Faust

2014 is the anniversary of so many important things, it seems. It’s been 100 years since WWI started, 70 years since D-Day and, as far as automotive birthdays are concerned, it’s the Mustang’s big Five-Oh! Given the longevity of the Stang, and its overall importance to the motoring world (we wouldn’t have “pony cars” without it, and I’d be T/A-less!), I wanted to do something to commemorate this occasion. Of course, most people think of Shelbys and 1964.5 Stangs when they want to celebrate Mustang heritage. Not me, thought! I think of Stangs from the 1980’s; you know, the obscure, not-so-well-remembered Mustangs. Well, what could be more obscure and likely forgotten or unknown than the Mustang SVO?? This was Ford’s attempt at BMW-fighter, and it tried to make the Stang into a sophisticated Eurotourer. You didn’t see many back in the day, and don’t see many now, either. So, get ready to relive the magic! Check out my Out Of Box review for the Monogram 1/24 SVO. I’ll be building this one next, so I should be able to get some updates on it in a bit, too! http://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/monogram-124-1985-mustang-svo-oob/

= WANT!!! That thing is amazing! I love the curtain in the "bulkhead" and the chopper just makes it. The decals look perfect, too. Such an awesome thing to build. Free, it, man! Free the UFO! I agree with Greg: Vans are totally rad, and all other hip and cool adjectives that are equivalent. Sick? I dunno, I'm too old for this stuff. Thanks for the sprue shots! Made my day!

Darn it, Chip! You're a lucky man! What's the deal with the helicopter? Is it a separate piece, or moulded onto the roof rack? Wow, a whole $3.00 for the pair?? That's awesome! I still hope one day I can find either the orange Nissan or the pair of awesome silver vans. I'll keep my nose to the floor a-looking, that's for sure! I'm also certain their hard to miss...

Excellent! I'm looking forward to seeing what is up with this kit! I hope someone will post here when they get their hands on one.

Are you kidding me? Those are absolutely over the top! "Sports for Health"?? What the... "Hiace Invader"?? What's with the chopper on the roof?? This is totally the Vannin' phenomenon through the lens of cultural distortion. I sooooo wish I had those top two. Thanks for showing me these; now I have something to look for!

Are there any more than these two in this weird Japanese Street Van series? I know there's nothing else on the box, but I can't help but wonder what else is out there! What ever happened to 1/20 as a scale? That seems to have just faded out of popularity...

Dude, that's coming along great! Using the Promo is a great idea, since they do seem to be common. I have gotten a bunch of promos for my brother, and oddly I've never come across this one! That's exactly how I did my Chevette's tail lights, albeit with clear acrylic paint. You've gotten that hideous green colour captured nicely, too! Power to the Chevette People! (Lord knows they need it!) Keep it up, man! Do we need a "Post your Beaters" thread?

Whoa, Erik! How did you get that thing looking that good? Nice work! Seriously, though, what did you do to polish that thing. I'm always looking to improve my finishes, and that's sparkling! It even makes the Gremmy look good!

Oh, that sucks about the Pacer. I have the reissue 76 Gremlin in the big fancy art box, and man, it SUCKS! The front clip doesn't fit on worth a tinker's darn, and the engine bay/chassis fitup is nonexistent! Very disappointing, and I paid a good penny for that kit too. How is it that an MPC from nearly the same time can be so much better? It'll be a while before that Gremmy sees day, I can tell you!

Oh, they're the European Escort! That's awesome! I've never seen any of those, let alone the 1/32 one. I need that badly to complete my collection of 1/32 whatever-that-platform-is. I have two EXPs and two LN7s, so I need a fifth. The Revell non-street one would rock. Keep up the good work on the forgotten cars, man!

Number one: that's a pretty cool idea! Number two: Where the heck are you getting an Escort front clip? They make a model of an Escort? I personally prefer the bugeyed EXPs/LN7's (What is with those grilles???), but man, this is going to be pretty awesome!

Awesome! Congrats on getting a couple of the Blue one! That's an awesome find. Nice to see the two kits pictured right beside one another, too. Now, the big question; which one are you going to build first!

Awesome! So much better than just sitting there as a dust magnet! As always, Firebirds never fail to look good; your work on it though makes this one great! Beautiful work.

Man, that yellow EXP is awesome! The only thing I didn't like about that kit was that one choice of wheel WASN'T those lame 4-dot wheels that were trying to be all Porsche 928. Those are the wheels on the 1/32 cars. I personally associate them only with the EXP, so it was odd that the MPC doesn't have them. The Revell does, though. I need to get one of those Revells... drat. If you take a look at my link in my previous post, you can see how the "wire" wheels look. They actually make the car look amazingly modern, which says a lot about styling and the effect of accessories! Congrats on the Wild Breed too. I need an MPC Fox-Stang, darnit... I have two SVOs, a Monogram 89 soft top and a Revell '79 Capri Turbo RS. One more and I'll have an IPMS-rules "collection" (that's 5 of something with a discernible theme). Have fun with it - there's no sense hoarding old kits - they were meant to be built! Go for it, Daniel!

Dude! Epic score on getting the yellow/orange EXP! It is, as you have read, the same as the blue one save the colour of the glass. I've built the blue one here: http://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/cars/mpc-125-1982-ford-exp/ It is a good kit and a lot of fun to build. The EXP's are lame looking and weak-driving; perfect abaassadors for what Motor Trend called "the era of lowered expectations". I am with you on loving 80's MPC's!! I wish they'd done a Tempo/Topaz, I can tell you. Good luck finding the blue one!

You know what my favourite part, is? While these kits are definitely cool and weird in a Japanese-distorted-view-of-Western-trends way (which they are), the best is that they are moulded in MAD SCALE!! What? Scale changes when you're angry? well, the Hulk does bulk up, so maybe. So awesome, I love these things. I will never own them, but I love them anyway!

Man, there you have two things you don't see everyday: A kit of an Aristo and a Toyota that's not bland! Nice work on a kit I didn't even know existed! Gotta love the weird stuff! I guess that Japanese Bling, eh?

Okay, this is a new level of awesome! I loved MASK as a kid, and I think this is a fantastic idea! Keep it up!

I'm amazed at the sheer depth of attachment that people had for the Chevette, and I thank you, lordairgtar, for sharing that. I'm glad that a car like the Chevette could be such an important part of one person's life story, and now I'm really glad that I was able to build this one and have people remember some good times, some hard times and those things that got them, not just from Point A to Point B, but to here from there in life, too. That's a pretty good accomplishment for a little car like the Chevette! Does anyone know how rare this kit is? I got mine a while ago, and I didn't think much of it, but it seems like it's not that common. I can't even really find one on EBay? Is that because one one wanted one by the time it came out?

Good point about the center hump, actually! I'm so used to it that I don't even think of a car without it! Still, I have a hard time imagining a Chevette taxi... Better than an Escort or Citation, though, I'd think, for reliability if nothing else!

Man, a Chevette Taxi... frightening! Well, it is until I look around and see that there is a number of Prius Taxis in service here in London, Ontario. That's not much better than a Scooter, and much heavier to run around, not to mention bulkier and, to my eyes, uglier. It's also FWD, which to me is sacrilege for a taxi. This is model is very much a "car only owners would love", kit. However, at the same, I can't help but think that there might be a few owners who also wouldn't want to remember the Chevette days. Thank goodness for Nostalgia! If they would repop this, I'd love to see someone do customs like a pickup and Sedan, like they got elsewhere, but with the US Grille!

How's the rebuild going? I hope that it's going well; I am looking forward to seeing this one! I can't believe how many of these are still on the road!

Dang, Bill... That is one tough Chevette! Kinda scary that the maintenance on that one wasn't done a bit more conscientiously, but I guess in the long run, it didn't matter, eh? Amazing! They may not be the kings of style, but when it comes to fighting on, the little blighters never seem to give up easily! Do you mean that you had a Chevette AS a cab?? Isn't that kind of small?

Oh man, Alan, that's hilarious! I remember feeling the same way about my buddy who's parents had a Tempo! It never seemed to have room in it either. We'd always be squished in the back if we went somewhere with them, too. Oddly, we didn't mind being squished in the back of a Pulsar when my other buddy's dad took her out and cranked it for all it was worth! I would love to find an earlier version of this kit, so I can do the older models justice too. Gotta give it up for Chevettes!

Man, thanks a lot, guys! It never ceases to amaze me how good the memories people have of this car are! They were a bit before my time driving-wise, but I sure remember seeing them around a lot, and my brother's best friend's dad had a dark blue '84(?) Scooter. I'm glad people appreciate the base and everyday cars; I really like to build cars that I remember seeing. I don't think it's fair to let the beaters that got us all to school, parties, etc. go unsung. That's why I like to build things like the Chevette, Cavalier, Probe, etc. I'll have to get some photos of other parts of my less-than-extensive collection! Now I really hope that they repop the "Pony Express" Pinto! Go loser-beaters! By the way... winter storing a Chevette seems weird, yes. However, the preservation of any car should always be rewarded and appreciated!