1:12 Bobber from RM Choppah kit

[willimo]

Don't patronize the sponsor in this post. They are horrible, whoever they may be.

So, for whatever reason I got wicked excited about the new RM motorcycle kits. I guess it's because I watch too much Biker Build-off and because if those boneheads at OCC can build a 1:1 bike, I could build a 1:12 bike with my eyes closed, a hand tied behind my back, while being sad because the frontman for the rock machine known as the Darkness is in drug rehab. Maybe it's just because I've been listening a lot to the Darkness and it makes me want to grow my hair real long, grab a Gibson, and cruise around on a bike with horrible valve overlap making that trademark sound. Whatever it is, I hopped into my car and rocked all the way to Wallyworld and rocked harder all the way back home, happy just to have this new ultra-swank kit in hand.

When I got home I ripped the shrink wrap off the kit and threw it on the floor for my two tigers to tear into (I live the good life). Looking at the parts, I was thinking all sorts of things like "Ooooh!" and "Aaaah!!" Look! A frame! Look! A custom fork! Seat with a design in it! Fat tire! Rad primary covers! I was so excited.

Then I took a closer look. I guess I'm the only one, but my kit looks like it popped out of a 30 year old mold, flash and misallignments everywhere. The chrome is as thick as the plastic it plates. Some parts are so underdetailed, it's awful. The rear tire is bizarrely squared off, and no biker would ride on it unless they wanted to die. I'd've been better off with a Tamiya Moto Guzi or Yamaha cruiser than I am with this old kit. Oh well, I'll have to make do with what I've got. This is what I've got so far:



The whole front fork is redone, scratch except for the tree which I stole from a Tamiya 'Busa which is already half parted out. This way, I can glue the frame together and paint it all, and add the fork later, screwing it in like the real deal, and not have to worry about seams (which RM ludicously expected me to be ok with running down the spine of the bike had I followed their instructions). I am going to use low handlebars, barely above the tank, with grips out of that 'Busa kit. I am going to widen the tank about 1/8" and lower the front about as much. I already cut the point of the rear fender, stopping it at the top of the tire. I am going to strip ALL the chrome and anything silver will be Testors ModelMaster Aluminum Plate metalizer. I am going to leave the primary covered, but the clutch will be exposed, which will involve a bit of scratch work. I am also going to use the chain and the rear brake from the 'Busa because the Revell parts are so horrid. Or perhaps I will give it a belt drive using zip ties and scratchbuilt parts. The bike will be all black, semigloss, I think, with red wire wheels. I am on the fence about going and getting another of these kits so I can use a rear tire for the front, too, perhaps I will call Revell and see if I can't buy those parts individually. That's why the front fork is incomplete, I don't know which wheel I will use.

Anyway, thanks for looking. Any tips or pointers about this kit or American bikes in general would be appreciated.

[BugZilla]

Hey Will,

Whats with the ad's plastered all over the place now ? Looks like someone sold out the corp. pimps.

Thanks for the review of the kit. I was so looking forward to picking these up when they came around in the stores. Now, I don't think I will make an extra trip just to search them out. I'll probably still get them if I happen across one while I'm at the store, there still seems to be some hope in the box after some scratcbuilding.

Great start though. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Dave

[Ole_L]

Nice start on the kit. I did a review of the two kits and let me tell you, I wasn't impressed with Revell. Just trying another easy way out to make some money. The kits do allow for lots of customization which is great. Rear tire is too narrow and the chrome horrible.

[debersole]

They seem to have a problem with flash on the new kits. My F430 kit had a lot of flash for a new kit. I think these bikes are great though for the fact they they might get more people interested in modeling and that makes the hobby better for everyone. At least you can detail them if you want to make yours a bit more realistic. I like what you have done so far, cannot wait to see the finished product.

[Hiroboy]

Damn, I just ordered one of these as well, too late now, As advanced model maker, i'm sure you can turn it around

[pjesus]

Originally Posted by willimo

if those boneheads at OCC can build a 1:1 bike, I could build a 1:12 bike with my eyes closed
[...]
I've been listening a lot to the Darkness and it makes me want to grow my hair real long, grab a Gibson, and cruise around on a bike with horrible valve overlap making that trademark sound.

I think there's a cure for that!

willimo, I'm sure it will take a lot of work to turn that piece of whatever-you-want-to-call-it into something reasonably similar to a bike, but I bet you can do it!

[joelwideqvist]

Ohh, I'm REALLY looking forward to this! Extreme bike make over! I'll follow it closely, Willimo!
/Joel

[parts]

Looking good. Let us know if they will sale the tires.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

For $10 these kits are fine, warts and all (they are new, not old, but they are designed to a very low budget). They're easy to add detail, fun to customize. Stuff like that is easier on a 1/12 bike than a 1/24 car. At 1/3 the price of a Tamiya kit I guess I can live with their "charm". If Revell added the details being mentioned, they'd raise the price to a point that they wouldn't be able to sell them at Wal Mart (meaning they wouldn't have been done in the first place), and everyone would stop complaining about the simplicity and start complaining about the price and that it was still not a Tamiya kit. I'd rather have 'em like this vs. not at all.

There are going to be a lot of these built in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled for the builder's reviews like SkylineFan's OCC-style buildup. Lots of good information coming out how to deal w/putting the frame together w/o having to have the steering head installed first. Reduce the size of the mounting pins on the rear fender so you can glue the frame together and add the fender last. Look at pics of 1:1 bikes for brake line routing, fuel line routing. Or steal Dave's ideas lock, stock, and barrel. I know I will

As for not patronizing Ford for their obnoxious ads embedded in the posts, I agree wholeheartedly. I refuse to advertise for that vile company.

I also have it on good authority that installing Firefox with an Adblocker plugin will totally eliminate you seeing ads on A/F without the need to spend any money with A/F to view posts ad-free. I would suggest anyone not happy w/the advertisements to either quit posting new threads or to install a browser with an ad blocker that eliminates the needless spending of money. Banner ads should more than pay the bills at A/F. I am not happy that people can see Ford ads in my threads. I'm offended that I'm being used to advertise for Ford. What if I worked for GM or Chrysler, and was found to have a Ford ad in a post I made? I could lose my job over that. Seriously, A/F has opened a big can of worms with their latest tactic.

[willimo]

I guess if anyone shouldn't compain about a kit, it's me. Nevertheless, I'm rather disappointed in this kit. For just a couple dollars more, I could get an extremely well detailed and engineered kit, like the C6 Corvette or the F430. This 1:12 is much simpler, and at a much larger scale, so even though the kit is cheaper, it could have, and should have, better detail and better engineering than it does. It is cool that you can customize it, and with the two others coming down the pipe, the options will be many and that's cool. But I don't see the price as a real good justification for the substandard kit. Sure, it may entice diecast buyers, but it this won't keep them, and I don't think a couple dollars would have run the prospective buyers away, especially if it made the box contents on par with Revell's other newer kits. They've been doing a great job lately, making awesome kits and raising the bar for themselves. This was, seemingly, so rushed to production that they cut corners an didn't put out a product that's worthy of their marque. In addition, it's kind of alienating long time modelers, who they've been making strides with lately. I'm not saying this kit will ruin Revell, I am sure whatever they put effort into next will be great, like their other new kits, but I am disappointed that a company that's been coming along so well has sold themselves short on what could have been a really, really cool kit and really moved them into new markets. Opportunity squandered.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

I feel your pain, but this is definitely the the hobby is going in the US; Wal Mart makes the decisions, Revell is just a pawn in the game. We're lucky to get any models of any quality whatsoever from Revell or AMT. The adult hobby market in the US has shown no growth in the past 5 years, it's stagnant. Unless/until it shows growth, you will not see more and better models from commodity kit makers like Revell and AMT. You will see more kits like the choppers from Revell and Fast and Furious and cheesy reissued stuff from AMT.

If Revell made the kits better, it won't matter to Wal Mart. We're not considered the customer, we're considered end-users. Wal Mart and the larger distributors are the customers. Revell won't cut tooling unless they have solid presales of a particular kit. Why they strung along the CRX for 3 years before dropping it, when they didn't cut tooling at all, is a mystery. They have a couple car guys still on staff, but it's not an enthusiast-driven industry in the US anymore. Like most everything else we buy, products are sourced offshore and getting cheaper and cheaper due to the Wal Mart/Big Box Store mentality. Until customers vote with their wallets and buy higher quality items for more money, this trend will continue in every retail sector.

[Twowheelsrule]

On a positive note, it does seem that people that normally only build cars are building these choppers. Maybe, it will cause more people to take an interest in building other motorcycle kits.


By the way I like what is going on with the "busa parted" chopper and the springer front end on it.



Mark

[parts]

I picked up an Aces High last night. Now to get to work....maybe a hard tail.

[Lutz-Bikes]

Hallo ,
Nice work so far ,
interesting is the frontend
looking forward for next steps
Greets Lutz

[willimo]

I want an air cleaner like this:





I tried to anneal some S27 PE mesh, and bend it around a form, and hold it in place with a ring of styrene. It was working well until I tried to remove the part from the form, and the superglue had stuck it all together, and the part was destroyed in removal. So, question is: either, where can I find a part like this, or what can I put over the form so that the superglue won't stick to it?

Motor is coming along slowly - new job requires a lot of hours! Progress slow far:



Engine dechromed, painted Model Master Aluminum Plate metalizer, the pushrods and the covers are TS-14, and the "carb" is a Busa throttle body.