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 turn the spoke while it is only about halfway inserted. Once it is turned, it is pretty easy to pull it the rest of the way through and get it into place without disturbing the other spokes.

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 their website so you can see the procedure in action before you attempt it yourself.

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.

After decades in the Monogram “tomb of doom” Atlantis has saved some of the Route 32 kits from the crypt and reissued them for us to enjoy once again. This model of the 1982 Z/28 Camaro was initially issued in 1982 and is now available as brand-new stock.

Back in the day, because these kits were relatively inexpensive and perfectly sized, many of these kits were primarily adapted to serve as slot car bodies. As fashionable as that was, they were also nicely detailed models when built with moderate detailing. If you collect a lot of models, or you’re concerned with space, 1:32 scale car models are only about 6” long but are good representations of the real thing.

The kit consists of 47 pieces for the single-purpose version of the 1982 Camaro Z/28. It is molded in color and includes a detailed one-piece body, interior, and engine, along with scripted rubber tires, chrome-plated and clear parts, instructions, and waterslide decals.

Courtesy of Peter Ventri at Atlantis Models, a number of new product releases were provided to us at the Madison National Convention. This review covers both the "plain base" and the "cobblestone base" versions of these display cases, the only difference being the street surface under the model.

Both cases are molded in clear acrylic, measuring 9 1/8” L x 3 7/8” H x 3 5/8”. The extra height allows for open hoods and trunks as well as for (obviously) taller vehicles to be displayed. Each case is nicely packaged not only in a secure box but a clear plastic wrap that eliminates scratches and scuffs from shipping damage. An added bonus is that the cases can be stacked (see images). Also supplied is several lengths of thin craft wire with instructions on how to secure a model to the base for more secure handling and transport.