Six97s Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 On 02/03/2022 at 20:34, Fnick said: Well a quick search and you can see it with white hard top, black soft top and top down. The kit I have has the soft top. I was thinking of doing it with the top down anyway. One thing I'll be interested to do is use a lightweight Chevrolet V8 engine as that is what Elvis had the engine swapped to. Would anyone know where I can get a 1/24 scale V8 or if there is a kit that has that type of engine? Nick Having just read about this, the story seems to be that Elvis had BMW swap the engine for a lightweight BMW V8 while he was still in Germany. The Chevy swap was carried out by the next owner. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fnick Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Thanks for that info. So now I just need to look for. 58ish BMW V8 instead! 🙂 Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbostream Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 The latest purchases. Realized when the R34 arrived it was the Nismo version I wanted...anyway now I got a reason to buy another kit. Also got these markers, work much better than the ones I have tried before. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 3 hours ago, Six97s said: Having just read about this, the story seems to be that Elvis had BMW swap the engine for a lightweight BMW V8 while he was still in Germany. The Chevy swap was carried out by the next owner. I wonder what V8 they swapped it for, given that the 507 already had a BMW V8? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six97s Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 (edited) 40 minutes ago, johnlambert said: I wonder what V8 they swapped it for, given that the 507 already had a BMW V8? I know, that's what puzzled me... wasn't it also aluminium, so how much more "lightweight" could its replacement be? I suspect some hearsay/Chinese whispers and he just had them replace a tired engine (it had been raced previously) with a new one. 🤔 Edited March 5, 2022 by Six97s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six97s Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 2 hours ago, Fnick said: Thanks for that info. So now I just need to look for. 58ish BMW V8 instead! 🙂 Nick As @johnlambert mentioned, the 507 had a V8 as standard. so it's already in the kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 2 minutes ago, Six97s said: I know, that's what puzzled me... wasn't it also aluminium, so how much more "lightweight" could its replacement be? I suspect some hearsay/Chinese whispers and he just had them replace a tired engine with a new one. 🤔 Yes, I think you're right about the hearsay. As far as I can tell the BMW V8 of the 1950s started out as a 2.6-litre and grew to 3.2 litres. It was fitted to the 501 V8 and 502 saloon/coupé and cabriolet range; the 503 coupé and convertible; the 507 and the 3200CS. All but the 501/502 had the 3.2-litre engine, I'm not sure exactly what power outputs were for all variants but the 503 had twin carburettors and 140bhp, the 507 was tuned to 150bhp and the 3200 to 160bhp. Maybe Elvis got BMW to fit the more powerful engine? This article suggests that Elvis didn't actually own a BMW 507 but leased first a white then a red 507 (although at the time he thought he'd bought the car). It doesn't mention engine replacement. Another article this time mentions the replacement engine but it sounds more like replacing a worn out engine with a new/refurbished one. It also states, "He had the car re-equipped with a Chevy V8 Borg-Warner engine and a Chevy rear axle. " which makes no sense; a Chevrolet V8, Borg Warner transmission and Chevy axle, perhaps? Anyway, I don't know what to believe any more, but the BMW 507 is lovely and should make an excellent model when it get's to the top of @Fnick's build queue. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six97s Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Yes, Corvettes had Borg Warner T10 four speeds at that time, so likely a complete drivetrain from one. Back on topic, it looks like a nice kit, looking forward to seeing it built. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fnick Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 I've also seen multiple versions of the story. So basically it will be a OOB build. The restored engine is as close to the original BMW V8 as can be so at least I've got some reference pictures that I can compete kit engine to. Thanks for all your thoughts and suggestions. Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 I finally gave in to temptation, and bought the new tooling Revell Porsche 911, which arrived earlier today. Partly as I much prefer the regular versions like this to the wide arches and carry cot rack whale tail of the turbo etc (so it will be good to display it next to the Tamiya 911 Turbo that I built quite a while back) but also I also managed to find it for an extremely good price too, which helped... I could have bought the Targa one for an even better price, but at this point, I'm only getting one, and I prefer the coupe. It will be interesting to see what other variants Revell have planned, as it certainly looks like a cabrio one may be on the way (the targa clear sprue includes the rear window for the raised hood), but also whether they might also do an earlier pre-impact bumper version too (pretty please!), or perhaps a later 964? However, I'm sad to say that all the stories about the issues with sink marks craters on the rear pillars due to the features inside are true... I am currently undecided how to build it - the gunmetal box art does look stunning so that is tempting (my Tamiya Turbo is red, so that colour is out), but it is rather tempting to go for slime green and Swedish plates, even if the rear arches aren't quite right. I suspect it may be my last car kit purchase for a while, unless Tamiya do a regular version of their recent 1:24 240ZG, or Revell a Land-Rover 88" from their 109", as I have loads already awaiting build, and have also been corrupted away towards other genres of models by this forum! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 I think the Revell Porsche 911 could be my next kit purchase. Those sink marks aren't very clever but nothing that a bit of filler can't fix. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 49 minutes ago, johnlambert said: I think the Revell Porsche 911 could be my next kit purchase. It was certainly an itch that I could no longer resist scratching. I don't have a pre-impact bumper one, but already have the built Tamiya Turbo mentioned above, an unbuilt Fujimi speedster, 964 coupe and Targa, a built Tamiya 996 GT3 and also an unbuilt Tamiya 996 Carrera, so it seemed a logical gap filler. No one seems to have done a decent roadgoing 993 or any later ones sadly, and Fujimi's early one is difficult to source for sensible money. Have you seen the coupe review and build by BOAB and also the Targa build by hpiguy, both on youtube? Both were heavily responsible for my purchase. 49 minutes ago, johnlambert said: Those sink marks aren't very clever but nothing that a bit of filler can't fix. I see them as yet another example of Revell AG's ability to mess up at least one thing per car model in a very silly way. With the recent E Type, it was the windscreen on the FHC and also the wrong sized wheels & tyres for both variants; on the Land Rover it was the inappropriate references used and thus strange configuration for the spare wheel (why wasn't there the option for the spare on the bonnet or rear, instead of the roof?) as well as very crude & inaccurate underside compared to Italeri's much older tooling; on their Mini & 2CV, very crude engineering for the underside & suspension compared to Tamiya's much older toolings which are both much more prototypically correct; on the Beetles, the modern car type wheel wells under the wings (I can only assume that their reference car had aftermarket wheel arch liners?), and then on many modern cars, especially supercars, their inability to understand that the wheel size in inches relates to the diameter of the tyre beading, not the total diameter of the visible part of the wheel (& thus their glut of cars with noticeably undersized wheels matched to tyres that are too high profile...). All these things were avoidable, and should not have had cost implications for the final product. If the sink marks on this 911 are all that is wrong with it (I've not read any other criticisms & I'm not enough of a 911 aficionado to spot anything more subtle which is fortunate given my OCD* tendencies) then it's very minor compared to their track record. The built up pics I've seen of this look pretty good & the build reviews I mentioned above suggest that it is otherwise very well engineered (I especially like Revell's recent practice of having glazing fitting from the outside as the effect is so much more accurate than the parts being installed from inside), so I'm happy to deal with those sink marks as they will be easily rectified. In fact, the recess for the rear screen appears that it may well be be part of the cause - if so, those sink marks are a trade-off that I'm happy to accept. *I prefer to think of it as CDO as then it's in alphabetical order... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbostream Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Hopefully they will do something about the sink marks. Didn't the E-Type FHC have similar issues early on? I will wait a year or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Thanks for the response @Paul H. The only Revell kits I've got to anything like completion are a brace of Jaguar XK120s, which I think were another company's tooling acquired by Revell. They have fought me all the way but will eventually turn into decent models. I've also got a Shelby Mustang GT350H and 1958 Corvette in slow progress and these seem much better kits. I've not read anything about inaccuracies with the Revell 911 either and it looks accurate to my eyes. There seems to be a long tradition of kit makers getting things like inner wings incorrect, I'm working on an Airfix Jaguar 420 and the front inner wings are nothing like those on the real car as they form a liner for the wheel arch. Ironically if Jaguar had built the real cars like that, the front wings would not have rotted out from underneath so readily... Anyway, as is apparent from mentioning the kits above that I've got on the got, I should finish some of the ones that are in progress before buying any more kits... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 (edited) 7 hours ago, johnlambert said: The only Revell kits I've got to anything like completion are a brace of Jaguar XK120s, which I think were another company's tooling acquired by Revell. They have fought me all the way but will eventually turn into decent models. The XK120 was originally by Monogram, and one of a small series of theirs that had diecast metal bodies with plastic parts. The 1:24 MG TC which Revell has also released was another but I cannot remember what else there was. I suspect that the well documented problems with the XK120 body (seam lines & bonnet fit in particular) are due to them now being moulded in polystyrene, which the moulds were not designed for. I have an original diecast one, and although some clean up is still required, those issues are so much less pronounced compared to the plastic one that I also have. Edited March 6, 2022 by Paul H 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs2man Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 40 minutes ago, Paul H said: The XK120 was originally by Monogram, and one of a small series of theirs that had diecast metal bodies with plastic parts. The 1:24 MG TC which Revell has also released was another but I cannot remember what else there was. I suspect that the well documented problems with the XK120 body (seam lines & bonnet fit in particular) are due to them now being moulded in polystyrene, which the moulds were not designed for. I have an original diecast one, and although some clean up is still required, those issues are so much less pronounced compared to the plastic one that I also have. If memory serves correctly , the only other one in the metal body series was a '56 Thunderbird . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 1 hour ago, rs2man said: If memory serves correctly , the only other one in the metal body series was a '56 Thunderbird . I should have recalled that, as I have a plastic release of it which is half built... The Thunderbird also suffers from a few sink marks due to its diecast origins, but no where near as bad as the Jaguar. I've now remembered what the third one was - a '53 Corvette, which Revell AG have re-released relatively recently. I don't think there were any more, and only a few years later, the all plastic versions were released, so I guess that the concept wasn't a big seller. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Timmy Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Got it for $24.95 at my local Wal-mart 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 Nice find. I have always liked shape of Galaxie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs2man Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 2 hours ago, Paul H said: I should have recalled that, as I have a plastic release of it which is half built... The Thunderbird also suffers from a few sink marks due to its diecast origins, but no where near as bad as the Jaguar. I've now remembered what the third one was - a '53 Corvette, which Revell AG have re-released relatively recently. I don't think there were any more, and only a few years later, the all plastic versions were released, so I guess that the concept wasn't a big seller. Oh yeah , I totally forgot about the '53 Corvette . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redstaff Posted March 8, 2022 Share Posted March 8, 2022 Another to add to the F1 stash £30 seemed too good to pass up 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 The kids got me this for my birthday today, a very good choice since I'm in a VW mode at the moment. We'll see whether it ends up in this livery (and this shiny) but it'll be a good addition to the cabinet in any colour and state. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Well they were too expensive when first released but at that price a thought why not https://www.amazon.co.uk/Italeri-4709-Plastic-Model-Multi-Coloured/dp/B09MMCF77T/ref=asc_df_B09MMCF77T/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570317844424&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12849168613755416779&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006896&hvtargid=pla-1606098112774&psc=1 Edit Cheeky gits it was £136 when I purchased it, gone up to £150 now in 24hrs now £158 typical Amazon, must be loads of people clicking the link 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthewbacon Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 That'll teach me to be more patient... on the upside, it was a Christmas present 😜 best, M. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 On 3/5/2022 at 8:28 PM, Paul H said: However, I'm sad to say that all the stories about the issues with sink marks craters on the rear pillars due to the features inside are true... Yet again a 'new mould' Revell kit disappoints. No surprise there though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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