tim boyd

I am hearing from multiple trusted sources that the Dodge pickup kits were ordered by distributors and shops at a much higher volume than Round 2's production plans forecasted. Some shops are getting only 50% or less of what they ordered. Production will eventually catch up with demand, of course, but if you want the kit now, best buy it at the first place you see it. TIM

I'm with you guys as well. Pure simplicity, $29 a month; that's it. A former work colleague told me "Tim, that's not a smart phone, it's a dumb phone". I kinda like that. And I take it as a badge of honor, so to speak! TIM

This one? TIM

Again, my understanding is that the Ranchero business case simply didn't make sense on a standalone basis. The cost for the tooling changes to do an accurate Ranchero turned out to be so expensive that the expected kit sales did not generate a profitable return. Or stated another way, the same financial investment in some other project (either a different tool revision or partial payment for an all-new tool on another subject) would be likely to generate a greater return for the enterprise. Presumably that would still be the case given the new financial situation/reality you've described above. This is my general understanding of what happened....but it is certainly possible that others might have taken away a different understanding,,, TIM

Not to contradict anyone, but Ed told me well before the Hobbico Bankruptcy that they had investigated in depth the possibility of doing a '57 Ranchero, but that there were so many changes to the tool required for an accurate replica that the project became unaffordable. TIM

And as many of you know, many of Phil Jensen's model truck article builds are on display at the International Model Car Museum....TIM

Congrats Mark! That Paul Sable Merc was part of what inspired me to do my full custom chopped Merc (with a correct top shop) that finished 2nd nationwide in the 1976 MPC National Customzing Contest series. I'm encouraged to see the interest in the modeling community for historic topics like this and the ones that Richard acquired a couple of days ago. I've been told by some of the "experts" that this was not a topic of interest to the modeling community, but I've always thought that might not actually be the case. Best of luck on your restorations and new projects relating to this acquisition. TIM

Curt.....way, wAY, WAY cool! Great idea, and great execution, too. Congrats! TIM

Mark....real world, that's most likely what will happen, but very encouraging to know that you like the idea of (not) doing any changes! ****** Everyone - thanks for the comments and feedback! TIM

I'm curious to know where this model display occurred. (Maybe the NNL Milwaukee yesterday???) Having said that, it appears totally legit to me. The AAR project was nearly completed before the Hobbico debacle, as was the '57 Sedan Gasser (which required more tweaking to the base tool than you might imagine, as it turned out). In fact, the AAR was originally planned for a 2017 debut but was sent back for further work/refinement. I've not seen the result (nor do I know exactly what the refinements might have been) but I am very anxious to see the result. Thanks for posting! TIM PS - now we need to get after Revell to finish fixing the '30 Five Window Coupe Hot Rod tool and get THAT back on the market!!!! TB

Richard.....what a FIND!!!! In particular the Phil Jensen Mustang was one of the most ambitious projects to ever appear in that magazine. It is great to see it in such a restorable condition, and to know you are going to finish putting it back together. Funny you should mention this at this time. About 2 1/2 months ago I started a restoration of my Car Model Magazine/MPC/Dodge Funny Car entry that ended up placing fourth nationwide in that contest. It has been in hundreds of pieces since shortly after the contest results were announced, for reasons that I will detail later. After five decades of parts sitting in a box, it's been quite a project to put it back together, and even now I am only 2/3rds of the way through the restoration. That aside congrats again on winning the bidding, and on your pending restorations. Will be watching for updates!!! Tim

Yes please!!! TIM

Actually...the fuel filler cap is on the instructions. Image attached below from my original post which includes all pages of the instruction sheet. Now, as to whether that is produce correct for 1978, I'l leave that to the 1/1 scale Dodge Pickup experts!

No I don't, although I have read his blog for probably 15 years now. Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't, but he is generally more tuned into the reality of the auto industry than many so called "authorities". I did know Matt DeLorenzo, formerly of AutoWeek and then Road and Track. He was one of the very best car journalists I interacted with during my years with Ford SVT and Ford Design. IIRC, Peter and Matt are brothers. TIM

Thanks guys for thanking me for the presentation. So many great builds, and so many great builders, and so many great build ideas! Cheers.....TIM