SYLHS (Support Your Local Hobby Shop) J-Bar Hobbies – Tecumseh, Michigan

Right On Replicas, LLC (Support Your Local Hobby Shop) 20150110*
J-Bar Hobbies – 117 E. Chicago Blvd., Tecumseh, Michigan  49286

Kit Review and Photos by Alan Mann

This is not one of our regular SnapShot reviews. Yes, there’s a great kit review involved (see below) but this is really a plea to urge you to consider buying your models and supplies from your Local Hobby Shop (LHS).  The model featured here is an unusual kit.  It was released as a Toy Fair Exclusive in 2006.  The AMT kit was based on a futuristic show car design by Bill Cushenbery. I found this one at J-Bar Hobbies – Tecumseh, Michigan.  Sure, you can find them online but they won’t be around long and it’s a sure bet you won’t pick one up off the shelf at Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby.  That’s where the LHS comes in. The LHS is getting to be just as hard to find as a discontinued kit.  Owned by an individual or family, those old line hobby shops are quite often chock-full of old hard-to-find kits and supplies that you won’t find in a big-box hobby shop. That’s not to mention the expertise that is readily available in most LHS stores. The prices might be retail but by the time you add shipping and the inevitable trip to the nearest store for the paint, stripes, decals, glue etc., that you couldn’t find online you’ll probably spend about the same amount of money.

This was my second purchase from the visits I made to J-Bar Hobbies.  Where else could you walk out of a store with a newly re-released Hot Rod Hydro, ’81 Chevy Citation Lowrider, Cheverra Z-28 and Honest John Missile spanning decades of model kit releases? The whole family helps run the store and you have that instant feeling that you are welcome to look around and ask any question you have.

The aisles are well lit and spacious and even though there’s a great range of kit types they are fairly well grouped by genre. J-Bar Hobbies also carries a huge selection of railroad, ships and aircraft kits and modeling supplies for the avid builder.  If you’re ever in the area stop in and look over the great selection of models – you’ll be glad you did!

For the Modeler: This review covers AMT Kit #38527 of the 2006 Toy Fair Exclusive Tiger Shark in 1/24 scale. This is a Re-release (RePop) of the Tiger Shark kit. The original kit was actually the Dream Rod kit from 1967 based on the real car built by Bill Cushenbery. AMT revised the design and re-issued the kit under the label of its subsidiary MPC. They renamed the revised show rod model the Tiger Shark. The kit has about 90 parts total molded in White, Chrome, Clear, and Clear Red with Vinyl tires. It also has some steel bearings and rubber bands. This is a Skill Level 2 build for those of Moderate abilities. Some of the kit features are: Opening and closing doors, turn able wheels, opening and closing hood, chrome rocker panels, custom console, custom seats with head rests, one-piece hollow tires, detailed custom chassis suspension, custom headlight & asymmetrical grille, custom taillights, exhaust extension, asymmetrical grille, custom steering wheel and Cragar wheels and a Ford V-8 motor. The original tires were Firestone and have been replaced with Goodyear. Overall dimensions are: Length: 6” Width: 3” Height: (Car) 2” (Base) 2-1/4”

Overall Impression: Please be reminded that this car was originally released in 1967. That being said the current quality of today’s “New Release” kits should not be held as a standard for this kind of a kit. For those that have been around since the Stone Age of modeling will appreciate this re-release of a popular Hot Rod. For those new to the hobby you get to experience what it was like in “The Good Old Days”. Fit and finish is not perfect, parts go where they belong but sometimes not exact. There are not positive attachment points on many the parts. Flash and over molding is an issue. Assembly is straightforward and if you take the time you get a really neat little hot rod when finished.  The motor is basic and not very detailed, no fan is even included. Part fit on the motor is fair. The chassis is a tube frame and the front suspension overly basic. The rear suspension is basic also but does look good. The wheels are Chrome and unfortunately on my sample the mounting holes are off center. The body is a multipart unit and has  opening doors. I recommend assembly of the front clip prior to paint so you can repair the huge attachment line through the front fenders. Otherwise the body did fit together nicely. Test fit the parts and do a bit of fitment sanding as needed prior to paint. Final assembly is a breeze and the car literally falls together. The interior and lower body fit well enough I did not glue them. Although there are gaps in the fit against the upper and lower body parts that is not seen when viewed normally. On a side note there are absolutely no decals for this kit. The base assembly is decent but even with the bearings and rubber bands I could not get it to rotate. This is a neat feature but not practical anyway as anyone who has ever wound a rubber band to make a toy plane prop spin knows the un-spinning of the band is FAST and uncontrolled. Not the most optimal thing to have your model sitting on! Paint the base and set the car on it SAFELY. Based on the build quality and the actual age of the original molds, and the fact this is a 2006 release, I will say it was a good build overall. It was fun and looks good, the 1960’s era kits were all about the “Look” not about “Accuracy”. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this kit an 8.5. Go down to YOUR Local Hobby Shop and see what treasures they have for you to build!

 

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