Ragtop Man

Yes, the online furor over what 'tis and 'taint in the 1964 HP Comet world continues to rage. I am not sure if the magazine survived the move, but one of the books from the era covered the installation of the Paxton supercharger on a 2-door post '64 **with** the HP engine. I'm guessing it was a Roger Huntinton story, he lived in the same area, and was tuned into the scene. Comet was ordered and sold through Al Edwards L-M in Lansing, MI. They mention the solid cam, etc, so it was a legit little hot rod.

Damn! That is some serious modeling right there. It shouldn't work but there it is, sleek as the day is long. This will be dramatic as heck when complete. You may want to take a swing at correcting the assymetry of the roof drip rails, which AMT messed up from day one. Long live customs!

(Drops mic) Completely forgot about that one. A friend from the Detroit area has a '64 4-speed, black on black that he bought from a Ford retiree in the mid-80s. Clean as a whistle. Not sure if it is a REAL HP, but it did have the 4-speed, and the 4 barrell carb, chrome valve covers, and I recall what looked more like a standard 289 air cleaner but with the chrome insert. It was so virgin (under 20K miles) he was reluctant to dig around looking for the build broadcast to document. He came from a family with some serious money, but was very happy with his body shop, spent any windfalls on clean cars. I think he has about 30 or 40.... but have never seen them.

Boom... definitely keeping this one in mind, next time I want to complciate the @$##$ out of something. Clean, crisp work. The touches (carb, wheels) make the model.

I think it is a fair comment - when the parts are WELL done, then they become a commodity item within the kit that can justify purchasing that second or third one. "I can use the webers on the Cobra... and..." That said, revising the parts would be a layup for the 3D universe (Fireball, hello?) to really nail the intakes and the HP exhaust manifolds / headers. In the meantime, a builder could do a lot worse than to track down the AMT '65 Fairlane modified stocker, or a Surf Woody (pick your version) Both have very well engraved 289s that would bash just fine and be period correct. SW has the only correct C-4 in scale that I'm aware of, if that is a boat-floating issue. Yes, the Fairlane 289 requires the block hole to be filled, but the rest is very good and 'of the era'.

I haven't read all the replies, but the mild custom f/r pans are in there, and the vertical quad headlights. Alas, no DeSoto grille bar, which really makes a custom version sing. As much as I love the wild, full-on f/r pans, they need a lot of work to fit (and look) right. It has been done... a builder on the SH board sectioned and cleaned up similar parts for the '57 Chevy Trophy and improved the look 100%. Now if someone had a scanner, and the chops, they might be able to look at those original parts and 3D tailor them for a 'wow' factor.

Go Green, Go White!

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.