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Post by Faust on Jun 17, 2020 20:34:05 GMT -5
Let’s face it. Most of the cars in the early 1980s were pretty sad. Hey were either little econobeaters or gutless throwbacks to a better time, simply shambling sadly to their graves and awaiting replacement by smaller, less interesting cars. This is what I was surrounded with when I was growing up; the last messy bit of the Automotive Dark Ages. However, there are a few cars from the mid-‘80s that were pretty cool, and some that were actually innovative in terms of both styling and execution. So many cars wanted to pretend to be European, but most just assumed being small and ugly was enough. There was an interesting exception, though, and that was Ford’s Sierra XR4i. In North America, we got it with a Ford Turbo 4, as the Merkur XR4Ti. However, in Europe, it was just an XR4i, but it got a 6 cylinder. This was a two-door, rear drive sports sedan, and it ACTUALLY was European. With aero styling and a double wing at the back, it was pretty futuristic looking, and I’ve always loved them. Trying to find a kit of one, though… that’s another matter altogether! Thanks to my brother, though, I finally managed to get my mitts on one of the rarer Tamiya kits – the XR4i Sierra in it’s non-racing guise! Check it out at the link below – this is one I can’t wait to get to! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/tamiya-1-24-ford-sierra-xr4i-out-of-box/
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Post by Faust on Jun 3, 2020 20:52:36 GMT -5
There are kits we all want because we think they’re amazing from an engineering standpoint. You know the kind, they’re big, impressive and the box is packed so full of styrene that you can’t even figure out how to get it all back in there. Sometimes, it’s a subject we’ve always wanted, sometimes, it’s just because we can’t resist the lure of something so impressive. There are lots of kits like that. However, I’m sure most of us also have kits that we’ve wanted just because they look fun. Maybe they’re funky, or different, or classic; there can be a million reasons why a specific kit just “calls to you”. For me, one of those kinds of kits is old-school Matchbox LRDG. This Orange Range armour kit always just looked “fun” to me. Lots of “stuff” like Gerry cans, bags, boxes and the like, lots of machine guns, and a cool, almost “Mad Max” survival vibe, really sold me on it. Sure, it’s 40 years old, but so what? Thankfully, through the kindness of a friend (Thanks Alan!) I was able to finally get my hands on one, and it’s an old Matchbox, not Revell reissue! I’m really pumped to build this one, and will be starting it very shortly. Check out this classic take on the famous Long Range Desert Group of WWII fame at the link below. Get ready, because there’s always all kinds of awesome in a Matchbox armour kit! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/matchbox-1-76-lrdg-oob/
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Post by Faust on Jun 3, 2020 20:51:49 GMT -5
That Hughes is awesome! I've never seen that one before!
The Eggplane OH-6/MD-500 (if I remember right) is hardly SD at all - I mean, it IS an egg to start!
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Post by Faust on May 20, 2020 20:46:06 GMT -5
Just knowing what’s going on in a battle can make the difference between victory and defeat, literally life or death. Because of that, finding out what the enemy is up to, and making sure you apply your resources in the best way possible, has always been an important part of warfare. With the maturation of aircraft as viable spotting and recon platforms during the 20th century, the art of battlefield recon rose (sometimes literally) to new heights. However, not every important machine was a high-tech wonder, festooned with cameras and other sensors. Some were more workaday planes; tough, rugged front-line spotters that would fly out over the battlefield and report directly. One of the less-famous of these kinds of planes is the Henschel Hs-126. With long, fixed undercarriage and a surprisingly bulky-looking fuselage hanging under a rarely-seen-in-frontline-planes parasol wing, the -126 was really not a beauty queen. However, it did its job well. I’m quite a fan of odd and lesser-known aircraft, so I was very happy to get my hands on one of the original Matchbox kits of this particular bird! Check out the out of box review below – maybe you’ll want one of your own?! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/matchbox-1-72-hs-126-out-of-box/
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Post by Faust on May 6, 2020 19:34:19 GMT -5
Sometimes, it’s fun to go a little wild and crazy. Real car owners have been doing it for ages, and model kit companies were generally not too far behind when it came to customizing trends. When something became cool on the street, it was typical for the model companies to start producing kits in the same vein, whether that meant modifying existing kits or just issuing new ones that were already customized or could be. A perfect example of this was the mini-truck customization phase that was big in the mid-‘70s and lasted until the early ‘80s. The vannin’ craze and the show rod world spilled over and merged on the light trucks of the era, resulting in the Street Truck, a customized micro-van more for cruisin’ than bruisin’. Well, now that everything retro is cool, Revell as dug deep into the Monogram side of things and brought one such road warrior back to life. This thing is wild and better than ever, thanks to new decals! Check out the new repop of the Monogram Chevy LUV Street Pickup at the link below. adamrehorn.wordpress.com/monogram-1-24-chevy-luv-street-pickup-oob/
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Post by Faust on Apr 22, 2020 10:41:25 GMT -5
If there’s one thing I have a lot of, it’s robots. I grew up in the ‘80s, when Transformers, Voltron and Robotech were the big things. I glommed onto those and never let go. As I got older, and discovered Gundam and the other great mech animes, I was astounded at the number of awesome robots that were available as model kits! Since then, I’ve amassed quite a number of mech kits, and I generally love them all about the same. However, when Flame Toys brought out their “Furai” model kit line, which are models of some of their third-party Transformer designs, there was one that blew me away. That one was the Autobot Drift, a design that melded the best of Transformers with the best of more “traditional” Mobile Suit design. I wanted one, but couldn’t find a lot online about how the kit was as a model. Regardless, I was ecstatic to be able to get one, and now we can all see how this new type of mech kit measures up to his competition. Check him out at the link below! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/flame-toys-furai-model-drift-out-of-box/
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Post by Faust on Apr 8, 2020 7:59:08 GMT -5
Spring has sprung, and that means that it’s wet, muddy and generally kinda crappy weather-wise. Add in all the craziness that’s going on in the world, and it might be enough to make you pull the covers back over your head and just wait for better times. However, there’s nothing to brighten a dull day like some good old-school MPC craziness!! In order to brighten everyone’s spririts, and to thank everyone for helping my little site get to 300,000 views, I thought something different should be done over at the Sprue Lagoon. Thus, I decided to put my four MPC Monzas head-to-head and see just how similar, or different, they are! So, if you want a trip back in time to a more badge-engineered, parts-reusing, mix-and-match era, where bad customs and crazy decals were the norm, then strap in and check out the link below! H-Body shenanigans a-plenty await! MPC Monzas
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Post by Faust on Mar 25, 2020 18:36:18 GMT -5
During the Cold War, nuclear-tipped, rocket-launched weapons were all the rage. From the towering ICBMs that would end the world to the ridiculous and perilously short-ranged Davy Crockett nuclear mortar, it was expected that all phases of future war would be conducted by some kind of rocket bombardment with mushroom clouds as the end result. A perfect example of one such piece of equipment, and one that falls somewhere between the two aforementioned extremes, was the Honest John. This was a truck launched artillery rocket that could be fielded with both conventional and unconventional warheads. With a range of between 15 and 30 miles, it was basically the equivalent to tube artillery. It was highly mobile and promised to deliver nuclear Armageddon to an advancing enemy army from behind friendly lines. Of course, it only makes sense that there would be replicas of such a system, since it was important to the US and its allies. However, one of the more interesting reproductions of this weapon is actually a toy! I mean, it was the Cold War, what else were kids going to play with besides battlefield nukes? The toy I’m talking about is the Dinky Toys No. 665 Honest John, and it was a particularly long-lived model in the Dinky line! Check out this diecast doomsday weapon at the link below! Sure, it’s not a kit, but it’s a neat replica and it really fires! (Don’t point at eyes or face…) adamrehorn.wordpress.com/dinky-no-665-m386-honest-john-missile-launcher/
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Post by Faust on Mar 11, 2020 19:31:12 GMT -5
They say that “everything old is new again” and I think they must have had our current fascination with nostalgia particularly in mind when coming up with that phrase. The good thing about nostalgia is that sometimes it spawns a “do-over”, where whatever is being fondly remembered gets reinvented with the benefit of modern sensibilities and technology. Nowhere is that more apparent, to me at least, than when it comes to toys. The current crop of Transformers toys are almost exclusively re-dos of old classic standbys but with modern, top-notch design and functionality. However, before this wave of nostalgia hit, I had thought it would be fun to try and bring two of my favourite things (modelling, and Transformers) together. Rather, though, than model someone famous this time, I decided to go for a “What if they were real?” approach. That’s not that entertaining when the subject is a yellow Beetle, perhaps, but it gets plenty freaky when it’s a magenta, blue an purple quiltwork of an AH-64 Apache! Check out my “just for fun” take on the classic Decepticon helicopter named Spinister. What, you don’t remember him? Check it out at the link below, and you’ll wonder how the “in disguise” part was every supposed to work in this guy’s favour. adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/mecha-robots/academy-1-72-ah-64a-apache-spinister/
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Post by Faust on Feb 26, 2020 20:30:15 GMT -5
Well the people have spoken, and the winner in my poll to see what should be reviewed next was the Blackurn Shark, from FROG. This is one of those “Because you demanded it!” moments, and I have to say, I was surprised the Shark came out on top. It was close with the Neiuport and Macchi coming in close second and third, but the mighty Shark won out! Hailing from the 1968 time period, this first-style boxing certainly has he years on its side! So, if you’ like me and love a good classic kit, or you just want to see how it was done in the old days, check out the link below! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/frog-1-72-blackburn-shark-out-of-box/
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Post by Faust on Feb 12, 2020 20:16:43 GMT -5
For a lot of people in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter months can be long and draggy. Sunshine is at a premium (if you see it at all), there’s usually cruddy weather and driving isn’t exactly trouble-free. Add to this the inevitable arrival of post-Christmas bills and a return to the “normal” routine, and you’ve got a recipe for some serious doldrums. Thankfully, my friend Alan took it upon himself to send my “January Blahs” packing by doing some packing of his own! In the mail near the end of January I got a surprise load of kits from him! You want to talk about a great way to end a day? Getting a box of awesome old kits in the mail is definitely a good way to do it! Thanks, man! Check out some of the cool stuff I got at the link below, and don’t forget to vote on which one I do in-depth first! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/scores-and-collections/cure-for-the-january-blahs/
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Post by Faust on Jan 29, 2020 21:29:29 GMT -5
I've seen that race one online, but never in person. I'm always more a fan of the "daily driver" than racing trims, though, so I don't feel too bad. I do have a HotWheels of what I think is supposed to be that racing version though! Having a HW Volvo wagon is something I never thought I'd have!
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Post by Faust on Jan 29, 2020 20:48:51 GMT -5
If you know me, and/or the Sprue Lagoon, you know that I do have a thing for “loser cars”. However, it’s not just econoboxes and soulless “made-to-be-rented” cars that I love! I am also a fan of the mundane. That means cars that aren’t necessarily bad, and might be kind of exciting, but definitely things that you’d see everyday. They are the car equivalents to the “people in your neighbourhood” that Sesame Street sang about. One vehicle that surely fits this description is the Volvo 850 Turbo Estate wagon. I rather like these cars, and they’re decent, competent and even kind of stylish, in their own way. However, at least where I live, they were common. Not Chevy Celebrity common, but much more common than many other kinds of wagons. Since station wagons aren’t something that get kitted enough, in my view, I was very glad to come across this kit at Wings and Wheels in Toronto quite some time ago. I figured that the drab days of winter were a good time to pop it out and see what was up. After all, I remember seeing a lot of these in Beige. Check out Tamiya’s take on this Swedish family mover at the link below! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/tamiya-1-24-volvo-850-turbo-estate-oob/
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Post by Faust on Jan 1, 2020 14:08:46 GMT -5
It only seems right to start the New Year off with an old kit! Of course, I have a whole stable of those to choose from, but I thought that it would be fun to look at something that I’ve never done before; a biplane! While everybody knows the Swordfish, there is another Fleet Air Arm biplane of WWII that, it seems, is largely forgotten. No, I’m not talking about the Albacore, although it’s awesomely obscure and somewhat pedestrian as well. I’m talking about the Fairey Seafox! This was an observation and spotting plane used until the middle of the war to help locate enemies for the fleet’s gunners. It’s no surprise that few people know it; it’s not fast, glamourous or sexy, except in that weird, obscure “What is that??” kinda way. Of course, that makes it totally awesome to me, and I was very happy to finally get my hands on a Matchbox kit of the type. It seems to be one of the harder ones to find! So, if you want to check out some classic Matchbox goodness on a genuinely obscure type, go no further than the link below! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/matchbox-1-72-fairey-seafox-oob/
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Post by Faust on Dec 18, 2019 9:59:21 GMT -5
It seems I’m not the only one who’s paralyzed by choice! A short time ago, I had a poll for which of my many Monzas people would like to see written up first! Well, when there’s that much awesomeness on display, I can see why it would be a hard decision to make. However, I was very surprised to see that three of them all tied for first! So, I personally broke the deadlock and chose the one I liked best, which was also my nephew’s favourite (he’s four and has good taste, it seems). Check out what’s inside the first of many radical custom Monza kits with this out of box look at Street Spyder! It’s an early Christmas present, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/revell-1-25-1978-monza-street-spyder-oob/
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