Best 63 Vette coupe offeringin 1/25?

[Casey]

As suggested, the Revell 1/25 snap-together kit has a gorgeous body and decent interior. Combine those with the 1/25 Revell '67 chassis/exhaust/etc., add your favorite SBC, wheels and tires...

[MrObsessive]

In my humble opinion Historic Racing Miniatures does a fantastic 63 Corvette Split Window transkit to be combined with the Revell 1967. It's not cheap, but it is far better than anything else out there. It has a correct set of KH Aluminum  Knockoff wheels, and a correct  Fuelie Intake. You are on your own for the chrome  and aluminum  plate. Combined with either the VRM Corvette decals, or the Model Car World Photoetch, and an accurate Factory color, and  a beautiful  replica can be  had.

Wow Ron! I didn't know Harold sold that! Would you happen to have any pics? Harold IMO ranks right up there among the best resin casters, and his bodies and transkits are top notch! 

Personally, I'm still sold on AMT's old '63 tooling............just some enhancements with a later kit (namely Revell's '67) would be needed to bring it up to par. I have Revell's snapper '63, but something about it in the roof vent area seems "off" to me. Could be just my perception, but the AMT one has that "it" factor to me when it comes to scale accuracy. I'll have to sit down and really compare the two in 3D and see what can be done.

BTW, 1963 was the only year that the Corvette had the chromed A pillar for those that didn't know. All others afterwards through '67 the A pillars were painted.

[Snake45]

 Could be just my perception, but the AMT one has that "it" factor to me when it comes to scale accuracy. I'll have to sit down and really compare the two in 3D and see what can be done.

BTW, 1963 was the only year that the Corvette had the chromed A pillar for those that didn't know. All others afterwards through '67 the A pillars were painted.

The AMT (and nearly identical in shape MPC) Sting Rays do have a very eye-pleasing shape, and one that we're all used to, as we've been building them for 50 years, but they're just a slight bit "sharper" or "crisper" than the real cars. I still like them, and have collected a full range of glue-bombs to rebuild/restore, but the Revell '63 snappers and their '67 Coupe have the most accurately shaped bodies. (The Revell '67 roadster is a mess, and so is the Monogram 1/24 '64.)

Just my opinion, of course, worth exactly what you paid for it.

[Craig Irwin]

Another vote for the Revell snapper.  I wonder if that HRM resin FI unit is available separately,  I could use a few.

 

[BubbaBrown]

Had some water damage on some kits, one was a amt/mpc 1963 corvette. Washed off all the crud and mold and started building it and lost a part. So I ordered a revell snapper and by the time it came I found the part so I built them both. That snapper was the most fun Ive had in a while and sitting side by side I think it looks better. Kit daytona blue snapper sateen silver.

[Snake45]

Had some water damage on some kits, one was a amt/mpc 1963 corvette. Washed off all the crud and mold and started building it and lost a part. So I ordered a revell snapper and by the time it came I found the part so I built them both. That snapper was the most fun Ive had in a while and sitting side by side I think it looks better. Kit daytona blue snapper sateen silver.

The roadsters are just as good and just as fun. Here are the stock and "custom" issues. Again, no paint, just polished plastic. Windshield frames are Silver Sharpie. My only complaint when these kits is that they don't come with the removable hardtop, or even an up-softtop.

 

Edited August 25, 2017 by Snake45

[mikemodeler]

The 67 also has a separate back up light in the body that was for that year only. 

The snappers do build well (as evidenced by all the posts here) and if you aren't needing a drivetrain, offer a very nice rendition that is quick to build. I have multiple convertible and hardtop versions of these snappers in my display case for that very reason!

[Johnnycrash]

WOW again guys. So much good info here. I'll need to save this thread for suture reference. And then head off to eBay to find some kits...

[Mike999]

As somebody else pointed out once in another thread:  that Revell Snapper Coupe is optioned as a very rare 63 Corvette.  It has air-conditioning vents under the dashboard, and a PowerGlide shifter (with no reverse lockout tabs). 

Here's another rare one I saw at the 2013 NNL in Chatsworth, CA.  This 64 Corvette convertible was ordered new by a woman who worked as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles.  It has the 300-hp engine, PowerGlide automatic and PosiTraction. Power windows, steering and brakes but no A/C.  On the window sticker, notice the Auxiliary Hardtop was no cost.  She ordered it WITHOUT the soft top, and I guess they applied credit for that to the aux hardtop.  I looked inside, sure enough the car didn't have the soft top. So I guess she kept the aux. hardtop on all year round. In L.A.? Amazing! 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2017 by Mike999
Error

[Jonathan]

$4893.00  Amazing.  I know, I know - inflation.  But, still. 

[Snake45]

I could be wrong, but I believe the Sting Rays came with one top--your choice if ordering--at no additional cost, and the other one was optional at extra cost if you wanted both.

I hadn't noticed the AC vents in the Revell snapper dash. Thanks for the detail!

[Mike999]

I could be wrong, but I believe the Sting Rays came with one top--your choice if ordering--at no additional cost, and the other one was optional at extra cost if you wanted both.

No, you're absolutely right, as shown by the Corvette Forum.  Several people there have owned hardtop-only C2 convertibles.  Somebody went and dug out the info from the Corvette Black Book.  The "soft top delete" was RPO #C07 (Regular Production Order) .  The Auxiliary Hardtop was a $236.75 option, but free if you didn't get a soft top. 

More were built that way than I would have thought:

63 had 1,099 hardtop only
64 had 1,220 hardtop only
65 had 1,277 hardtop only
66 had 1,303 hardtop only
67 had 895 hardtop only

I got started down this rabbit hole because I'm thinking about building the AMT Prestige '63 convertible with a fixed hardtop. Maybe as one similar to that 64 up there, only with A/C. Or as a "weekend warrior" racer with an owner who didn't care about putting the top down.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c1-and-c2-corvettes/2456059-soft-top-delete.html

[Snake45]

No, you're absolutely right, as shown by the Corvette Forum.  Several people there have owned hardtop-only C2 convertibles.  Somebody went and dug out the info from the Corvette Black Book.  The "soft top delete" was RPO #C07 (Regular Production Order) .  The Auxiliary Hardtop was a $236.75 option, but free if you didn't get a soft top.

More were built that way than I would have thought:

63 had 1,099 hardtop only
64 had 1,220 hardtop only
65 had 1,277 hardtop only
66 had 1,303 hardtop only
67 had 895 hardtop only

I got started down this rabbit hole because I'm thinking about building the AMT Prestige '63 convertible with a fixed hardtop. Maybe as one similar to that 64 up there, only with A/C. Or as a "weekend warrior" racer with an owner who didn't care about putting the top down.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c1-and-c2-corvettes/2456059-soft-top-delete.html

The hardtop wasn't "fixed." It was removable, but I'm pretty sure it couldn't be carried on-board. I do believe you could, if you wanted, have the soft top folded up in its well, and then have the hard top installed too.

I'm a big fan of the '63-'67 hard tops. I like them even better than the coupes. AMT started putting the hard top in the '65 annual roadster kit, which they kept up through '67, but it hasn't been seen again except the '80s-'90s Prestige issue of the resurrected '63. Come to think of it, the '63 roadster hasn't been reissued in a long, long time (was the Prestige the last issue of it?). I'd love it if Round 2 would reissue the roadster with ALL the tops it came with over the years--soft up-top, hard top, clear hard top, custom fastback, and '67 panel wagon. And while you're at it, R2, how about the '66-only slot car tonneau cover with driver figure, too? I have a bunch of original annual roadster projects in the Snakepile to restore/rebuild, but I'd still buy a couple more reissues if they included ALL the candy.

[MrObsessive]

Speaking of '63 'Vettes with the removable hardtop.............the Prestige kit has a very nice shaped hardtop among its parts. Not long ago, I wanted an extra hardtop to go along with a very clean '64 convertible buildup I have. I got a resin one off eBay.........very cleanly molded with no defects, but I notice that the shape is not quite the same as the Prestige kit.

Did AMT change the mold to recreate the hardtop for the Prestige kit? Or were there two different hardtops done at different times?

When I get a chance, I'll dig up the hardtops and take pics. The differences to me stick out like a sore thumb!

Edited August 26, 2017 by MrObsessive

[Mike999]

I don't know if AMT changed the mold, but I was impressed by the hardtop in the Prestige kit.  It has a very tiny cut-out that drops exactly over the raised body trim line on the center of the rear deck. You almost need a magnifier to see that cut-out, but it's definitely there.  Unfortunately my top had a little flash right at the "B" pillar but it wasn't too hard to remove.

Snake: "Fixed hardtop" was poor wording on my part, I know it was removable.  But in the model(s) I'm thinking of building, it would be "fixed" all the time. 

It was definitely possible to leave the soft top folded and put the hardtop on.  I've seen quite a few of those Vettes at car shows. And places like the Pomona Swap Meet, where they were usually for sale.  People in colder climates would leave the folded soft top in place and just put the hardtop on for the winter.  One guy on the Corvette Forum said he and his wife used to do that every year, on their C2.  The hardtop weighed about 50 pounds, so it wasn't that big of a job for 2 people.

[jack lira]

was the 63 prestige kit body done from the 67 conv or the Cat issue 

[Snake45]

was the 63 prestige kit body done from the 67 conv or the Cat issue

Yes. They're all from the same basic molds that go back to 1962.

[jack lira]

what did we lose to get the 63 conv back

[MrObsessive]

OK, I just took some pics of what some of the differences were in the hardtops of the '63 Prestige kit, and what AMT did originally when they started putting in hardtops for the '65 annuals.

On the left is the original '65 hardtop or so it seems to me. On the right is the hardtop out of the '63 Prestige kit which to my eyes has a bit more accurate shape per the 1:1.

You can see here the windshield headers are different-----the original has a bit more of a curve......not present on the 1:1, whereas the '63 is a bit flatter.

With the exception of the body brace which I don't want to remove till it's time to build, the roof fits pretty well, albeit some tweaking would be needed. 

This is the Prestige hardtop and '63 kit body.................

Here it is on an original '64 buildup, and its header is clearly different from the '63, which leads me to believe that the '63 is a retooled body and not based on the original. The original had working rotating lights which the Prestige kit and subsequent reissues did not have. The Prestige kit body looks more accurate to my eyes, but nonetheless looks to be a different tooling.

Here's the other '65 issue hardtop on the '64 body and its fit is 'bout perfect.

It's curious how they did things in those days........not always did they get the shapes correct, but more so than some of the woefully inaccurate stuff I see today.

Nevertheless, when it comes time to restore the '64 buildup, I'll be on the lookout for a spare 63 Prestige kit hardtop as to my way of seeing, looks more accurate than what was done over 50 years ago. Or barring that, just reshape the one I have into something more accurate.

Just to show, here's the pic of that '64 which was shown earlier................

Thoughts anyone?

[Snake45]

Here it is on an original '64 buildup, and its header is clearly different from the '63, which leads me to believe that the '63 is a retooled body and not based on the original. The original had working rotating lights which the Prestige kit and subsequent reissues did not have. The Prestige kit body looks more accurate to my eyes, but nonetheless looks to be a different tooling.

Very interesting, and great pics. The original '63 roadster kit had rotating headlights, which made only one reappearance, in the circa-1967 THE Cat issue.

I happen to have original roadster bodies from '63 to '67, plus the Prestige issue and several of the pre-Prestige reissues. I'll have to take a look and see if that windshield frame looks different on mine. I'd seen the difference in the tops, but have never noticed any difference in the windshield frame.

Edited August 27, 2017 by Snake45

[Don Sikora II]

When the Prestige '63 Roadster was released, I asked about it at AMT/Ertl's booth when I saw them at a show....probably when they set up at the Toledo Toy Show. i was told then that the roadster body was new tooling. Don't remember if we discussed the two roofs, but wouldn't be surprised if they were new along with the body.

[MrObsessive]

That would explain the discrepancies Don. More than likely the original '63 tooling was either long gone, or was too worn out to be useful in making anymore kits. Frankly, I like the Prestige kit.......I just wish the chassis was more up to snuff as far as detail, but there's always Revell's '67 to kitbash and make something really nice out of it.

[Snake45]

When the Prestige '63 Roadster was released, I asked about it at AMT/Ertl's booth when I saw them at a show....probably when they set up at the Toledo Toy Show. i was told then that the roadster body was new tooling. Don't remember if we discussed the two roofs, but wouldn't be surprised if they were new along with the body.

Interesting. If the Prestige issue has a new-tooled body, they sure didn't get much use out of it. Has the roadster been reissued since?

I have a couple of Prestiges, though I've never built one, plus a couple of unbuilt non-Prestige issues from about the same time (it was a semi-big deal that the Prestige issue had the FI emblems engraved on the fenders--interestingly, I believe all the Coupe resissues since then have had the FI emblem, too, but I'll have to doublecheck that), and good examples of all the annual bodies. I'll have to try to take a good look at all of them.

One good area for study will be the front valence area and front parking lights. AFAIK, AMT has NEVER gotten the molds to align well in that area, going back to the original issues, and it always requires a bunch of extra cleanup work.

[MrObsessive]

So when did this kit come out Snake?

Pic courtesy of eBay.

I built one of these around the early '90's but this one doesn't have the removable hardtop, or the stock hubcaps. It does give you the uptop however like in the Prestige kit. I see the flatter windshield header on it which is correct.

Edited August 27, 2017 by MrObsessive

[Don Sikora II]

So when did this kit come out Snake?

Pic courtesy of eBay.

I built one of these around the early '90's but this one doesn't have the removable hardtop, or the stock hubcaps. I see the flatter windshield header on it though which is correct.

This one came out about the same time as the Prestige issue. It's hard to remember, but this one might have actually been released shortly before the Prestige kit. 

 

Interesting. If the Prestige issue has a new-tooled body, they sure didn't get much use out of it. Has the roadster been reissued since?

I have a couple of Prestiges, though I've never built one, plus a couple of unbuilt non-Prestige issues from about the same time (it was a semi-big deal that the Prestige issue had the FI emblems engraved on the fenders--interestingly, I believe all the Coupe resissues since then have had the FI emblem, too, but I'll have to doublecheck that), and good examples of all the annual bodies. I'll have to try to take a good look at all of them.

One good area for study will be the front valence area and front parking lights. AFAIK, AMT has NEVER gotten the molds to align well in that area, going back to the original issues, and it always requires a bunch of extra cleanup work.

Have an AMT/Ertl-era Corvette five-car set that I'm pretty sure includes the '63 roadster. Don't think the roadster version has been out in at least 15 years though.

The '63 Corvette split-window was included in AMT's Corvette 50th Anniversary series. If I remember right, that issue included both tops for the roadster, but not the glass that fit them. Think some other issues of the Vette roadster included the glass for the removable hardtop, but not the roof itself. If you get lucky, you can piece it together if you have the right kits.