ToyLvr

Indeed, GM could have done a better job of defending the Corvair, but they had greater concerns at the time - namely the Ford Mustang. As much as so many of us love the Corvair, we have to face the facts. The 64-1/2 Mustang is what really killed it, IMHO. For about the same price as a Corvair Monza, the average guy could buy a sporty Mustang with bucket seats and get a *V8* engine. GM released the Camaro in response to the Mustang, and unceremoniously dumped the Corvair. The rest, as they say, is history....

Back in 1991, the Corvair Society of America (C.O.R.S.A) held its annual convention in the Washington, DC, area. Just for giggles, the club officials invited Nader to be the keynote speaker at the convention. Of course, they didn’t expect him to accept the invitation, but they figured it would make for some good PR in the newspapers (remember when everyone still read the papers?). Well, much to our surprise, he accepted the invitation and showed up for the convention, made his speech, and hammed it up with the attendees, posing for photos in Corvairs, etc. IIRC, he said if he had known they would become a “collectible”, he would have bought one and stashed it away? You can do a search (just type in Ralph Nader 1991 CORSA) on YouTube if you want to hear his speech.... I’ve owned 36 different Corvairs over the years, and used them for daily transportation for many years. I’ve driven them in some of the worst road conditions, and even intentionally drove like a nut on a gymkhana course, and never once did one show a tendency to flip....

Not exactly out on the road, but seen at the U.S. Air Force Museum this past Monday. Thought that you Mustang fans would appreciate this on. Strongly recommend that everyone visit this museum if you are ever in the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio....

Seen heading North on I-71, just outside of Louisville, KY, during rush hour this evening. A fresh batch out of Bowling Green??? ?

X 2 Also, there are some unusual sources you can mine for parts. Back in the old days, there were “parts packs” that had engines, or bumpers, bodies, chassis, and these can sometimes be a source of much-needed parts. I just found a really strange source for one of my parts needs. I needed complete taillight assemblies for an AMT ‘62 Chrysler Imperial. Couldn’t find ‘em anywhere. One day I looking here on the Forum as one of the fellows shows the parts breakdown on his newly acquired pristine ‘63 Buick Electra AMT kit. Right there on the chrome tree, amongst the optional goodies, are the taillights I need! Apparently AMT had added them in the Buick kit as an optional add-on “custom” doo-dad ( the kind of custom stuff we all glued onto the model to make an unholy mess of them back in the day). So, I went shopping on evil bay, and got lucky immediately, found a kit buster who was selling parts from the ‘63 Buick kit. I bought the lot of “custom” parts; got the taillights I needed, and as a bonus got an under-dash A/C unit, water skies, etc.?

As the old saying goes, you can outrun the police car, but you can’t outrun the police radio....?

I think this one wins the prize for best story so far.....?

I’ve got a pretty big scar on my leg from a model building accident when I was a kid. Like Greg, I was using a razor blade - never heard of an “Xacto” or hobby tools in general back then. While wearing shorts, I was sitting on the floor (no workbench, either), trimming something on a model, and slipped, resulting in a nice *deep* cut on my leg. Probably should have gone to a doctor and had it stitched-up, but didn’t want my parents to know; they probably would have taken the models away. I managed to keep it bandaged up and hidden from them until it healed.? I could write a book about all the other injuries from working on my rusty 1:1 cars, etc etc. To quote the George Jones biography, “I Lived To Tell it All.”

Took these pix last Saturday. Saw this ‘69 Poncho ambulance in a motel parking lot in the Cincinnati area. Not seen in the photo is it’s companion, a “Smart car”, done up in similar livery. Both used for advertising for what appears to be a diet pill business. Note the taillights; ‘66-‘69 Corvair.

Seen on a used car lot near Cincinnati. Start you 1:1 “Deora” or “Little Red Wagon” project here....

The article I’m familiar with was in the 2001 issue of “Car Modeler” magazine entitled “Intergalactic Exchange” by William Bozgan. This was for modifying the ‘63 Galaxie, but I’m thinking it would work for the ‘64, too. The AMT ‘60 Ford Starliner kit (#30044) not only gives you a better engine, the chassis is much more detailed than the original old promo style.

Yeah, gtx6970 (Bill) beat me out on some parts when Modelhaus announced their last call. I wound up with just a ?front bumper for a ‘61 Pontiac bonneville, and a set of chrome taillight bezels for a ‘67 Ford. No immediate for the parts, but they’ll come in handy later. prior to that, I purchased the resin ‘76 Caddy coupe deVille and some misc chromed parts. like everyone else, I wished I had the finances to buy a lot more!

Yeah, Robert, thanks for posting the kit instructions. Looks like another source for the Imperial tail lights I need for my ‘62 Imperial which I’m trying to restore.

92% rating on “Rotten Tomatoes” scale, $167.6 at the box office (so far). Apparently we’re not the only ones who like this movie.... Hey, Hollywood - how about some more like this!

I had a similar experience on the way to work years ago, only it was the “Peeps-Mobile”. I never even knew there was such a thing until that day?

Seen today, literally “on-the-road”, a “Speed Calming Device” in my neighborhood. I guess this is the new terminology for a speed bump. ?

And then there’s the discussion of what color the weiner is, etc etc ? A few years ago when I visited “The Henry Ford”, the museum had an old weinermobile or two. So, that might be the place to start your research for the prototype weiner...?

I bought a few “Mint” cars in the early days when they first started, thinking they would increase in value, or at least *hold* their value. I had to sell most of them after losing my job, and was lucky to get about half of what I originally invested.? Many of them are pretty cheap these days, if you watch for bargains. I have seen some sell on evilBay for as little as $10.00, and that was for a unit in perfectly good shape.

Spotted on I-75 southbound just South of Cincinnati today? ’49 Chevy(?)

Dug into my stash and pulled out the ol’ MPC “Bearcat”. The *actors* are clearly named on the box. Just for amusement, note that the box top photo shows the car in its original right hand drive configuration. The model box side panel shows a left hand drive? The actual car used for filming the TV show (1971) was built by George Barris, and had a drivetrain composed of modern Ford components.

Love that photo! Only thing is, now I miss my old GP all the more.? BTW, I seldom ever see them anymore at car shows, except for all-Pontiac shows.

Jeffery, you’re so right! The price keeps going up and up on even the most simple kits. Honestly, I’ve lost count on how many stalled projects I have?. But, I still look forward to completing each and every one of them in the future, so I hang on to them. Amongst others, I’ve got a 1/8 scale Pocher ‘32 Alfa that I’ve had since 1976. I got it back then for approximately $30.00 (that’s a long story I’ll save for some other time). Imagine what that kit would cost me today if I had disposed of it in years past, which I’ve been tempted to do on occasion. But you know Rob, it’s whatever works for you, just sayin’.....

Bill - Nice job on the GP! ? I guess I’m part of the GP fan club, too. I owned a ‘70 model J back in the late 70s during my college days. One of my all time favorite cars. It was about the same color as the one in the pix Gene posted. Sold it after I got married in 1980; it’s one I wish I could have held on to. Anyway, I’ve got the MPC kit, and plan to do a major build when I have time to do it justice. In the meanwhile, I have this promo sitting on the shelf as a reminder of the good old days....

ITC (Ideal Toy Company) midget models combo kit #3746.5 of a T-Bird and an MG, circa 1962, molded in red.

Monogram “Predicta” show car. Original issue was molded in metallic red (very rare). Subsequent versions in plain old red. And yes, some of the later reissues were in blue, but my favorite was always the red.