Smoke Wagon

Shooting up out of bed in a cold sweat, grasping and reaching around for an AMT 1963 Oldsmobile Jetfire, while reality slowly sets in. Aaaand scene!

Great job. Glad to see the paint turned out nice. That’s quite a tasteful improvement over how the kit is out of box.

Zero chance, but I’d like to see a kit of a Chrysler K car. With just a few extra pieces, it could be a 2 in 1 kit containing options to build a Dodge Aries or Plymouth Reliant. Derivatives can be made too, such as coupes, wagons, Chrysler LeBaron, etc. Although, given their boxy, compact, and simple design, K cars would lend themselves well to 3d printing.

Jeep CJs, Jeep Wrangler (YJ, TJ, JK, JL), Mazda Miata (NA, NB, NC, ND), Toyota Supra (A40, A50, A60, A70, A80), Ford Escort (Mk1-Mk6), Lincoln Continental Mark II-Mark VIII, etc.

If you wet sand with 1500+ (gradually using finer and finer grit to your liking, I usually stop at 3000) after the final clear coat has cured, it will remove orange peel and leave you a matte smooth finish. With enamel paint I just skip clear and sand the color coat itself. Then use your polish to return the finish to a deep, uniform gloss. Disclaimer: this process won’t net you a paint finish that tastes like it was smothered in honey. Unfortunately it’ll taste more like Turtle Wax and elbow grease...

Wow, what a stunner. The realistic hinges really help sell the look, IMO they usually tend to be a downside of diecast models. I agree with others here, that was a steal.

It’s been getting warm and sunny down here in SW Oregon, but we’ve been getting rainy days as well.

Boy... that Marmon-Herrington 4x4 conversion wagon...

Beautifully done. The woodie decals can be a little tricky to get set in the right place, you did a perfect job of it. Excellent work cut and buffing your paint. Funnily enough, I have a similar build going on (slowly). I went with the flathead from AMT’s ‘49 Mercury kit, and Tamiya TS-11 for color.

I know I’d buy one. It’d look great on the shelf next to AMT’s ‘50 Chevy 3100.

Barris to his cans of Bondo on the late nights spent building these: 🎶 “Babe, I got you babe.” 🎶

Not being able to build it stock out of the box still encompasses a pretty broad variety of kits. For example, the Revell ‘49 Mercury woodie wagon fits under this term, despite the fact that every part in the box (excluding the caddy OHV engine and transmission) builds up to depict a stock Mercury.

That red and white BRAT was cherry. A lot of cool stuff there. I was curious to see if they had an Outback SUS, maybe there was one was under a cover.

No Bill, I don’t shop at Walmart. Joking aside, that is some pretty soul (and chair) crushing stuff. It’s only bound to get worse with folks nowadays reassuring each other that it’s all okay and socially acceptable to weigh more than a forklift. I understand that some people do have conditions, like thyroid problems, and at the end of the day there’s really not a lot they can do to change what their bodies do. That said, being morbidly obese is almost entirely a modern phenomenon; directly brought on by a mix of technological advances that have made our basic lives easier, unhealthy food being more plentiful than ever, and a significant lack of self-discipline and control amongst people.

I also see how they can be useful if you’re traveling a long distance, or if by circumstances you need a bike to commute to work. As with everything in life, there’s a trade-off when it comes to new and interesting technology. It gets to the point where easy things are made even easier. Lazy people will benefit most, and the cycle continues. Without societal pressure to make healthier, smarter, and harder decisions, you’ll eventually get this:

If it’s any consolation, at least we have a Dutch Bros on every block. If you manage to squeeze into the mile-long line of hipsters and Karens, you just might have a shot at spending 10 bucks for a large “coffee”.

The story of the Ford Vedette is an interesting one. Devised by Edsel Ford and E.T. Gregorie, the Vedette was originally intended for the North American market as a smaller alternative to the main Ford lineup. Powered by the 136 V8 (V8-60) and designed in Detroit, it was on track to be produced and sold in the United States after the war. Originally the ‘49 Mercury was supposed to be the ‘49 Ford, but was later deemed too large for the low-priced field. Hence the similarities in design language between the Vedette and Mercury Eight. The Vedette was eventually seen as unfit for the U.S. market, and executives feared that it would cannibalize sales of the main Ford line. The car was then to be sold in France, where smaller cars proved to be more popular. The concept of the Vedette was ahead of its time (selling a small car lineup alongside a similar full-size lineup) and it predated the Falcon by over 10 years. Interesting to think about what could’ve been.

Fair enough. Those are certainly more popular, and do make a better business case for a kit manufacturer. If I came off as overly defensive of my talking point, I apologize. Sorry for de-railing the thread a little, Tim. Thanks for sharing this little-known piece of AMT history and what could’ve been.

The new Garwood kit was done from scratch. Round2 didn’t have access to the original master, and from what I’ve heard, most of their research for the project was done using the internet. I wouldn’t imagine that there’s many 1:1 examples of vintage Garwood Load Packers out and about either, but they were able to kit it nonetheless. I agree with you that it is a neat idea. What other early Chevrolets do you believe have better sales potential?

Considering that Round2 brought the AMT Garwood Load Packer to fruition after all these years, one has to wonder what their opinion/stance would be on resurrecting this one as well.

Looks good without a lump of ashes in the rear seat.

Pretty unpopular opinion, but I’d be all for a bathtub Packard.

Thanks guys.