Ragtop Man

Really like it. Funny that Revell and AMT did nearly identical cars. One thing I can see for sure is that both kits need the wheelwells stretched to suit the tires. While I'm far from a Pro Street fan, I keep squinting at it thinking a GTO would look great sitting on there...

FWIW, there are some pics on the internet of the original '64 Comet hood and ducting. I don't recall if they were from the Petersen archive (with the "P" watermark) or that Fran Hernandez' son posted them - he was a photo enthusiast as well.

Bingo. Now you know exactly how the kit company leadership thinks, and why decisions get made the way they do. When they color outside the lines... they are taking a calculated risk with their distributors, retailers and customers, pretty much in that order.

100% had me with the street art background. Fantastic build AND photography!

Make sure that dump valve works - revenue man gets a sniff of it and it's seven years in the federal pen.

They look all the business! Great job by MW for the master, and MLRC for the casting.

As a kid who grew up in a house with TWO 1:1 '72 Torinos at the same time, including a FB coupe, get the JoHan stock car, not the ex-MPC. They are out there in the usual sources, and considering modern pricing, not super expensive. The JoHan body was clearly intended to be a traditional annual kit, with all street trim, bumper/grille, open hood, etc. the best proportion and engraving in the business, even to their last work. It will be another full generation of 3D before anything off a printer bed will match it. At some point, though, the concept broke down and their '72 became race-only (this narrative also applied to the S&M '71 Barracuda.) Add in the curbside interior (might be spendy) and bash the rest with the Starsky + Hutch '76. It's been done by a few modelers with some very credible skills and looks fantastic.

100% understand the desire not to have an orphan kit laying around. But, if you are really looking at the $$$, a kit is usually cheaper than the enhancement parts for a quality, detailed engine. Not bashing 3D at all, they get my nod when there's nothing even close, or not reasonably available.

I'd say that's just about right for keeping a fella out of Chillicothe.

Have both in queue, I hope they turn out half as nice as these. Great work. Any watchouts in either build?

Thank you for posting this - solutions rule.

(Drops mic) Tom, I remember when you showed me this a while back - absolutely staggering work.

Boom goes the Dynamite, great attitude on the build.

Five stars, as always Mikey. How much did you adjust the body fit and stance on this? Looks very tailored compared to some out of the box buildups that I've seen in fleabay ads, etc.

I still have (weathered and tattered) shirt identical to this one, an artifact from my New Wave daze. Probably an embarassing pic of it online somewhere.