Just got to read my VLS Bulletin that arrived this week and it mentioned that a vehicle collector recently had a visit from an un-named plastic kit company that spent a week taking specs of the M-50 Ontos.
Anyone heard anything else about this?
We're all ears!!!!!!
A new 1/35 scale Ontos in plastic would be awesome!
Gary

Well I'll be glad to have one. This is a pretty unique subject. Keep us updated

It is good news, I've been pecking away at my old Revell reissue for about 4 years now.

Robin,
Know what you mean.
I traded a good friend of mine one of my stash of Aurora WWI kits for a Renwal Ontos but I just can't bring myself to sacrifice an old collectable kit that will take a bunch of work to bring it up to standard.
Hopefully someone will eventually make an announcement and give a release date.
Gary

I recently chatted with a collector who owns many military vehicles, including an Ontos. He told me that one of the model companies --- it was AFV club, I think, but don't quote me on that --- had taken measurements of their Ontos for a future kit release.

Then again, AFV Club has been touting their new M-42 Duster for quite a while...and still no kit!

The only other obvious suspect that I can think of would be Academy --- they had an Ontos pictured on the cover of their Sheridan box art...maybe they were testing the waters (hey, I bought the Sheridan and really enjoyed building it, despite the accuracy issues) or were whetting our appetites?

Anything is possible --- this is a kit that I would probably buy two of, if it was reasonably priced...

Something to look forward to --- I hope that it happens... For now I am awaiting the Duster and Aussie Centurion...

Much Aloha,

Johnny B.

I was fortunate with my Ontos kits. I built the Revell reissue while in college around 1982-83. It survived mom's vacuuming throughout the 80s and 90s. I retrieved it several years ago and a friend gave me an original Renwal kit that had been started (badly). Between the two kits, I have relatively nothing invested besides some aluminum tubing I will use to replace the rifle barrels (just a couple bucks here). I will also cast some resin outer road wheel halves that I modified to represent the spoked inner road wheels (kit ones are plain & solid).

AFV Club has one of their resin master makers who normally resides near Ft. Knox, and has returned to Taiwan for a bit to learn the skills for making the styrene masters. He's pretty well linked in with the Patton Museum, which is in the process of restoring an Ontos. I get the feeling that they will have plenty of resources to produce a nice version - only makes sense, as they have one in resin, and already have the 106MM Recoilless rifles available.

Jed

Well, for now I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that something materalizes soon. Like Johnny B., I'll buy a couple of them.
The M-50 for it's size IMO is one of the most lethal looking AFVs ever produced.
Regards,
Gary

Oh! i so hope this is gonna happen I want to build one of those little beauties maybe two!

redleg

Good news, although I stiull intend to build a couple of Hobby Fan ones becuase I know I will be getting a quaility kit with them-not that there is anything wrong with styrene kits :-) I sure wouldnt have the courage to build one of those early revell offerings, they look simply dreadful.

Have only seen photos of the Hobby Fan kit but it looks like a relly good kit. Never had the courage to shell out 90+USD for it sight-unseen.
But you are right in that the old Renwal/Revell kits would take a lot of effort to bring them up to standard. They are very basic. With the news that there might really be a quality plastic kit on the horizon I'm looking at the possibility of using the old Revell copy that I have for a Sci-Fi conversion of some kind and keeping the Renwal as a collector.
Gary