Mark

Correct x3.

First was the annual of course. The "tiger stripe box" issue came right after that, maybe even in late '65. That one may have run through '67. Next up was the Elegance Series in '68. That one was molded in yellow with tinted blue clear parts, and came in the flat box with the tiny can of pearl spray paint. That one also probably had a lot of parts deleted like the others in the series. There is a 1969 Show & Go series issue also. That one had all of the original parts put back in. The Modified Stocker was issued in '71, the AMT/Ertl restoration came in '84 or '85.

The car on that AMT/Ertl box (first issue after the Modified Stocker) is built from an early kit, with the smooth roof and custom air cleaner from the Modified Stocker. In fact, that's an annual as it has "1965" in the license plate area on the front bumper. Pre-Modified Stocker issues have "AMT" in that area, or it is blank.

I looked at the 1969 reissue (last one before the Modified Stocker). The instruction sheet looks the same as earlier issues. No brand name is used to describe the custom wheels, either on the box or in the instructions...they are just "mag wheels".

Years ago, I saw a "converted back" SB that a local guy had just bought. The front clip was changed from the altered Coronet parts back to Plymouth parts, the rear glass was left alone, and the rear wing attachment points on the quarter panels had plates over them. No bodywork on the quarter panels at all. Under the hood, the vacuum canisters for the headlamp doors were still there, disconnected.

For the stock one, graft in the front wheel openings from a '70 Coronet. The SB used a Coronet front clip, and the ex-MPC kit is more correct there. Too, you can smooth the depressions in the nose piece, as the 1:1 cars didn't have those.

Pretty sure they are, and also pretty certain that engine was phased out during '64 making it incorrect for the '65 and '66 kits.

It's also the last Oldsmobile promotional model.

Those two Rambler American instruction sheets are both '63. The engine is pretty much the same from '63 to '64-'66 though, the axle hole was plugged and moved a bit, the oil filter (on the cylinder head, that's where it was on the 1:1!) may have been moved too.

Must be a regional thing...only the first couple of weeks were we short around here. On the other hand, I was finally able to get a haircut yesterday. I needed one even before this all started...

Word is that the Coronet and GTO were rushed due to a large order by a "big box" store chain. When they were in the works, the Coronet was said to be more accurate than the MPC kit.

Sometimes a banana is just a banana, but that Polar Lights GTO body does look off to me. I've thought about grafting the front and rear ends to an AMT '65, but do have an original '64 and even a spare '64 Lemans convertible and extra GTO parts. The PL Coronet is off too...I took extreme measures to get that one straightened out, should post some pictures of it to show what I did.

Maybe go with an updated tri-power setup, using the carbs from a Corvette. Chrysler hung in with the Six Pack through '71, it was probably a better all-around package than the Hemi for most buyers back then.

The Polar Lights funny car kits have them. Those include two or three sets of front wheels, so you can still build the donor kit with one of the other sets.

Both '65 and '66 convertible kits have clear raised tops, I believe one has the rear window molded "down" or "open" while the other has it in place, as part of the top. Not sure which is which, but I think the '65 has the rear window.

Jimmy Flintstone used to sell just the tires from that kit. I believe those were also used in a couple of the short-run resin kits he made for Testors. By accident I found that a lot of Monogram wheels fit those tires (wheels that fit their Goodyear Rally GT tires, like the Early Iron Series kits). He sets up at NNL East every year, for a long time he'd have bagged sets of tires available. Not sure if he still has any though.

1953 or 1954. Dodge only had one car line in several trim levels back then, no compact or intermediate cars, all were the same size. Not having looked anything up, I'd guess 1954. Dodge supplied the pace car for the Indy 500 in '54. Back then pace cars were chosen because of some sort of advancement and not because the manufacturer got a deal to do so.

Palmer sold out to another company around 1975. The new owners changed the box art to photos of assembled models for their 1976 kits. That's what drove the stake into Palmer!

It all boils down to subject matter in most cases. If the only available kit is an older tool, then that's what you have to work with. What kills a lot of Aurora and Lindberg stuff (military/planes) is that their products were often the first of a particular subject to hit the market. They usually became obsolete if/when someone else brought out a better one.

I've heard early dragster chassis being called "skidbar chassis". Not sure if that refers to the roll cage design (which would seem to let the chassis skid if overturned) or the "underslung" design (lower frame rail below the rear axle) which would let the chassis skid if a rear wheel came off...

The original annual kits included only four tires. In fact, no "annual" kit prior to 1964 included anything but stock tires. Some kits had printed whitewalls, while others had blackwalls with a sheet of stickers. The stickers were die-cut to allow for narrow or wide whitewalls.

I don't understand the logic behind cutting parts (even unneeded ones) out of individual kits during production. Spend more (on hand labor) to give less.

The Ed Roth '57 Chevy is the 1963 tool, with opening everything and poseable front wheels. Molded in white, and cleaner than some Seventies and Eighties issues.

No issue of that kit included plated parts. As for wheels, the tires in the Honcho were originally rubber but later changed to Monogram 4 x 4 tires. The wheels were altered to fit. For different wheels, you might look at Monogram 4 x 4 kits that use the same tires.

I wasn't saying those bumpers were anything but '63 Chrysler. They have "1963" plates, Jo-Han never did a '63 Studebaker in any form. A number of 1:1 cars did use the same bumpers at both ends. Several AMC cars, the '63 Chrysler ('64 has a different front bumper), and some Studebaker Larks.