"Holy Grail" model kits

[PR19_Kit]

A long time ago, I mean the late 60s, I'd built some of the Renwal 'Hidden glue area' armour models for my mate's model shop in Oxford. The Walker Bulldog and the Ontos spring to mind, both good to build but they didn't rock my boat as they didn't have wings. 

One of that range that I always wanted to build was the 'Big Six" self propelled gun with the swivelling 'gun house' with all the interior and crew, but Derek reckoned he'd never sell one as it was so expensive so that was that.

Around 3 years ago one od Mrs_PR19's friends came round and said that her husband of many years had died a few weeks before and she'd found a few old model kits in their loft and would I like them?

Lo and behold, one of them was a 'Big Six'! 

[Rheged]

A long time ago, I mean the late 60s, I'd built some of the Renwal 'Hidden glue area' armour models for my mate's model shop in Oxford. The Walker Bulldog and the Ontos spring to mind, both good to build but they didn't rock my boat as they didn't have wings. 

One of that range that I always wanted to build was the 'Big Six" self propelled gun with the swivelling 'gun house' with all the interior and crew, but Derek reckoned he'd never sell one as it was so expensive so that was that.

Around 3 years ago one od Mrs_PR19's friends came round and said that her husband of many years had died a few weeks before and she'd found a few old model kits in their loft and would I like them?

Lo and behold, one of them was a 'Big Six'! 

Delighted for you, and waiting with eager anticipation to see the finished result.  Longer barrel instead of longer wings, perhaps......

[Librarian]

Mainstream 1/48 MB5

Mainstream 1/48 Japanese bombers (Frances, Helen, Peggy etc)

Mainstream 1/48 TU-22 Blinder....the list goes on

[rickshaw]

Despite my personal definition of "Grail Kit", I don't actually have that many.

1/48 Buccaneer (which I have)
1/35 CH-53D (which I never expect to see in styrene)

1/35 - Any "Czech" armour, especially those based on the LT vz. 35 (Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)) & the LT vz. 38 (Pz.Kpfw. 38(t)) (which I am s-l-o-w-l-y gathering)
1/35 - The Czech LT vz. 34 (if anyone ever makes one), and the "paper Panzer" which continued into the post-war period & was to be the T-50/51 (until the Soviets forced them to make Soviet tanks) (again, if anyone ever makes one)

Everything preferrably in styrene but I might try my hand at resin, if they're good quality & not mortgage-the-house-&-sell-the-kids-for-scientific-experiments expensive.

You mean like this one?   

[Mossie]

Aoshima 1/48 Airwolf - The original kit had been on my list for years, then they unexpectedly released a more accurate version and I had to have it.

Heller CL-215/415.  Lovely kit for it's age and I wouldn't expect to see a new tool.  I have the CL-415 that's been re-boxed by several manufacturers recently, I'd like to get a 215 but that's rarer.

[NARSES2]

A long time ago, I mean the late 60s, I'd built some of the Renwal 'Hidden glue area' armour models for my mate's model shop in Oxford. The Walker Bulldog and the Ontos spring to mind, both good to build

I remember getting the Ontos for Christmas one year. Spent most of Boxing Day building it, and getting told off for ignoring the relatives  Can remember being fascinated by the type and I still am to some degree.

[Mossie]

My definition of a "Holy Grail" kit is one that a person has desired to purchase for a significant amount of time but which they have been unableto acquire due to rarity/cost/never-been-produced, etc.

So, unless you have wanted to have that kit for at least a year or two, I wouldn't be classifying it as a Grail kit.

I can think of an exception to this.  That's a kit that when announced, you must have but then it's not readily available on release.  I found this with the Bandai R2-D2/R5-D4 kit, it filled a gap I hadn't realised existed.  It wasn't released in the UK so I had to weigh up paying extra for an import.  I found I must have it but I couldn't really afford it, the need built and built over a very short period of time so I got around this by asking for it as a Christmas present.

I guess the 'significant amount of time' varies depending on just how much you want need that kit!

[Librarian]

A long time ago, I mean the late 60s, I'd built some of the Renwal 'Hidden glue area' armour models for my mate's model shop in Oxford. The Walker Bulldog and the Ontos spring to mind, both good to build

I remember getting the Ontos for Christmas one year. Spent most of Boxing Day building it, and getting told off for ignoring the relatives  Can remember being fascinated by the type and I still am to some degree.

Completely forgotten these kits...thanks for the memories. My brother and I were given the Patton and Twin Forty kits one year. I remember putting the turret and guns of the twin forty together and taking it to school...fitted perfectly into the inkwell

[Old Wombat]

Despite my personal definition of "Grail Kit", I don't actually have that many.

1/48 Buccaneer (which I have)
1/35 CH-53D (which I never expect to see in styrene)

1/35 - Any "Czech" armour, especially those based on the LT vz. 35 (Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)) & the LT vz. 38 (Pz.Kpfw. 38(t)) (which I am s-l-o-w-l-y gathering)
1/35 - The Czech LT vz. 34 (if anyone ever makes one), and the "paper Panzer" which continued into the post-war period & was to be the T-50/51 (until the Soviets forced them to make Soviet tanks) (again, if anyone ever makes one)

Everything preferrably in styrene but I might try my hand at resin, if they're good quality & not mortgage-the-house-&-sell-the-kids-for-scientific-experiments expensive.

You mean like this one?   

Exactly like that kit, mate!

I found MMK's site a day or two ago, when someone posted something re: a RAAF jeep. Looking through their catalogue I saw the LT vz. 34 & was truly happy to see that it wasn't stupidly expensive. I've bookmarked the site & may return in the not too distant future with a card-full of cash (I like the pre-war Tatra armoured car & the modern SpecOp's gun-truck, too).

[JayBee]

A long time ago, I mean the late 60s, I'd built some of the Renwal 'Hidden glue area' armour models for my mate's model shop in Oxford. The Walker Bulldog and the Ontos spring to mind, both good to build

I remember getting the Ontos for Christmas one year. Spent most of Boxing Day building it, and getting told off for ignoring the relatives  Can remember being fascinated by the type and I still am to some degree.

I remember the Renwall Ontos well and I have liked the type since. At last years SMW I got the Academy one, lovely.
If memory serves the Renwall one had the barrels in short sections which were an absolute pig to get to stay straight.
I am also surprised, now, at how small it was, not much bigger than a Bren/Universal Carrier.
AH nostalgia, but it is not as good as it used to be. 

[PR19_Kit]

There was another Renwall armour kit I built way back then, it was an AA gun with some sort of integral radar scanner, but I can't remember what it was called. Anybody remember that too?

[jcf]

There was another Renwall armour kit I built way back then, it was an AA gun with some sort of integral radar scanner, but I can't remember what it was called. Anybody remember that too?

The 'Skysweeper'.



On a lot of folks re-release wish-lists, so far Revell (owners of Renwal tools) have shown no inclination to do so.

[PR19_Kit]

There was another Renwall armour kit I built way back then, it was an AA gun with some sort of integral radar scanner, but I can't remember what it was called. Anybody remember that too?

The 'Skysweeper'.

Yes indeed JCF, that's it exactly, thanks so much. 

Looking at the box art reminded me that loading all the shells into the rotary magazines was a RIGHT pain! 

[Snowtrooper]

Just remembered---

We have a decades-long running bet with a friend of mine, that if a B-29 will ever be available as an injection-moulded kit in 1/32 (vacform and balsa don't count) he will have to build one. The origins of this go back to the haze of early 90's when I had once seen a gigantic package of a B-29 kit (Monogram 1/48) on the top shelf of a LHS and thought it was 1/32 and made a mention of that to him, after which he (knowing better) made this bet.

Though, looking at HK Models offerings during the past couple of years, there is finally a real chance that he will eventually lose the bet... 

[NARSES2]

Ah I built that Skysweeper as well back in the day. 

The Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich had a British self propelled AA gun prototype that looked somewhat similar except it was 120mm and fully automated. The driver/operator controlled it all from his cab. I remember saying to my mate. "he probably parked up, fired off both magazines and just had time for a quick cuppa before the bomb went off " Never went into production. The powers that be probably realised the sheer futility of it all in the days of the H bomb