ChrisBcritter

Made a quick visit to the Libertyville, IL Hobby Lobby yesterday just to check the stock. The sale items were mixed in with the regular models this time, instead of being on a separate display. Quick notes: AMT BH Cop Nova and MPC Connie Kalitta Bounty Hunter Mustang both $14.99 ea. 50 Olds $15.59 Monogram '53 Vette and AMT Double Model T both $13.79 ea. Revell 41 Willys P/U, AMT '62 Vette and '69 Hurst/Olds all $14.39 ea. Monogram GTX, Buick GSX, '99 Mustang and '64 1/2 Mustang all $11.99 ea.

VERY lucky to find a hardtop in any condition, let alone that nice. Only two louver pieces used and no fender skirts! Is the rear bumper intact? I don't see the driver's side taillight. By the way, the Buick's roof/glass were same as the '58 Cadillac - if you found a junk Buick body you could convert the reissue Jo-Han Fleetwood to a Coupe de Ville.

Sounds like they used the mold for the '65 promo glass by mistake - wonder if the rest of its molds might be around? Definitely good news if you have a promo with bad glass. Edit: Except for the lack of front tabs. Never mind.

Gary, I did some work on this one; anyone else wish to chime in?

+1 on the hinges! Hope you can come up with something workable - lots of wagon kits out there would benefit from an opening tailgate.

I have one (and used to own a real one) as well, which I posted here about a year ago: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=61385&p=976713 The Revell Imperial is rather fiddly to build, especially the areas behind the headlights which I ended up scratchbuilding, but it captures the lines of the car very well. Fit on the glass is approximate at best. And Charlie, I agree about the '62 Chrysler - it's not as crisply molded as the Jo-Han 300 but it's the only game in town if you want a low-line Newport (plus its wheelcovers are much more accurate).

Belated thanks to all for the info!

I've seen that stuff at Michael's, and I've wondered about using it to cast headlight/taillight lenses from a mold. Does it dry hard enough to use for that?

Good Lord, someone sank some money into this (you don't want to know how much that recast steering wheel cost, let alone the chrome). Unless the grille was changed, this is actually a '47 or '48.

Ron - I'm sorry but I haven't found that roof rack. I thought for sure it was in the '61's box but it wasn't.

Thanks for posting all this info, Tony - I've been wondering how far off the AMT Ford chassis was; looks doable. I do have the chrome ribbed quarter panel pieces from my '61 I'm not using; wonder if you can make them work? And Ron - I'm sorry but I haven't found that roof rack. I thought for sure it was in the '61's box but it wasn't.

Looks like the Bicentennial threw up on it! At least it's still around and is supposed to get restored.

Tough part is finding one with a working radio; I've had two that did: a light blue '67 Mustang (sold it long ago) and an ivory '68 T-bird. Nice models and I don't mind that they're cheaper (but not by much) than regular promos.

I can't believe this. I didn't watch the ending because I figured the listing would get pulled way before then - I don't think we've heard the last of this story.

That's the big "if"! And IF the dimensions are off and I have to modify it, it'll be nearly impossible to match the grain. Anybody have those measurements?

Just bring some bug spray for those hornests!

Boy, that red sure is bright! Interesting to see the wagon roof removable for a change. (Ron - If you still have the stock parts you didn't use, please PM me.)

So how did they do, and where are the "after" pictures?

Does anyone have a Revell/Monogram '59 Chevy convertible raised top they could measure? Thinking of using one for an AMT '59 Pontiac convertible but I'd need to know the width across the header and at the bottom of the C-pillars, and the overall length. Thanks!

1962 Imperial (photo from current eBay listing #181440692860):

Well, the flat black on the '61 Pontiac came right off (whew). Now to figure out where to cut - I'll probably just use the roof and decklid (it has almost no sinkmarks) from the other body: Re-creating that A-pillar will be a toughie. Lucky dog. How are you going to build it? By the way - take a magnifying glass and look at the dash; you can actually read the odometer on that kit (00000.0)! Beautiful work by AMT, even if there's no stock version.

Beautiful build, Yuri! Looks very aggressive with those wheels. Quick note: California plates carry the annual stickers on the rear, not the front. (Earth to AMT: How about a '62 Grand Prix based on this tooling?)

I went through the whole list a few days ago and voted on several items, including ones that don't seem to have a snowball's chance in hell of actually being kitted. One car on the list surprised me with lack of response, especially from a German site: the late-'50s Opel Rekord. It had only about 30-some votes when I last looked, but they were common all over Europe and even briefly popular in the US. I guess collectors over there mostly want 1/43 or 1/87.

Beautiful work on this one! AMT engineered it well for this to work. I wonder if a lot more old models will be Frankensteined together this way now since there are fewer and fewer left? I've done it with a '61 Continental already, and a '61 Bonneville is in the pipeline (which may be tough since I only have one-and-a-half windshield pillars between the two). AMT's '59 Bonneville convertible even has little stubs of the C-pillars molded in (they're hidden by the top boot), so maybe they made the hardtop first?

'61 Pontiac body arrived today WITH (thankfully minor, but still) glue spots on the tail panel that the seller denied it had. Off to the purple bath to see if that flat black will come off, and to decide how to best patch the two bodies together to make one good one.