art is useful for the "window shoppers" not so much for the e-commerce consumers.

I once asked a representative from a model company, if they could do a test by releasing the same kit with two box-arts and follow which one would perform better, he said the exercise would be to costly. Think now even more then then, because at that time, the big box stores were still selling model kits.

Photo courtesy from oldmodelkits.com

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http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=21522

[FordRodnKustom]

When I was a kid, IMCs art of the Ford race cars always mesmerized me. I could not do those models justice with my limited skills back then. I would go and just stare at the art of those kit boxes and lose myself in the image.

Agreed. That IMC art was/is great.

[Greg Myers]

Just bought this kit wanting to experience the kit itself not ever having the original kit in my stash. Looking at the box art I assumed they repoped it without any chrome. After opening it up i discovered it was a complete reissue of the original kit chrome and all.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Greg Myers

[Daddyfink]

Just bought this kit wanting to experience the kit itself not ever having the original kit in my stash. Looking at the box art I assumed they repoped it without any chrome. After opening it up i discovered it was a complete reissue of the original kit chrome and all.

This has to be some of the worst box art ever! Yes, it shows the actual kit, but, who assembled it like that? Looks horrible!

The original, while being only art, makes the kit more inviting and worth buying.

Luckily some of us know what the kits really are and will base re-issue purchases based on that. But it is nicer when you get the original box art

[GeeBee]

When I was a kid, or even many years ago before the internet, yes I would say the box art would have made a difference between me buying a kit or not, but not these days, there so many ways of finding just what's inside the box .....

[Greg Myers]

and the debate goes on, " Box Art as in a drawing or other such rendering VS a Photo of the actual built kit ( hopefully built with parts included in the kit) ."

[disabled modeler]

I am really liking the fact that many show just what is included on the bottom of the boxes so one knows just what there getting....my only real complaint would be if its shown on the box art it needs to be included-ie...white wall tires,decal stripes,etc....some vehicles just are not the same without them.

[Greg Myers]

I sure as heck know which one of these I'd buy if I hadn't seen the other one...

mike

Which one? Aren't they both the same kit, different boxart ?

[disabled modeler]

Same kit with different box art....me myself I like the older one but that is just my opinion.

[Mister 4x4]

I have mixed feelings on box art.

If the box has pictures of the real car (plane, whatever), I look for pics of the assembled model or parts on the side. If it's passable and looks good, I'll get it.

If the box has pictures of the assembled model, it must look awesome. If a professional builder can't make a kit look good, I know I will certainly have issues.

If the box has pictures of graphic representations of the car, they better look professionally done - if the manufacturer can't be bothered to put up a nice illustration, they're kit's probably junk.

If I'm intimately familiar with a particular car, and the pics of the kit assembled have too many issues, I'll pass as well.

For instance, this is a horrible representation of a 1971 Mustang, I have no idea how Lindberg got an Official Ford License seal on this turd:

This is my very own 1:1 version - the difference should be obvious:

So, yeah - Box Art is important to me.

[Greg Myers]

You don't have that little box on the sail panel or the toaster thingie coming outta the hood.

Looks like there's a few to chose from.

[Mister 4x4]

I have all of those kits, actually.

The Vanishing Mach 1 isn't actually not too bad, but the NACA ducts are too far foward (in the kit), the mirrors aren't even close, and the tail lights are the wrong shape.

The Testors and AMT kits have issues with the overall shape around the quarter windows in the quarter panels themselves, tail lights are wrong, NACA ducts are too far apart, too big and too square... and the grille has headlight surrounds from the '73 ('71 and '72 had no headlight surrounds, actually). They also have '73 bumpers (which is significant, since that's when the bumpers got bigger because of 5mph crash laws).

The Testors die-cast kit has the same issues as their plastic kits. It's like they re-tooled from the '73 kit, and overlooked the differences in the grilles altogether.

Hey, I'll admit that I am glad there are several kits to choose from, considering everybody pretty much gave up on the Mustangs in '71 (claiming they're too big, or too fat, or too heavy - which is only by a factor of maybe 1-2% in all cases).... but everything I mentioned with each kit is not something that can be fixed without a LOT of work, and probably not even worth it in most views... unless you're a '71-'73 owner.

That Lindberg kit looks like an absolute abortion, though. A guy posted his build on FB, and while he did a VERY nice job building it (and I complimented him on that, of course), the kit looks nothing like the box art (thank God) and only slightly more like a '71 than the box art as well.

[Greg Myers]

Six kits, you'd think someone would have gotten it right.

[Nova-ss]

When I was 13 there was no internet.I went to the store. ...looked...researched right in the store for hours or 5 minutes what ever time

my stepfather gave me.made my decision, went home to the basementown ...started building...have fun.and opinion s happy.same as today.I'm more picky now and use the internet,but untill its in my hands and in my own vision.thats when I form my own opinion on the kit or kits...or even parts.I don't complain about it...I change anything I don't like...thats me?...I just have fun...thats whats for.

[mk11]

Which one? Aren't they both the same kit, different boxart ?

Sure they are but if a guy hadn't actually seen the horrendous actual buildup, the strong nostalgic suggestion in the artist's rendering would make it a very appealing subject to buy

As for that '71' lindberg kit, it's obviously cribbed from either the amt or mpc 69 mustang body... wonder if there's enough front end there to use to make a stab at correcting the 69 revell 'approximation'...

mike

Edited January 18, 2015 by mk11

[Chuck Most]

I like different types of box art... "retro" paintings and photos of the actual kit can both be effective ways to sell a kit. But it all boils down to subject matter for me- if I don't want a 1:25 scale 1977 Bohemian Opera Coupe, I won't buy the kit, no matter how cool the box art is.

[Ben]

Agreed. That IMC art was/is great.

LOVE the IMC box art!!!!! I have been collecting those kits lately as well! I have quite a few in the stash now!

[Ben]

I have mixed feelings on box art.

If the box has pictures of the real car (plane, whatever), I look for pics of the assembled model or parts on the side. If it's passable and looks good, I'll get it.

If the box has pictures of the assembled model, it must look awesome. If a professional builder can't make a kit look good, I know I will certainly have issues.

If the box has pictures of graphic representations of the car, they better look professionally done - if the manufacturer can't be bothered to put up a nice illustration, they're kit's probably junk.

If I'm intimately familiar with a particular car, and the pics of the kit assembled have too many issues, I'll pass as well.

For instance, this is a horrible representation of a 1971 Mustang, I have no idea how Lindberg got an Official Ford License seal on this turd:

This is my very own 1:1 version - the difference should be obvious:

So, yeah - Box Art is important to me.

LOL, I glanced at that box art and thought it was a Cuda!

[Casey]

Im just curious if anybodys purchase of kit is effected by the box art.

Yes, in a few ways.

2. If I want both the box art and the kit inside, I'll buy it.
4. If I want only the box and not what's inside, I'll probably still buy it, and trade, sell, or part out the kit inside. Even better is when the kit inside is incomplete or missing.
6. If don't like the box art but do want the kit inside, I'll buy it.
8. If I don't like either the box art nor the kit inside, no sale.

Examples of each above:

1) Good outside and inside:

2) Good box, bad contents:

3) Bad box, good contents:

4) Bad inside and out:

[Petetrucker07]

That '60 pick up wouldnt have caught my eye if wasnt lookin for it. If i had no idea of what i was buyin on that particular trip to HS i wouldve passed right by it. Sadley i may not have on that Daytona. With my experience, i have come across 2 of the Super Bee prostreet kits from the same release as that Daytona, both bodies were warped, bad, in the same way. Good thing the 2nd 1 i bought was just for parts. That truck box gets your attention because it has a star on it announcing a 2nd engine option. That alone would be an eye catcher, not to mention its a nice box too.

[Drake69]

The Daytona should have a warning sticker on it that states "Watch out for low flying parts"...

Because that's what happens when you pick one of these up and chuck it across a room, half-built.