Mark

Those were only sold at Wal-Mart. One LHS guy here used to buy them and try to pass them off as "rare packaging variations" for several times the WM price. He's out of business now. Some of them might be future collectibles, because they aren't catalog items. Some weren't around long. The prepaints in particular might be good, as many weren't offered in the regular line and differed from the regular ones in color.

I've seen a couple of them, but removing the detail yourself isn't hard. The AMT '55 kits are good ones to start with, as the pipe detail isn't hollow on the opposite side of the chassis like most kits. The only area where you will be left with a hole to fill will be the muffler. I did a Nomad chassis awhile back, it's not tough at all. Single exhaust means 50% less work. X-Acto chisel blades and sandpaper can be used, or a rotary power tool provided you have one that can be slowed down enough. Most tools with built-in speed control are way too fast, even on the slowest setting. Smooth everything up, then put the floorpan detail back in those areas with strip styrene, as a mirror image of the other side. The sedan chassis has single exhaust because the front half of it is carried over from the Nomad. The Nomad didn't have duals because Chevrolet didn't offer them on wagons in '55.

If you read the fine print, Ollie's didn't buy the leftovers from Toys 'R Us. They bought inventory from manufactures who lost Toys 'R Us as a customer, probably stuff they were planning on selling to them over the summer. I was in TRU a couple of times over the last Christmas shopping season, the stores here didn't have a lot of things even then. What was left for the bankruptcy sale was probably just dreck and dross compared to even that...

The go-kart came up in the discussion, as something of an explanation of how those accessory items are often done. In the case of the kart, it was tooled as a separate item and pieced into the Ford pickup, so it would be more likely to survive as a separate tool insert. The El Camino's boat may (repeat, may) have been part of the original El Camino tooling, since it was in there the very first issue. IF that is the case, it would likely have been milled out of the tool to make room for the '65 optional parts, in which case it would no longer exist. Has anyone ever seen a 1:1 Westcraft boat? As for the '64 El Camino itself, the tool was modified to produce 1965 El Camino promotional models, and later, kits. It is what it is right now. The only way to make a '64 again would be to either backdate everything or cut another tool, which would be unlikely. Yes, some folks would like to see a '64 again, but Round 2 can sell enough '65 kits to justify keeping it as it is.

SMP. SMP made all of the Chevrolet and some Chrysler products (Imperial, Valiant) kits through 1961. The AMT '62 Impala annual kits have "SMP" engraved on the custom license plate on the plated tree.

Then again, if you counted the molded-in rocker arms on the 340 heads, you could have come to that conclusion too... The 1:1 Viper engine looks smaller than it is when you see one out of a car. I've seen one off and on at one of the local swap meets, and had the bright idea to try stuffing one into a Duster kit underbody. That thing ain't anywhere near to fitting: it's pretty long, and the oil pan gets in the way of everything...

The street machine version had a Viper style intake and some other new parts, but the engine was the 340. With the original annual kits, the '71 has a smooth trunk lid while the '72 has the center peak (which was phased in during '71 from what I have read). '72 taillight holes are more squared off also.

The Nova wagon was a '63, and the engine was different. In fact, the sixes in the '64 El Camino and Chevelle wagon differ slightly from one another.

The F-85/Edsel/Chevelle used one chassis, the Nova/Tempest used another. The Barracuda and Corvair use a common chassis. The Falcon, Mustang, and '67 Cyclone each had their own chassis.

MPC had several different early funny car chassis. The usual plan for MPC was to decide which stock kit bodies they wanted to use, then adapt the chassis with the closest wheelbase. That's why there were Coronet and '70-'71 Mercury Cyclone funny cars which never existed in the real world. Some chassis could be molded with different length side rails for different wheelbases. The '67 Color Me Gone Charger, the Mercury Cougars, and the Unswitchable '67 GTO used the same chassis, but there are at least two lengths to the side rails. I know the Color Me Gone chassis is a tad longer than the Cougar's. The '68-'70 Mopars (Chargers and Coronets) all used the same chassis, and I'm pretty sure it was reworked and used under Challengers and Barracudas as well. I have a later version with extra mounting points for the front radius rods, apparently different kits used each location. There was a 1970 Logghe Brothers chassis also, first molded with separate side rails like the early chassis. Later kits had the chassis with the side rails, front crossmember, and interior floor molded as one piece. This chassis was used under the Mercury Cyclones, a couple of Firebirds and Camaros, and a Maverick. In 1972, MPC tooled an all-new narrow, modern chassis and started using it, but some kits were issued with the 1970 style chassis a couple of years after that.

I've heard and read several knowledgeable people say that this kit measures out very well as a 1/25 scale replica. It's not as long as a regular Cadillac. The only big issue is that the front fenders, hood, and front bumper are slightly short ahead of the front wheels, with the bumper bullets being longer to make up the overall length. I'm planning on plumbing some of the parts from the Foose custom into one of these, once I get a second body to correct this kit.

The two all-new Foose kits generated more buzz than nearly anything else Revell has done in the last few years. They're somewhat simplified yet have good detail. They're accurate as the finished 1:1 vehicles yet leave meat on the bone for those who would do things a bit (or a lot) differently. And, both kits have chassis, wheels/tires, engines, and interior parts that are adaptable to other projects. Anyone I know who bought one, bought more than one. These kits, and the new-tool modified Model A coupe and roadster pretty much knocked it out of the park for Revell. A stock '56 Ford pickup would probably sell well...stock Cadillac would sell well among the fanatics, but there just aren't enough of them around.

You've got to watch some of these swaps, particularly Mopars and some Fords...the Duster has its inner fenders molded as part of the body. Same deal with the Revell Dart. I bought the Hemi issue of the Dart, minus the body, from a slot car guy with the intention of using its underbody with a 'Cuda. Fortunately, I still had the defective body from another Dart I'd bought earlier (Revell sent a replacement for that one).

The Corvette is probably a ('69) Dyno Racer. Same idea, except the cars were pre-assembled and included a "launcher". That series included a 'Vette, a Firebird, and a GTO. The reissued '69 GTO funny car kits have "DYNO" on the rear license plate because the body was used for both.

If you have eBay prices, you'll essentially be taking everything there to exhibit, and bringing all of them back home.

I meant the one pictured in the ad...

I wonder how that '32 Ford got built in 1/32 scale, seeing as how none of those kits included an engine...

Styrene is styrene...use plain old styrene cement if you can wait for it to set fully. If you want to get going on the bodywork right now, use CA glue.

Nope, one issue included only custom parts (no stock bumpers). And even then, only one of the two custom versions was included in that issue (Barris Cruisin' USA, the one with the rub-on graphics and sheet of stick-on iridescent material).

Those yellow one (AMT/Ertl reissue) usually had thick/runny/dull/wrinkly plating too. I probably had three or four of those over the years; all of mine did. I think I've got one left, if I ever get to it I'll just paint it yellow and stick the "airport limousine" decals on from the Che Riviera "highjacking" issue...

I worked at a place where the owner was in the habit of loaning money to employees. Many would leave before paying back in full. Others would walk into my office and ask me to loan them money. I pointed to the sign on my desk that read: "loaning money causes amnesia"...

That's three more than me...

This is the AMT kit. AMT tooled one for '67, it went to MPC for '68 (along with the Barracuda; nobody knows the how/why of those deals). AMT tooled another one for '69, with the big-block engine and dual exhaust. The existing '72 pickup kit is made up from parts from both tools, along with some new parts.

That cap was also included in the '68 reissue of the AMT '63 Ford pickup. How would you access that raised area over the cab?

It's a '69. It was released in an annual-style box also: same parts, even the same decals. I had the annual kit back then, have one of these now. This one is the tougher of the two to find.