unclescott58 Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I try to build everything I get. Very rarely have I found a kit I wanted to give up on. I do best I can with each of them. Some are more challenging than others. But, hopefully that is making me a better modeler as I learn to work through those problems. Serval people in this thread have mentioned several kits I've seen no real problems with. Are these kits perfect in my eyes? No. But, I can work around most of their problems. And end up with a pretty decent model that I'm over all happy with. Scott
bigphoto Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 The Fujimi 427 Cobra I opened the box looked at what was supposed to be a 427 engine and closed the box and traded it away I will stick with the Revellogram Cobra!
Deathgoblin Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 The Lindberg/Pyro Dodge Challenger and 71 Mustang. They're both badly proportioned, lack any sort of detail and are completely worthless for parts. I got one of the Challenger's at Ollie's for $7 and still felt cheated. Round 2 should really kill off these kits.
turbo nova Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 (edited) I agree on the 71 mustang as I am yet to find a good kit of the whale body mustangs, The new revell 67 camaro and the fox body are on the list as well, I had such hi hopes for them. I have posted this before but will again to explain my feelings on these kits, I dont build many stock type builds, I enjoy modifying cars and trucks and starting with kits that are so out of proportion is about as much fun as starting with a rotten/rusted to death car in a 1:1 build. It isnt because Im lazy or cant fix em, its because it isnt fun Edited February 13, 2015 by turbo nova
1972coronet Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 RE : the 1982-tooling Monogram 1971 Hemi'Cuda : I've built innumerable amounts of this kit --in its various iterations-- since its release 33 years ago . My complaints about it , for the most part , aren't exclusive from others' complaints ; however , I've recognised other inaccuracies with it : - 4-speed with 8 3/4 differential combo (either needed a Dana 60 -or- a Torqueflite to be correct ) - I'll-fitting Shaker Hood bubble-to-hood ( exasperated on subsequent issues ; never had that problem with the original-issue ) - Amost-correct upholstery pattern (looks like an attempt at the optional leather upholstery pattern : ) - The facia needs to be modified for a correct appearance (the aforementioned valance panel ; outlined a few times on this forum) . - The chromed parking lamps and tail lamps are just lame - The complete lack of any door panel details (the convertible and its updated / upgraded interior addressed this problem in a *acceptable* manner) - Its ride-height is a tad too tall (mostly due to the tyres) - Moulded-on exhaust and tiny mufflers - Engine lacks an oil filtre , crankcase breather ; the AFB carbs are blobs The 1984-issue of the Street Machine version had an incorrect-for-1971-Hemi hood , but that was actually a nice thing to have for conversion purposes (340 , 383 , and 440+6) . The wheels are pretty gross , that's for certain ! Then there's the whole traction bars thing ; a no-no for torsion bar suspension . ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The 1975 Dart Sport is a welcomed reissue , IMO . Despite its inaccuracies ( 4-speed trans with automatic interior ; no console / 4-speed combos on A-bodies after 1969 ) it builds-up nicely . Add some underhood details (namely , a brake master cylinder !) , and maybe even pitch that undersized 318-340-360 . Hope to post some pics soon of the progress I've made with the one I'm building ...
chunkypeanutbutter Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 Lindberg triumph gt6 it looks awsome on the box but nothing fits properly and the engine is beyond inacurate Being an owner of a GT6+ Mk. II, that thing made me mad. Ah, well... I guess I'll scratchbuild one some day.
mrknowetall Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I don't usually get into what annoys me about various automotive kits, but this abomination from AMT rates as my all time biggest disappointment!http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIxN1gxNjAw/z/kZsAAOSwmLNTmRwF/$_57.JPG
chunkypeanutbutter Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 (edited) What's wrong with that Ford? Edited February 13, 2015 by chunkypeanutbutter
mrknowetall Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 Cunkypeanutbutter. Which post are you replying to?
DaveM Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I have done that a few times over the years. My biggest ones were the AAR Cuda from a decade or two ago and the '67 Camaro, I also have a '70 'Cuda that will probably never get built. It's not incredibly bad, but I have so many kits that are a lot better. Also, back in the eighties, AMT had a few reissues with lots of sinkholes. (Maybe running the plastic a bit hot?) some of those are still on my shelves. I have lots to build in my stash, so I don't NEED any new kits. I am getting a bit fussier when buying. I used to rush out and buy the kit the day it hit the shelves. Now, I wait for a few reviews of it to find out how bad the problems are. This saved me from the Mustang, but not from the Camaro. I need to learn patience... But I will wait until after the Moebius pickups and the new '29 A are released before showing patience. My take on some of the older issues is that each build must be taken for what it is. I would not build a '62 Buick, expecting to do a full detail of it without a lot of extra work, but it makes a great shelf model with a bit of cleanup and some paint and foil work. I will even tack the hood shut on some of my shelf builds, or put them on an opaque base so that the molded in chassis details won't bother me. As long as the body has that look to it when finished, I'm pretty happy with the model. Most of my models, I detail a little bit beyond box stock. I always have one "Stretch" project where I am pushing my skills a bit to make myself a better builder. Sometimes it's taking a really nice kit and putting it over the top and other times it's taking an older kit and making it passable. A kit has to have major issues with the body or external parts to end up back in the box forever...
Monty Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 A couple occasions come to mind. Sometime back in the '80s I was excited to see that MPC's '67 GTO had been re-issued. A guy in my neighborhood happened to own a real one, and it was a beast, so I bought the kit with the intent of replicating his car. Long story short, between the promo-like chassis, a mediocre engine and some other long forgotten issues, it was relegated to the back of my storage area. I lucked out a few years later when a model-building friend who happened to love Pontiacs agreed to a trade for it. He's a great builder but he never got past painting the body. I've loved Jaguar XKEs since I was a little kid, but I knew better than to try and build one till I'd acquired some experience and honed my modeling skills. Years later, with untold numbers of builds completed, I finally felt I was ready. I had found this Revell kit at my local hobby shop and was relishing the prospect of detailing the engine, suspension, interior, etc... then I opened the box. The ejection pin marks on this thing were like acne, ruining many of the parts that Revell had tooled so accurately. I'm not lazy and I don't mind doing some cleanup work, but I couldn't fathom spending a week fixing all the divots. (Imagine divots in coil-over shocks). I still have it, complete and unbuilt, but I'll use it as trade bait someday.
John Goschke Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I don't usually get into what annoys me about various automotive kits, but this abomination from AMT rates as my all time biggest disappointment! http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIxN1gxNjAw/z/kZsAAOSwmLNTmRwF/$_57.JPG Yep! That thing is pretty horrendous. I'd never seen one, and thinking "how bad could it be?," had a friend send me one he was selling 'cause he thought it was bad. He simply said "if you don't like it just send it back." Packed it up and sent it back the same day I received it! "How bad can it be?" This kit is as bad as they come! A real shame, because it's a very significant subject that, as a result, still awaits a worthwhile kit in 1/25th scale.
chunkypeanutbutter Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 Chunkypeanutbutter. Which post are you replying to? Yours.
Atmobil Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 Well, I see that most of you (including me) are putting kits back in to the box because of faults in some way. I have however put kits back in to the box not because of faults but because they are just too good. I got the Mercedes 170 in 1:35 scale from Miniart, looks like a great kit, even comes with photoetch body-to-chassis brackets....and that's were I put it back. Tiny little brass parts that are supposed to be bent from a 2d flat part in to a 3d part, I'm just not up to it. Maybe sometime later. I also got a 1:35 scale boat from Hasegawa, probably is great in fit and is really great on details. I even got the extra photoetshdetailupset that includes rear boom for two helicopters (yes the boat has two helicopters and two seaplanes on the deck), railings and steps and lots of other stuff for the ship itself and people and dogs and....penguins!!! In 1:350 scale!!! How I'm supposed fatten up some flat penguins that are so small that I have problems seeing them, I don't know. Sometimes, one has to admit that one does not have the skills it takes
Tom Geiger Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I was a bit concerned with this one..... But if came out just like the box art!
mrknowetall Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 Yours. Sorry. I thought it was the '57 Ford posts you were referring to. In any event. AMT's '34 Ford three window looked great in box art. Once you bought one, and opened the box (late summer of 1977), the serious funk set in. I can't begin to explain how many ways the kit was wrong. You would have to see one for yourself, and they still show up from time to time on eBay, and swap meets.
mrknowetall Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 (edited) Yep! That thing is pretty horrendous. I'd never seen one, and thinking "how bad could it be?," had a friend send me one he was selling 'cause he thought it was bad. He simply said "if you don't like it just send it back." Packed it up and sent it back the same day I received it! "How bad can it be?" This kit is as bad as they come! A real shame, because it's a very significant subject that, as a result, still awaits a worthwhile kit in 1/25th scale. Yep. No saving that turd! I actually tried and failed. Having said that, I bought one in mint condition from an eBay seller a year or two ago, only because: A: I'm a fool. B. I needed a reminder. C. It was relatively cheap. D. I'm still a fool! (Smile) Edited February 14, 2015 by mrknowetall
chunkypeanutbutter Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 I'm a relative fool. Maybe I should get one!
Snake45 Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 Sorry. I thought it was the '57 Ford posts you were referring to. In any event. AMT's '34 Ford three window looked great in box art. Once you bought one, and opened the box (late summer of 1977), the serious funk set in. I can't begin to explain how many ways the kit was wrong. You would have to see one for yourself, and they still show up from time to time on eBay, and swap meets. Is it worse than the undersized, malproportioned Revell '34 Ford 3-window?
mrknowetall Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 Is it worse than the undersized, malproportioned Revell '34 Ford 3-window? The Revell '34 was (is) exactly what you said. The AMT '34 was far worse. The basic shape of the body is OK in terms of scale (I think), but they failed in an epic way on the body detail. Too much to explain here. You'd have to actually see one. And it's not just the body. The '34 grille is a joke at best, and the kit shares parts with one of AMT's Model T kits available at about the same time. Perhaps one of AMT's only efforts that rivals anything Plamer had done some years earlier It's that bad. Seriously, it is (or was). It's never been reissued, and I don't wonder for a minute why that is.
ChrisBcritter Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 The '34 3-window has one saving grace: Better wheels for AMT '32 Fords. Otherwise I'm leaning towards customizing the body and channeling it over the '32 "Show and Go" chassis (with a frame stretch).
horsepower Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 That '34 Ford makes a great old "hardtop", known as jalopies to some of you.
Belugawrx Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 I was a bit concerned with this one..... But if came out just like the box art! Too funny
gtx6970 Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 To be perfeclty honest . I did just that with the revell 1970 Cuda. With the wheel lips being to big, the tail lights to me look slightly large to me compared the back of the car,,but my biggest issue is the body line running down the side runs right on top of the rear wheel lip. None of which should have happend with a kit tooled in modern times. I am so glad I didnt sell off my original MPC builtups
Guest Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 To be perfeclty honest . I did just that with the revell 1970 Cuda. With the wheel lips being to big, the tail lights to me look slightly large to me compared the back of the car,,but my biggest issue is the body line running down the side runs right on top of the rear wheel lip. None of which should have happend with a kit tooled in modern times. I am so glad I didnt sell off my original MPC builtups Besides those issues, the stubby looking front end, grille that looks too tall and the mis shaped rear bumper killed that kit for me. To me, the trunk area also looks too long and the side window openings look too short in height giving the body a thick look. I didn't even buy it to look at it. Everyone kept saying that it looks better with paint and foil on it. But, I just don't see it. I may get a couple now for parts donors for my MPC and JoHan 'Cuda's.
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