Mark

Actually, the Ranchero started out as the four-door Ranch Wagon with woodgrain side trim. The too-short door openings on the Rancheros point back to its origin as the wagon.

With the Toronados, the "Mannix" convertible fits in after the '68 but before the Californian.

Some companies are using Covid and the resulting delays in mail service as an excuse for slow service, also to try to broom everyone over to "autopay" or "direct payment". One of my credit card companies issued an e-mail about it. I didn't get my December statement until after the due date, and the January one is late as well. I reconstructed the December statement and sent a payment, and have done the same with January, the information I put together matches exactly the balance due in their e-mail. Funny, the other credit card statements have been getting to me on time with no delays. I also noticed that the bank I use has been remodeling their branches to eliminate all but a couple of teller windows. The branches are more sparsely staffed also. It will be an excuse to trim a bunch of jobs, and get everyone accustomed to lower quality of service.

I'd bet it started as a Buick, the wheel covers and grille emblem would point to that. I believe the grille emblem on the Buick actually includes the model year and trim level, like "1956 Century". Looks like it is somewhere in Europe...there, back then, when they rebodied a car they tended to keep things like wheels and grille pieces from the original car. Putting a grille or radiator shell from one make of car onto another wasn't done there as it was done by customizers here. There are exceptions of course.

Beatnik Bandit is pearl also, but in photos with the original paint it does somehow seem darker than the Excaliber/Outlaw. Maybe more pearl, or more clear, or the clear yellowed just a bit?

Both AMT and MPC did the exterior updates on their Mustang II kits. MPC had a promo contract, I am pretty certain they did both '74 and '75 promos so the exterior updates were done on those. I've had all of the MPC annual kits, and yes the hood opening is different. '74 is by itself, '75 through '78 are all alike. Some interior updates were done too. The quarter panels around the rear wheel openings gets lumpy and wavy with each annual kit, as the Mustang II pro stock and street machine versions were issued in between the annuals. The body was changed back and forth between stock and stretched rear wheel openings. The last couple of issues have misshapen, jagged, rough openings. The last issue (Fire Fighter pro stock) has the hood opening revised back to '74 spec, I am not sure if an original '74 hood will fit the revised body.

No, MPC did change the hood on the Mustang II. AMT did so with theirs also. Racing Champions later altered the MPC body's hood opening back to '74 spec for the Fire Fighter pro stock reissue.

The front fascia on the Monza changed between '77 and '78. '75-'77 has several small grille openings between the headlamps, '78-'80 has the long thin slot below the headlamps, all the way across the front end. '74 Mustang II is different from all the others: hood opening is different, gas filler is moved higher up on '75-'78 cars. Bodies will interchange but have these differences.

'57 Chevy wheel. The other one is probably from an AMT funny car, or possibly a show rod.

The '57 Chevy wheels have squared-off slots, aren't as deep as the ones pictured, and have no lug nut detail.

1: not '57 Chevy. 2: MPC '67 Corvette.

I e-mailed Testors and asked, they replied, and not long after I forgot the answer. So much for that...

No, that one was some years ago.

Bill Jenkins' shop was in Malvern (he was originally from Berwyn), not sure about JJ.

The Beatles figures are mentioned in Tom Graham's book about Revell. They got the jump on issuing Beatles items (the deal was made before they were known here, Revell's people figured they would be popular worldwide). They had the kits ready, but according to the book the figures didn't sell well.

I wouldn't have figured that those vents on either side of the hole could be smoothed off without breaking through.

And that hood just could be molded in a similar gray...Lesney/AMT molded the '63 kit in that color for the Barris Cruisin' USA issue. They kept the Street Rods series issue going alongside the Barris issue too; same parts, same color, different box, decals, tires, and instruction sheet.

That car looks like an interesting mix of older and newer parts. Headers and side pipes look like mid-Seventies MPC Corvette, intake looks like AMT '55 'Vette (as are the wheels).

If this is the underside of the hood on the blue 'Vette, it is modified and is an AMT hood. The AMT '67 coupe had that hood, and it stayed in the kit when it was backdated to '63 spec. It's still in that kit, and also in recent issues of the '63 roadster which is essentially the coupe kit with a different body.

The wheels on that Corvette look like AMT '55 Corvette optional wheels. The '71 Thunderbird has similar wheels. The hood is modified, looks like the scoop pictured was added to the kit's optional hood.

Search eBay: "f-toys". A Japanese company has done/is doing a number of partially assembled, pre-finished 1/24 scale cycles in multiple color variations. As I understand, these are included as extras with candy or gum for the home market. You don't get any of that when you buy them here (import regulations, likely) but they are inexpensive and very well done.

After looking over the potential side effects, I figure I'll just wait a while and see if the headache goes away by itself...

The tape actually lasted several years...AMT didn't wrap kits until late '66 with the '67 annuals, and phased it in with Trophy Series kits as those were reboxed. The theft started early. I read somewhere that Revell was getting a lot of returns on their 1/32 scale '56 Mercury kits, all of them missing the wheel covers. Budd Anderson was working at Revell then (not always on car kits) and supposedly got the idea to sell some of the parts separately, in packs. Revell didn't act on the idea until he had moved on to AMT though.

I don't know if they still do it, but years ago I read about a program where GEICO gave grants to little speed trap towns, to upgrade their radar equipment. More tickets written, GEICO gets to raise insurance rates. I figure that if they've got money for deals like that, they don't need any of mine.

The insurance ads are the most annoying...if I ever run into that gecko, he's going to end up as a green smear on the pavement. Everyone is going to save you $700 per year on auto insurance. I figure that by the time I switch from State Farm to Geico, Geico to Allstate, Allstate to Liberty, then back to State Farm, they'll start sending me checks every month.