Mark

The Falcon body also has the between-the-taillights area altered, with a recess for a drag 'chute. The headlight areas in the grille have been re-engraved to resemble headlamp covers. 100% stock would take some doing, but Pro Street would be attainable. Fill the 'chute recess, drill out the headlamp covers, rework the rear wheel openings, then fit it to a '66 Nova pro street chassis.

I'd suspect the MPC body is at least somewhat accurate to the Rupp/Steffey car, since that was the first version issued. The chassis was shared with other kits, but was issued in different lengths for each. The MPC body has the front wheel openings in stock location and the rears stretched to the rear as you observed. What gets me is how close to stock the MPC body is. If I didn't already have three '67-'68 Cougars, I'd be tempted to try converting one to stock just for giggles.

Fix that '63 hardtop! The altered wheelbase '65 is based on the '62-'63 hardtop, same roof and windows. Find a started or incomplete '65, then stub that roof into the '63 body. Shouldn't be hard...

Or just compare with an AMT body. I've got a couple of those, but after a half day at work, riding a bicycle 23 miles, then mowing the lawn and throwing the laundry into the washer, I'm sitting down with an ice cold hard lemonade...

Now watch eBay for an avalanche of Nova wagon builtups and "projects" over the coming weeks, as the Great Unloading commences...

I would suspect that the front wheel openings were moved forward on the Cougar body.

Chassis and engine are unchanged between the two versions.

There was an actual stock car similar to the kit. The number on the car was different though.

Not positive as I haven't got the Round 2 Cougar, but I think they may have tooled a couple of new parts like fuel tanks. I have a Model King Cougar set aside to drop a '66 body on...as I remember the wheelbase matched up pretty well between the two.

Because it sells. A lot of people will buy Coca-Cola related items. Having that branding will bring in sales to that crowd. Those additional sales can make or break an item.

Anyone else remember the Hot Wheels club in 1970? You sent Mattel a buck or two, and got a chrome finish Mustang fastback. You also got a sheet of Hot Wheels logo decals (too big for model cars, but just right for bicycles!) and a catalog. There may have been an iron-on T shirt transfer too. A few months later they had a club package that was sold in stores. Those had one of three or four different cars included, still chrome finish. I got one of those packages too, that one had a Camaro in it.

I've got a de-chopped coupe that someone did starting with two early issue bodies. The box it came in had some sedan delivery parts too. The guy bought one of those for the windshield frame, in part to determine how much to un-chop it. I cleaned up the bodywork a bit--not much was needed though. I'm planning to set it on MPC snap delivery fenders as they have running boards.

After fixing the rear wheel openings, the AWB body is WAY better than the newer one. The Ertl body looks like the car got a bad Bondo job after being sideswiped on both sides. The grille from the Ertl Cyclone has the potential to fit the older body. The headlight spacing seems to match up well, but some material needs to be removed to get it to fit. Not sure if the newer stock hood fits the old body, but it should, with probably adding or removing a bit of material at the sides and back.

The top two are '65s. But there were a couple '66 Impalas in NASCAR. The Chevy guys were usually mid-pack or back-benchers in that period, so pictures and info are sometimes hard to find.

Did you receive the items? I too placed an order for PE parts with the same vendor. This was exactly one week ago, and they arrived today.

As I recall, the old Revell 1/25 scale Type 2 isn't much different size-wise from other manufacturers' 1/24 scale kits.

Multiple piece body (separate side panels, doors, roof) that must be assembled to the floor platform. But that makes sense for this kit: Revell Germany tooled their all-new VW bus and van kits pretty much the same way. In both 1/24 and 1/16 scale. The Roller started out as a stock 23 window deluxe passenger version. It was first issued in 1958 or 1959. In 1967 it was revised to the later 21 window version. A couple of years later it became the Bed Bug, a few years after that it was reworked a bit to become the CB radio themed Rubber Duck. The last transformation was to the Roller. The Roller has no plated parts by the way.

The Chrysler Atlantic concept (Lindberg did a kit, no engine detail though) was powered by a straight eight made by linking two Neon engines. Guys have been doing it forever; I've seen photos and stories about Model T-based straight eights.

The shelf space at the store here was labeled "TV and movie car assortment". I'm not sure what other items Round 2 is currently producing, but when a SN '67 Impala comes off of the shelf, it may not necessarily be replaced with another one right away.

With the shape of the front wheel openings on the '60, moving the front wheels forward within the opening is to a degree desirable. If you lower the '60 with the wheels kept in the same location fore-and-aft, the lowered position will create an optical illusion that makes the wheel look like it has shifted rearward. I noticed this when I started putting the Foose chassis under a '63 pickup.

The Bob-Tailed Cat is featured in the first issue of CAR MODEL, building instructions included.

I'd probably cut the body off just a bit further back (like, even with the rear of the roof)...that would save all of that messing around with the interior and glass.

With nothing to lose, I'd try the Future with a drop of smoke gray acrylic, or maybe gray Tamiya panel line highlighter mixed in. Just one drop...I've done this with clear resin, it doesn't take much at all. If it's not to your liking, take it off and start over.

Maybe you could give the glass a light smoke tint, just enough to lose the yellowing?

I checked the first couple of years' worth of CAR MODEL magazine; none contained an article on the Deuce pickup. The instructions may have been originally planned as a magazine article but not used. That said, the build seems to be all parts from early issues of the coupe kit, with the body altered to add a scratchbuilt pickup bed. Where to cut the body looks pretty obvious...just cut it, close off the back of the body, get it to set on the chassis at the right height, then scratch a bed to resemble the picture.