Mark

Interesting that those two dragster frames are connected together. I figured that those parts packs were probably molded about four at a time. There's no way of knowing if certain ones had to be run together, or if one could be switched for another during a production run. The parts between the two frames appear to be the extra parts added to the Mooneyes version of the Dragmaster frame.

Attached are pictures of the three CAR MODEL cover/article cars I was able to obtain last month. The condition of the three varies: -The '57 Chevy is in quite decent shape. The bumpers have "silvered" a bit, but they're better than equivalent parts in some unbuilt Revell kits from the period that I have seen. The paint on the car still has a nice shine. The seam between the original kit roof and the balsa extension piece is visible, but not obtrusive. A detailed build article appeared in the July 1964 issue. This model was entered in the Revell/Pactra contest series in 1965 (the third and, I believe, last series). I don't know how it did. Probably for the contest, the wheels and tires used in the original build (from the base kit) were replaced with AMT '55 Nomad wheels and tires. A custom grille bar from an AMT '56 Ford kit was also added. And no, I don't get the Ford oval decals on a Cadillac-powered Chevy. -The '49 Mercury appeared on, and in, the May 1966 issue. Two Mercury kits were used, the second one donated body sections for the custom front end and to stretch the chopped top. The Hurst mag wheels and tires appear to be from the '66 Mercury annual kit. The chop is incorrect compared to a 1:1 Merc, in that the top is stretched and the rear window area is cut. Good 1:1 Merc chops shift the roof forward without extending it, and tilt the rear window area forward to close the gap. The tempered glass backlite can't be cut anyway. Plans are to clean this one up, reattach the loose parts, and then build a clone with another two Merc kits. I'll do the "wrong" chop but will cut the two bodies so as to have fewer seams to fill. The original build stretched the roof with a piece added in at the center, with the B-pillars being spliced in towards the end of the job. I'll do it differently but it will look the same. The paint on this car is Testor's metalflake blue, from the Ed Roth color line. One of the newer Testor's custom lacquers should approximate the color. I might even use the custom wheels from a reissue '66 Merc, just because. -The '65 Coronet appeared in two issues (November and December 1965) and on the December cover. My November issue doesn't have a cover, so I don't know if the Dodge appears or is mentioned on it. The November article outlines the wheelbase alteration, with December allocated to paint and hand lettering. Different themes were used on opposite sides of the car. This model is in one piece but isn't in great shape: the paint is on the heavy side and exhibits a lot of cracking on the hood, roof, and deck. I wanted to get this car in particular, as I thought someone not knowing what it was might tear it down and strip the paint for a rebuild. I'd like to build a new one of these (or more likely two, each with the same lettering on both sides). Maybe two Polar Lights Coronets, or possibly an original MPC for one car and a Moebius Plymouth Satellite for the other....

Nope, no story. I don't have the paperwork for any of my eBay purchases, but I'm thinking that I got a 1959 (first volume) Auto World catalog from the same guy some years back. That guy claimed to be a distant relative to the Koveleski family (who owned and operated Auto World among other things). The catalog I have has no mailing label on it, which to me would be unusual because the company started as strictly mail order. (From what I have heard, they never operated a regular store; the walk-in Auto World was supposedly just a counter, where you'd walk in and tell them what you wanted, and they'd get it from the "back room".) I got three cars, all of which appeared as "how-to" articles and all of which made the covers too. I'm starting a separate thread on the cars I got, so as not to water down Snake's thread.

I'll have to have a look at that article again. The "recent" issue Fairlane Modified Stocker has a lot of "unblocked" parts that aren't needed in that version; I'm not sure if the traction bar setup is among them.

I'm not sure when the article about this car appeared, but I'm pretty certain it was during '65, long before the MPC kit came out. But, I do remember the build being based on an AMT kit. I'm pretty sure the hood blister was carved from wood. The MPC '66 kit has a hood with a poorly shaped blister (got one in a parts box here somewhere) and the MPC kit also had separate door handles. I had a sealed one of those, sold it last year at NNL East. As for the chassis, who can know for certain? I'd look for an original AMT single-exhaust chassis (duals were added much later, for the Mach I concept car) and try to duplicate the original build as closely as possible. The '57 Chevy sedan delivery I got has different wheels and tires from the original 1964 build article. Those probably got changed prior to the model being entered in the '65 Revell/Pactra contest series.

The MPC '68 Mustang kit that I had was molded in white, but I have seen other MPC annual kits molded in various colors in addition to white. No longer having an early MPC Mustang kit, the one pictured is definitely an early one, could be as early as '66.

The same chassis was used through '73, with alterations. On the later, longer wheelbase versions, you can see where pieces were spliced into the tool to stretch it.

Chalk it up to a bad decision (wisdom is gained through experience, and experience comes through bad decisions!) and foot the bill yourself. Next thing to do is start shopping insurance. If the agent is keeping secrets regarding what is covered and what isn't, he/she isn't working for your best interest...

The kit is correct in that respect; the actual car is difficult to fit wide tires to, and it's tough to change tires on one if wide tires are fitted or if the car is lowered. You'll end up with either radiused wheel openings, or with the rear frame rails moved in and new inner wheel wells fitted.

It will shrink as the cement evaporates. I have used it, it can be useful provided you know, and work within, its limitations though.

They've got them in my area, also the Revell '68 Chevelle. It appears that the local store managers might now have some latitude in how things are run. I've seen where stores in other areas are still blowing out discontinued items cheap; the stores here aren't doing that. Looks like they are no longer doing a stock reset at specific times of the year, but are instead phasing new items in one by one.

I used liquid cement because it softens the strip stock a little, which helps it make the tight turns at the corners without splitting. One other thing I forgot to mention; the cut at the end I started at was a diagonal one, so the other end would tuck under it.

Don't use round or half-round rod, use square stock. I believe I used .020" square on the Dirty Donny van that I built a few years ago. Leave the existing gutter on and attach the square stock to its edge. You can sand or scrape the added strip thinner in areas where it sticks out too much. I started in the area of the side door, at the rear of it. Start at the rear door line near the wheel opening, and work your way around. Don't cut the strip of square stock. Using liquid cement, first stick down the straight section just above the door mechanism. Tape it down, let it dry. Then wrap the strip around the right rear corner and attach the strip across the rear, above the rear doors. Let that dry, then wrap the left rear corner and do the left side. At some point you'll run out of strip, as the 12" long piece won't get you all the way around. Don't try to join the second strip at a corner. Use a sharp knife to make the last cut, where you complete the strip all the way around.

I've seen a few of them with sunroofs...

Different trim levels?

The Monogram '41 Continental kit has a much better V-12 engine. It's 1/24 scale, and simplified (parts like oil pan and exhaust manifolds molded as a unit with the block).

I've got one Car Model Contest Annual (centered around the first Revell contest in '63), and three compilations of CAR MODEL articles. One is called "The Big Book of Car Modeling" , it's probably from about 1965, and two other compilations dated 1967 and 1968. All of them have reprints of articles from the magazine (some are in all three!), a few are edited/updated, some have the original writers' names deleted. I don't believe any of these have any totally new/original material. Probably a "quick buck" thing for CAR MODEL; the writers sold the articles for a one-time payment, and signed over the reprint rights when they did that. I'm not claiming to have all of these; there may be more. In fact, I'm hoping there are annuals for the second and third Revell contests. The '57 Chevy build is covered in one of the 1964 issues, and it's on the cover as well. It was entered in the '65 Revell contest, which I don't know whether or not they did an annual for like the '63 contest. The original build had wheels, tires, and slicks from the Revell '57 kit. As it sits now, those have been switched out for AMT '55 Nomad mags, slicks, and front tires, and a custom grille bar was added from an AMT '56 Ford kit. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. It's in good shape, though the seam between the wood section of the roof and the front part of the original roof is now visible. I've got all 133 issues of CAR MODEL magazine; the one with the first half of the Dodge article is the only one of the lot that hasn't got the cover. I guess I'll be keeping an eye open for one on eBay and/or NNL East. The second half issue (December '65?) does have two pictures of the car on the cover. I do plan on posting all three as soon as I get the data stepped up on my phone (which is a better camera than my camera). Between this stuff and a job search, the thing is pretty much overwhelmed right now...

I saw the Malco Gasser Mustang, but passed on it because I've got a pile of parts to build one better than the kit (AMT annual kit body, first issue MPC chassis, and other "better" parts). I figured whoever got that one would know what it is, and take care of it. I did get the Coronet. There are two articles on it: one outlines the altered wheelbase conversion, the other shows how to do hand lettering (hence different themes on opposite sides of the car). The third was a chopped and sectioned '49 Mercury. I knew it was an article car, but forgot about the cover shot until I dug out the magazine. The build is so-so but looks interesting. It's obviously rushed for a deadline, looks okay on top but not so hot underneath. I've got enough original Coronet stuff to build another one, but might use a Polar Lights kit just because. Maybe do two, one with each lettering scheme on both sides. The Merc is chopped "wrong" in that the roof is stretched (using a second kit) and the rear window opening is cut. I'd do the new one the same way, just because. It was built in 1966 using two Mercury kits molded in black. I'd bet Auto World (then connected with Car Model) still had a bunch of those early production black kits in stock, and supplied them to the builder in hopes of stirring up demand for them. Interesting stuff which makes collecting fun...

I got the one you are referring to (as well as two other Car Model cover/article cars); I do intend to preserve all of them as-is (and build copies of the other two). They have tangible history with the documentation to back it up. After sneaking up on the first one and bagging the second, the bidding on the contest car jumped from around $15 or so to the $57 figure, where it stayed for a couple of days. I noticed there were two $57 bids from different bidders, meaning there was "no slack left in the rope", that at that moment it was maxed out. I had the guy ship the other two not figuring on getting that one, but at the end I thought it was "within reach". Collectors talk about how rare a '66 Valiant promo or '69 AMC Rebel kit is, but how many documented early/mid Sixties contest/magazine article cars are left? One of my buddies has another car that appeared in a small photo from coverage of a contest, he got it from the guy who built it who still lives in the area.

The fanatics would go nuts over it...problem is, there aren't enough fanatics to cover the costs involved.

You don't know if you lost it by $1, only that the high bidder's bid was higher than yours at the end by that increment. He might have been willing to pay a lot more than that, it's just that nobody stretched him out more than you did. I've never used a sniping program, but on the other hand I try to throw my bid in as late as possible. You only have to be high bidder for one second, just as long as it's the last second.

Back then, the pro stock (and most funny car) kits were based on stock annual kit bodies. When the bodies were updated to next years' cars, the chance to reissue the drag version was lost. The Leal Duster body is now a '75-'76 Dart Sport.

And, should you meet them, they won't want to shake hands with you...

The body from the '32 sedan was issued once in the mid-Seventies as a stock/street rod kit. The interior, chassis, fenders, etc. from the Phaeton kit were used in that kit.

Revell's kit came first ('63). I'm pretty certain AMT's double kit was first issued in '64. There's a photo out there of John Mazmanian's Willys in front of the AMT offices in Michigan. It's been said that AMT originally planned its Willys as a replica of the Mazmanian car. The Willys in the AMT double kit is nothing like that car, though.