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Round 2 Models: Wonderfest 2019 preview
We are excited as always to participate in the Wonderfest Sc-Fi modeling show each year in Louisville, KY. This year is no different and the show is just a few weeks away. You can check out specifics on the show here.
Don’t forget that each year we award participants in the model contest for the BEST USE OF A ROUND 2 MODEL KIT! There is plenty of room for interpretation in that definition. We like CREATIVE use of any of our kits, but if not that, then over-the-top craftsmanship usually catches our eye. Use our kits in an exciting way in a super-clean kit-bash, and you’ve got yourself a winner! We present awards for adults as well as models from the child or youth category to encourage young talented modelers
We are preparing our booth display where we’ll show buildups of our most recent and upcoming releases as well as sneak peeks at some new stuff. We usually try to keep the wraps on things until the show, but a few of our upcoming new kits were recently placed on our distributor price list. So rather than let everyone try and figure out what is going on, we’re going to fill you in NOW!
We will be showing three new sci-fi/pop culture kits at the show this year starting out with the 1967 Impala from the popular series, Supernatural. We’ve gotten a ton of requests for it and its as iconic a car as you will find on the airwaves today. We will have a mockup on display at the show.
We have been reviewing test shots that will be used in this year’s Space:1999 prebuilt product… drumroll, please… a 22″ Eagle II. The model will feature a slightly different engine bottle arrangement and all-new shoulder pods. The springs will be a bit “softer” to compress more fully as we see in the show. Just showing some pics of the assembled test shots isn’t that appealing, but we intend to have a fully factory-decorated piece at the show to show off exactly what the final product will look like.
Lastly, (but not leastly) we will be showing a fresh test shot of our brand new tooling of the 1/72 scale Eagle. At 1/72, the ship measures little over 14″ long and will eventually replace the old 1/96 scale MPC model everyone is used to. It will be the first model of the Eagle to ever come with a base to hold it in flying position. We’ll drop a ton of pics here with some comparisons to our other models. We hope to see you at the show!
Lindberg Model kits: Jolly Roger Series: 2nd & 3rd Releases!
Lindberg welcomes 2 more 1:12 scale figure kits aboard Jolly Rogers. Because of the popularity of last year’s of the Jolly Roger Series: Hex Marks The Spot, not only will we be doing a second run but we are also releasing the next 2 in the series: Dismay Be The End and In The Pinch of Peril. Each kit portrays a skeleton pirate posed mid struggle within a beautifully detailed scene.
Abandoned by his crew and shackled to a stone, he was left as gator bait for “Dismay Be The End”. The pirate skeleton sits on a mound of sand, chained to a rock, guarding a barrel of grog. Strewn around him are bones and the remains of some creature. A hunger alligator is lunging for his leg. A rubber band powered sword chops at the furious beast. The kit sits at 5″ tall and 10″ wide. Bonus 1:1 pirate coin and medallion are included.
As the sand pulls him deeper, a giant crab is looking for a bite. He has found himself “In The Pinch of Peril”. The seconds skeleton tries to pull him free, but instead pulls his arm out of the socket. The kit sits at 6″ tall and 6″ wide. Bonus 1:1 pirate coin and medallion are included.
Lindberg Model kits: Jolly Roger Series: Hex Marks the Spot!
“Set adrift and drudges weak
Pursuit of yer gold and sapphire lot
What ye find is not what ye seek
When a HEX marks the spot.”
Emerging from the depths of the Round 2 tooling bank comes a new addition to Lindberg’s Jolly Roger Series. Hex Marks the Spot begins a haunting lineup of 1:12 scale figural kits. This memorable kit from 1972 stands 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide. It portrays a cursed pirate captain steering his “skeleton” crew in search of a deadly treasure. The all plastic assembly glue-together kit nearly snaps-together. The model is highly detailed and well sculpted, featuring realistic wood-grain and weathering on the deck and crates. The cannon features corrosion after spending years on the dicey sea. Additional details like cannon balls, a skull and bones are included to flesh out the scene. The model jumps to life when a second skeleton lunges from a crate with dagger in hand to pinpoint the location of the lost booty on the treasure map. A BONUS pirate medallion and coin are also included.
Decals include a massive skull and cross bones, treasure map, blue or yellow lantern glass, stripe detail for captain’s vest, decorative band for skull cap, royal crest for stolen crate, chest designs, multiple crests for the cannon and decorations for the ship’s wheel. The decal sheet even includes the poem above. Be sure to tell your usual retailer to reserve your copy!
1:32 Kitbash: 1930 Ford Model A Roadster Pickup – Part 3
This is the final part of my 1930 Ford Model A Roaster Pickup kitbash using the Lindberg 1:32 Customizable Show Rod 2-pack and Lindberg 1:32 1930 Ford Model A Pickup.
Parts are painted, now it is time for assembly.
As mentioned in part 2, I assembled the motor using the “Rear Mill Bucket” instructions. As shown above.
Next I assembled the frame (A1), body (A3+A4+A5+A6), dash (A17), steering wheel (A19), windshield (a9), glass (A25), bed (A7a), grille (A2), tail gate (A8), and interior of the cab (A10) as shown in the Model A Pickup instructions. I replaced the gear shift with the chromed one from the Super Roadster (part R10).
1:32 Kitbash: 1930 Ford Model A Roadster Pickup – Part 1
As mentioned in a previous post the Lindberg 1:32 Customizable Show Rod 2-pack will be out soon and one of the cool features is the many parts that can be used to customize the kits – 125 parts to be exact! The kit includes instructions to build the 2 cars in three different ways but with the parts being interchangeable you could customize many more.
Often not seen in 1:32 car kits are detailed engines and the Show Rod kit includes 2. I realized the Lindberg line has many older 1:32 releases that could be kitbashed with the Show Rods. My goal is to use the parts in the new release to customize the Lindberg 1:32 1930 Ford Model A Pickup, item number 72134. For the paint inspiration I will use the 1975 boxart of Lindberg 1:24 Freaky Ford. Check out my next post to see my progress.
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Lindberg Model kits: 1620 Pilgram Mayflower!
This month set sail with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Build this 1:250 replica of the famous ship that establish the first English settlement in the new world. The Mayflower is joining Lindberg’s growing fleet of small scale sailing ships. At 5.5 inches long the kit is packed full of detail with molded flags, preformed sails, decorative hull and wood grain deck.
The Mayflower includes new packaging featuring the 1963 boxart, easy-to-follow instructions, display base with nameplate and Cartograf decals. The new decal sheet includes flags, name for display and stern decoration.
Lindberg Model kits: 1:32 Customizable Show Rods! A Brief History
We have a 2-pack of 1:32 Customizable Show Rods that will be coming out soon under the Lindberg model kit line. The pack includes a 1930s roadster and a 1920s rear-engine bucket that include a slew of interchangeable parts, so you can customize to your heart’s content. These fun little kits were originally released separately in 1965 as part of a series of 4 kits. The Roadster was released as the Super Custom Deuce, a 3-in-1 kit including Street Roadster and B Altered variations, and as the Blown Buggie. The Bucket was released as the Kookie Contender, a 3-in-1 including Scoopster and Rear Mill Bucket variations, and as the Tuned Tinker. Over the next 11 years Lindberg put out 6 more versions of each kit. Notable releases include the hard to find Glo-Karts in ’72, Rainbow Rods in ’73, and the blue jean themed Jumpin’ Jeans in ’75. Because who doesn’t want their hot rod covered in denim?
Now for the FIRST TIME EVER the new release will include chrome parts! The rest of the parts come injected in bright, bold colors. The kits will each include 2-3 options for grilles, headers, carburetors, front suspension, and hubcaps. Additional parts include a soft top, scoops, blowers, tires, front & rear fenders, rear bumper, tail lights, and roll bars. The large decal sheet is all new featuring funky show rod patterns and multiple options for customizing. Given all the options for these kits I am excited to see what modellers will do with them.
Roadster…
Bucket…
1970s…
Round 2 Models: Wonderfest 2016
We had a great weekend displaying our product and meeting the modelers that attended Wonderfest 2016. As promised, we were able to show the first test shots of the smooth 1:350 TOS Enterprise saucer, and more than one person took advantage to rub them like a genie’s bottle wishing they would come sooner than the scheduled September release date. Many folks were also complimentary of the U.S.S. Excelsior buildup on display showing the new improvements we have made over the old AMT kit. It is great to be recognized for “bringing the kit back and giving it the Round 2 treatment” as described by one fan. A small display board advertised a notable new tool we have in the works targeting the end of the year. The product will be a Star Trek 50th anniversary commemorative boxed collection of our 1:2500 scale snap Enterprises, which will include a NEW NX-01 kit. To make the product appealing to the widest possible audience, we will include pressure sensitive decals (high quality, thin stickers) in this release. We received praise for bringing back the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in clear plastic. This version will come in ABS rather than styrene which tends to be brittle. The main reason for that switch is to allow us to include our standard dome base this time around. Aztec decals will not be included in the kit, but will be offered separately. Many remarked about the re-issue of the classic 5 Space Ships of the Future from Lindberg. The kit will use the highly collectible vintage box art for the release. of course people were still in awe of our 22″ Eagle kit. many remarked about how great they found the kit to be. Several folks stopped by with kit in hand to take a look at our display piece. From what I understand it seemed like the big Eagle was the “kit of the show” with many being offered and sold at the event.
Admittedly, this year’s show may have seemed “light” on news as far as new and upcoming releases goes. We DO have things in the works, but it is too early to discuss them with 100% certainty. In some cases, two plans for a license are being evaluated for 2017. Sure, expect more re-issues, but I can guaranty more NEW stuff IS in the works.
For those that weren’t able to attend, here is a look at this year’s display. Feel free to ask questions int he comments section and we’ll answer as best we can.
It was a special treat to meet Nick Tate in person at this year’s show. Nick played Alan Carter in the classic sci-fi show, Space:1999, in the mid-70’s. His storied career led to numerous roles on stage and on screen in shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lost and The X-Files as well as voice over work. As you recall, we offered signature cards in our early releases of our 12″ MPC Eagle kits that featured Nick’s autograph. Nick was happy to share tales from his career with anyone willing to lend an ear. It was an incredible opportunity to get to know him. Thanks to friend of Round 2, Peter Greenwood, for arranging his appearance and thanks also to Steve Iverson of CultTVMan.com for sponsoring his appearance at the show.
As always, one of the highlights of the show is the modeling competition that offers all kinds of sci-fi and horror subjects from big to small (and sometimes small is more impressive than big in cases like this). We always sponsor two awards for the best use of a kit from our brands. We give awards in the junior/teen and adult categories. The junior/teen award-winner walks away with a prize pack of kits while we award a $100 credit to our own autoworldstore.com site. The level of quality in the competition is always impressive which makes our decision tough. here are is a selection of a few models that caught our eye followed by this year’s winners.
These next two were co-runners-up for our adult award.
This impressive kit bash was award to the junior/teen winner. Congratulations Alex tabor for your USS Castor Federation Depot Ship build!
…and this year’s adult award-winner is… Dave Olszewski for his Vulcan Shuttle tribute to Leonard Nimoy. David’s impeccable handling of our admittedly faulty decals that got mixed into that kit cemented his position as winner.
Please keep our awards in mind for next year and future shows. We want to see as many of our kits on the table as possible. The show organizers sent out the challenge at the end of the awards ceremony to blow away their previous record and attain 800 entries in next years competition. (if I can find a way, I may even make the time to build and enter something…)
We have posted higher res images of all of these buildups, our boot and every other model identified as one of our kits on our facebook page. Let’s continue the fun. Go to our facebook page and “Like” the model you think looks most impressive and we’ll tabulate the results on June 30th and send the winner an award. (this year’s contest winners will not be eligible for a second award)
Click here to go directly to the Wonderfest 2016 photo album.
Lindberg Model kits: New Attitude, New Logo!
Since acquiring Lindberg, one of our main goals at Round 2 has been to do right by the rich history of the brand and the people that grew up building Lindberg kits. We are celebrating that history by bringing back many of the vintage illustrations and feel of the old packaging while giving Lindberg a new look, improved tooling, new instruction sheets, and more versatile, historically accurate decals. We want to revitalize the brand and put out products that we can be proud of and putting right what once went wrong! With this new attitude comes a new logo.
In 2013 we brought back the vintage yellow rectangle logo that everyone knows and remembers. We wanted the new logo to be reminiscent of that logo but have a fresh feel, representing a tribute to Lindberg’s past while moving into the future.
And a trip down memory lane…..
Lindberg Model kits: Mystery Sword Tool
As we dive deeper in to the Lindberg/Hawk tooling collection there is occasional a tool that we can find no information on. This one is stumping me more than normal. We have a MYSTERY SWORD!
At first glance the tool looks like one of the 1:1 gun kits from Pyro (also released by Life-Like). Part of it looked like a rifle barrel however the gunstock was missing. Test shots revealed that it was a sword. It is very decorative with an eagle-shaped pommel, armor on the chape, a knight and lion head on the scabbard, a knight and axes on one side of the cross-guard, and an AOUW Shield on the other. There are several places where gems would attach. So far in our research I have found Lindberg and Hawk kits previously released under O-lin, Pyro, Life-Like, Eagle/Eaglewall, Palmer, IMC, and a few others. I can not find any sword model kits release under Lindberg or any of those brands.
While I have not found any evidence of the model being released as a kit I have found the real life sword it was patterned after. And here. The AOUW on the cross-guard is for the Ancient Order of United Workmen, a fraternal organization founded by John Jordan Upchurch, a Mason, after the Civil War in 1868. Swords like this would have be used during ceremonies and given to a member of the society often with his name scribed on the blade. This info, while interesting, has not help me track down the origin of the kit. So I call out to you, modellers, and your vast knowledge of vintage kits. If this seems familiar or you know any of its history, let us know in the comments.
UPDATE 3/4/2016
Thanks to Craig Bennett for this. The sword was released as Palmer Jeweled Renaissance Sword & Scabbard. I am not sure what year. The box design is done in the style of some of the cannons. I found this small image.
