pack rat

It was originally in a '64 Corvette annual, later found in the Fireball 500 (should be easy to find one). I've never seen one with those squarish fenders though.

In the 1:1 world, any '57-66 windshield should fit. I have a '66 convertible on the bench right now. I just test-fitted a '60 convertible windshield. The side vent windows don't line up properly, but the windshield itself is just about perfect. There are lots of 59's out there...maybe that would be the easiest route. The 65 would definitely fit if you have one on hand.

The AMT Double Dragster Any of the early 60's Monogram Starbird-era kits ('58 T-Bird, Little T, '40 Ford pickup etc)

The clear bubble top pictured is from the original issue of the Monogram '55 Chev HT/conv

#4 is the custom hubcap from the early issues of the AMT '49 Ford. It appears that another piece is glued to the back of it.

This '57 Bird talk has me itching to start working on one. I pulled three oldies off of the shelf and starting comparing them. Here are some pics that show some of the changes from the original issue, to the circa 1968 re-box, and then the Judge. A lot of my Judge parts are loose as you can tell, but much of the Judge-exclusive chrome parts are still in place.

An MPC '65 Dodge Monaco I restored awhile back. This was a true glue bomb; everything was welded together. The windows were so heavily glued in place they couldn't be removed; I had to use a polishing kit to clean them up (I managed to cut out and replace the glue-blobbed vent windows). The brittle gold plastic just added to the fun; I had to repair a lot of broken chassis and engine bits along the way.

Not exactly a glue bomb, but sure wasn't mint. A Craftsman '64 Malibu..partially shaved and covered with sanding scratches under that thick Testors blue paint. I figured it was a good time to post this one with the Round2 reissue/recreation on the way.

I'll second that. I'll also add the somewhat obscure original AMT 1/43 scale mini-trophies. The verdoro green Vette may be my all-time favorite.

That Caddy is beautiful!

A few Johans. Most are kits; two or three detailed promos are in the mix.

Thanks Dave. After several spoon tests the best I could come up with was Tamiya clear orange lacquer over Testors Chrysler bronze lacquer.

A stock-ish build up of a rare kit. Hard to find, and $$$ if you find one, but at the end of the day a so-so kit. The highlight of this kit is the early F/C chassis which is included in this and a few other Johan kits of the era. As impressive as the box-art rendering is, it's too bad the Grant Rebel FC was actually based on a '68 body. Oh well. I decided to build a "stock" version. Even though the body is beautifully engraved and proportionally bang-on, there are a couple of impossible-to remove sink marks on the right side. I added some lower rear quarter trim and wheel-lip moldings that should be there but aren't. The stock chassis is a '66 Marlin piece lengthened by about 1/8 inch. Likewise, the engine is an early 60's-era (327?) V8, not the 290/343 that belongs in a '69. The stock interior is correct for the model year, too bad it's a totally inaccurate 3-piece assembly lifted from the '69 Ambassador! (nice dash engraving though) The magnums I borrowed from a '69 Road Runner look good but weren't available on the 1:1 car. The kit-supplied wheels are the common turbine-style ones found in many Johan kits of the era....can't recall seeing similar wheels on a 1:1 AMC car, but they sure look similar to '66/67 Plymouth Fury hubcaps. The box calls out a custom version....a plain-looking hidden-headlight grille, a pair of racing-style O/S mirrors, and plain clear red taillights. Paint is an attempt to replicate Bittersweet Orange using rattle cans as the airbrush was down for repair. Maybe it's not 100% accurate, but it looks OK on the shelf.

I've never looked into it, but I wonder if the more recent Revell '67 might have some usable pieces that will fit the old AMT kit.

The SS script isn't correct for either year. The '67 SS had the grilles you see on my built-up (I tried foil-copying those from a set of valve covers...yes, they're sloppy)

The production kits are molded in black; the white one in my pic is a test shot.

That is basically what they did; made a few changes to the '67 kit and called it a day. It's easier to add a few details to build a '67 than to try and attempt a '68. I did that a few years ago. Not my best effort, but better than what I started with. Note the lack of windshield wipers on the "68" too.

What you have there is the "for 68" Camaro body. That's the way they came out of the box due to MPC having the promo contract in '68 (a subject that has been covered numerous times). Basically a '67 kit that isn't accurate for either model year.

FYI-The size and proportions of this kit match the AMT annuals pretty much bang-on I have a '66 annual with plans to build the custom pickup version. It looks surprisingly easy to adapt the leftover stock pieces to the 4dr body. Looking at the fit of the various pieces, the toughest part of a conversion would be foil copying the very faint Imperial badging on the annual body. Re the difference between the rear decklids on the two bodies shown, note the different model years; the '66 decklid was recontoured on the 1:1, and the '66 annual matches the GH body.

To my eyes the promo-based MPC annual is still the best '70 Challenger replica. Even though it has some shortcomings It has the right look. Among more readily-available kits the AMT would be my preference. The Revell diecast-base version looks toy-like to me, and the Monogram T/A is off proportion-wise. The blue car pictured is an MPC curbside based on a funny car body (identical to the kit but without a separate hood). The wheels and front bumper are AMT pieces. The orange AMT kit has a lower vinyl top molding added below the rear window/sail panel; a detail AMT omitted due to the convertible/hardtop kit variations, a modification that should be made if using the vinyl top. The wheels are from an MPC 70-71 Mopar annual. Yes, there are no R/T badges...it's an "A66" 340, not an R/T (MPC 340 underhood from a Duster). The white Vanishing Point kit shows another option; glue the vinyl roof on and remove the vinyl texture. This was much easier than it looks.

I assume it's OK to post this...a partially-assembled early test shot.

The top wheel cover is a custom piece found in the AMT '63 Lincoln and '64 Mercury (maybe others). Possibly supposed to represent a Caddy piece. I believe the lower cover is from a Johan '62 Chrysler.

I just peeled the goo from a can of Testors lacquer this morning and used it; worked fine. It's not the first time I've used a leaker. It doesn't hurt to try and salvage a paint job or two out of a can before tossing it.

Link Wray is finally in. I'm good

Back when the Sock It To Me Vette was reissued I recall talking to John G re the Judge T-Bird. He liked the idea of a Judge reissue but at that time the drag parts and the SOHC motor were MIA. That was quite a few years ago....back then a '63 Ford pickup reissue was all but impossible. Here's hoping.