mikemodeler

Interesting discussion. I personally think 3D printing and injection molding will be a part of our hobby for a fair amount of time. There are providers out there supplying us 3D parts and kits that the model companies will likely never offer due to the manufacturing costs. 20 years ago we had the likes of Don Holthaus creating masters to resin cast parts and kits that either were long out of production or never kitted and we bought them because it was the only way to build that model we craved. As Don aged and wanted to retire, 3D printing started becoming more common and possibly less labor intensive than casting, and his huge catalog of parts and kits became a memory. People who started out resin casting are moving to 3D printing because of the time and money involved. Joseph at Fireball is retiring some of his resin tire molds and replacing them with 3D prints for that reason. I personally think we are living in a great time for this hobby. So many people offering parts and kits that we could only dream of in the past. You want a Duramax Diesel pickup kit? It can be had with 3D printing. Tire and wheel options are vast and for so many different types of vehicles from trucks to cars in custom or vintage styles. There are people offering us 3D printed kits of vehicles that we could have only dreamed of and now we see people requesting kits so unique that a model company will never kit. I am sure model companies are looking at the technology available today to see how they can incorporate it into developing new kits and reviving kits that need some help to be viable for production and it will be interesting to see what is coming next.

Iceman Collections offers a 69/70 grille to convert the current 72 pickup into a 69/70.

The sale is every other week. The had them on sale last week which means they will be on sale next week.

Fireball has honeycomb and Rally II wheels as well as tires to go with, in 1/24 and 1/25 scale. https://www.fireballmodels.info/index.html

In a somewhat related topic to this, seeing a few sellers on FB posting some of these kits for $25. I'm sure they think they are on the road to riches but only if someone buys the kit.

Fireball Modelworks has a bunch of tires and wheels. Great product and service too!

several hobby shops have reported getting copies

This should be the ones you are looking for: https://houseofhobbies.com/collections/auto-accessories/products/pegasus-rim-tire-set-1-24-312-15-8-spoke-chrome https://pegasushobbies.wpcomstaging.com/product/8-spoke-chrome-rims-with-tires/

Post a picture of the wheel or the kit they can be found in and you might get more help, some of us have extensive spare/leftover parts stashes that may have what you need.

I passed on this 40 years ago, will do so again. The toylike nature of this kit does not get me excited for this one.

For those looking for a stock hood, there is this option from Harts Parts Resin. https://hartspartsresin.com/product/mpc-78-camaro-stock-hood/ I am looking forward to this kit, have a set of period correct rally wheels and whitewall tires, that hood from Harts Parts and a resin L-6 to build a basic Camaro.

Wow, that is worse than what I was expecting. I guess I will hold on to my older MPC Camaro kits that don't have the roof issues this one does.

I think the distribution is greater for the diecast cars than the plastic kits. Sure, when I was kid 50 years ago model kits were everywhere, but so were Hot Wheels and other die cast cars. Fast forward to today and model kits are primarily at Hobby Lobby and hobby shops, many of which are either online or hard to find. But I can hit up my local grocery store and they have Matchbox cars. Look at Target and Wal-Mart- they have all kinds of die cast cars in varying scales. And given that people of all ages collect die cast cars, likely a greater ROI with fewer issues than model kits. Round 2 is not going to stop offering model kits, but they have many different distribution channels to cater to and it stands to reason that there will be times when our model kit fix will have to wait a month or two.

Got an email that Paul was running a sale on some CTM products so I placed an order last Saturday, it arrived today well packaged and exactly as I ordered it.

check out RMR Models. Despite showing out of stock, send an inquiry, he will cast to order. https://rmrmodels.com/search?q=jeep

Here ya go Chuck! https://tx3dcustoms.com/products/73-75-ford-f100-grill?_pos=1&_sid=b2bd4f64d&_ss=r

That is looking quite nice, the color is great and you have the stance just right.

The reality of the situation is that Gregg has been dealing with back issues as long as the magazine has been around. While I had hoped years ago he would allow someone to step in during his illness to keep the magazine on schedule, the saga continues. The number of posts here over the years questioning when the next issue was forthcoming are numerous and typically go the way this one is.

I recently bought a couple from VCG and they are nice! Great service and product and an alternative to buying kits just for the engine plus you get to choose the transmission!

As well as trim variants as this one appears to be the base model trim. I think the 3D aftermarket will develop the grilles needed and possibly the military equipment to do a CCUV Blazer.

The Snap Tahoe is a perfect fit for the C1500 short bed.

If someone offered a resin or 3D 4x4 chassis for these trucks I'd bet they would sell well.

That is quite the collection and nice variety.

Nope, your math is perfect and that is why most people get upset over the inconsistency of the magazine. I once subscribed for two years (12 issues) and it took 3 1/2 years for all my magazines to arrive.

The Jeep pickups are a prime example of if someone could 3D print a kit of one, they would likely sell because hopefully they would get all the proportions correct and it would be worth the higher price for an accurate kit.