Mark

The Edsel kits were AMT. SMP did the Chevrolet and Chrysler products (Imperial, Valiant). SMP was a separate company but with some backing from AMT. AMT acquired it in mid-1961. A handful of '62 Imperial convertible kits got out in boxes with the SMP logo on them, as did about half of the '62 Styline Valiant kits. '62 Impala kits have the SMP logo on the custom license plate on the plated tree.

The Surf Woody was brought back by RC2 earlier, but Round 2 did it right. They also brought back the MPC Cosmic Charger dragster (though based on another kit, it has a lot of unique parts) and the 1/32 scale car kits that last appeared in '67 or '68.

As already stated, it's basically a 1/25 scale promo model, miniaturized a bit. Two-piece plastic tires, but also a one-piece body, plated parts, clear windows...better than most 1/32 scale car kits.

The Black Arrow is a good choice for Jenkins, as he won his first NHRA title as a driver with it. He was to some extent angling for a factory deal with Chrysler, but was never going to get one unless he gave up tuning Chevrolets for the lower Stock classes, which is something he wasn't likely to do. He was in with Strickler on the Dodge deal in '64, but his name wasn't on the contract nor did Chrysler mention him in any of their ads or promotional material. They split towards the end of '64. The Black Arrow has history after Jenkins too, it evolved into an altered wheelbase car over time.

Dr. Burgess (a veterinarian) owned the Black Arrow Plymouth. Jenkins set the car up for him and took it to the first meet to test it out. Grump pulled a fast one by putting his own name as the owner of the car. That is an interesting car, a good choice for a build project. The interchangeable Cyclone and Cougar bodies should work. I picked up an extra Cougar to put under a '66 body, tried it and as I remember it's a pretty good fit. The '66 body I have has a few flaws but will be perfect for this. Bumpers and hood can come from the junk pile because the bumpers are painted silver, and the hood has to be smoothed over anyway. The '66 body is a Comet (plain hood), not a Cyclone. Went to the twice-a-year train show today, actually bought two kits. AMT Collector Series '32 Ford coupe (the one with the display base), I believe that is the toughest kit in the series because it was in production at the time the tooling got damaged. Also got an MPC '32 Chrysler roadster for five bucks. The guy with the Deuce coupe also had a built AMT '68 Cougar, but he wanted $30 for it and wouldn't budge. That's too much considering it didn't have a hood, rear bumper, or taillights among other things. I wanted it more for the box that opened at each end, as I never had one of those. He did sell it, it was gone when I walked by prior to leaving.

I'd check the two kits against each other. The Monogram kit is 1/24 scale and AMT's convertible is 1/25. The Revell Challenger (the one based on the diecast) is supposed to be 1/25, but isn't much smaller than the Monogram kit. The Monogram kit's interior is likely way better anyway.

Some of the younger folk are getting into the vintage hot rods and speed equipment, like the "Race of Gentlemen" type of thing where they stick to period (pre-1950 or thereabouts) equipment. They're putting that stuff together and running it, whereas a lot of the older guys seemed to be content to hoard it or bring it out on a trailer and push it into a display spot.

Each works great for their intended purpose. I use the bottled primer a lot, as I apply it only in areas where bodywork has been done. I use cheap throwaway brushes and wipe them clean with a rag immediately after use, that way I get several uses out of them. Brush marks won't matter if they occur as you're sanding most of the primer away anyway. Using the bottled primer means you're not blasting spray primer onto areas where you don't need it yet, leaving you to apply it only after the entire piece is ready for primer and finish paint.

Yes, you will have to spread the body sides to get it over the roll cage. These parts originated with the 1973 annual kits, and are in most, if not all, Camaro and Firebird kits (except the Trans-Am with the separate T-roof panels, that's a different kit altogether).

The Model King issues are set at a certain number. Dave has to commission the production run, set up the licensing deal (for the racing team), and arrange for the artwork and packaging himself. When they come off of the boat, he's got to pay for them, and probably store a fair number of them until they are sold. That's why the numbers could be lower on these than the usual Moebius production run. The price might be a touch higher too, depending on how difficult it is to get licensing or permission to do a particular car. The AWB cars have a smaller (but devoted) following, and Dave probably has a good indication of how many he can sell profitably. So if you like subject matter like this, get them when you see them. A particular subject may not be popular enough to warrant a second production run.

Aurora also did a Ferrari, but the consensus on that one is that it's not very good. Same level of detail as in the others (including opening doors) but the body is a composite of two different series and not too accurate to either of them. There was also an Aurora Studebaker Avanti, but from what I have heard the AMT kit is far better.

As for the Jag, is it a coupe or convertible? Coupe will also be an ex-Aurora kit, open version will be a Revell kit. Aurora did make an open version but it has not been reissued in that form even by Aurora let alone Monogram or Revell. With Revell having just announced an all-new XK-E in 1/24 scale, I would suspect that they have offloaded the old 1/25 scale tools to Atlantis.

And it had a Chevy engine, never an Olds. I can't say I ever saw a picture of, or article on, any 1:1 Anglia gasser with an Olds engine.

Revell did, in 1969 and 1970. Their kits could be built either as a convertible, or (with add-on vinyl roof) as the hardtop. Not great kits, but the only ones in 1/25 scale.

Moebius did very well with it, they sold the entire production run of them to Model King before they were made! Only MK could answer to how well it is selling.

And it's a cabriolet (most issues refer to it as a roadster).

The individual '32 Chevy kits had the accessories but were not in Gangbusters series packaging. The boxes for the individual kits resembled MPC '66 annual kits. The Gangbusters Chevy kit was an expensive 7-in-1 deal with both bodies included. That kit built one car, not two.

Hubley did make some 1/24 scale kits, but all of those were plastic. The metal body kits vary in scale, if I remember right the Model As and '32 Chevies are 1/20 scale. They're about as common as dirt, go ahead and modify it to your liking.

Don't assume that dealers' service departments automatically use OEM parts. The dealer where I bought my second Dodge Dakota pickup is part of a large dealership group. They also own a NAPA store, and when it comes to things like shock absorbers and brakes they do offer a choice. Having just under 30 years' experience (about 310,000 miles) with two Dakotas, both bought new, I'll say that when it comes to brakes, Genuine Mopar is genuine krap. The original brakes on the second truck started pulsing like mad at just under 20,000 miles. Front and rear, discs all around. Replaced with Genuine Mopar, replacements got me to about 50,000. Again pulsing like crazy. The third set (NAPA) were still on the truck at 133,000 when I got rid of it. I chalked the OEM parts' "quality" up to the "merger of equals" that left Chrysler a gutted hulk abandoned by the roadside after M-B looted it.

The body sides look nothing like the Corvette they are attempting to copy...wheel openings are the wrong shape, and the sides lack the sharp crease that goes all the way around the 'Vette. If they had gotten those elements right, it would look a lot better.

HL clearing something out doesn't always mean that the item in question is discontinued. It only means that perhaps sales on it have topped out for them, leading them to stop carrying it and devote the shelf space to something else. To my knowledge the '57 Ford wagon is still in the Revell catalog, and available elsewhere.

I had both annual kits back in the day; they were the same. The reissues no longer have the year engraved on the license plate area of the bumpers, and the Round 2 versions include parts for two entire figures (one driving/one standing) rather than one that could be assembled either way.

AMT was in on the ground floor with Star Trek. They built the models of the ships used in filming the show, and got the rights to issue model kits as of day one.

The shape of the '49 axle differs from the 9" a bit, in the areas where the axle tubes transition to the center section. A little work with a round file in those areas will go a long way. The 9" housings do have some changes over the years, the earlier ones are generally "smoother". The '57 station wagon axle was the one you'd always see referenced in magazine articles as the best looking, the one the street rodders would hunt down. Not sure if Revell's wagon piece is any different from the one in the sedan kit. The AMT '57 hardtop piece lacks detail on the gear carrier side.

Not the first time...a couple of the only decent kits Palmer ever made are copies of other companies' stuff. Their 1/32 scale '40 Ford sedan is copied from the AMT 1/32 kit, except Palmer split the body into three pieces to simplify tooling. Another of their 1/32 kits, a Chaparral, is a copy of another company's kit. The diecast companies do this too. I had a couple of 1/18 scale '56 Chevy hardtops that were copied from the Monogram 1/24 kit, screwed-up roofline and all. The 1/64 scale diecasts (Hot Wheels, etc) are usually made using 1/24 scale masters as part of the design process. There was an article in the old Johnny Lightning newsletter that showed a couple of them (they used original designs for theirs). What would stop someone from using a kit body in place of the carved master?