Motor City

I don't know about others, but I have difficulty displaying many 1/25th models at a time. The Auto World series of 1/18th cars (especially the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals series) take up substantially more room to display. I probably have about a dozen of this scale and none on display. It's too bad that series isn't in 1/25th scale.

I heard on a Detroit radio station this morning that with the U.S. green initiative, fuel costs will continue to rise as companies and the government try to get away from fossil fuels by reducing production and consumption. Aside from hydroelectric power, the ultimate goal is wind and solar farms to provide for our energy needs. We all probably heard how well that worked out in Houston several weeks ago! Like it or not, we are headed for an electric car future. Plastics are made with fossil fuels, so I don't see that going away, but plastic prices should be expected to rise. Maybe kits will eventually be made of soybeans such as Henry Ford experimented with decades ago. ?

1. Maybe HE built it? 2. At least the Bengals have been to the Super Bowl. Then there are the Detroit Lions ...

I agree, it shouldn't have a thick "B" post, so why should that be so difficult for model companies to replicate? It's technically not a hardtop since it has a pop-out quarter windows. The trim piece could be a separate item.

You could do the '72-'76 with two separate front clips (the same concept was used on the '71 Ventura Sprint kit). Accurate fit would probably be unsatisfactory like it was on that kit. The potential is there with CAD and 3D printing to make minor changes without a lot of tooling expense. I would be curious as to how the variations of the Ford pickup are selling by body type.

As I recall, the Torino went to a body-on-frame in '72. So you could have the Ranchero GT for '72-79 (that's 8), throw in another 8 for a Ranchero Squire (wood-grained panels). Some varieties could have bench seat, while others could have the buckets and console. You could also have the base Ranchero 500 version. Granted, there are probably no external differences between the '77-'79, but it is still a lot to choose from. As I've said before on this forum, multiple versions of a single tool with different grille, hood, taillights and bumpers would give many variations to build.

That's a great list, and I concur with Miles. Someone at Moebius sure likes the big Ford pickup. Too bad they don't like the Ranchero!

because the '69 Mustang fastback has a fixed (but slim) B pillar; the quarter window doesn't roll down

The least kitted bucket seat performance models of the 1960's era: '64-'70 Catalina 2+2 ('68-'70 were only available in Canada) - we won't count the abomination of the '65 Bonneville into the 2+2! '61-'66 Starfire (only Jo-Han's '63) '64-65 Jetstar 1 '65-'72 GS (only AMT's '66 and the Monogram 1/24th '70 GSX) Then you could also do others such as the '62-'63 Grand Prix, '66-'68 Grand Prix, '67-'68 Marquis, '67 Monterey S-55, '68 Mercury with the woodgrain option, '67-'68 Polara, '67 Marlin, Lincoln Continental Mark III, '69-'71 Sport Fury or '70-'71 Sport Fury GT, '69-'71 Chrysler 300, and some more Wildcats.

I've thought the same thing. IF Round 2 could get licensing rights and 3-D scanned unbuilt Jo-Han kits and promos, that would be be another opportunity to bring back lost models. But I think the odds are about the same as the U.S. government paying off its debt!

I didn't know there was a "New" Monkees. I remember the original put-together group.

AMT went to the non-warping plastic in '61 on a few models. I have a yellow Starliner and a Falcon with no warp. The only Falcon that really warped was the '60, so I bought the kit version in styrene. I went to Hobby Lobby today and got a '66 Wiidcat to scratch build a correct interior with Evergreen plastic. I also got the Schwinn 10-speed bike.

Ed, I remember Colonial. That looks to be 'a 66 Charger and new Polaras and/or Monacos. Those Darts were real popular, and it sounds like your family got its money's worth out of the car. I grew up on the west side, so didn't get over there very often.

Hamtramck = Dodge Main, which was a huge complex. Do you still have the car, Ed?

The first tub is definitely an AMT '63 Thunderbird. The seat pattern is different from the '61-'62, and it matches the interior tub in my '63 hardtop kit. The hardtop and convertible used the same tub based on my examination of my '62 convertible. The second tub matches the interior on my '64 Falcon hardtop promo. I couldn't find my '65 Falcon. I know people on this forum sometimes comment on the convertible tub being used on the hardtop kits and promos, so I imagine that's also the case with the Falcon sharing the same tub on both body styles. I am continually amazed by the knowledge on this forum!

post some pictures, Dave; I rode in the back seat of a '26 T 2-door sedan several years ago, and must say it was a fun ride!

You get no disagreement from me, Mike! There is a market for those not interested in building full detail kits.

There isn't much demand for restoring Model T's, so you have to wonder what will happen to all of this stuff once he passes away. Thanks for posting, Bill.

I'm not sure who made the truck in the background, and I don't know its scale as I've never seen it. But the decals on the truck are "GM" and "Detroit Diesel Allison". Detroit Diesel is based in Detroit and used that green color on their engines for decades. Allison Transmission and Allison Gas Turbine were based in Indianapolis. Detroit Diesel and Allison Transmission merged in 1970 to become a new GM division called Detroit Diesel Allison. Allison Gas Turbine remained a separate division. At some point, Allison Transmission no longer was coupled with Detroit Diesel, and was eventually sold by GM to another company. I don't know what happened to Allison Gas Turbine. Dad was involved in a project for Gas Turbine, but decided to stay in the Detroit area. By the way, Detroit Diesel was offering to employees a Nylint Detroit Diesel Allison truck in the mid-1970s. Dad asked my brother and me if we were interested in getting them and we declined. Dad bought one for himself and when I saw it, I could have kicked myself! I eventually picked up a couple.

This one has been driving around the Detroit area for a number of years.

I just read today of a woman who was missing for six months and then found under a pile of stuff in her bedroom. The police couldn't find her the first two times. That's pretty sad.

the 442 also came standard with a rear stabilizer bar (unlike the GTO)

Dennis, There is a lot of good information here regarding 2 LS6 Chevelles for sale recently: 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Automatic - Automobiles and Parts - Buy/Sell - Antique Automobile Club of America - Discussion Forums (aaca.org) 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 4-Speed *SOLD* - Automobiles and Parts - Buy/Sell - Antique Automobile Club of America - Discussion Forums (aaca.org)

The double stripes were rare on a Malibu back then, but with all of the clones today, most seem to have them. But you rarely see a real Malibu since most have been cloned into SS models, just like the Novas and Camaros. Getting back to the LS6 for a moment, I saw an unrestored triple black convertible with about 10,000 miles. I think it might have been at a show at the GM Tech Center. It had the domed SS hood, but black bench seat and no cowl induction. I thought it was weird to order such a beast and not even get the cowl induction. Talk about a sleeper! It's too bad about the lost build sheets. Cadillac kept all of their production records on paper from 1902 through, I believe, 1972. Except someone threw out the 1968 records. Then they stored subsequent records on magnetic tape for a number of model years and lost those, too! I will never know how many Eldorados were built as loaded as mine. I can make an educated guess based on options ordered through May 1968 and extrapolate the numbers for June and July and come up with a fairly educated guess.