Johan 1/25 1959 Rambler Wagon |  | Background I confess that I don't follow the automotive side of the modeling market as close as I should (which is why ModelerAl is our auto editor), but while I was wandering the displays and booths at the 2003 Chicago Hobby Expo, I spotted Johan's booth displaying many of their existing kit line and a new release. I had thought Johan had faded into modeling history, but I shouldn't be surprised, didn't Aurora make a brief come-back before merging with Polar Lights? The gentleman at the booth explained that he had acquired Johan a few years ago and had spent time getting the existing molds back to work. More recently he turned his attention to this first new release on his watch - a 1959 Rambler Wagon. The Kit The kit is molded in white styrene with three trees containing the wheel, hubcap and grill options being chrome plated. Parts for the rear tail lights and the Police 'bubble gum machine' (rotating light) are molded in clear red. The huge clear part for the numerous windows in this station wagon is molded in a tinted green but is otherwise perfectly clear. Detail on the interior is rather plain at first blush, then you see the interesting approach Johan has taken with this kit. Once you've chosen the base color for the interior and exterior, Johan has provided all of the trimming and markings as decals, providing a realistic and easy to complete finish. To provide you with the greatest amount of flexibility straight from the box, Johan provides three sheets of decals to get you to the car (or cars) that you would like to park on your shelf. In fact the versions that you can build straight from the box include: -
Stock Wagon (luggage is included) -
Surf Woody (surf boards are included) -
Taxi -
Ambulance -
Police Car (three versions) -
Low Rider -
Delivery Vehicle If you have advanced modeling skills, instructions are also included to convert the kit into an Ambassador or a Rambler Sedan. Conclusions The build-up I saw of this kit at the Hobby Show was beautiful and having seen inside this kit, I now understand how that look can be achieved by virtually any modeler. My sincere thanks to Johan for this review sample! | 
|
