Ragtop Man

Easy chassis swap for the '65 GTO is the recently re-issued '67 Chevelle (new tool AMT version) - with a few light dremel passes in the 'hips' over the rear wheel wells it fits great. Trans tunnel is a touch shallow, so plan to use the Chevelle kit 4-speed with the Pontiac engine of your choice. The under hood firewall and core support fit well with this swap, too .

Not sure if anyone else noticed, but it looks like some of the gates used in the '67-8 Galaxies were opened, including the exhaust system. That's a win for builders right there. The C-stripes are great, wish they would have added the gold as well, which would be striking on a black body. For future reference, posting clear shots of the decal sheets and part breakdowns should be a mandatory. As for the lack of detail in the '69 Galaxie annual (and subsequent releases) ... By 1968 (when 1969 kits were in development) AMT was in free fall, despite the mythology of "we couldn't keep up with the business..." Promo contracts were shrinking rapidly and orders were plummeting, while competitors. like MPC were ramping up. AMT was also digesting significant financial losses from their slot car adventure with Dynamic, which took on water nearly as soon as the ink was dry on the deal. Societal trends of the late '50s became giant headwinds a decade later. Net: Where once the Galaxie kit was a flagship of AMT annuals, by the '69 model year they were cutting part count and scaling back tool development as fast as possible. So... no 385-series engine, no deluxe wheel covers, just a one-piece promo interior shell, one-piece chassis, two wire axles and four screws. To be fair, this was happening across the line - compare the '66 Rivvi annual to the '69 in parts count and accessories.

I've had really good luck with file card and water thin CA. First, cut and shape the card until it lays flat, and don't be afraid to try several until you get it laying flat and smooth Tack the card down with the usual mid-cure (don't glue your fingers to it)CA. When all is snug, use the water thin blue-top CA to saturate the card (as you would with matte glass) It will make the card very stiff and give the joint good backing that will not come loose easily. Dries quickly, and even sands pretty easily. However, to repeat some of the comments from earlier, you have to sort out how the joint can fail. Will it twist? Want to fold on iteself? Be in tension or compression? Each of those calls for a different solution. Good luck!

Not a build, exactly, but trying to sort a Red Alert "box-full-o'-junque" so the parts can go to their rightful homes. Searched the Drastic Plastics site, and incredibly, it didn't have this in the Chevrolet or Drag sections (!) even though this kit was in the catalog since dinosaurs walked the earth and all phones had rotary dials. Believe it or not, I walked past this kit and the Old Pro Nova about a jillion times at every dime store and hobby shop in the 70's, and never bought either one. If it helps, you can email it to me, or just put it here. Whatever. Many thanks in advance.