Mark
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Posts posted by Mark
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The first version of that old kit was issued in 1970, and was an SS396 with a vinyl roof. AMT had the promo model contract that year but lost it to MPC for '71 through '73.
The same kit was available through '71 (not updated), then issued as a '72. I don't have that one but I believe the vinyl roof detail was removed. The '73 was called an "SS 350" (there was no SS that year) and that's where the small-block parts on the big-block engine came in.
The same kit was updated yearly through '77, later had T-roof openings cut into the roof, then got back dated to the '70 Z/28 version. So that thing has been through the wringer over the years.
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I believe the Charger piece is the base only; no top as in the GTX kit.
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'58-up blocks all have provisions for side mounts. The Corvette still used the front mount setup as it still used the early chassis which first got the V8 in 1955.
As I understand, GM drilled and tapped Chevy engine blocks for the front mount well into the Sixties, even though passenger cars switched to side mounts in '58. The Corvette switched for '63. I'm not sure when trucks were changed to the side mount setup; that may have been a factor in when the blocks were no longer drilled at the front.
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On 12/8/2025 at 2:17 PM, Brutalform said:
And with all these hi tech do dads incorporated into our appliances, you’d think they would last at least as long as they did prior to all this gadgetry?
That's just it...they are going to decide how long it lasts.
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Doesn't the Revell '67 GTX kit have it?
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The newer AMT '57 will have a 283, but it will not have the engine mount attachment points on the sides.
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Even some of the commercials border on scams. Not as bad as last year though, when a couple of them were touting the benefits like they were passing them out. There must be a heap of money in all of it judging by the ferocity of the competition for your attention.
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The old Revell Tri-Five Chevy kits that Atlantis now has, all have '58-up blocks with provisions for side mounts. So does the existing parts pack engine (the other one is now in the Atlantis '57 Chevy).
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The DeSoto grille bar IS in the recent reissue '57 Ford kit. It's not shown on the box (other than the parts layout) or mentioned in the instructions because the Stylizing extension needed to use it isn't in the kit.
I'd suspect that 99% of the people who want the deleted parts could find them in a parts box or started older issue kit, and there aren't enough of them to make tooling those parts a thing.
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'57 and later blocks have the oil filter pad. '58 and later have provisions for motor mounts on the sides, and you need those for a '59 application.
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The person buying that GTX kit might own a real one. The promos are hard to find, but a minty kit is even tougher.
I was watching an AMT "for 1968" Camaro kit the other day; that auction ended earlier today. This one was in nice shape, even the box...but was missing the BODY. This is an original kit from when the car was new. But it's a "for 1968" kit, it doesn't represent a 1968 car. It's a '67 with some changes to differentiate it from a '67. I was looking at it as a source of parts for a couple of rebuilders, nice chrome and other unused parts. But it fell off my radar when it hit $35 or so. The thing ended at $99. Apparently a couple of people are really looking for parts for one of those Camaro kits.
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The Model A is a good kit, in spite of the fenders/frame being one unit. I saw a couple of those Friday and left without one, but went back and snagged one today. The sedan body still drops right on, as does resin copies and derivatives.
Besides having a couple of sedan kit bodies, I remembered buying a Jimmy Flintstone sedan delivery body that is based on the sedan. The delivery has shorter doors besides the more obvious differences. Sure enough, it too fits right on the woody fender/frame.
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If they think it's real, they'd be more upset about the lack of a windshield, the painted trim pieces, and the "clocked" headlamps.
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I've got one on backorder from Auto World Store...they are saying "late December". Same goes for the '60 Chevy wagon, '65 Barracuda, and '72 Duster among others.
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That's from a third generation Camaro or Firebird ('82-'92). I believe it's from an MPC kit.
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But that does tell you that the package is still with the seller and hasn't started moving yet. I'd guess the seller has to create the label to start the clock ticking for USPS to pick the item up. Might as well start the notifications with the first action (creating the label).
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Seller might be having the shipper pick up the sold items at the place of business, and maybe the shipper charges for that service unless there's a minimum number of items to pick up?
Yes, eBay flags the item as "shipped" the minute a shipping label is stuck on, and tells you it has been "shipped". But, open the link to the tracking number, and you get more accurate info. That used to irritate me, but no more. As long as the item gets to me, it's cool.
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There are more custom parts in the '57 Ford than are shown in the instructions. It has the Stylizing vertical quad headlamp setup.
It does not have the Stylizing front and rear extensions, or the Edsel wagon taillight bezels. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for those to come back, as they were probably chopped out of the tool fifty years ago to fit the fuel injection tubes in. They're in the space on the tree where the bezels were in earlier issues. The Stylizing extensions were probably cut out so other parts could be put in later.
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16 hours ago, Dave Van said:
OK....this is where it would be nice if Randy's NASCAR model forum was still here.
By 72 NASCAR did not require STOCK suspension on Cup cars but the wording was 'Stock type'. So if showroom car had coils up front and coils out back with trailing arms a 72 Torino could use GM truck trailing arms and many did. BUT Bobby Allison build his Monme Carlos in his shop and he used stock location trail arms (short) So the basic rule is 'Stock Type' but location points and manufacture was FREE.
They had to have the same configuration as the showroom version, but not stock parts. The '72 Torino, having coil springs front and rear, would need them on the race version as well.
That really started in 1966-67 with the Fairlanes and Comets using Galaxie frame stubs up front. A fabricated version of the stub was allowed around 1970.
The early AMC Matadors ('72-'73) were built by Holman & Moody and were essentially Fords under the skin. Both cars used coil springs front and rear as built on the assembly line. I believe the Matadors used Ford rear axles too, as the AMC pieces weren't up to high performance usage.
A real outlier in that period was the Ray Nichels/Chris Vallo/David Pearson Pontiac GTO that ran in NASCAR briefly in 1971. GM frame, fabricated Ford front stub, GM (probably "truck-arm") rear suspension with a Mopar 8-3/4" rear axle. As raced, it had coil springs all around so it did fit the rule book, but nothing except sections of the frame were "stock".
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I doubt Jo-Han was planning a stock Torino with that level of detail. Look at the other annual kits they were still doing. Interior buckets with front and rear seats molded in were still the order of the day (though some earlier kits DID have separate parts). To even get to a stock kit with an engine, they'd have had to create the engine unless they were going to stick the Boss Nine in there.
Jo-Han seems to have been trying to recast itself as "the race car model company" in 1971-72, after losing the last of their Mopar promo model business after 1970. They did some great new tooling, but most of the drag cars were too unique and the NASCAR and Trans-Am stuff got outdated quickly. So after that, they went pretty much in the only direction they could go...diving into the tooling bank.
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Jo-Han tended to use parts they already had tooling or masters for. Compare the S/C Rambler rear suspension to that of the Sox & Martin Barracuda which was tooled around the same time...very similar. The S/C did not use that axle, it used the same setup as other AMC cars around that time.
The Torino having that rear axle is simple...Jo-Han already had that part mastered. It's the same as the others, right down to the (incorrect) separate gear carrier. The Torino's upper front suspension arms resemble those in the Chrysler Turbine Car kit also.
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10 hours ago, Perspect Scale Modelworks said:
Recently I'm hearing primarily younger people, start sentences with "I'm not gonna lie". Well thanks for the warning, but shouldn't that be a given. I think it would be more helpful to let us know when you are going to lie. Or, should we just assume that you are lying if you don't preface you're statement with "I'm not gonna lie"?
Anyone who watches shows like "Cops" or "The First 48" know that, when someone says that, the next thing that comes out of that person's mouth will have absolutely no relationship with the truth. Usually the people asking the questions already know the answers, and it just becomes a game of how many go-rounds there are before that last person's verbal stylings veer anywhere near the truth. And even then, it's sometimes by accident.
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But that's a stock Torino frame, which the race cars didn't use. The front stub, at least, would be different (probably a fabricated '65 Galaxie piece). The Dana rear axle isn't right either; should be a Ford 9" unit. Jo-Han's Dana 60 isn't 100% correct either, having a 8-3/4" Mopar gear carrier ("chunk"). The cover and housing are great, just needs work up front. And it's incorrect for the S/C Rambler kit too.
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9 hours ago, blizzy63 said:
Good catch on the chassis. I haven't noticed that yet.
The '59 El Camino chassis is closer to reality but it too is missing the wagon's spare tire well.
Below: 1) AMT Jr. Trophy 04-740 '60 Chevy Wagon kit (1963) chassis.
2) AMT '59 El Camino kit (1964) chassis.
The original Craftsman wagon kit was pieced together from the original promo model wagon (which may have only had a metal chassis) and the hardtop/convertible kits which were produced from another tool. The wagon kit's rear bumper was reworked from the HT/conv piece, you can see where the original license plate recess was filled in to move it down for the wagon.
The '59 El Camino chassis doesn't have the spare tire recess out back because the Camino's spare is behind the seat on the passenger side.
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So, I guess no ‘80’s ProStreet Camaro Z28 in late quarter 2025 like Steve G. promised?
in Car Kit News & Reviews
Posted
Sometimes if one company got the promo deal, the others wouldn't get access to pre-production info and would have to wait like everyone else to see an actual car. AMT didn't get access to a number of 1968 GM cars, like the Corvette, Camaro, Corvair, and Firebird. The Corvette kit ended up being way off, and the others were called "for 1968" kits. The Corvair was a '67, the other two were based on a '67 Camaro. None could be built stock.