ChrisBcritter

Thanks to Mark for the response! Quick questions re the real car: What is its wheelbase; was it extended from stock? And how is it shifted - Mopar pushbuttons? And lastly, since the Nash instrument pods were removed, are there any gauges left inside?

Yep - based off the Bonneville. It would be possible to fix via shortening the body's wheelbase and trunk, using the Grand Prix chassis (someone had a build posted here not too long ago) but it would be a bit of a job. And as long as you've got the knives out, there's the window opening on the driver's side...

I have about a dozen cans of the Testors; I've noticed one with a tiny blob like that the size of a small pea. I don't remember if that one was store-bought or one of the dollar-a-can batch I lucked on to at one of the model swap meets last October.

Yes, it's 1/32. The originals were molded in pale green. The reissued version is molded in black and is listed as custom-only; however the only parts needed to change it back to stock are the grille (it was modified with a 1951 Meteor insert) and the wheelcovers (they used the stock '56 Mercury wheelcovers for the custom). I've been trying to get a basketcase original for the stock parts with the idea of casting a few extra sets; I'm surprised someone hasn't done this already.

Good for putting out candles on birthday cakes?

Or go to licenseplates.tv, type up your own, do a screenshot and reduce it to match. Best part is the fonts are a much closer match than Acme; only problem is you can no longer make California, Texas or Florida plates on the site. I saved files of all the CA black plate letters and a blank plate master before they disappeared. A few examples:

They still pop up from time to time in Russian dashcam videos, clobbering or getting clobbered by newer cars and trucks. (The videos are also a great way to learn the correct pronunciation of Russian profanity.)

I've seen a lot of these on eBay, with the boxes - did MPC make a large production run of them because of the contest? And has anyone spotted one with a different license number that may have been one of the prize winners?

Agreed on both. Is this an American actor trying to sort of sound Australian, or vice versa? From mumbrella.com: "When quizzed on the decision to create an American character as opposed to an Australian character, Kerr said the idea of a stuntman felt 'quintessentially' American. 'When the daredevil character came up as the lead element immediately it felt it was quintessentially American as a character, a genre,' he said. 'We also love the optimism of Americans in the way they think they can always make it bigger, more stupendous. When he talks, the way he talks, he always sounds American and we felt it was far more believable. 'It researched very strongly that people associated and understood the character immediately with the American accent,' he added."

Yow, that was fast! Will you do a gloss or semigloss finish to look like "preserved patina"?

I look forward to seeing more - are you going with a big block Olds? Maybe a Pro Street Nova chassis?

^^^ What's that tiny red coupe - a very modified Crosley? Back on topic - the trad cars are sweet, although the radial tires do break the spell. Then again, I'd never begrudge the improvement in handling and ride to the guys who drive those cars on grooved roads and around sharp corners.

Where else do you put AMT mini-boxes once you fold them into shape?

Saw a mint '80-something Buick Grand National heading south on Pfingsten Ave. late this afternoon; we had nice cruising weather today.

29 Palms - the gateway to Yucca Valley! (Very old Jack Benny line.) At least YV has a hobby store, even if mostly R/C stuff. I love that area and used to live in Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley. Did you or your uncle know the old drag racer Charlie Hutson who lived up there?

Would it be possible to rub a little of that Kosutte Gin San powder (or the Uschi stuff) on the dull chrome to brighten it?

Any more info on the Impala? Didn't find it on their website. It'd be interesting to see if that could be done without swirl marks.

100% - if some of the year choices had been sequential it would have been tougher.

Picked up a couple of uncut peel-and-stick upholstery sheets from the original '50 and '57 Ford kits; that will keep me fixed for black carpeting for a while. Every little bit helps...

As lone as we're mentioning car-stuffing, there was the time in early 1982 when I and ten other people squeezed into my '74 Coupe deVille in Querétaro, Mexico for a ride to the nearby water park...

^^^ "Actual product/packaging may vary from preview image shown" Yes, for one thing, it'll say "AMT" on it somewhere . Still, you could build a movie car from it:

Thank you for the info, James! Looking forward to more.

Just an update: Went to the Glenview Michael's today and saw that the sale kits had all been moved to the clearance aisle. No further reduction in price, but here's what was left: 1 Revell custom '49 Merc $14.99 (opened box) 1 Monogram '85 Camaro $8.99 2 MPC '72 GTOs $8.99 3 MPC '67 GTOs $11.99 1 Monogram '64½ Mustang $8.99 1 Revell '70 Challenger $11.99 1 Revell '57 Chevy 2-door Calif. Wheels 2-in-1 $12.99 1 Revell '69 Camaro Z-28 2-in-1 $5.99 1 Revell '63 Vette convertible snap kit $8.99 1 AMT '10 Camaro $12.99 2 Monogram SnapTite Mack fire trucks $8.99 When I looked at the shelves where they had been, I noticed they had all been replaced by snap kits.

Trying to think of a story that was a fun thing and not a really dumb thing as well, let alone PG- Once in '82 or '83 I had just polished up my '62 Imperial (with NuFinish, the once-a-year car polish!) within an inch of its life and went out to practice with three or four of my fellow Aztec dancers. Afterward when we were leaving Plaza de la Raza I saw a long line of 15 or so cherry lowriders. One slowed down and waved us in, and we spent a good chunk of the evening cruising Lincoln Heights. I've never done much cruising like that so that one good time with my buddies stands out. Another time, much later I was following my former boss up to his house and he decided to take the twisty portion of Mulholland Drive. He was driving his triple black '89 Porsche 911 Speedster and I had, of all things, a triple black '90 Olds Toronado Trofeo (when's the last time you saw one?) To my surprise I realized I was able to keep up with him through all those turns - it was one of the best handling cars I'd ever driven. Of course we weren't going that fast because he was behind somebody in a Jeep Cherokee...

How's the fit between the old and new parts? I have a warped '60 wagon promo that might be savable this way.