ChrisBcritter

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.

Hope you haven't already seen this; lots of inspiration: http://www.forwardlook.net/features/billandeds.htm

Nice to see this one built so well! I have one unbuilt in my stash. Only thing with yours is the 300SL wheels are a bit large for the car; the 190SL had 13" wheels and rather small narrow tires: (This is Rosemarie Nitribitt and her '56 190SL; Google her name and you'll find a very unusual story...) Did you have any major problems with parts fit on this kit? Mine is missing the grille, one tire half and all the hubcaps but the previous owner threw in parts from the Hubley 300SL which I'll have to make fit.

Think I know the answer already, but... will you be combining the Edsel with the newer '60 Ford kit for the chassis/engine? I've wondered how the new innards would fit the old body. (If you do, the Edsel's wheelbase is 1" longer than the Ford - the rear axle was moved back on the springs.)

I don't think Studebaker made a convertible in 1937; I have a dealer book from that year and all it shows are coupes and two-door and four-door sedans.

I remember - it was called No-Tox. They did it because it was a non-toxic citrus formula that wouldn't get you high like regular cement. The slogan was "Smells like lemon - sticks like crazy." I don't recall it sticking all that well.

Kinda gives new meaning to that old joke: "My car's engine was making this awful noise, so I took it to my mechanic and he put in a stereo."

Couple small but necessary eBay scores: '62 Chrysler chassis (with torsion bars but not pictured) to go under my '60 New Yorker. The '60 chassis has a frame rather than a unibody setup and it's damaged anyway. What's left of a '61 Pontiac convertible body; I have a '61 hardtop project that needs the taillight panel replaced. I think I can patch it together, now that I've made two damaged Continental bodies into one good one. Sadly I got outbid on a Motorific parts lot that had the front bumper/grille for the '63 Chevy; who knows when I'll find another...

Looked through this thread and nobody mentioned it, so... Was the louvered vent on the passenger side cowl ever corrected on this kit (with louvers sticking out like they were on the snap kit)? Also, what was the new trick for molding in the lower back part of the cab and still being able to insert the interior? I was thinking of molding the part in, then cutting the doors open at the rear jamb so the cab could be spread apart and the interior installed.

Looks like you'll have to do something about lowering the front end to match the real thing - like about 3/16"? Wonder where MPC goofed.

And the guy said he'd never sell it ... those who are into schadenfreude will have a high old time guessing what reversal made him change his mind.

The cars do rot to some extent with the salt air (check out the rockers and wheel openings on many cars that have obviously been redone) but they're kept up. A lot of cars have real nice trim and bumpers; I wonder if it's due to the fact Cuba has very large deposits of nickel? This weekend's update is brought to you by your local Ford dealer, with two convenient locations in Havana: Now let's go back a ways: This '26 or '27 Model T is advertised as highly original (a relative term; note the Model A wheels and front fenders, plus the drum headlights). And continuing the fresh-air theme, here's a '47 (with a '48 grille) Chevy convertible: Still has the original six-banger, runs perfect. The owner says it's one of only two in Havana, and that it needs paint (looks like it has a ton of Bondo, unfortunately). And finally: Ad says it's a '31 Ford, but it looks more like a '28 or '29 Murray-bodied sedan minus its roof: Wheels of course are a bit later (like '33-'34?).

'67. It's a little blurry (from a photo on the sale website). There was also a green '62 or '63 Corvair promo that was beat to hell and missing its roof; couldn't see any reason to pay $4 when all that was good was the wheels, chassis and interior. Another guy in front of me snagged a sealed '56 Ford (fairly recent issue) for $6, and there was also an opened but unbuilt Hubley Model A coupe that I steered clear of (I already have a phaeton and a Victoria and can't give 'em away; might as well build 'em). Lots of Motorific track but I barely have room to display the cars, let alone set up a raceway.

Just got back from another estate sale. Went there four hours early and was ninth in line, but someone still beat me to a '67 Imperial promo , yet I did pick up a few goodies: For a couple bucks each, got these three Motorifics plus another loose Jaguar body minus roll pan/rear bumper, and a couple Matchboxes for a buck each to replace ones I had as a kid. Finding a BRM and a Ford GT with all their original tires is a miracle! The Alfa Romeo is from Impy and in nice shape as well The other score was a Dremel model 3701 variable speed drill with attachments for $15.00; nice thing about it is that the speed can be slowed to 5000 RPM which will make grinding plastic much more manageable. Anybody have a bumper/grille and door handle for the Impala? Still bugged about that Imperial...

Closest thing to the 215 might be the engine in the Jo-Han '61 and '62 Olds F-85 kits; besides the heads and valve covers weren't they pretty similar? AMT's '61 and '62 Buick Special wagons didn't have an engine. And like I said, check that reissued '66 Skylark Modified Stocker for the 340. Edit: Found photos of the '66 on this site - it's a nailhead, probably supposed to be a 401. Never mind... http://fredsresinworkshop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12290

How about the engine in the AMT '66 Skylark Modified Stocker?

I suppose it says a lot about driving in Russia when so many people have dashcams. They use them to be ready to prove an accident wasn't their fault (especially in case someone pulls the old pedestrian-jumping-on-the-hood trick). A useful side effect was that there were plenty of views of the meteor that fell over there last year. The YT channels Vodka Video (now VodkaVideoTV) and Serbian FailBlog have monthly updates.

1/32.

If you're really in love with that roof rack I may have an NOS one (from a '61 but looks like the same piece) - want me to check?

Another model that deserves to be a 1/1! Good idea for a variation on one of those belly-button Cobra kit cars.