What AMT/MPC Molds Might Still Exist at Round 2?

[Casey]

1 minute ago, pack rat said:

That empty section at the bottom left is the where the custom grille/headlight guard was.  It was in the original AMT '67 and the MPC '68, but I don't know if any later issues included the piece.  If you Google the MPC '68 it is pictured on the box top illustration.

[Rob Hall]

The AMT '67 annual has tow truck parts and a custom grille also....I don't believe AMT had a '68 annual?   The MPC '68 annual looks a lot like the AMT '67...

[Daddyfink]

[Casey]

4 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

The AMT '67 annual has tow truck parts and a custom grille also....I don't believe AMT had a '68 annual?   The MPC '68 annual looks a lot like the AMT '67...

I think whatever is left of both is a bit of a hot mess of sorts.

Chris put together a nice history of both the AMT and MPC '67-'72 GM pickups a few years ago:

 

[mikemodeler]

I would rather see that GMC short bed stepside come back than the poor excuse of a tow truck kit. That wrecker is not representative of any 1:1 truck that I am aware of and we would be better served putting either the bed from the Revell Midnite Cowboy wrecker kit or the resin wrecker bed from Jeff Ballard at MCRC.

In a perfect world, someone would tool up a new 67-72 GM pickup kit to include a real detailed chassis, long and short bed and 2wd/4wd drivetrains. Imagine the different variations that could be done, 6 years, 2 brands and if they tried hard, they could also do a Suburban!

 

[Muncie]

1 hour ago, mikemodeler said:

I would rather see that GMC short bed stepside come back than the poor excuse of a tow truck kit. That wrecker is not representative of any 1:1 truck that I am aware of and we would be better served putting either the bed from the Revell Midnite Cowboy wrecker kit or the resin wrecker bed from Jeff Ballard at MCRC.

In a perfect world, someone would tool up a new 67-72 GM pickup kit to include a real detailed chassis, long and short bed and 2wd/4wd drivetrains. Imagine the different variations that could be done, 6 years, 2 brands and if they tried hard, they could also do a Suburban!

 

same here - that's where I'm at...  

[Luc Janssens]

2 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

I would rather see that GMC short bed stepside come back than the poor excuse of a tow truck kit. That wrecker is not representative of any 1:1 truck that I am aware of and we would be better served putting either the bed from the Revell Midnite Cowboy wrecker kit or the resin wrecker bed from Jeff Ballard at MCRC.

In a perfect world, someone would tool up a new 67-72 GM pickup kit to include a real detailed chassis, long and short bed and 2wd/4wd drivetrains. Imagine the different variations that could be done, 6 years, 2 brands and if they tried hard, they could also do a Suburban!

 

I fully agree.

[Junkman]

That'll never sell.

[martinfan5]

9 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

I would rather see that GMC short bed stepside come back than the poor excuse of a tow truck kit. That wrecker is not representative of any 1:1 truck that I am aware of and we would be better served putting either the bed from the Revell Midnite Cowboy wrecker kit or the resin wrecker bed from Jeff Ballard at MCRC.

In a perfect world, someone would tool up a new 67-72 GM pickup kit to include a real detailed chassis, long and short bed and 2wd/4wd drivetrains. Imagine the different variations that could be done, 6 years, 2 brands and if they tried hard, they could also do a Suburban!

 

Ima gonna fourth this.

[unclescott58]

9 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

I would rather see that GMC short bed stepside come back than the poor excuse of a tow truck kit. That wrecker is not representative of any 1:1 truck that I am aware of and we would be better served putting either the bed from the Revell Midnite Cowboy wrecker kit or the resin wrecker bed from Jeff Ballard at MCRC.

In a perfect world, someone would tool up a new 67-72 GM pickup kit to include a real detailed chassis, long and short bed and 2wd/4wd drivetrains. Imagine the different variations that could be done, 6 years, 2 brands and if they tried hard, they could also do a Suburban!

 

I too agree with your above statements. You mentioned a Suburban for that generation. I've always loved the 3-door Suburbans. Make mine a '69 or '70, 2-wheel drive, bucket seats, and the middle and rear bench seats. With the factory roof air conditioning set up. That and a Class III. What more could one ask for? (Maybe a GMC from the same two years?) 

Edited February 20, 2018 by unclescott58

[Eshaver]

10 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

I would rather see that GMC short bed stepside come back than the poor excuse of a tow truck kit. That wrecker is not representative of any 1:1 truck that I am aware of and we would be better served putting either the bed from the Revell Midnite Cowboy wrecker kit or the resin wrecker bed from Jeff Ballard at MCRC.

In a perfect world, someone would tool up a new 67-72 GM pickup kit to include a real detailed chassis, long and short bed and 2wd/4wd drivetrains. Imagine the different variations that could be done, 6 years, 2 brands and if they tried hard, they could also do a Suburban!

I wholeheartedly agree Mr. Mike !!!!!!

 

 

[mikemodeler]

Geez. at least 6 people agree with me today, I better buy a lottery ticket! LOL!

Nice to know that I am not alone in my thinking and makes me think there is hope for a new or re-issued 67-72 GM truck kit.

 

[slusher]

17 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

I would rather see that GMC short bed stepside come back than the poor excuse of a tow truck kit. That wrecker is not representative of any 1:1 truck that I am aware of and we would be better served putting either the bed from the Revell Midnite Cowboy wrecker kit or the resin wrecker bed from Jeff Ballard at MCRC.

In a perfect world, someone would tool up a new 67-72 GM pickup kit to include a real detailed chassis, long and short bed and 2wd/4wd drivetrains. Imagine the different variations that could be done, 6 years, 2 brands and if they tried hard, they could also do a Suburban!

 

I agree also..

[Fat Brian]

I agree as well, a new kit of this generation of trucks is long overdue and would fly off the shelves. Moebius, are you listening? 

[mikemodeler]

3 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

I agree as well, a new kit of this generation of trucks is long overdue and would fly off the shelves. Moebius, are you listening? 

Moebius is the logical choice due to their development of the Ford F series pickups, but given Revell's recent history of surprising us with models many of us thought we wouldn't see, my money is on Revell. Not sure how much of their 64-66 Chevy pickup parts would transfer to the 67-72 series, but they have a starting point.

[Fat Brian]

13 minutes ago, mikemodeler said:

Moebius is the logical choice due to their development of the Ford F series pickups, but given Revell's recent history of surprising us with models many of us thought we wouldn't see, my money is on Revell. Not sure how much of their 64-66 Chevy pickup parts would transfer to the 67-72 series, but they have a starting point.

I agree on both counts, I just wonder how the Hobbico bankruptcy is going to affect Revells new tooling budget.

[garagepunk66]

On 12/25/2015 at 12:59 PM, Snake45 said:

Good jumping-off point for discussion. Are we sure there were two sets of tooling for--just since you brought it up--the '66 Skylark? I was always of the impression that in most if not all cases there would have been just one set of tooling, with hood insert for the promo/Craftsman moldings. I know for a fact that in the case of the Skylark, there's a rather prominent flaw found on the left side of both the Craftsman and the full-detail annual kit. I've always assumed that AMT altered this one set of tooling into the dreadful dirt tracker, and thus the Craftsman is as dead for possible reissue as the full kit.

Or am I wrong about this?

Is it true that the AMT '65 GTO and the MPC '69 Camaro were both once retooled as dirt-trackers, and subsequently restored back to something somewhere in the general neighborhood of "stock"? If so, it MIGHT be possible to bring the Skylark back from the dead as well--assuming, of course, that R2 estimated that this would be financially feasible.

Interesting....

It is interesting to note which promo/Craftsman/Jr Trophy series kits got dedicated tooling and which did not and subsequently shared tooling with the annual full-detail kits. For instance, why did the Craftsman 64 Galaxie not share tooling with the full-detail lighted headlamp version that became the Modified Stocker? Maybe it had to do with the budget that the Automakers allowed for new tooling for promo contracts. Perhaps if the budget allowed, dedicated tooling was cut? Another thing that I'm curious about is another aspect of the whole 65-66 Mustang annual/promo saga....  We know that the Fastback 2+2 body went to the Funny Car and it's interior tub and other trees became the Mach I show car/Iron Horse. Then, lots later the promo notchback body and tub were combined with the Iron Horse guts to become the currently available kit starting with the Countdown series. But there was a full detail annual 3 in 1 65 hardtop (notchback) kit also. Did that notchback kit become the Sonny and Cher kit? If so, this is another example of unshared tooling between promos and annuals. If not, was the Sonny and Cher kit a "clean slate" tool?

 

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by garagepunk66

[Snake45]

4 hours ago, garagepunk66 said:

Then, lots later the promo notchback body and tub were combined with the Iron Horse guts to become the currently available kit starting with the Countdown series. But there was a full detail annual 3 in 1 65 hardtop (notchback) kit also. Did that notchback kit become the Sonny and Cher kit? If so, this is another example of unshared tooling between promos and annuals. If not, was the Sonny and Cher kit a "clean slate" tool?

 

 

The '66--and I think the '65 too--was a convertible with optional hard top, not a straight hard top. I believe it became Sonny & Cher. And it might even still exist, who knows. 

[garagepunk66]

14 hours ago, Snake45 said:

The '66--and I think the '65 too--was a convertible with optional hard top, not a straight hard top. I believe it became Sonny & Cher. And it might even still exist, who knows. 

Ahh. That makes more sense. I didn't realize it was basically a convertible with optional hardtop.

[garagepunk66]

On another note, is it safe to assume that MPC modified the Pinto Coupe/Runabout body tooling into the station wagon and we will never see the coupe again? 

[1972coronet]

4 hours ago, garagepunk66 said:

On another note, is it safe to assume that MPC modified the Pinto Coupe/Runabout body tooling into the station wagon and we will never see the coupe again? 

I seem to remember that both bodysyles --and their Mustang II relative-- were available concurrently , at least the 1978 models . Then again , it could be like the 1971 Duster and Demon , and 1975 Duster and Dart Sport annuals : mid-year changeover .

[Rob Hall]

On 3/22/2018 at 6:57 AM, Snake45 said:

The '66--and I think the '65 too--was a convertible with optional hard top, not a straight hard top. I believe it became Sonny & Cher. And it might even still exist, who knows. 

Correct...the '66 hardtop kit we have today came out first in the Countdown Series around 1977.   It was made using the promo body tooling is what I've read. 

[Casey]

7 hours ago, garagepunk66 said:

On another note, is it safe to assume that MPC modified the Pinto Coupe/Runabout body tooling into the station wagon and we will never see the coupe again? 

Yes. There might be some hope for the AMT kit, though?

[garagepunk66]

53 minutes ago, Casey said:

Yes. There might be some hope for the AMT kit, though?

I do have a '71-72 AMT Coupe that I bought at a show years ago sans box. I was pretty disappointed with the body proportions, particularly in the quarter window area. The headlamp bezels also seemed mis-shapen. I built an MPC coupe in the seventies and I remember it being a nice kit and looking very much like the subject matter.

[garagepunk66]

7 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

I seem to remember that both bodysyles --and their Mustang II relative-- were available concurrently , at least the 1978 models . Then again , it could be like the 1971 Duster and Demon , and 1975 Duster and Dart Sport annuals : mid-year changeover .

I believe you are absolutely correct on the 1978 MPC Pinto coupes and wagons, I have seen both. The wagon body is really crisp though, and appears not to have been a rush job to have been retooled, which leads me to ponder if perhaps another set of body inserts might have been cut in anticipation for a faster changeover.  That is a lot of material to remove in that cavity also

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by garagepunk66