Hello all!
I built this kit as a kid in junior high/high school, about 1980. I bought the kit again in 1991, and didn't get to starting on it until just last year. The difference between the kits is amazing! The 1991 kit has more flash, more prominent sinkholes, softer and more fragile plastic, and overall poor moulding. It's been a bear to get things to fit properly, and I snapped the fore topgallant mast just trying to sand it smooth. The included thread is really poor compared to what used to be included with the kit.
What happened???!!! Don't they even care anymore about putting out a decent product???
Now I'm working on the Heller Victory 1/100, and there's quite a bit of difference in terms of clean molding, fit, quality of plastic, and detail.
Jose