Mark

That is the best chassis for the original car (fullsize mid-Sixties Mopar). Way better than the Jo-Han chassis of that era. If you aren't concerned about a "more detailed" chassis being from a similar car, then you could use anything that fits.

I believe the "special edition" box was originally done for Auto World as an online/mail order deal. I have seen them being sold by a couple of show vendors also, maybe those are unsold ones from the original offer.

Maybe cut one wheel, modify it as desired, then cast copies? I too have a few sets of turned aluminum rims similar to those pictured, and also have a lathe (but no experience operating it, though I intend to change that this coming winter). I'll likely just make up, and cast, some centers for the rims that I have, then hopefully do some new parts for other things.

That's going to be tough, even on the correct lathe, for anyone who hasn't got expertise with it. The wheel can be held in a four-jaw chuck. With a reversible chuck, the jaws can be inverted and might be able to hold the wheel from inside the center hole as opposed to holding it from around its perimeter. Getting it concentric is the tough part, except for someone expert with the right feel for their lathe. A couple thousands of an inch off center, and the part will be turned into junk. For someone starting out with their lathe, it would be easier to start with raw material, and cut a new rim with the desired changes. Then, the trick will be in making three more that match!

It's a wood lathe...no provisions for mounting cutting tools in any sort of fixed position for precision work...

I didn't make it clear, I was referring to the AMT fastback, which has been the altered wheelbase version since about 1967.

The bodies in the Monogram early Mustang kits are too "stiff", they don't capture the subject as well as the AMT kits. Throw in the 4x4 stance, shallow headlamps, and non-stock exhaust system, plus the wrong scale, and I'll take the AMT kits any day. It's only too bad that they haven't seen fit to return the fastback to stock forn.

If you have an El Camino or wagon kit, try those bumpers before buying another kit. All three kits (wagon, El Camino, and hardtop) are different tooling but the bumpers interchange. The Modified Stocker grille has engraved headlight covers that the other two do not have.

The Mustang tool was probably marked "1965" because that's what it started out as. Someone may have assumed that it wasn't updated to '66 spec. On the other hand, in the "desert racer" series that was available at the same time, the '61 Ranchero was called a '62. It was never anything but a '61 pre-Round 2. The recently available '66 Mustang coupe combines the body, interior, and trim pieces from the Flower Series kit with the chassis and engine from the original annual kit.

Says '65 on the box, pure, unadulterated '66 inside. Half of the kits in that series ('61 Galaxie, '62 Buick, and the Mustang) can be had reasonably, I've given thought to sticking one together like that...

I reply with two words; one verb, one pronoun...

If the chassis is needed for a station wagon, the El Camino piece should work. All of the wagons, regardless of trim level, were on the short wheelbase. On the passenger cars, the wheelbase difference was at the rear. Had it been in front of the firewall, then the wagons would likely have been built on two wheelbases also.

The body in the latest reissue is relatively new, created for the Fast & Furious issue. The original body was, in order: '68 annual, '69 annual, Dickie Harrell funny car body, Jeg's dirt track car body, the Eighties "black hardtop" issue, then was permanently changed into the convertible a few years after that. Apparently the convertible alteration could not be reversed, so the new body was tooled.

Looks like it might be from the MPC "Bottoms Up" Jeep. The Cammer engine was in the back, as the Jeep was a wheelstander.

ALL of the stock '68-'70 AMX annual kits were sold in AMT boxes. There was one '68, two '69s, and two '70s. The two '69 kits had the same parts and decals, just different boxes and different stock numbers (same for 1970). The first two-seater AMX sold in Jo-Han packaging was the original issue of the Shirley Shahan Super Stocker, in 1971. The only street version they sold was the USA Oldies issue, and that one didn't have stock wheels.

Around here (and in other areas) the market for NASCAR kits collapsed on itself: people often bought two of the same kit (one "to save"), and extras to build with aftermarket decals. But a lot of them lost interest once they were "last year's cars" or were determined to have been backmarkers (like most of these). I got the $3 ones from a guy who decided to liquidate his collection of them at a huge loss, the $1 kits came from a couple of guys who bought a large collection. They blew out the NASCAR items simply because they didn't have the space to store them; in pricing out the collection prior to the purchase, they valued them at zero. There are still a lot of them around, more than the number of builders with interest in that era...

Too bad it wasn't a Yenko Stinger...those were the first COPO cars, Don Yenko had them built minus all exterior trim moldings and scripts...

The new issue is out...I saw it at the Three Rivers show yesterday. I did buy an AMT Surf Wagon Chevelle kit there, the Valiant Scamp Kit Car was available too...

Only '68 and '69 had the side markers. The AMT '68 annual kit was marked "for '68" and was actually a '67 minus stock wheel covers, even the interior was '67.

I can picture that one now. I've been picking these up on the cheap. Only the yellow #29 was bought new, at (then) regular price. Three of them were bought for $3 apiece (two yesterday), the other two were a buck apiece.

Just trim, scripts, wheel covers, and upholstery patterns. If you pound the ground, early annuals do turn up at reasonable prices; earlier this year at NNL East, I found a mostly unassembled '67 for $20. I put it back on the table, next guy grabbed it, I thought he'd buy it. Walking around later in the day, I saw it still on the table, this time I bought it.

Three of us set up together on two tables there, as we have for most of the last ten years...all three of us found some screaming deals, and sold some stuff too...

Besides the six kits pictured, how many different kits did Revell-Monogram produce?

The parts are similar but not from the same tooling. Obviously the same masters were used for some parts. The first kit (Color Me Gone Dodge) was made based on a modern replica, it has slightly widened rear wheel tubs and an incorrect rear axle that was copied in the Plymouth kit. The width inconsistency is baffling. Jo-Han got those things right 99% of the time, plus.

The Flintstone body is decent for the money, but I'd be inclined to try the conversion myself first. As long as you don't cut up anything that you would need to use with the resin body, if the conversion works out then you are a few bucks ahead not having to buy the body. I've thought about doing a Plymouth sedan, not sure how I'd cut the bodies though. The Lindberg Dodge body does have rather wide C-pillars, which need some attention whether you build a Dodge or use the roof in a conversion. The Dodge windshield is a bit on the flat side also. I'd try to piece in the Plymouth cowl, not sure if there's enough extra material on its windshield glass to be usable with the taller sedan roof though.