63 Mercury Meteor

[Modlbldr]

Thanks guys!

Later-

[afx]

Good looking project.

[Modlbldr]

Thanks JC!

Later-

[papajohn97]

Very cool project. I’m starting to dip my toe into the kit bashing pool, currently gathering parts and kits for ‘62 and ‘63 Ford super stockers using nice ‘AMT 60 Starliner chassis/ engine parts, so I’m watching and learning from your excellent tutorial here.

Question on your base kit for this build: what specific AMT kit are you using for the body? When I review past kits in Scalemates, I can’t find anything that has rear light features that look like your Meteor here. Did you modify a ‘62 Comet kit?

Edited April 14, 2021 by papajohn97
Spelling correction, year correction

[Tom Geiger]

4 hours ago, papajohn97 said:

Question on your base kit for this build: what specific AMT kit are you using for the body? 

No doubt an old annual AMT 63 Meteor kit.  It was produced just during that year. You’d need to seek one out on eBay or at shows. Mint new in box is expensive but you can find rebuildable kits at reasonable prices.

Here’s a 1962 Meteor in about the condition you want to find. Someone built it back in the day but didn’t cut up the body or sand off the trim. It had a missing hood but I found one!

[oldnslow]

The proverbial "needle" . Good job . 😀

[Modlbldr]

8 hours ago, papajohn97 said:

Very cool project. I’m starting to dip my toe into the kit bashing pool, currently gathering parts and kits for ‘62 and ‘63 Ford super stockers using nice ‘AMT 60 Starliner chassis/ engine parts, so I’m watching and learning from your excellent tutorial here.

Question on your base kit for this build: what specific AMT kit are you using for the body? When I review past kits in Scalemates, I can’t find anything that has rear light features that look like your Meteor here. Did you modify a ‘62 Comet kit?

Tom Geiger is correct. It is an original AMT 63 Meteor kit. Glad you're enjoying the build.

Later-

[mk11]

On ‎10‎/‎24‎/‎2020 at 9:16 AM, Can-Con said:

Not the same Meteors, The American ones were a mid-size Mercury only built in '62 and '63,IIRC. 

True, based on the Fairlane body architecture

On ‎10‎/‎24‎/‎2020 at 9:16 AM, Can-Con said:

The Canadian ones were full size cars. BUT the Canadian ones were not built in '62 and '63 while the name was being used on the American cars.

The Canadian Meteor was an entry level Mercury based on the Ford body shell sold at Lincoln-mercury dealers. Ford US took the name back in '62/'63 to apply to the midsize body but sales apparently weren't sufficient so the name was reapplied to the '64 canadian cars. I've got a radio faceplate here for one that fits the '63/'64 Ford radios as well.

Good looking project, Tom!

[Modlbldr]

11 hours ago, mk11 said:

True, based on the Fairlane body architecture

The Canadian Meteor was an entry level Mercury based on the Ford body shell sold at Lincoln-mercury dealers. Ford US took the name back in '62/'63 to apply to the midsize body but sales apparently weren't sufficient so the name was reapplied to the '64 canadian cars. I've got a radio faceplate here for one that fits the '63/'64 Ford radios as well.

Good looking project, Tom!

Nice info Mike. Thanks. 

Thanks for the nice words.

Later-

[Modlbldr]

22 hours ago, papajohn97 said:

Very cool project. I’m starting to dip my toe into the kit bashing pool, currently gathering parts and kits for ‘62 and ‘63 Ford super stockers using nice ‘AMT 60 Starliner chassis/ engine parts, so I’m watching and learning from your excellent tutorial here.

Question on your base kit for this build: what specific AMT kit are you using for the body? When I review past kits in Scalemates, I can’t find anything that has rear light features that look like your Meteor here. Did you modify a ‘62 Comet kit?

John,

Here is the kit that I started with.

Later-

[papajohn97]

Thanks Tom for posting this base kit. First time I’ve researched an old kit on scalemates and came up dry, it’s usually a pretty comprehensive model kit history resource. I re-did a search there using “AMT 63 Hardtop” and found it listed as a Monterey:

I remember my brothers and I building AMT kits like this one as kids. Like my first few used cars, if only I knew then what I know now what they would end up being worth!

Edited April 15, 2021 by papajohn97
Corrected photo and content

[Modlbldr]

The Monterey is a different vehicle model. It is a bit bigger car. Here is a 61 Monterey. Compared to the 63 Meteor you can see the size difference.

Later-

[ChrisBcritter]

There was also a Mercury Meteor in '61; it was a de-trimmed full size base model that came in the 600 and 800 series (like Biscayne and Bel Air for Chevy). One-year-only model and it was the first big Mercury to have a 6-cylinder available.

[Modlbldr]

56 minutes ago, ChrisBcritter said:

There was also a Mercury Meteor in '61; it was a de-trimmed full size base model that came in the 600 and 800 series (like Biscayne and Bel Air for Chevy). One-year-only model and it was the first big Mercury to have a 6-cylinder available.

Cool!

Later-

[mk11]

7 hours ago, papajohn97 said:

scalemates ... it’s usually a pretty comprehensive model kit history resource...

Definitely a site with information that is usually to be taken with a very large grain of salt  

 

9 hours ago, Modlbldr said:

Nice info Mike. Thanks. 

Save the thanks for Steve... I just fluffed it up a bit.  The Meteors here ran from '49 -''61 and then from '64 into the '70s.

[Can-Con]

10 hours ago, papajohn97 said:

Thanks Tom for posting this base kit. First time I’ve researched an old kit on scalemates and came up dry, it’s usually a pretty comprehensive model kit history resource. I re-did a search there using “AMT 63 Hardtop” and found it listed as a Monterey:

I remember my brothers and I building AMT kits like this one as kids. Like my first few used cars, if only I knew then what I know now what they would end up being worth!

Getting your car kit info from them is like getting your news from The National Enquirer. Some may be true but there's as much BS as fact and a wealth of exclusion and plain everyday mistakes.

[papajohn97]

Please forgive my faux pas, I’m new here and had no idea scalemates.com was held in such low esteem on this board. Let me  know if there is a more accurate online reference out there for researching model car kit genealogy. Much thanks.

[Can-Con]

On 4/16/2021 at 12:02 AM, papajohn97 said:

Please forgive my faux pas, I’m new here and had no idea scalemates.com was held in such low esteem on this board. Let me  know if there is a more accurate online reference out there for researching model car kit genealogy. Much thanks.

Hey, no worries John, don't take it personally. Scalemates has become something of a running joke around here lately. 😉

As for a more accurate reference. Just ask here. There's loads of people on this site that have forgotten more about car kits and cars in general than just about any other site you could name.

[Tom Geiger]

42 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Hey, no worries John, don't take it personally. Scalemates has become something of a running joke around here lately. 😉

And that’s sad! This hobby does need a trusted repository for all of our brain trust information. We are losing knowledgeable modelers every year.  Before we know it, all our sources will be gone!

[mk11]

Too true, Tom. Scalemates doesn't have to be a pariah, though. Suppose a few knowledgeable guys gave him some feedback on areas where accuracy is, um, lacking to help make it a better resource. If he's unwise enough to spurn the help, well, he's on his own