Mark

Easy enough to do it yourself if you don't feel like buying a second kit. I'm doing just that with a '78 Dodge pickup, in my case the short/wide bed was never included in any kit. I'm undecided on whether to shorten the kit chassis, or just swipe one from a Little Red Express kit.

If you intend to cut one down from the long (8' bed) wheelbase to the short (6-1/2') wheelbase, why not pick up one of the existing short versions? You could either use its frame and pickup bed as templates, or just swap the parts.

The body is included in the Mod Rod reissue, as are many parts that could be used to restore an original Ala Kart. The body is slightly modified in a couple of areas but is basically the same.

That body was only used in the Ala Kart and (with some alterations) derivative versions like the Round 2 Mod Rod reissue. The new tool Ala Kart kit has another version of the body, the new version's cowl is misshapen in that the top panel of the hood is too blocky--the rounded corners of the firewall have too small a radius.

I'd guess no changes to the plastic parts, but new tires and improved decals. There is little to fault in the kit as it was first issued, so what else would need to be changed?

Too little too late, but I've gotten into the habit of wiping the end of the nozzle with a rag before putting thr cap on. I use Loctite super glue because I think the cap seals better than others I have tried; with the most recent bottle I did use all of the glue.

The '70 annual had the safari version and was molded in white. The '71 annual still had a safari version, I'm not positive but I believe some of the extras for that version were deleted to make way for those hated spoof parts. I'm pretty certain the '71 had only the short pickup roof. My '71 is molded in orange. I do have all of the kits through '72, will check tomorrow and see which ones have which tops. There was a short pickup roof, the longer "wagon" roof, and a raised convertible top that was in a couple of early kits.

I think that's all of them. '72 was the last annual, MPC could have done a '73 (final year for the 1:1) but maybe the sales were falling off so they chose not to. The V6 engine is incorrect for the '72. The front clip (and wheelbase) should be 3" or so longer than it is in the kit. AMC did the restyle so they could fit their own straight six engine in place of the ex (and future) Buick V6. A compromise correction for the kit would be to leave the wheelbase alone and fit an AMC V8 from a Gremlin or Matador kit.

Someone from Round 2 has already stated that there will be a "full" version with a stock engine, and even the trailer and display/accessory engine. Come on guys, you don't think they'd tool in that engine compartment detail and only issue it as a curbside kit? The full kit will probably come after the curbside version, which will also be the one used in a drag team kit should that be offered.

AMT did have the promo contract for the Impala for 1970. I haven't got a convertible promo; as I remember, the upper quarter panels are the same as the hardtop kit (incorrect for the convertible) but the decklid area is correct. AMT didn't do a '70 convertible kit, but MPC did (the glow-in-the-dark "Bat Machine"). The MPC kit was just a coupe without the roof; it had the coupe quarter panels like the AMT convertible promo, but also had the coupe trunk lid with the recessed area in the center. It also had SS emblems (there was no Impala SS in 1970). The AMT coupe annual kit also said "SS" on the box, but had a bench seat and no SS emblems.

The "Petty-Charger" kit pictured is the first of the two issued by MPC. I'm pretty sure that one was molded in white while the later one was blue. If your built one has the number decals applied to an all-blue body, then the decal sheet probably did not include the red areas. You'd probably remember trimming the numbers out. All of the manufacturers were cheaping out and using smaller decal sheets back then. There's that AMT Mopar Kit Car that had all of the stripes, none of which were on the decal sheet! The sheet only had the numbers and a couple of other items, it wasn't much bigger than a postage stamp. MPC was using sheets about half the size of what we were used to getting.

The Revell '57 frame should be roughly the same shape as the '60, correct? These modern kits with correct detail like steering boxes and linkage do complicate things though. Ford did put the FE in the '58 Ford which is the same as the '57 in those areas, things might be on the tight side but something should fit.

I have seen resin headers, but they are copies of the Revell kit fenderwell pieces. The most readily available "street use" headers in the Sixties were probably the Hedman units as in the AMT '56 Ford kit.

The original kit had the interior molded with the front seat as part of it, and a separate rear seat, just like this all-new kit. All new, no parts reused from the original. Not even the tires or clear parts.

You'd think that there would be the ability to turn off the remote start, period. Imagine the lawsuits resulting from a car starting up in an attached garage in the middle of the night.

MPC. Jo-Han made no Dodge kits post-1964 except the Gene Snow Challenger funny car.

The coupe with the roofline as in the kit had the script on the roof. All others: convertible, sport coupe (the other roofline), and the four-door hardtop had the script on the front fenders.

The AMT '57 Ford has a set of headers. Not the greatest (tooled in the early Seventies, most kit headers looked a little spindly back then) but they should fit.

Ever have WalMart pizza? One word. DON'T. 'Nuff said.

This is apparently the German listing. They're more focused on "worldwide" subject matter, I would look to Atlantis for choppers and the like. Revell probably didn't keep much of that stuff.

That Kombi hadn't been done before, at least in 1/24 or 1/25 scale. The kit manufacturers always went for the 21 or 23 window version. Revell Germany did that Lufthansa shuttle version a few years back; the 1:1 shuttles were Kombis yet they used the 23 window because that's what they had. I've got one of each version already offered, but will snag one or two of these also, and would pick up any other versions they choose to do.

The Fiat was 1/12 scale, fairly decent body, so-so engine, chassis was shared with a futuristic bubble top show rod and not related to anything that ever saw a drag strip. Guys who like 1/12 scale stuff will buy built ones and part them out, and build more realistic drag cars using Monogram 1/12 scale kit engines and other parts.

1959 Edsel. It's not obvious because you can't see the front end! For shelf models (I haven't entered a contest in about 35 years) I'll mix and match centers and outer rims from parts box wheels. Sometimes a kit will have "trendy" optional wheels that are out of style but have nicely done outer rims that can be salvaged. Those can be matched with centers from other wheels, even ones with damaged outer rims. I've taken single wheels and made castings to get full sets of centers. If you have two sets of matching (or very close) outer hoops, you can use the second set to make the back side of the rim look more like the front. Don't throw away those wheels that someone twisted off of the parts tree leaving chunks of the outer rim missing; those can be recycled into a new wheel if you like the center.

Check Scale Motorsports, I believe they offer wheel sets made up of turned aluminum outer rims with cast resin centers. If I remember right, they are sold in pairs so that you can mix/match wheel sizes.

But can the toilet app jiggle the handle?