Back to the Future, kinda sorta.

It's been some time since I put some new material here on the blog. Well, its good to be back.

By now most of you know that Round2, the company that has been resurrecting the AMT, MPC, and Polar Lights brands UNDER LICENSE, has now acquired (and actually OWNS) the AMT, MPC, and Polar Lights trademarks - and all the molds and "intellectual property." Having been associated with AMT in its last three incarnations - when it was owned by Lesney, by Ertl, and now by Round2 - I can say with some conviction that the brand is in good hands. Tom Lowe, the force behind Round2 (most of you may remember him as the founder of Playing Mantis and Polar Lights) is a die-hard nostalgia buff, and many of the model kit selections made since stirring Round2 to life do indeed bear that out. It would seem that the Round2 approach is not quite the same as previous incarnations of AMT or MPC - or of Revell or Monogram, for that matter. Instead of being direct competition for Revell-Monogram as AMT/Ertl had been, Round2 is taking the three brands in the specialty direction - niche marketing, if you will.

And what does that mean for the modeler? First, more treasured reissues "from the vault." Second, more specialty items dedicated to nostalgic memories, like the all-new 1/25 scale tool of the Batmobile from the iconic TV show. And third, if you're a Star Trek fan, Round2 has you covered, even to the point of retooling some of the kits for greater accuracy. Now that Round2 is no longer the licensee of the three iconic brands but the direct OWNER of them, expect to see much more of the three types of issues mentioned above. Round2, live long and prosper!

Here's the text of the press release about the acquisition:

SOUTH BEND, Indiana - 11/30/2011 - Round 2, LLC, announced today that they have acquired all rights to industry leading model kit brands AMT, MPC and Polar Lights from TOMY International, Inc. (formerly RC2 Corporation).

Round 2 acquired the brands from TOMY International after manufacturing branded model kits under a licensing agreement since 2008. "We've had a great relationship with TOMY International for a long time and it has been a pleasure working with them as a licensee and now as a buyer," said Thomas Lowe, President of Round 2 LLC.

"We feel extremely fortunate to be acquiring these brands," continued Lowe. "These are some of the industry's most iconic brands and our acquisition represents a significant strategic fit with our initiatives and where we believe the industry is headed, in the near and long term. This deal is a win for Round 2, TOMY and most importantly, the modelers."

"We are pleased to have been working with Round 2 as a licensee the last 3 years, and now as the buyer," said Pete Henseler, president of TOMY International. "We wish them continued success in the model kit business and expect their expertise and passion for the hobby model kit business to drive these brands in the years ahead."

The history of the model kit brands goes back as far as 1948 when AMT, which stands for Aluminum Model Toys, was founded as a promotional toy company. Model Products Corporation, MPC, was started in 1963 and focused on bringing even more automotive subject matter to market in kit form. Founded in 1996, Polar Lights has focused on figural, horror and pop culture genres.

The acquisition gives Round 2 tooling and materials that date back into the 1950s. The tooling and artwork also represent an opportunity to bring back classic model kits in original-styled packaging, increasing the desirability and nostalgia. "I grew up building models. Not in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined I'd someday own the brands I was building as a kid," said Lowe.

About Round 2

Round 2, LLC is an innovative collectibles company located in South Bend, IN. The creative team at Round 2 is dedicated to producing detailed, high quality collectible and playable items appealing to the young and young at heart. Round 2 brands include Polar Lights, AMT and MPC model kits, Auto World slot cars, Forever Fun seasonal products and the licensed brands American Muscle, Ertl Collectibles and Vintage Fuel die cast.

Revell-Monogram Under New Ownership - Again!

This morning, Hobbico, an employee-owned hobby supply and distribution company with about 700 employees, bought Revell-Monogram. Hobbico is known for being primarily a purveyor of radio control hobby products, but in recent years has branched out with their Model Maker line of 1/24-1/25 scale display cases, diorama accessories, and motorized display turntables. With the acquisition of Revell-Monogram, Hobbico is now a plastic model manufacturer.

With the acquisition, it has been said that Ed Sexton will once again head Product Development, and Jim Foster will again be the company's president. Commentary read on various message boards is of the opinion that Revell with now have additional resources and capital to bring out new products.

History Lesson (Class, pay attention!!!)

Revell, owned by Lew and Royal Glaser since its inception in the late 1940s, was sold to toymaker Ceji of France in the late 1970s. Ceji sold Revell to a private equity firm, Odyssey Partners, in 1986, at which time Monogram Models was also acquired by Odyssey. The two companies operated separately, though sharing tooling and marketing resources, until 1991, when the companies were officially merged to form Revell-Monogram, and the company taken public and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1995, Revell-Monogram and its sister company Revell Germany were acquired by Hallmark and operated as a division of Binney & Smith, the makers of Crayola crayons. In 1997, the individual Revell and Monogram brands were merged to reflect both company names on all products. In 1998, the Monogram name was phased out, leaving only Revell as the surviving brand (though in later years, some kits would be reissued as Monogram for hobby shop distribution only.) In 2003, Revell-Monogram was sold to Alpha International of Iowa, makers of Gearbox Collectibles. In 2004, Revell-Monogram was purchased from Alpha International by a consortium of Revell and Monogram management known as The Revell Group, closed the historic Monogram plant in Morton Grove, Illinois, moved to its present headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, and consolidated manufacturing operations in China. In early 2007, Revell Germany was purchased by a consortium of their own managers and split off from Revell USA, though the two companies continued their marketing and molding arrangements. On May 2, 2007, Revell-Monogram was acquired by Hobbico.

Gilles Lives - in 1/20 scale, and Lucky Lindberg!

Hi all,

Fujimi has surprised everyone by leaking some interesting news just shy of the next Shizuoka Hobby Shop in Japan. They are starting a new series of historic Formula I racing cars in 1/20 scale (yes, 1/20 scale, like Tamiya!) and the first out of the gate is the last mount of the late, great Gilles Villeneuve - the Ferrari 126C2. Fujimi promises a June release on this one.

Lindberg, ah, Lindberg. I've never seen a product blitz as massive from a company that has been relatively dormant until its recent purchase by J.Lloyd International. Now, almost all the much-wanted 1/25 scale kits are either back or are coming back, the old ex-Pyro 1/32 scale series is starting a renaissance, and new tools are on the way - not to mention that all of the reissued kits are still being manufactured in the good old USA!

I picked up two of the reissued 1/32 scale Pyro kits the other day - the '32 Ford Roadster and the '40 Ford Convertible. It was like a second childhood, reliving the memories buying and building those old kits back in their heyday of the 1960s - when they cost 49 cents each! Pyro was one of the first to mold kits in colored plastic; not so anymore - Lindberg's reissues are all in white styrene (better for painting, of course!). For the kits age, the moldings are still pretty crisp. Granted, they are simplified, but remember, they harken from a different era. No black vinyl tires. No chrome parts (one of the biggest reasons the Pyro line didn't catch on as the bigger AMT, JoHan, Monogram, and Revell offerings did.) But with Alclad II Chrome and Gunze "Tyre Black" paints available, those reasons are now excuses not to buy or build these little jewels.

Okay, let's ask it - why bother with 1/32 scale? With some TLC and some state of the art building techniques, those kits look every bit as good as a "professional" 1/25 scale build, for one. For two, there's a whole bunch of very nice 1/32 scale kits that never got the recognition they deserved - the Matchbox 1/32 scale series of classic and racing cars, Gunze Sangyo's 1/32 scale American Cars of the 1950s, Airfix' European Classics series - you get the idea. And let's not forget that the current state of the art in slot racing is concours-quality 1/32 scale! Am I kidding? Go look at the newest slot car releases from Carrera, Fly, and Revell, among others. Those puppies are so nicely done I'd be afraid to race them on a track and damage them. They are THAT good.

That said, I talked to Gregg about an article for MCM on doing one of these puppies right. I've got the '32 on my workbench now. I'll keep you posted.

That's it for now. Keep the plastic faith.

New stuff from Japan and other delights

Hi friends and fellow modelers - welcome back!

This past weekend was IPMS New Jersey's annual MosquitoCon. Like most IPMS shows, MosquitoCon was mostly about non-automotive subjects - hey, I said MOSTLY, not totally! Being of sound (?) mind and split personality (I do aircraft models too!) I look forward to the event. I even took my two daughters with me to the show and they had a good old time at the Make and Take table building some snap/screw-together airplane models. But that's another story! The automotive entries at MosquitoCon were, as usual, first rate - even a vast majority of the Junior category entries. I've uploaded the pics to Gregg, so look for a link to them from the MODEL CARS Magazine web site sometime soon.














New Stuff with a Catch Department: Hasegawa is doing a new-tool 1/32 scale BMW 327 pre-WWII . The catch is, it only comes with their 1/32 scale Focke-Wulf Fw190A-5 airplane kit! Their new tool Fw190s are spectacular kits, so if you do aircraft also or have a hankering to try one, it's a good combination.

New Announcements from Japan Department: The winter Shizuoka show has produced some VERY interesting automotive releases from the prolific Japanese manufacturers. Here's what to expect in the months ahead:

AOSHIMA

• 1/24 Nissan Fairlady Z 2005 Version ST (aka 350Z) - NEW TOOLING - two boxings, stock and with "option parts"
• 1/24 Daihatsu Copen - NEW TOOLING - two boxings, "Active Top" and "Ultimate"
• 1/24 2005 Toyota UCF31 Celsior (aka Lexus LS430) - two boxings, stock and with 20 inch rims. Based on their excellent 2003 issue Lexus LS430 kit. Don't count on left hand steering parts in these puppies.
• 1/24 Toyota Crown Majesta - two versions, both stock - 2004 and 2006 editions.
• 1/24 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 - prepainted body, either White or Bayside Blue
• 1/24 Mazda FD3S RX-7 - prepainted body, either Innocent Blue Mica or Brilliant Black
• 1/24 Vertex Nissan S13 SIlvia

FUJIMI

• 1/24 Nissan BNR32 Skyline GT-R (limited reissue)
• 1/24 Toyota JZX81 Mark II (GT Wing Series)
• 1/24 Toyota AW11 MR-2 (GT Wing series)
• 1/24 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 Police Patrol Car Sitama
• 1/24 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 Nismo Watanabe Sports
• 1/24 Toyota GS121 Crown 2.0 Twin Cam 24
• 1/24 Mercedes-Benz 500SL Lorinser (I had this one back in 1991 when they first released it, and broke the windshield posts. Nice to have a second chance!)
• 1/24 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta
• 1/24 Ferrari Superamerica with photoetched parts
• 1/24 Porsche 911 Turbo (Tohge series)
• 1/24 Toyota GX71 Cresta GT Twin Turbo (Tohge series)
• 1/24 BMW M3 Sogo Keibi Hosho (Touring Car series)
• 1/16 Taisan Ferrari F40 JGTC 1994

TAMIYA

• 1/24 Mobil 1 SC430

That's it for now, folks. More to follow. Till next time, build them little plastic thingies!

Welcome to the Blog

"You should have a blog or something!" That's one of the comments I got this past weekend at NNL East 2007.

Back when I was writing for what was Scale Auto Enthusiast, I had a web site that supported the column, and a lot of fellow modelers enjoyed coming ot my site and chatting or getting the latest news about model cars. But a full-blown web site is very time-consuming, and as the demands of my job and my family increased, something had to give, and the web site was it. But a blog? What an idea. So, my friends, welcome to Beyond Strictly Stock. Beyond, because I'm going to talk about tuners and rods and customs and vintage racers and Ferraris and classic cars of the 30s and 40s and a whole bunch of other stuff.

I have to thank all of you who I spoke with, hung out with, had dinner with, and just plain kibitzed with, at NNL East. That's the reason I love going to shows like that. My old and dear friend and TSSMCC founder, the late John Slivoski, once said to me "it's not about the little plastic cars. It's about the friends you make along the way." John always spoke from the heart - he was a big man with a big heart and, as many of you know, my best friend. I know I'm not the only one who misses him terribly.

As I write this, I'm almost done with re-doing my modeling workshop. You know, until you have to clean and shuffle stuff around everywhere, you never really know just how much stuff you have and how it's coming close to crowding you out of house and home! But, a well-organized workshop should help in turning many of those boxes of plastic and resin parts into full-blown built models, no? I better, or the wife might just stop waxing poetic about that Drag City Casting '53 Studebaker 2-door post body, etcetera!

Enough for now, I'll post more over the next few days. And don't forget to make yourself at home on the Model Cars Magazine online forum. That puppy's growing by leaps and bounds - and a lot of credit has to go to my editor, the irrepressable Gregg Hutchings, for his love of the hobby, unbridled spirit, and complete irreverence!

As my old friend Matthew Wells of Scale Motorsport always says, "Live Long - Build 'em All!"

Later, gator.