AMT Longnose Mustang

[afx]

Does this kit represent an actual 1:1 car?

Photos from eBay.

More kit photos here: https://vintagepartscars.name/category/ronda/

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by afx

[afx]

Nicely built model from Spotlight Hobbies message board:

https://board.spotlighthobbies.com/?md=read;id=325145

[vamach1]

Not sure how accurate the kit is but it’s based on this.

[afx]

I assume the Polar Lights kit is more faithful to the Gas Ronda 1:1

Edited May 19, 2022 by afx

[Ace-Garageguy]

The nose is stupidly exaggerated on the built model. The real car had a long nose, but nothing like that ----- build.

Edited May 19, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[Tabbysdaddy]

The Pinocchio Mustang. 

[vamach1]

1 hour ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

The Pinocchio Mustang. 

Yes that does look a foot or so too long. ?

[Mark]

Look in model car magazines from that period, and you'll see lots of builds with exaggerated front end stretches like that.  AMT probably had the kit designed and ready for production before sticking Ronda's name on it.

Bright side: to get a moderate stretch, the chassis would be cut down instead of lengthened as was often done back then.

In the "not everything has to make sense" sweepstakes, it might be interesting to join two of these kits together to get an even longer one...

[TransAmMike]

Really nice job on it JC?

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Mark said:

...In the "not everything has to make sense" sweepstakes, it might be interesting to join two of these kits together to get an even longer one...

Edited May 19, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy

[tim boyd]

Those with a further interest in the original AMT kit may want to check out more on the subject in the book on Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits.....TB.  

[keyser]

That Bill guy can really write! ???

[iBorg]

I cut one down to the right size a couple of months before PL announced their funny car series. Talk about ruining a valuable kit!

[afx]

Another version of the kit.

[afx]

I don't know the origin of the scale drawing on the box side panel, however it indicates the wheel base as 135" (W.B. 135")  That is what the model scales out as.

Edited May 20, 2022 by afx

['70 Grande]

I'm going to look at this kit from the perspective of the kit-planners at AMT back in the 1970's when it was first issued, (and there wasn't a lot of media sources other than printed drag racing magazines  for the consumer to see pics of the actual race car... and keep in mind that the typical consumer for AMT kits then was a boy ages 8-18).

"Gas Rhonda is now running a 1:1 long-nose Mustang funny car that'd make a terrific new kit! 

It's cool, but doesn't really look drastically different than any other Mustang funny car.

Well, let's just play-up that long nose and exaggerate it a bit to attract our target consumer... they'll easily see the longer nose feature and believe it's just like the 1:1 Mustang funny car, and buy a bunch because it's so awkwardly cool!"

Just my theory... 

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by '70 Grande

[Daddyfink]

18 minutes ago, '70 Grande said:

I'm going to look at this kit from the perspective of the kit-planners at AMT back in the 1970's when it was first issued, (and there wasn't a lot of media sources other than printed drag racing magazines  for the consumer to see pics of the actual race car... and keep in mind that the typical consumer for AMT kits then was a boy ages 8-18).

"Gas Rhonda is now running a 1:1 long-nose Mustang funny car that'd make a terrific new kit! 

It's cool, but doesn't really look drastically different than any other Mustang funny car.

Well, let's just play-up that long nose and exaggerate it a bit to attract our target consumer... they'll easily see the longer nose feature and believe it's just like the 1:1 Mustang funny car, and buy a bunch because it's so awkwardly cool!"

Just my theory... 

 

Maybe they where inspired.....

[Mark]

135" wheelbase was probably never legal in NHRA for a funny car.  Pretty sure about 115" might have been the limit back then.  The dragster chassis cars and other outside-the-rules creations were strictly match race or local track stuff.

[tim boyd]

I believe the LongNose Mustang was inspired in part by this car that won the Car Model Magazine 1967 All American Funny Car Contest.  

This model was very influential in the model car world at the time.  Its appearance fits the timeline for the development of the AMT longnose kit very nicely. 

In the aforementioned book I included several photos of the kit including one of it in the 1/10th scale wood master form.  One picture that I received from John Mueller for the book, but did not end up using, shows Gene Winfield, who was running AMT's 1/1 scale shop in Phoenix at the time, lifting the body on the 1/10h scale wood master.  

TB

 

  

[keyser]

That’s the Really Longnose Mustang I recalled, just couldn’t remember where. Killer. Thanks Tim

Lee

[Reegs]

As per the rule book, the wheelbase had a minimum length of 100" (at least through 1969). No mention of maximum. 

[Jon Cole]

Something went "ping!" in the ol' memory bank when I saw this pic. Think I built it as a kid. And that is all I need to want it again. Will a reissue happen?

[mk11]

Still trying to imagine the timeline/relationship of the '69 annual/longnose and the '70 bodies but it looks to me that amt figured out a way to retain some of the core elements of the annual when they cast the longnose body. The main reason we haven't seen the the original '69 body released again is probably that what was left of the original mold was altered with the '70 design elements externally. A comparison of the '69 and '70 kits shows that the latter is as 'all new' as a '73 F100 is relating to a '72. The basic elements of the molding/parts are shared (interior, glass, hood, inner body parting lines/details) between the two kits but the outer body shell details, engine and chassis (reverting to what looks like a modified version of their '67/'68 chassis ) are changed. Another indicator of a shared foundation is the longnose '69 chrome shot -including '69 grill-  included in the Mach Won kits. Be interesting to see a comparison of inner body details between the '69 annual body and the longnose. Some of this is obviously pure conjecture ... but it suits me until I hear an actual insider tell a better story  

 

 

Edited May 23, 2022 by mk11

[Oldcarfan27]

[Altered Ego]

I would like to see Moebius make one like the original stretch nose '66 Mustangs