Ragtop Man

I popped for the download at the Modelversium (?) site, and the build is simply out of this world. Well past museum quality! Very inspirational, it shows how much potential there is in the kit.

GEEK ALERT: ANCIENT GM TRIVIA IN HERE FIRE FROST AND FIREMIST FINISHES They were a popular (albeit a little expensive) upgrade for other GM cars in the day when (makes shocked expression) customers were always right. The FireFrost colors debuted in '63 as a special Mitchell inspired extra, and are separate from the the Firemist colors. Both did a great job of careessing the sheetmetal (or fiberglass.) They were not the only colors available, but they sure did a great job of setting off your Grand Prix or Impala. To get an otherwise un-available preminum color required a hip GM dealer with the patience to take your money later, vs stuffing you into whatever was on the lot. Chevrolet and Pontiac seemed to have special color requests the most often; premium divisions usually had them in the book. Unlike today's automated shops, the GM plants routinely managed unusual colors for utilities, taxi companies, police/fire/municpal accounts. Another day at the shop... The upcharge 'in the day' was $100- $200, but you got a quart of touch up paint to go with it in the trunk. Typically a request would be reviewed by the factory district manager while taking his orders (preference) from the dealer, then go to HQ for a sign-off (to be sure you weren't some crazy sports fan getting an orange paint job on a car with a blue interior...) hen approved, the job would get assigned to a plant, and their production materials team would source your paint. On the appointed build day day, a Fisher Body utility man would prepare the pressure tanks (that were wheeled on small carts) with the finish and hand off to the painter(s) . The same paint would also be supplied to the plant's Divisional coating line (separate from Fisher) where fenders, hoods, gravel pans and other doo-dads would get painted and baked. Eventually they would meet up in final assembly and presto, a custom paint job from GM. I'd guess if you wanted TWO custom colors on a tutone job, that would get priced in, but have never seen that documented. That ask would make most plant scheduling managers pull out what was left of their hair... the practice could slow down the line which is the cardinal AND ordinal sin at GM. Likely the most famous cross divisional color use was on the limited run of "Swiss Cheese" 1963 Pontiac Catalina SDs - all were painted FireFrost Silver, the better to be photographed, methinks. Good quick writeup on firemist/firefrost here: https://autouniversum.wordpress.com/2022/05/14/pearls-of-colour-general-motors-opalescent-1960s-fire-finishes/

Sweet - Elvis is in the building!

Well, when I can remember something of that nature... #crs #anheusers

Hah... when I stop to think, "gee that happened in the 80's, so it was pretty recent" and realize it was 45 years ago.

I could shave with that build - ultra sharp.

This is a terrific build, and would really pop at any local show I've been to - "Wait - it's not red?" The Italieri (insert your distributor here) 250 GTO is quite good; I have one with a diecast (!) body that I'd like to do as a bare metal 'in restoration' build. Thanks for the DM on this thread!

Mid 2010s? That is a long time aborning. Glad we are seeing the fruits of their labors now.

Pow! Really sharp, great job. For a minute, I thought it was a bash with the Revell '67 roadster, that shows how good the kits really were.

Madonn! Love thta build - post more pics of THAT (or a link if you did it already) build. Was that the Grossman car that C/D was going to line up with a Pontiac GTO?

Many thanks for the hint on the wheels; once in a blue moon the DM wires pop up, will keep my eyes open. I think I've seen 3D Borranis, but I need to go dig for them. Have been hoarding Revell slot car tires for the job now for the better part of a decade... need to get on the stick when my shop re-opens.

There ya' go... That is great. Now if the 3D verse can come up with a GMC 270...!

Box art just grabbed me, and it followed me home! Looking forward to an A-B comparison with the AFX. Resisting the urge to blow up my Craftsman '64 and make a monument to overcomplicateditis.

I have a '68-9 annual and I don't recall the v-top. Purchased in the early '70s, before any re-releases... now I gotta go back and look.

Has the 3Dverse contemplated this one, yet? Seems like a natural. Your rendering has a great look!

That is a beeeeeautiful build! Box art quality, surgically clean. Is there a Hobby Design (or other brand?) photo etch wire wheel that is correct for the 250 GT cars? I know there is a set for the Testa Rossa and GTO... pretty sure I have both. Appreciate any tifosi input!

If you have ever seen a 1:1 ... it is boxy and broad shouldered, which was an intention of the original designers. The dated custom wheels are the only thing really holding it back; it is infinitely more compelling with the Torq-Thrusts available in one of the Monogram 1/24s - or the surprisingly good Cragar SS in the '78 Elco. Engine wise, if it was any more Pontiac, it would be leaking oil and boiling the starter cable (do not ask me how I know this, lmao.) The single greatest drawback is the 1/24 scale, but if you don't give a RF about that, it practically snaps together. Should you decide to be an utter delinquent, I've seen a few bashed with the 1/24 '66 Chevelle SM, ( cos that's the way uh-huh I like it.) Future plans for the few in my stash involve body being draped over a 1/24 Monogram NA$CAR chassis... snagging a correct Ferrari GTO engine and committing utter heresy (you should see where the Pontiac is going) and finishing the replica of the '64 owned by the guy who did me a major solid on my 421 engine purchase. I did one many years ago that is still one of my faves, promise to look for pics this week to share.

Awwh heck yes. I'd think the Monogram Cab on a go-to straight rail chassis (Louisville, Opel Blitz?) would get you pretty close.

Madonn Mia! That is a gorgeous Mustang.

And just to pound the nail ALL THE WAY THROUGH the board... this: http://www.shelbyforums.com/threads/how-to-tell-original-10-spoke-wheels.8932/ Even more detail on the 10-spoke, for which MANY versions are noted. I'd settle for one good one!

There's never really been a bang-on 10-spoke that I recall from any Shelby kit. There is a new 3D version now that are quite good, I need to learn how to bookmark better to save them! The really GOOD '66 Shelby wheel is the "Starburst" that was original to the '68 Shelby kit (with the record) that continued through the "Modern Classic" where the wheelbacks were deepend for the hollow Goodyear tires. "Sknakebite" retooled these, and IMHO, ruined them. This, per Hemmings.com - Actually, according to some sources, the aluminum wheels now often referred to as “10-spokes” originally came almost as a consolation. The original 1965 G.T. 350 was basically a race car sold off the showroom floor; that was what made it fantastic and miserable all at once. Many consumers thought they wanted a race car, but soon realized that what we now refer to as NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) was too much for regular street use. The ’66 model G.T. 350 looked very similar, but was toned down both to lower the production cost and to make the car more appealing to a broader audience. Among the items to go were the 15-inch wheels, at least in part because the spare, which had been mounted under the rear window in the area where the backseat had been, would be returning to the trunk in 1966. Allegedly, the ’66 10-spoke aluminum wheels, which measured 14×6.5 inches, were a means of making the smaller tires seem more appealing. The design of the wheels was quite different from the five-spoke wheels becoming popular with hot rodders, thanks largely to Cragar, which had provided the optional 15-inch wheels for Shelby in 1965, and American Racing, which produced the Torq-Thrust that was becoming a road race favorite for American cars. The multi-spoked Shelby wheels provided lots of open space to enhance brake cooling, and in theory, the design would provide exceptional strength. The optional 14-inch aluminum 10-spokes cost $267 for the ’66 model year, and were sourced from Shelby. The unusual design seemed to draw its roots from exotic road racers, with a hint of the functional beauty that the AC Cobra’s Halibrand wheels provided, and maybe even a touch of inspiration from the GT-40 program. When the redesigned 1967 Shelby Mustangs debuted, 15-inch wheels returned, and a new 10-spoke, now measuring 15×7 inches, was offered. The 15-inch version was again sourced from Shelby, though another 15-inch wheel–the Magstar–was also offered and produced by Kelsey-Hayes. The new 10-spoke featured a cleaner design than the first, with spokes that led straight from the center to the rim, only curving outward at their furthest points, and detailed with a cleanly machined spoke facing.

Don Holthaus used to sell a Cyclone body sans side trim, as well as a full resin kit of same. They were really good looking cars for the era, IIRC the '63-4 Mercs and Comets were the last of the George W. Walker-authored mid-century designs, before Mercury went very formal under his successor Bordinat.

The other part bonanza for the Fiat (or any of the other Keeler Kreations) would be the "Miss Deal" / "Skorpion" Stude FC kit. That tool is the final resting place for most of the remaining Revell hot rod parts packs, including the Hemi, one of the best ever rendered in scale. Would love to see if anyone has created a street Topolino from the melange of Revell and AMT hot rod parts packs / gen 1 gasser kits (Anglia, Willys) Spent a few nights grokking the Fiat body with the AMT '25T chassis, then put everything back to the shelf... some day.

I've picked up and sold off a few of these over the years... try as I might, they just didn't get the corpuscles pumping for me. That said, I am curious about how one of the bodies would drop over a Monogram '80s Bronco or F-150 'bullnose' 4WD chassis?

That distinctive 'phart' exhaust sound of the S10-engined mail truck would wake our beloved dog Rosie out of a hard slumber, and send her racing to the door to scarf the treats from our mail carrier. For as much grief as the longitudinal 4-cylinder base engine in the S-10 accrued, they sure seemed to last a long time.