JS23U

While I was building the model someone posted this pic somewhere here on the board: By coincidence the paint scheme is exactly the same on my model! I wish to have a kit with the standard long wheel base. It just looks right...

Here are some pics of the 1974 AMT Ford Pickup I built earlier this year. The kit is a 1976 Star Truk with a spare 1973-75 grille that I had in my parts box. Mostly out of the box except for the mirror supports. I raised the upper windshield trim and added some trim around the roof for the drip rails and the two tone paint job. I built a Lesney version as a kid and liked the kit ever since. Although from modern standards it is quite simple in several areas. Nothing spectacular in the engine bay Thanks for looking!

I have the Trans Am in the Otaki version. I think, most, if not all of the kits were first issued as Otakis. Doyushas are reissues. My T/A has lights and an electrical motor hidden in the kit engine. I think the Doyushas lack the motor feature.

The 75-78 Roadrunner and "Dodge Sport" aka Force 440 have been converted to the Joker Goon car. If the 80 Volare Roadrunner ever hits the shelves again some resin caster should do the correct alloy wheels and window louvers. That would make a cool model!

I sold my Revell snapper because I think the roof looks too round, kind of a bubble top I'd rather accept the fender bulges than a bubbly roof.

Dang, the green/white truck with the bed cover has exactly the paint scheme of my current build. Except that mine is a long wheelbase F-350, of course... Nice pictures!

For my current build I test fit all the possible combinations of tire-halves that I have. Glued them together with super-glue and sanded the tread. I think the result looks convincing. As the two-piece tires have a bigger outer diameter I like them better on the truck than the older one piece hollow tires. The 1975 Star Truk that I have (identifiable by the older grill) lacks several details that later versions of the same molds have. I found missing on the 75 issue, but present on my later Matchbox/Lesney issues: -side chrome at the "dent" is of simple rectangular sectional area, the newer ones are more "sophisticated" -oil pan and other engine parts lack bolt heads -tailgate doesn't have the trim piece in the upper cove, that might be a model year issue, didn't check that -the stock wheel covers lack the center emblem I found a pic of a 76 model on the net that also has this old side trim, so maybe they corrected it for the 77 model?

Yes, they are Keith Marks decals. You can find those in his fotki album.

Thanks for the info. So Round 2 welded up the runners again, this is interesting.

Mike, I found a car that would correlate to your suggestion: more about that car: 1970 Cyclone GT 351 It shows that I am off with my interpretation of the color.. Raoul, I highjacked your thread quite a bit, I beg your pardon. When it gets to a 1970/71 Cyclone l can't keep calm Have you decided on a color yet?

This is a comparison of my modified hood and a 1970 stock annual hood, recognizable by the maroon color and the vent in front of the windshield. Unfortunately I didn't have that one when I started the project. My hood scoop sits a bit more to the aft of the car, and the ribs are coarser. This picture below shows where I put that grille in. Just right of that insert MPC filled in the cavitiy a bit to allow the center section being flatter on the outside. The NASCAR-hood needed to resemble the standard flat hood not the muscle car's bulge hood. Left of the insert the raised center portion can be seen. Originally the NASCAR-hood there was as flat as on the right (front) half.

Bob, my hood (and body) looked like this, found this pic in the net: As I said, I cut the hood open to add the ribbed grille. Then I added plastic sheet to the center section of the hood between that hole and the trailing edge, in front of the windshield, to raise that portion. The center section is higher behind the scoop than in front of it, that's what needed to be raised. I scribed the surrounding little groove with a dentists tool. Was easier than I thought. All this hassle isn't neccessessary of course with a resin hood. Either Motor City Resin or Missing Link had a Cyclone resin kit back a while. I managed to get the interior there but not the rest of the car. Hence my decision of modifying the NASCAR body and hood.

This is the current status of my build: Wheelbase and front ride height need to be corrected. Stock engine from the Torino. Interior is resin, I forgot about that Since I started this project I aquired several other 70/71 Cyclones, that got me confused... I had to remove a lot of resin from the rear of the interior. Also, at the firewall you can see where I cut for lowering the body on the chassis/engine bay. The hood is from the NASCAR-model, just as the body. I cut a hole into the hood for the scoop screen and bashed one in from the parts box. The raised portion behind that hole is built up with a sheet of plastic filed to fit. As the NASCAR doesn't have a cowl vent my model is a 71 Emblems are decals from Keith Marks. Side markers are cut by hand. GT side trim is made of evergreen strips.

I've got a build like this in the works, as well (for several years now). Mine will be a Cyclone GT with the chrome trim at the lower body and a vinyl roof. Mine was a NASCAR kit body just like the one that is available right now. But I had a stock interior and grille that I will use. Chassis and engine is Torino. I thinned the a-pillars and enlarged the windshield at the top of the body. This, in addition to using the engine bay of the Torino, led to the problem that the kit windshield is too small. The Torino seems to be quite high at the front as I needed to cut quite a lot from the firewall and other areas to get the chassis in there deep enough. This leads to the next problem, that the engine will sit too high and hit the inside of the hood. I addressed that by grinding down the engine supports at the chassis a bit. Currently I am still searching for a proper windshield, and also there needs to be some kind of sheet where the wiper blades rest that I need to scratch build. My model is painted its body color but the vinyl top hasn't been put on yet. I can't decide on a color for it and the interior also. Body color is some medium green metallic.

Are the stock wheels included in this issue as well?

I have that 72 annual, too. Mine has the bowtie, as well. AFAIK starting with the Red Alert it had the SS in the grill. Did anyone notice that the 71 AMT annual lacks the SS emblem on the rear bumper? Maybe it is possible to build a stock non-SS with these two bumpers. Although I don't know if the bowtie in the grille is correct at all...

I have a Craftsman 1960 AMT Chevy Wagon in lime green.

Here is a list I compiled of AMT kits that might still exist, as to my knowledge they had not been butchered with after the annual issues. Some of them had reissues but kept the stock version. 58 Ford, Buick, Pontiac 59 Ford, Edsel, Mercury, Chevy (craftsman), Buick (craftsman) 60 Ford, Thunderbird, Edsel, Mercury, Buick, Pontiac (craftsman), Impala 61 Ford Sunliner/Starliner 62 Ford, Buick Wagon, Pontiac, Valiant 63 T-Bird, Mercury Meteor, Chevy and Ford Pickup (altered to later promos?), Falcon and Comet convertible 64 Wildcat, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Corvair 67 Fairlane 68 Galaxie (69 kit is much different, but they seem to have used some sprues from the 68) 69 Lincoln, El Camino (seems to share the molds with the Chevelle hardtop and convertible kit, hopefully these parts are still there) 69 Torino Hardtop/convertible, was this a separate kit or shared it parts with the fastback?

When I restored the front suspension on my 70 Challenger I found out this (shouldn't be much different on a 69 Charger): k-frame and t-bars black, as Tim said lower control arms: natural, with the wheel ends near the steering knuckles dipped in cosmoline (yellowish coating) strut rods natural front sway bar black can't remember the upper control arms, but I'd say I have seen black and natural ones steering knuckles are natural, as far as I can remember

From what I remember the only 71 Hemicuda convertible WITH a billboard stripe, was the orange Canadian car that was spoken about earlier. All other had none. There is a third export car, but it is a rebodied car. It is Show White and a French car, as well, like the other two exports.

While we are at it, does anyone make a CHEVROLET tailgate for this one? Kit parts are GMC...

The Flintstone is based on the old annuals, 69 Chevelle/ El Camino. The new tool 68 Camino is wider and parts won't interchange very well.

MPC offered the Volare Roadrunner from 77 to 80. They offered a 76 Roadrunner as well, but they goofed in that they continued to make it as a b-body as the 75 one. Starting in 79 (or was it even 78?) the Volare Roadrunner couldn't be had with the Mopar Rallye wheels like the stock ones in the kit, but they had cast aluminum wheels. Also, the quarter window louvers had a different design than the 77/78. I think these two are the biggest "problems" one would have when trying to build an accurate replica. Despite of that I think MPC did a great job with the Volare model. I really like them.

Does anyone offer a corrected wheelbase for the long bed? Don't really like the 140" Camper Special, regardless of the model year...

Is it a camper special with the long 140" wheelbase, like the AMT kits?