Joe Staudt
Reviews By Author
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1961 Jaguar E-Type, Final Installment!Published:
This review covers the final pack (pack 12) of the Agora Models Jaguar build. Please see parts 1 through 4 of this review for the first 11 packs and more information about the kit. At long last, we have reached the final pack of this build, and it’s a doozy. Aside from having a fair number of new pieces to add to the model, we will also be bringing together all the various sub-assemblies that are currently littering our workspace or residing in containers nearby. Speaking of workspace, you will want to make sure you have plenty of it. I had to rearrange and tidy up the space I had before embarking on this final pack, and I could have used slightly more space. We begin Pack 12 by installing the inner door trim to the body and then installing the doors that we built way back… more |
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1961 Jaguar E-Type, Part FourPublished:
This review covers packs 10 and 11 of the Agora Models Jaguar build. Please see parts 1, 2, and 3 of this review for the first 9 packs and more information about the kit. Originally, this was going to be the final review for this build. But there was so much ground to cover that I decided to split Pack 12 into a separate review. Pack 10 begins by finishing off the hood and fenders. First the “valances” (inner wheel wells?) are installed on the underside of each fender, and then the headlight covers and chrome trim are installed. This is, I believe, the first place that the instructions actually call for some white glue to hold the covers to the trim. I used Model Master clear parts cement, but any type of white glue would do the job so long as it is used sparingly. Once the… more |
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1961 Jaguar E-Type, Part ThreePublished:
This review covers packs 7, 8, and 9 of the Agora Models Jaguar build. Please see parts 1 and 2 of this review for the first 6 packs and more information about the kit. Pack 7 starts off easy by assembling the two halves of the mufflers (or “silencers” per the instructions) and installing them onto the floor assembly from pack 6. The rest of pack 7 is devoted to building the left front and right rear wheels and then inserting the left front wheel into the tire and installing it onto the front subframe. I am finally getting the hang of putting these wire wheels together. My biggest frustration with installing the first two sets of spokes on each wheel has been getting each spoke pointed in the correct direction to seat properly on the rim. I have found that it is easiest to… more |
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1961 Jaguar E-Type, Part TwoPublished:
This review covers packs 4, 5, and 6 of the Agora Models Jaguar build. Please see part 1 of this review for the first 3 packs and more information about the kit. Pack 4 of this kit starts with building the spare wheel and tire, and then continues with assembling the front subframe. The wire wheels are probably the stars of this kit and are certainly the part I was both most looking forward to and most dreading. You build the wheels spoke by spoke, 120 spokes per wheel, in a painstaking process that is fear-inspiring for someone as fumble-fingered as I am. Thankfully, the first wheel to be built is intended as the spare tire, so any novice mistakes that can’t be repaired can at least be relegated to the trunk…er, boot. Agora also provides a video of the build process on… more |
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1961 Jaguar E-Type, Part OnePublished:
I expect that all of us have seen ads from various companies for large-scale, highly detailed kits that can be purchased as a monthly subscription. One of those companies is Agora Models, which is based in the U.K. They recently offered the IPMS the opportunity to review one of their kits, and I had the immensely good fortune to be chosen to do the review. I was allowed to choose the kit I wanted to build, and as a life-long car modeler and lover of classic vehicles, I chose their 1/8 scale 1961 Jaguar E-Type. The kit contains over 500 parts, has working headlights and brake lights, windows that roll up and down, and opening hood, doors, and trunk. The steering wheel turns the front wheels, and the brake pedal operates the taillights. The completed kit is over 22 inches long. … more |
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1969 Nova SS 350Published:
The Chevrolet Nova was everywhere in the late 1960s. Your grandma may have had a 4-door sedan for getting the groceries, your parents may have had a station wagon as the family car or a 2-door for your dad’s daily commute, and the high school down the street may have had one with a raised rear suspension and Keystone Classics. They could be had with everything from a basic in-line 6-cylinder to a powerful V-8. As a result, many people of a certain age have fond memories of these vehicles, and kit manufacturers have done a fine job providing us modelers with numerous kits of this subject. One of the latest is this 1/32 scale offering from Atlantis Models of a 1969 SS 350. The 350 V-8 was the largest engine you could get on the Nova that year, and it was rated at 300hp. Atlantis’… more |
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1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, Easy VersionPublished:
While most Americans might believe otherwise, the first production automobile was built in Germany in 1886 by Karl Benz (of Mercedes Benz fame). The Benz Patent-Motorwagen was built in very small numbers between 1886 and 1893. ICM first released a kit of this vehicle in 2020, with photo-etch parts for the wheels and and drive chains. This year they released an “easy” version of the kit that replaces the photo-etch parts with plastic versions at a significantly lower cost. The kit comes in ICM’s sturdy thick cardboard box and consists of several sprues of parts in a soft gray plastic. The softness of the plastic is good, because it means that the many small, delicate parts tend to bend rather than break. The parts had almost no flash and very few mold lines. This is… more |
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1914 Ford Model T Fire TruckPublished:
Henry Ford’s Model T revolutionized America. It’s low price and simple mechanics made it affordable and practical for ordinary people to own a car. The flexibility of the Model T’s platform also spawned a host of other applications that allowed businesses and municipalities to make the switch from horse-drawn vehicles as well. This kit shows a prime example of that flexibility. While the Model T fire truck may not have been capable of supplying all equipment needed to fight a major fire, it did provide a means of getting some basic firefighting equipment to the scene much more quickly, buying critical minutes in emergency situations. ICM has been releasing a host of Model T subjects in both 1/24 and 1/35 scale in recent years. Again, the Model T’s basic platform allows… more |
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Porsche BoxsterPublished:
In 1992, Porsche produced a concept car that harkened back to an icon of its early days: the Boxster. A two-seat, mid-engine roadster that was low on frills and high on performance. Four years later, the concept became reality, and the Boxster became the best-selling Porsche until the Cayenne SUV came out in 2003. Revell has recently brought us a Snap-Tite version of the first-generation Boxster. Let’s give it the once over. As you would expect for a Snap-Tite kit, part count is low and assembly is simplified. The 32 plastic parts are molded in red, black, clear, red clear, and chrome. Two metal axles, two screws, four vinyl tires, a sheet of stickers, and the instruction sheet round out the box contents. As one would expect for a new mold, the parts are free of flash… more |
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Piranha Super Spy CarPublished:
In the early 1960’s, plastics were the wave of the future. The Marbon Chemical Company believed that plastic could be used for the structural parts of automobiles, and to demonstrate this they decided to build an entire car out of ABS plastic. The folks at AMT were so taken by this concept that they not only released kits of the car, but also committed to build a quantity of the full-scale vehicles. The most famous of these was used on the TV show “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, where it served as the car driven by the main character and his sidekick, a pair of international spies. The full-size cars never caught on, but the kits were popular, and Round 2 has recently re-released them. The first one out is the “Original Art Series” version of the “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” car, with… more |