Round 2 Summer preview
A box arrived this week from the folks at Round 2 for me to feature on the Cult site. I’ve already given you a preview of the snap Batmobile last week, so here is brief look at the rest of what was sent.
First, a little disclaimer. I sell Round 2 products in the CultTVman Hobbyshop and I have passed along advice to the company on occasion. Many of the comments regarding these kits that I have were already previously shared with some of the product development guys at Round 2.
First we have the reissue of the Klingon Battle Cruiser. Round 2 has put this kit out in a “collector’s tin” which means the price is considerably higher. They have announced a kit in a standard box in the future. I wish our friends at Round 2 would get over the “collector’s tin” crap. These tins are a waste of money. They tend to get beat to hell. We are model builders, not tin box collectors. Some people may like the tins, but I do not. I do not believe they will have much value in the future and if you are looking to invest, this is not where you want to be spending your money.
Round 2 has made a few changes to the kit. First, they eliminated the lighting features of the original model. The kit originally had port holes in the front nose, and clear or tinted inserts for the bumps on the bridge.
The “vents” that were originally separate parts are now molded into the bulkhead.
The ridges/vents that were on the edge of the main hull are removed and these areas are now smooth like the original filming miniature. All these changes help make the Klingon model more accurate.
The kit also features an improved base and a more detailed decal sheet.
The model is molded in a pale green plastic this time around. AMT has previously produced this model in white, black, blue, and various shades of grey. The model has always been considered to be very accurate, and the new changes are fairly minor. Given the inflated price of the kits in the tin, I would suggest you wait for the kit to come out in a standard box.
Next up, Round 2 is reissuing the upsized Aurora Captain America kit. If you recall, several years ago, Polar Lights issued upsized Spiderman and Hulk kits. At the time, I encouraged them to do Captain America too, especially because Marvel had a Captain America movie in development. Polar Lights wasn’t too enthusiastic about the kit and the movie didn’t get made. Eventually, Polar Lights did produce this upsized kit. It turned out to be the very last kit produced by Polar Lights and came out just after the company was purchased by Racing Champions. Racing Champions dumped the kit a month after it came out, making it one of the scarcer Polar Lights models. The big irony is that the reissue is coming out now, just as the new Captain America movie is in theaters.
Round 2 has put the kit out in the Aurora Comic Scenes format from the mid-seventies and have even reprinted the comic. They also incldue a larger cardboard backdrop for the model.
The original Aurora kit has a Kirby inspired had sculpt. Polar Lights felt the head needed to be changed when they originally reissued the model. They included three different heads, all of which were fairly awful. Wisely, Round 2 has retooled the head again, offering two very much improved designs on this reissue. The new heads are a welcome change.
The upsized kit is supposed to be 1:8 scale like the Aurora Batman and Superman kits, but it actually closer to 1:7 This kit is a bit big.
The kit should be out soon, and you can preorder in the CultTVman Shop
Finally, here is a look at the upcoming Barnabas Collins kit. This is a reissue of the MPC kit from the late sixties. MPC was trying to cash in on the popularity of the Aurora monster kits and they issued models of Barnabas and the Werewolf from the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows. The reissue of the kit features the original box design, even down to the ABC logo on the box. It is a very snazzy box. The rear featurs a paper insert, showing the built up kit.
The kit is a bit simple and plain compared to the Aurora monsters. The base is a simple flat stone base. The kit includes duplicate glow parts, so you get two sets of heads, hands, shoes, etc. The original kit had soft plastic arms with metal wires inside that could be “posed.” The reissue kit reproduces this feature, but also includes a set of styrene arms, which are a welcome improvement.
The head features Barnabas showing his fangs. The face is a bit cartoony and has only a passing resemblance to Jonathan Frid. It also appears to be oversized compared to the rest of the body. You can bet that there will be an aftermarket replacement head for the kit at some point
Barnabas Collins is a nicely done reissue. The original kit is a bit obscure and you don’t see many of them with all the parts complete. You can preorder this model in the CultTVman Hobbyshop.
Round 2 also sent me a sample of their prepainted KISS kits. I never cared for the KISS kits the first time around, and I really can’t bring myself to get excited about prepainted reissues. I’m not even going to bother to show you some pictures.
I’d like to say that I am really excited about all the kits that Round 2 is putting out, but I’m not. The Snap Batmobile is a nice new kit, but it is only the second new genre kit we’ve had from Round 2, following the 1:1000 Refit Enterprise. And they are following the Batmobile with two more versions of the Batmobile. And that’s not counting the two reissues of the old Aurora Batmobile. We’re getting a reissue of the Klingon Battle Cruiser in an over priced tin box. You can still pick up the AMT kit on ebay for under $20, so why pay $40 for the reissue in a tin. The KISS kits and Captain America kits are not exactly high demand models, and they have never been good sellers for me. Barnabas is a welcome reissue of a kit that has not been produced in 40 years, but it is not a great kit.
Hey Round 2, how about some new kits? How about some great kits? The steady stream of reissues, multiple kit variations (5 Batmobiles!) and overpriced tin boxes leaves us with a feeling that you are only in it to make a quick buck.
In comparison, Monarch Models has put out more new genre kits than Round 2 (3 kits – Nosferatu, Sinbad, The Ghost). Pegasus Hobbies and Moebius Models are putting out lots of exciting new kits. Round 2 is left in the dust.
