The briefly swapped to all-opening plastic models which the market didn't accept then (the customers awaited the AAs for 5 x the price, then it worked).

The 917K wasn't a Revell, though, just a re-branded Jouef/Eagle's Race/UH mold.
Which is - despite its massive flaws - still on sale today under the names of Norev, CMR and then KK which is truly remarkable.