Motor City

It's always at the local Barnes & Noble. I got my Dad a copy of the first issue and a subscription. He got it for years, and the text and photos were really good. It was a good reference, and Dennis Doty's model car articles were informative.

John, No, I don't think I ever saw a real '75 Road Runner. I had bought the kit and eventually sold it. I think it was eventually modified into the '77 Dodge Monaco.

The 1976 MPC lineup was mediocre for the most part, as were most real cars at that time. It had the usual Corvette, Camaro, Firebird, Mustang and big Chevy. I bought the incorrect '76 Corvette convertible - a car that wasn't really made. Another fictitious model was the intermediate Road Runner. It appears they were just guessing, or else the RR was dropped at the last minute. There were no legitimate intermediate models kitted, only the Caprice for big cars, and no Indy Pace Car (Regal). A Mark IV, Eldorado convertible or Riviera would have been nice.

look under "Model Vehicles" to see what I'm talking about

Scott, Let us know how it turns out. That is a terrible bumper fit. I bought a Brooklin '37 Century coupe for my Dad several years. It was very well done for diecast. I wouldn't mind a Burnished Saddle (copper) '68 Wildcat sport coupe!

We need a little more information ...

I'm seeing the same 6 kits on pages 1, 2, 3, 4. 6 (there is no page 5).

My grandfather bought a new '63 Wildcat 4-door hardtop that was on the showroom floor, and Dad ordered a LeSabre 2-door hardtop. I drove the LeSabre in high school. Both Buicks had huge, deep trunks. Grandpa traded in the Wildcat in '68 for a new Wildcat 2-door hardtop, which Dad bought from him in '71. That '68 would squeal the tires with little effort. None of these cars handled well like today's cars, but they sure rode nice. I'd like a '65 or '66 Wildcat hardtop or a '63 LeSabre or Wildcat hardtop. It's too bad the Wildcat series wasn't made into models all years from '62-'70, but I do like the '63 Electra. Scott, Brooklin offers a '67 Wildcat diecast in 1/43 scale. It isn't cheap. A 4-door hardtop version is also available.

My aunt and uncle had a teal '65 Park Lane convertible that was on display at the New York World's Fair. He was a Ford Public Relations employee and worked there during the fair. It was a cool car and I got to drive it with the top down when I was a senior in high school.

The '65 Mercury kit, along with the '65 Wildcat kit, had some of the best box art AMT ever did. The '65 Impala SS kit also had a separate rear seat. The Mercury promo was also available in black, red, teal, and maybe another color. It's too bad AMT didn't make a '67 or '68 Marquis, '67 S-55, or '68 with the woodgrain on the sides. Has anyone made a decent '67 or '68 big Merc in resin?

My aunt and uncle bought a '64 brand new. The rear seat had a pull-down center armrest with a GP logo. Cars with ac had a slightly different dash with only 1 round gauge pod in the center instead of 3 pods.

Maybe Okey Spalding will do something with it. ?

looks like globs of glue on the bottom of the decal sheet; is that supposed to be simulated rust?

it depends on the car; for example, the '65 Special and Skylark have it on the passenger side, while the GS has it on the driver's side; the best way to know is to examine engine photos for cars advertised for sale

'66 Fury convertible; regarding another person's comment about muscle cars being "rubbish", I guess a lot of people like rubbish because they must know something about them that you don't

I thought of just ignoring the guy and asking Ralph directly, but decided it wasn't worth wasting any more of my time. It's not like he had another speaking engagement that evening. There was still daylight, so he could clearly see me if he had bothered looking up. I was so close, l could have stepped in the limo!

Back when I was attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the 1970s, Ralph showed up for a lecture. After the speech (which I don't particularly remember), I hurried over to the black limousine. There was Ralph sitting in the middle of the back seat looking over some papers. I had my Corvair model car and a marker for him to autograph it. One of his boys sniffed that he didn't do such things!

"Are these old Palmer kits worth anything to a collector?" just a lot of laughs ...

Hi Brian, What is SC community? There is a guy about an hour from me who installs remanufactured CRTs for the late '80's Rivieras and Reattas. I'm thinking of dropping the car off with him since the cluster is flaking out sometimes. The CRT screen was made by Zenith, and looks like a miniature TV picture tube from the rear. I think I am one of the few guys on the forum who enjoys cars from all eras, from buggies to the latest Corvettes and Challengers. I understand where younger people (I'm in my sixties) can't relate to cars that came out decades before they were born. Dad and Grandpa used to talk about cars of their youth, and after seeing some in person, it made me better appreciate them. I have never driven a car built before the 1960s, but would sure like to get a '48 Pontiac Streamliner fastback like Dad and Grandpa both had.

I have several old cars, and plastic interior parts are difficult to find if molded in a specific color to match the interior color. Newer cars tend to have molded pieces in only two or three colors. My '68 and '77 Eldorados will never have the collectability of a GM intermediate from the 1960s or early 1970s, so I don't expect reproduction parts to be made. I'm somewhat surprised that parts aren't available for Steven's '69 GP. That car was very popular when new. I also have my late parents' Rivieras. The '89 has an electronic dashboard (CRT screen). The newer one has a more conventional dashboard, but both cars might as well be junked when the electronics fail. Eventually, there always seems to be some demand for cars of all eras. Whether it's because a person's relative had one, or a neighbor or family friend, someone will want something that most wouldn't want if given to them. With all of the electronics, armrests molded in to the door panels, parts meant to snap into place one time and damaged when any attempt is made to remove them, and engine compartments impossible to work on for the average person, most people won't want to bother preserving or restoring the majority of newer cars.

Maybe the interest in brass cars is due to the boring cars we have today. I like cars of all eras, but very few built after 1999. That seemed to be the end of cars with interior colors other than the black, tan and gray. SInce most cars today are 4-doors, and the designs are mediocre for the most part, I'll be gone before these boremobiles are collectible!

As some of you know, China doesn't want it referred to by that name since it possibly originated there. Anyway, I wonder how this will affect model car shows over the next few months.

Tom, What's the story on the truck with two Consolidated Freightways trailers? What manufacturer made those? I worked there one summer. I guess the candy apple red 442 convertible is a resin kit? Thanks, Jim

Ha ha! No, I just have a lot. I really haven't had time to build since an '82 T/A kit I bought that year. I did put together a snap kit Mustang a few years ago, but hope to get back at it when retire. I wish I had the woodworking skills that you have, Hugh!