Motor City

The headlight area on the '68 Impala grille was a poor fit. There was a gap between the top of the headlights and the header panel above it. I filled the gap with Elmer's white glue, which dried clear. Other than that, the kit had good details.

I built this before I ever heard of Bare Metal Foil. The wheels were out of MPC's 1976 Corvette convertible kit (yes, I know there was never a '76 Corvette convertible, but MPC produced a kit anyway). The standard wheel covers just didn't seem right for such a sporty model. I used a photo in the brochure that showed this color combination. Years later I found out that some of the pleating in the upholstery was supposed to be a darker red for a two-tone effect. Oh, well.

A lot of aluminum body parts were used (front fenders, hood, inner front fenders, bumpers). The '63 "Swiss Cheese" lightweight also had holes drilled in the frame to make it even lighter. I read before that maybe 12 were made before GM shut the program down. This Rare Pontiac Catalina Super Duty Lightweight Is Selling On Ebay (motorious.com)

16 GPs were built in '62 with the 421 Super Duty engine.

No argument from me regarding the dealers with their take-it-or-leave-it attitudes, shoddy vehicle service from most dealers and price boosting on hot vehicles. The automakers always used the excuse that dealers were private enterprises that were free to charge what they wanted "but we strongly discourage that." I found that I was usually WAY better informed on option packages and powertrain combinations than the sales staffs. I'm sure others on this forum have complaints about most of the automakers and many dealers as well.

Why is that?

My sister bought a silver '76 Nova coupe that was on the lot at the end of the model year. It had a red bench seat interior, 305, automatic. One time the car wouldn't move and the next-door neighbor asked if the emergency brake was on. It turned out that it was and there was no warning light for that! It was a good handling car and had a nice ride. The only thing I didn't like was the thin cloth upholstery.

Thank you for all of that information, Bill!

I bought the real car in 2000, black with a light tan interior. The Sun Star model came in black with a black interior. Now Sun Star makes a blue version with the correct tan interior. I emailed the company to see about buying just an interior but never got a reply. I've searched eBay but all of the new ones seem to cost around $100 including shipping from Europe. Are there any large diecast dealers that sell parts cars to restore models? Thanks.

My guess is they didn't have the money to invest in new tooling equipment. It takes a sizable investment to go from one type of technology to another.

Yes, that's so true, Rob. GM got carried away with their downsizing efforts starting in 1977 with the 'B' (Impala/Caprice, etc.) and 'C' bodies (DeVille, Electra 225, 98). Then in 1978 the 'A' body (so-called intermediates) were smaller than their compact 'X' models! Then the smaller 'E' bodies (Eldorado, Riviera, Toronado) came out for 1979, followed by the FWD 'X' models for 1980 (Citation, etc.). They downsized the intermediates again for 1982 (Somerset Regal, Cutlass Calais, etc.) and many people refused to buy them because they were so small. My '77 Eldorado is one of the last really big cars GM made. I didn't realize the Nova and Cougar kits came out that long ago. Thanks for the insight!

The Nova was never a mid-sized car. It was always referred to as a compact car. I guess after 40-some years, whomever came up with that designation on the box art wasn't around then. Here is the original box art for the Cougar. I don't think the Street Machine version can be built stock. I still remember buying my kit 50 years ago at Sears in Lincoln Park, Michigan of all places!

I didn't see it.

The building facade would be neat to have. I was in there a few times in the Fall of 1974.

The '63 GP was never tooled. The '62-'64 GP and Bonneville and '64 Wildcat would be big sellers.

If you do a '62, you should make it an XL. The '67 XL was still available with the 7-Litre option. The only one I ever saw was a real rusty one in Dearborn years later. I would also try to do a '70 XL GT kit.

I think putting the money into a '70 Road Runner or GTX would result in far more sales than a '73 or '74 Charger.

Jo-Han was known for the accuracy of their bodies, grilles, and the interiors on the later models. Molded-in seats was a mistake, and their early kits had too-shallow interiors. The chassis and engine compartment detail were not up to today's standards, but neither were most of the other kits of that era. Look at the body, grille and interior detail on a 1967 to 1970 Eldorado model. Then look at the body accuracy of most of the recent models that companies just can't seem to get right such as Revell.

all in due time, Rick!

I think this is the complete set: 1900 Packard runabout 1902 Franklin roadster 1903 Rambler runabout 1903 Cadillac touring 1903 Ford A touring 1904 Oldsmobile curved-dash runabout 1906 Columbia electric 1906 Locomobile 1909 Ford T touring 1909 Stanley Steamer touring 1910 International Harvester 1910 Ford T roadster 1911 Brush delivery truck 1911 Buick roadster 1911 Maxwell roadster 1913 Mercer raceabout 1914 Regal colonial coupe 1914 Stutz Bearcat

the seat pattern is incorrect for '59 and '60

I'm guessing a lot of the original '63 kits will be appearing on eBay.

Who are the other two principals listed on the letter?

It sure was an interesting time for special Canadian-only models. It reminds me of the '68-'70 Catalina 2+2, not available in the U.S.

The pale yellow styrene promo of the '61 Starliner has the correct scripts on the front fenders, and so does the original acetate pale blue version.