amt 1202 1/25 AMT 1963 Chevy II Nova Station Wagon - Craftsman Plus

[stavanzer]

Ugh, what an un-attractive, Mis-shapen mess. Modern "Pro-Whatever" changes to classic 1960's cars, almost always result in these Garish, Giant Wheeled Back births. The Paint, IMHO, is too bright, and brings to mind a Retro Eighties, Posie style paint job. The rear wheels/tires just look Silly. As Silly as the Low Rider Donk Wheels. The whole car has no taste, no real unifying theme. A solid Black or Red Paint job, would work better in my opinion. A smaller hood bulge would help to eliminate some of the cartoon goofiness that characterizes the car as it sits now.

That said, this is obviously a Labor of Love, by a guy with Buckets of of money.

Edited November 3, 2020 by alexis

[keyser]

Don’t tell us. Tell him. Lmk next time you see a drag car with 13” ww. 
Yes it’s opinion, ok to post anywhere. 
Point of posting the car was workmanship and possible conversion potential for the kit. 
R2 brought this kit back from Boss Nova. So buy it and convert to stock. 
 

Back on topic.  Thats a great sedan delivery conversion. Ford Falcon had a great sedan delivery and a 2d wagon. Always wondered why GM passed. 

[Rob Hall]

9 minutes ago, keyser said:

 

Back on topic.  Thats a great sedan delivery conversion. Ford Falcon had a great sedan delivery and a 2d wagon. Always wondered why GM passed. 

Both probably would have been very low volume...Chevy had the Corvair-based van then anyway, and it had more space. 

[Mark]

2 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Last night on Street Outlaws, a guy on the Wyoming team was running a very hot 1G Nova wagon--2 door! It might have been a SD, I don't remember. Obviously a conversion, but very well done and cool looking. Kinda makes me want to dig out that Boss Nova backbirth and scribe 2 doors into it. Would sure be easier than trying to scribe 4 doors into it (including the window pillars). 

Actually, I have a Jimmy Flintstone Nova SD body, but one side has a warped-out lower half that I don't know if could be fixed. 

Still haven't scribed the door lines on this one...I even have the template to do it.  It won't be a delivery, it will get new B-pillars slanted like a Nomad...

[Danno]

3 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

I'm sure it will be out when it is out.

You think?  

Obviously your gray matter has cooled enough to function very well now that you've been out of the desert and back in the midwest for awhile!  LOL.

FYI, FWIW:  The info source is an old/former friend of yours, too.

?

[Rob Hall]

17 minutes ago, Danno said:

You think?  

Obviously your gray matter has cooled enough to function very well now that you've been out of the desert and back in the midwest for awhile!  LOL.

FYI, FWIW:  The info source is an old/former friend of yours, too.

?

It's just funny, people get all anxious about when something will be out, all the speculation over release dates, etc...better to just chill and it will be here when it's here...

[Danno]

1 minute ago, Rob Hall said:

It's just funny, people get all anxious about when something will be out, all the speculation over release dates, etc...better to just chill and it will be here when it's here...

I agree. I'm usually that way, too ~ que sera, sera. It'll show up when it shows up. 

I seldom weigh in when there's such speculation about release dates. I have enough previous releases in queue, vying for the benchtop.  An unreleased future draft-pick normally doesn't clutter up my mind or time. But, I had some fresh, normally reliable info for those whose knickers were getting bunched, so I thought I'd toss it out there. 

No harm, no foul.

I also get a kick out of the sudden, unexpected surprise releases. "Didn't see that one coming."  Oh, sorry. They didn't check with you first?

LOL.  ?

 

[Rob Hall]

7 minutes ago, Danno said:

 

I also get a kick out of the sudden, unexpected surprise releases. "Didn't see that one coming."  Oh, sorry. They didn't check with you first?

 

That is something I miss about the olden days, before the internet...going into a hobby shop and seeing a new release I didn't know was coming..the surprise and delight... though I do love the easy access to vast quantities of info on the internet (and ease of ordering kits and parts on the internet), but some of the thrill is gone... 

[Tom Geiger]

5 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

That is something I miss about the olden days, before the internet...going into a hobby shop and seeing a new release I didn't know was coming..the surprise and delight... though I do love the easy access to vast quantities of info on the internet (and ease of ordering kits and parts on the internet), but some of the thrill is gone... 

I agree! But for me, I got too smart as soon as I joined a club back in early 1980s. John Slivoski was an insider who would update us monthly.

And I don’t get excited easily.  I don’t understand the guys who need that new kit the day it comes out, and will pay full MSRP at the local hobby shop.   For what? Bragging rights?  Most of them grok the kit for an hour and it goes right back in the box. 

The closest  I came was the Revell Land Rover... someone found a mail order place in England that had them cheap. I ordered and received it.. and of course still haven’t built it!

[High octane]

On 10/1/2020 at 11:35 AM, gui_tarzan said:

I disagree, as long as it's not a $30 kit. It seems to be a good one for unskilled builders and people who just don't want to spends hours detailing the engine bay but want a nice looking shelf model. 

Yes I think it would be a good kit to buy for my grandson who's built several Snap-Tite kits and needs to start on a "glue kit" soon.

[Bob Ellis]

On 10/26/2020 at 10:05 PM, charlie8575 said:

With the new developments coming, I wouldn't be shocked if re-issues of all the '58 annuals, in annual style did come, or like the Nova, with options to build a full-detail kit.

 

Charlie Larkin

Hard to say, except AMT never re-released 1958 annuals even as Craftsman kits. AMT did scrap some tools and left other tools outside in the weather while operations were in Baltimore , MD.  I didn't expect the 1959 Imperial or 1964 Caliente coming back, but they did.

[slusher]

9 hours ago, Bob Ellis said:

Hard to say, except AMT never re-released 1958 annuals even as Craftsman kits. AMT did scrap some tools and left other tools outside in the weather while operations were in Baltimore , MD.  I didn't expect the 1959 Imperial or 1964 Caliente coming back, but they did.

When was the last run of the 64 Caliebte?

[the other Mike S.]

On 11/3/2020 at 8:57 AM, Rob Hall said:

It's just funny, people get all anxious about when something will be out, all the speculation over release dates, etc...better to just chill and it will be here when it's here...

That's part of the fun with this hobby.  No?  

[Dave Darby]

On 10/26/2020 at 10:05 PM, charlie8575 said:

With the new developments coming, I wouldn't be shocked if re-issues of all the '58 annuals, in annual style did come, or like the Nova, with options to build a full-detail kit.

 

Charlie Larkin

I'm pretty surprised the Imperial came back. Most of the 1958-62 annuals were scrapped during the great purge of 1973.  But who knows what the future holds. I have a feeling the old MPC tooled AMT 65 Coronet tool still exists, minus the chassis insert somewhere in their vaults.

[wrenchr]

On 11/3/2020 at 6:02 PM, Tom Geiger said:

I agree! But for me, I got too smart as soon as I joined a club back in early 1980s. John Slivoski was an insider who would update us monthly.

And I don’t get excited easily.  I don’t understand the guys who need that new kit the day it comes out, and will pay full MSRP at the local hobby shop.   For what? Bragging rights?  Most of them grok the kit for an hour and it goes right back in the box. 

The closest  I came was the Revell Land Rover... someone found a mail order place in England that had them cheap. I ordered and received it.. and of course still haven’t built it!

The way the market is now, you never know if the release will be short lived. The kits that come out that I want I grab when they are available. I would rather them sit in my model dungeon than become collectors items. A lot of revells kits have done that.   

[Mark]

On 11/3/2020 at 6:02 PM, Tom Geiger said:

 

And I don’t get excited easily.  I don’t understand the guys who need that new kit the day it comes out, and will pay full MSRP at the local hobby shop.   For what? Bragging rights?  Most of them grok the kit for an hour and it goes right back in the box. 

I wouldn't say bragging rights, just impulse purchases.  I picked up a kit at the LHS on Friday.  My area had some restrictions put back in place as of Saturday, the LHS is in cramped quarters...who knows if it will be an option for a while.

If you have a hobby, you have to have at least a minimal amount of disposable income...otherwise you are spending the grocery/rent money on this stuff (and I'm not saying that never happens).  Some guys have to have the latest set of golf clubs even though the money might be better spent on a few lessons or a few buckets of balls at the driving range.  For some wives or girlfriends, it's a dress or a pair of shoes that never get worn anywhere.  I figure it this way...I won't be a millionaire, but I'm always employed, always working, and am saving and setting aside for the future.  If I want something like a model kit or a new tool, the cost of those things are pretty modest compared to other pasttimes like golf, season tickets for a major sports team, or other things.  If I decide I want to go somewhere for a show or swap meet, or want to buy an item, I'll do it.

[64Comet404]

On 11/20/2020 at 1:15 AM, slusher said:

When was the last run of the 64 Caliebte?

It was reissued in the last 10-15 years. I had a couple of originals, so I sold my reissue. 

[Casey]

 

On 11/20/2020 at 12:15 AM, slusher said:

When was the last run of the 64 Caliente?

 

[the other Mike S.]

I used to wait getting what I wanted, but not anymore.  If they reissue it and I want it, I'll get it.  Back in 1980, the local Kmart had the '80 "Class Action" Monte Carlo in their model aisle.  They used to dedicate an entire aisle for the new annual kits back in those days. I was pressured to wait until later to get it.  When I went back, they were sold out. 

I had to wait nearly 30 years until Round 2 reissued them again.  I know AMT/ERTL did a release back in late '90's early '00's, but I didn't catch that reissue.   Also, I didn't like that gray plastic they were using at the time.  When Round 2 finally reissued it again in that nice white plastic with the retro art box over, I had to get one.   In fact, I got two.

Edited November 22, 2020 by the other Mike S.

[W-409]

Haven't done any modeling this year due to lack of time, now decided to check in here and definitely didn't see this reissue coming! I'm super thrilled to see the '63 Nova Wagon being reissued. If they are doing a more detailed version with opening hood and engine in the future, I'll just buy maybe one of these and save money for a case of those more detailed Wagons.

I have one original issue of this kit on my shelf. It's waiting to be built. I was originally going to update it with a full detail engine bay and chassis from Trumpeter's Nova, but now that the reissue is coming I'll probably turn that one into a full detail... And build the original kit the way it could have been done in the '60s, meaning, basically box stock, but with some small improvements here and there...

[Mark]

On 11/22/2020 at 2:42 PM, the other Mike S. said:

I used to wait getting what I wanted, but not anymore.  If they reissue it and I want it, I'll get it.  Back in 1980, the local Kmart had the '80 "Class Action" Monte Carlo in their model aisle.  They used to dedicate an entire aisle for the new annual kits back in those days. I was pressured to wait until later to get it.  When I went back, they were sold out. 

I had to wait nearly 30 years until Round 2 reissued them again.  I know AMT/ERTL did a release back in late '90's early '00's, but I didn't catch that reissue.   Also, I didn't like that gray plastic they were using at the time.  When Round 2 finally reissued it again in that nice white plastic with the retro art box over, I had to get one.   In fact, I got two.

You'd have been disappointed with the original issue, it was molded in dark blue.

[charlie8575]

On 11/20/2020 at 9:03 AM, Dave Darby said:

I'm pretty surprised the Imperial came back. Most of the 1958-62 annuals were scrapped during the great purge of 1973.  But who knows what the future holds. I have a feeling the old MPC tooled AMT 65 Coronet tool still exists, minus the chassis insert somewhere in their vaults.

Considering this is new tooling off the existing drawings, I'm not prepared to write off the possibility.

There have been several developments in mould-making that have dropped the costs quite a bit, and with a lot of American mould shops still begging for business (and sharpening their prices, despite actually being fairly cost-competitive already), I think we're going to have some very nice surprises over the next year or two. I, of course, make no guarantee, but I'm not going to say "not happening," either.

 

Charlie Larkin

[Tom Geiger]

15 hours ago, charlie8575 said:

Considering this is new tooling off the existing drawings, ...

Not from original drawings which wouldn’t exist today,  but reversed engineering off a surviving kit.  Pretty elementary work today.

And right on the MO of Round 2, Tom Lowe started the whole enterprise by reverse engineering the old Aurora monster kits under the Polar Lights label.  

If this is successful, then anything is possible!

[the other Mike S.]

30 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Not from original drawings which wouldn’t exist today,  but reversed engineering off a surviving kit.  Pretty elementary work today.

And right on the MO of Round 2, Tom Lowe started the whole enterprise by reverse engineering the old Aurora monster kits under the Polar Lights label.  

If this is successful, then anything is possible!

I wonder why they didn't save the original engineering drawings?  I've seen pics of some of the old tooling masters that were kept intact.  Anything that important and critical to the tooling should've been saved in an archive file of some sort (you would think).  

Edited November 27, 2020 by the other Mike S.

[CapSat 6]

On 11/20/2020 at 9:03 AM, Dave Darby said:

I'm pretty surprised the Imperial came back. Most of the 1958-62 annuals were scrapped during the great purge of 1973.  But who knows what the future holds. I have a feeling the old MPC tooled AMT 65 Coronet tool still exists, minus the chassis insert somewhere in their vaults.

Interesting that you mention the AMT/MPC ‘65 Coronet. I think the chassis and engine for this one ended up in the MPC ‘66-‘67 Charger annual kit. Some of the parts have been modified from their ‘65 Coronet appearance (the firewall is similar but different and still useable, for sure) but I think Round 2 could still use the ‘67 Charger chassis and engine combined with the ‘65 Coronet body and interior, if they ever found them. 

Also, the stock ‘65 Coronet Hubcaps seem to have ended up in the MPC clear display trailer, so- if the body and interior (and perhaps some of the other goodies, such as the Super Stock hood scoop, etc) could be found, that would be everything they need for a near-stock and drag release. 

The original ‘65 Coronet annual really was a gem of a kit. The new Polar Lights tool is  better than It’s given credit for, but the body still doesn’t hold a candle to the original. 

Edited November 27, 2020 by CapSat 6