History of the MPC Fox Body Mustang

[niteowl7710]

8 hours ago, mikos said:

Very good points Niteowl.  

As for the ‘71-‘73 Mustang convertible, I was thinking more along the lines of them converting the old AMT body tool into one.  They have two separate tools of the big Mustang, the MPC and the AMT Mustang version.  The current AMT kit is based on the MPC tool, I believe.  

However, like you stated, they may have to make a brand new tool for a convertible body style which would make it cost prohibitive.   Even though a brand new tool would always be preferred, if they can possibly modify the old AMT body into a convertible body style that would be great too.  

The current AMT kit is the MPC kit in lineage, but the original AMT body/kit is currently inside the Warren Tope race car. Don't know how well that sold the last time around (paging Justin), but again I don't see them necessarily permanently killing off one model for another.

[Jordan White]

Just wondering if this 1st gen Mustang talk could move to a different thread? I’m more interested in the Fox Body info! ?

[av405]

On 9/26/2023 at 5:27 PM, Tabbysdaddy said:

Hobby Lobby still had the police version on the shelf last time I went there, as well as the drag version. 

This one? I never saw it at any of the dozens of Hobby Lobbys I've been to in Southern California over the years. Strange. I would kill for another one at a good price.

 

[Jordan White]

4 hours ago, av405 said:

This one? I never saw it at any of the dozens of Hobby Lobbys I've been to in Southern California over the years. Strange. I would kill for another one at a good price.

 

When I was looking at the 2 in store, I'm not big on building police vehicles and since the drag version also can be built stock, I went for the drag version. I know that they were banking on more sales with the two separate kits, but I wonder how well a 3n1 kit would sell with both the police and drag parts included?

[Tabbysdaddy]

6 hours ago, av405 said:

This one? I never saw it at any of the dozens of Hobby Lobbys I've been to in Southern California over the years. Strange. I would kill for another one at a good price.

 

Yes that's the one. I would have bought one but I keep ending up buying other things instead. 

[Justin Porter]

12 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

The current AMT kit is the MPC kit in lineage, but the original AMT body/kit is currently inside the Warren Tope race car. Don't know how well that sold the last time around (paging Justin), but again I don't see them necessarily permanently killing off one model for another.

To be frank, I honestly didn't bother ordering in the 2022 reissue with the yellow boxart - #1262 - because at that point I still had the #1187 Bond licensed kit on my shelf and the MSRP from #1187 to #1262 jumped from $31.95 to $36.95 making stocking it kind of unjustifiable in my eyes. I didn't have any over-the-counter or mail order requests for #1262 either. Given that the all-new Revell kit has a lower MSRP than #1262, I can't foresee putting it on my shelves in the future either. 

Granted, I'm a data point of one as far as hobby shop sales are concerned, but that was my experience with in production '71 Mustang kits from 2020 to the present day.

[Zen]

13 hours ago, Jordan White said:

Just wondering if this 1st gen Mustang talk could move to a different thread? I’m more interested in the Fox Body info! ?

YES please............ more Fox body

Edited September 28, 2023 by Zen

[av405]

9 hours ago, Jordan White said:

When I was looking at the 2 in store, I'm not big on building police vehicles and since the drag version also can be built stock, I went for the drag version. I know that they were banking on more sales with the two separate kits, but I wonder how well a 3n1 kit would sell with both the police and drag parts included?

It would probably do well. I think something that maybe hurts the drag kit a bit is that there's no obvious indication that it can be built stock. I had to confirm on this forum that it indeed had all the stock parts so I could buy them to build police versions. 

8 hours ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

Yes that's the one. I would have bought one but I keep ending up buying other things instead. 

Very jealous. They never showed up at any HLs in So Cal.

[FoxFordCatGuy12]

On 9/11/2023 at 9:03 PM, Keef said:

Makes me miss a couple of Fox body coupes I’ve owned. My first was a 79 Ghia Coupe with factory 302/C4 auto, and my favorite was an 84 T-top Coupe that was a factory 302/4spd converted to a 351w and T5 5spd. 

'84 would have come with a 5-speed from the factory. The T5 5-speed replaced the 4 speed in '83. In '85 the T5 was upgraded to a "World Class" T5.

[FoxFordCatGuy12]

On 9/11/2023 at 11:58 AM, 1972coronet said:

Thanks much for sharing your composition. One of my all time favourite kits ! 

The one-continuous-piece shear panels-interior door cards-rear panels has its origins in the MPC Pinto and Mustang II annual kits. Interesting that this was employed on the then-new Fox Body platform kits.

Funny thing about the "5.0 " badging from that era : some (all ?) were actually the 255 cube Windsor , but were referred - however erroneously - to as five litre. An artifact of the energy crisis era coupled with 'artistic licence' . The true 302 cubes / 5 litres engine returned en masse for 1982 or 1983 (someone with more knowledge on these cars will correct any of my unintentional errors).

FWIW, I'd like to see Round2 perform some upgrades to the 1987/1988 annual tooling :
1.) Revised head lamps and bezels ( plated buckets with clear lenses )
2.) Proper tyres (Good Year Gatorbacks - sans lettering)
3.) Revised tail lamps and lenses (clear lenses, so that the turn signal/hazard portion can be painted the correct amber)

Only 255/4.2 was the only V8 available in '80-'81 Mustangs. '82 automatic transmission cars still used it as well. '82 4-speed cars got the newly returned/upgraded 5.0HO.

[FoxFordCatGuy12]

On 9/12/2023 at 5:01 PM, baycolony said:

I had a few myself.  I was the second owner of a 79 pace car V8 with a 4 speed (140hp. They also came with the lousy 2.3L 4 banger turbo).  I had an 82 GT with the H.O. engine (Maybe 200hp).  I still love that white Saleen (1989/90?)  Stock versions were a whopping 225HP.   I also always liked the front end of the 85/86 with the ten hole wheels. 

The '82 5.0 HO in the Mustang GT was rated at 157 horsepower.

[baycolony]

Felt like more when I was young....lol

[Mopeyguy]

14 hours ago, FoxFordCatGuy12 said:

Only 255/4.2 was the only V8 available in '80-'81 Mustangs. '82 automatic transmission cars still used it as well. '82 4-speed cars got the newly returned/upgraded 5.0HO.

302 was defiantly available in 1979. Worked on one thro my first job after graduating high school in 1982,  had the usual broken pistons of a 302 back in the day. Almost bought the car for $2,800 and was going to do a hopped up rebuild except i couldn't get over the ugly Brown paint color.  

[SSNJim]

2 hours ago, Mopeyguy said:

302 was defiantly available in 1979.

Most definitely. I too had a 79 Ghia with a 302 and auto.

[tim boyd]

2 hours ago, Mopeyguy said:

302 was defiantly available in 1979. Worked on one thro my first job after graduating high school in 1982,  had the usual broken pistons of a 302 back in the day. Almost bought the car for $2,800 and was going to do a hopped up rebuild except i couldn't get over the ugly Brown paint color.  

Yes the 5.0L was available in the '79 Mustang...as I had a factory ordered Ghia two-door with that engine and the 4-speed overdrive.  (Scroll down this page to see two images and my follow-on comments about the '81 4.2 and '83 5.oL)

It wasn't nearly as fast as my '74 E58 Road Runner but it was a very fun to drive car (along with the TRX suspension/tires).  I also drove a 1979 5.0L Automatic Indy Pace Car company car and later on a 1981 4.2L automatic hatchback company car that was just gutless.  Then drove a 1983 5.0L GT manual company car and it was a big improvement over the '81 and somewhat faster than the '79.  My next one was an '86 5.oL EFI convertible....don't recall it being much different than the '83....TB  

[Can-Con]

2 hours ago, Mopeyguy said:

302 was defiantly available in 1979. Worked on one thro my first job after graduating high school in 1982,  had the usual broken pistons of a 302 back in the day. Almost bought the car for $2,800 and was going to do a hopped up rebuild except i couldn't get over the ugly Brown paint color.  

 

15 minutes ago, SSNJim said:

Most definitely. I too had a 79 Ghia with a 302 and auto.

 

Um, guys, yes, 302 in '79 but he said '80/'81, which according to the brochures I just looked up and Tim's post above, is correct.

[Mopeyguy]

2 hours ago, tim boyd said:

Yes the 5.0L was available in the '79 Mustang...as I had a factory ordered Ghia two-door with that engine and the 4-speed overdrive.  (Scroll down this page to see two images and my follow-on comments about the '81 4.2 and '83 5.oL)

It wasn't nearly as fast as my '74 E58 Road Runner but it was a very fun to drive car (along with the TRX suspension/tires).  I also drove a 1979 5.0L Automatic Indy Pace Car company car and later on a 1981 4.2L automatic hatchback company car that was just gutless.  Then drove a 1983 5.0L GT manual company car and it was a big improvement over the '81 and somewhat faster than the '79.  My next one was an '86 5.oL EFI convertible....don't recall it being much different than the '83....TB  

exact same combo that i almost bought, except had factory non-functional hood scoop  on it. Canadian cars perhaps had some different options. Saw a few 1984 LTD 302 H.O.s go thro our doors, as well as Carbureted 86 Mustangs here where in the U.S. it was only fuel injected..

[sfhess]

On 8/5/2024 at 9:27 PM, FoxFordCatGuy12 said:

'84 would have come with a 5-speed from the factory. The T5 5-speed replaced the 4 speed in '83. In '85 the T5 was upgraded to a "World Class" T5.

In 1984 I test drove an 83 Mustang GT that had a 4-speed transmission.  Next day I purchased an 83 GT from a different dealership with a T-5.

[tim boyd]

5 hours ago, sfhess said:

In 1984 I test drove an 83 Mustang GT that had a 4-speed transmission.  Next day I purchased an 83 GT from a different dealership with a T-5.

That's what I vaguely recall...that the T5 was a running change later in the 1983 model year.  My '83 GT was the 4-speed overdrive IIRC....TB 

[sfhess]

5 hours ago, tim boyd said:

That's what I vaguely recall...that the T5 was a running change later in the 1983 model year.  My '83 GT was the 4-speed overdrive IIRC....TB 

The 4-speed car had standard seats, while the 5-speed car had the Recaro-ish "sport" seats.

[mk11]

Sure would love to have this one back...

A forlorn engineless coupe replete with sickly blue vinyl interior given a second chance at life with a 5.0 drivetrain/interior transplant from the serendipitous score of a wrecked '82 GT.

...and the addition of some rare whiteline TRX tires sourced from a defunct Tbird  

Edited August 9, 2024 by mk11

[sfhess]

Years ago I had a 79 Indy Pace Car Replica with a tired 2.3 Turbo engine and 4-speed.  I replaced it with the drivetrain from a 1992 Mustang LX 5.0.

[Radretireddad]

I always thought that the MPC kit had a more accurate front fascia than the Monogram kit.

Edited September 6, 2024 by Radretireddad

[Radretireddad]

On 9/28/2023 at 7:23 AM, Jordan White said:

When I was looking at the 2 in store, I'm not big on building police vehicles and since the drag version also can be built stock, I went for the drag version. I know that they were banking on more sales with the two separate kits, but I wonder how well a 3n1 kit would sell with both the police and drag parts included?

Dang! I never knew that kit could be built stock. I assumed all the stock parts were deleted when they released the drag version which is why I never grabbed one. This one just moved up to the number one spot on my next kit to purchase list.

[Fat Brian]

5 hours ago, Radretireddad said:

I always thought that the MPC kit had a more accurate front fascia than the Monogram kit.

I will agree 100% with that. The Monogram version of both early front ends has an odd appearance. I think the shape of the headlight recess is too downwardly tapered on the outside edge leading to a sad-eyed look. I've stared at it for hours and I'm still not sure how to fix it really.