Round 2's MPC 1974 Plymouth Road Runner

[drksd4848]

You know the release a few years back in the tin box with the 4" Road Runner? 

 

I just bought a couple of them off of Hobbylinc.  My thoughts :

What a REALLY NICE kit!  Thoughtful, cool packaging,  the decals are correct and... perfect, all the right parts. They did such a great job with this.  You can tell, there was a lot of thought and care that went into it. 

Now, if only they'd do this nice a job reissuing that 71/72 Road Runner kit!!!

BTW, it took my son 30 seconds to break the 4" Road Runner!

Edited October 30, 2016 by drksd4848

[tim boyd]

Walter....as the former owner of a 1/1 scale factory-ordered-to-my-specs E58 (360 hi-po, dual exhausts, Carter Themoquad, et al) '74 Road Runner, I agree that this version of the MPC Road Runner kit is the best one ever, including the original 1974 annual kit.  

For those who are not as close to the details as Walter and I, this release has the best assortment of factory-correct '74 model year graphics and decals, it includes the correct dual exhaust and no catalyst as per the factory car, and the correct `71`-74 instrument panel.  

And rest assured, the model companies are well aware of the interest in reissuing the '71 GTX (Monogram and MPC) and '71 Road Runner (MPC).  

Have fun with the project and I'd love to see it when you are done....TIM

   

Edited October 31, 2016 by tim boyd

[drksd4848]

Tim,

Those '73, '74 and the '72 Road Runners are near and dear to my heart.  My oldest brother owned a red '74 with a 360, factory A/C, factory AM/FM stereo cassette, sun roof, white buckets.  It wasn't the quickest RR in the world, but man was it nice.  And THEN, he owned a brown '73 with a blue printed 400 with 440 heads, 3.91 rear, craigers and blue streaks in the back.  That wasn't as cushy as the red RR, but that car could "haul the mail".  It ran a 1/4 in the low 13s.  I have a picture of it somewhere, that I'll post if I can.

And then there was this:

I came home from the hospital as a newborn in this car.    Needless to say, I really hope they reissue the kit.

 

Edited October 30, 2016 by drksd4848

[1972coronet]

I agree that the MPC 1974 Road Runner / GTX is a nice kit (if not a little flawed) . I've built a few of them , the last of which was  TB3 Basin Street Blue with black interior . I added engine callouts to the hood ( "400" ) , along with engine compartment details from the AMT 1971 Charger R/T ( brake booster / master cylinder , wiper motor , air cleaner , etc. ) .

1974 was the last year for the 4-speed / high performance models ; by 1975 , all high-perf engines were relegated to automatic only status .

1974 was also the last year for the vaunted 8 3/4 rear . It was replaced by the 8 1/4 ( low-mid performance engines) and the 9 1/4 ( heavy duty and high performance ) .

It's a great kit . I need to pick up a few more .

[Xingu]

This post was convincing enough to make me order a few. I love the old Mopars.

[Bob Ellis]

I have the 1974 GTX kit and it is horrible. one usable exhaust manifold. wrong exhaust.

[drksd4848]

I have the 1974 GTX kit and it is horrible. one usable exhaust manifold. wrong exhaust.

Yup, I have that one too and it's kind of a stinker.  Wrong decals and the box art is completely inaccurate.   At least it's modeled in white.  The original issue was modeled red but the box art was accurate for the decals.

[1972coronet]

That grotesque 1974 GTX from the dark ages of AMT,  MPC,  et al. , is the only version with the 1975-1978 dash/instruments,  and the 1975-1979 exhaust . 

The prior and subsequent issues ( starting with the original MPC annual , to the c.1982 modified reissue [ first time for the 'GTX' label ] , and finally the c.2008 Round2 retooling ) have the correct pieces AND decals ; stock Rallye wheels , too ?

[Bob Ellis]

That grotesque 1974 GTX from the dark ages of AMT,  MPC,  et al. , is the only version with the 1975-1978 dash/instruments,  and the 1975-1979 exhaust . 

The prior and subsequent issues ( starting with the original MPC annual , to the c.1982 modified reissue [ first time for the 'GTX' label ] , and finally the c.2008 Round2 retooling ) have the correct pieces AND decals ; stock Rallye wheels , too ?

RCERTL was dark ages . I don't think they cared to make part parts correct.

[RandyEarle]

I also had a 1974 Road Runner. I have the newer kit and I'm going to use the Charger kit with the shell. Mine was Root Beer Metallic.

 

Edited November 2, 2016 by RandyEarle

[tim boyd]

OK  Randy, here's mine at the three year mark  (just before Mopar's patented "swiss cheese" (rustout body integrity) took over..)..with added factory bright moldings ('73-'74 Sebring Plus Rocker Moldings and top of grille opening molding), Mopar B-Body trunklid luggage rack, lowered front suspension (loved those Mopar T-bar adjusting bolts), and the BF Goodrich Radial T/A's (F-60-15 and G-60-15) I won for taking second nationwide in the 1976 MPC National Customizing Championship (I could have never afforded those then-big-buck-tires on my own back then)....inside I was on my second or third FM-Stereo Tape Deck (the others having been ripped off in my college parking lot....grrrr....) and the Utah two-way bass reflex 6x9 speakers (the factory Mopar package shelf steel undershelf had openings for 1 5x7 factory speaker on one side, and a non-factory 6x9 opening on the other side..... I adapted..).   

The factory E68 360  hi-po (245 net horsepower, which equated to roughly 310 gross horsepower under the pre-'72 rating system) was really the best of both worlds back then - excellent performance including low-end torque, combined with reasonable (for the time) gas mileage as I was commuting to college and work at the time....  The deep black paint was polished with "Classic Car Wax", purported to be the only 100% Carnauba wax available at the time,  while the Mopar Tomato Red Roof/hood/side stripes were already starting to fade despite multiple coats of wax and care.....

Mechanically the car was excellent (accumulating 145,000 miles over 16 years) but the body rot was, well terminal.  If it had not been, I would probably still have the car today.....TIM 

PS - I see on that rear view the red pinstriping I designed and added (that may have been a little over the top), the Lincoln Mk IV license plate frame I bought from the LM dealership where my friend worked in the new car prep department, and the dealership ID for Highland Chrysler Plymouth in Grand Rapids, where I ordered the car and had it serviced (Highland was just down the street from several muscle car era renowned dealerships for the other brands, and just as famous among the Mopar crowd as those others were for fans of Chevy and the like....)   TB  

 

Edited November 2, 2016 by tim boyd

[drksd4848]

For the record...

My brother's 73 Road Runner.  blueprinted 400 with 440 heads:

 

Edited November 2, 2016 by drksd4848

[drksd4848]

BTW, Rustic Mist is a pretty good stand-in for Tawny Gold Metallic.  (Although it goes on like @#$%!!!.  I have a lot of sanding to do on the other side)

 

Edited November 2, 2016 by drksd4848

[satterwhite78]

Used a AMT 71 Charger chassis and a flat hood from Hart's Parts.

Edited November 3, 2016 by satterwhite78

[Young iron]

Is the newest release that different ?

Mine is the red one on the box, with the white stripes that are not included. I had to kitbash a lot of parts to start something fair :

-1977 Monaco chassis for the twin exhausts

-1971 Charger engine, trans, dash

-Keith Marks decals

-Amt white-lettered tires

-1968 Roadrunner/1969 GTX Mag 500 rims and engine bay

 

I should consider having it primered soon. 

[1972coronet]

Bob Ellis - Thank you for sharing the info that I'd neglected to add : indeed the Racing Champions' era was a "wonky" time in the MPC & AMT lines . While the original MPC annuals had incorrect items ( 1966-style brake master cylinders ; incorrect transmission-to-interior and shiftier ; Six Pack induction for post-1972 engines ) , but the kits' strong points outweighed these easily-corrected gaffes.  

I'll take the nice MPC vintage kits , warts and all ?

[RandyEarle]

Thanks for the pix Mr. Boyd. My 74 was the last of 11 Road Runners I've owned. I picked up some MV lenses for the headlights. I don't really care for the cast in lights.

[Ron Hamilton]

Unfortunately, this kit is the only game in town when it comes to building a '73-4 Plymouth Road Runner. However, it can be made into a very nice model when it is kitbashed with the latest tool AMT '71 Charger.

It took quite a bit of work to get it where I wanted it to go, but it worked out fine. I plan to do a couple more using the same techniques, as well as a '72, and a '71. I may do one up as a Satellite Sebring Plus, using Missing Link Resin's Flat Hood and Wheel Covers.

[Kmb0319]

It's so ironic to see this thread pop up... my high school and first 3 years of college car was a gray 73 RR with black stripes and interior and a 360.  I LOVED that car.  I've been thinking about grabbing this kit and replicating my old ride for months now.

I guess the universe must be telling me something, because I was in Indianapolis for the last 3 days for a big convention for work.  I started driving home yesterday, and about 30 minutes into my drive, I see a car on a trailer up ahead.  As I got closer, my jaw dropped:

Change the stripe color and put the Mopar rally wheels back on, and it's my car.  Now I have to order this kit...

[tim boyd]

It's so ironic to see this thread pop up... my high school and first 3 years of college car was a gray 73 RR with black stripes and interior and a 360.  I LOVED that car.  I've been thinking about grabbing this kit and replicating my old ride for months now.

I guess the universe must be telling me something, because I was in Indianapolis for the last 3 days for a big convention for work.  I started driving home yesterday, and about 30 minutes into my drive, I see a car on a trailer up ahead.  As I got closer, my jaw dropped:

Change the stripe color and put the Mopar rally wheels back on, and it's my car.  Now I have to order this kit...

Kevin...cool picture and cool car!  Interesting to note that the 5mph bumper blocks and guards have been removed on the rear bumper....something I always wanted to do on my 1.1 but never got the chance.....TIM  

[Bob Ellis]

You know the release a few years back in the tin box with the 4" Road Runner? 

 

I just bought a couple of them off of Hobbylinc.  My thoughts :

What a REALLY NICE kit!  Thoughtful, cool packaging,  the decals are correct and... perfect, all the right parts. They did such a great job with this.  You can tell, there was a lot of thought and care that went into it. 

Now, if only they'd do this nice a job reissuing that 71/72 Road Runner kit!!!

BTW, it took my son 30 seconds to break the 4" Road Runner!

I was lucky to find a rebuildable 1973 MPC roadrunner off eBay. I can use the 74 GTX kit for bumpers glass and some other items. I don't know if it is a licensing problem but the roadrunner emblems were smoothed off the new issues.

[tim boyd]

. I don't know if it is a licensing problem but the roadrunner emblems were smoothed off the new issues.

From what I recall from my own car, the 1/1 scale '74 Road Runner exterior had decals of the Road Runner; there was no 3d RR badging or emblems whatsoever other than perhaps the emblem on the far right/passenger of the instrument panel (I let my 1/1 scale go about 26 years ago so the interior memory is a little vague).  

Without digging the latest (steel box) issue out of storage, my recollection is that it had all or almost all the (depending on the stripe colors) necessary RR decal/livery to accurately replicate the 1/1 car.  

So with the engraved RR emblems smoothed off the body as Bob mentions above, that actually makes the most current issue the most accurate one yet.  

TIM   

 

[unclescott58]

So the tin can version had the proper decals with the cartoon Road Runners on them? The Daisy Duke version had all the proper striping, but with out the cartoon birds. Because of that I had to order correct decals from Keith Marks when I build mine a few years back. The other question is, do the decals in the tin box version also have the correct GTX markings on the hood stripe with the 440 engine call outs? The GTX name on the hood stripe was only correct when the 440 engine was under the hood on the '73 and '74 Road Runners. The other engines only include the displacement numbers. 318, 340/360, or 400.

 

[1972coronet]

I didn't realise that the base model 170 hp 318 received engine callouts (?) I know that the 340 (1973) , 360 (1974) . and 400 (1973-1974) got 'em ; I've only seen two 1973-1974 Road Runners with the 318 : 1973 with a 3-speed manual , and a 1974 with a column-shift TorqueFlite .

I wonder why the 1972 R.R. with the base 400-4 didn't get callouts on the hood ?

[Bob Ellis]

 

From what I recall from my own car, the 1/1 scale '74 Road Runner exterior had decals of the Road Runner; there was no 3d RR badging or emblems whatsoever other than perhaps the emblem on the far right/passenger of the instrument panel (I let my 1/1 scale go about 26 years ago so the interior memory is a little vague).  

Without digging the latest (steel box) issue out of storage, my recollection is that it had all or almost all the (depending on the stripe colors) necessary RR decal/livery to accurately replicate the 1/1 car.  

So with the engraved RR emblems smoothed off the body as Bob mentions above, that actually makes the most current issue the most accurate one yet.  

TIM   

 

You are correct that there were a lot of decals used but I believe "Road Runner" was a spelled out emblem on the right side of the trunk.