Mark

Nope, I believe the bore/stroke were changed making the 396 a 402. Not the first time the "wrong" number has been used. I believe one of the 351 Ford engines (Cleveland?) is actually a 352, but Ford didn't want it confused with the earlier 352. I've heard the late-Seventies Pontiac 301 is closer to 302, but 302 was more closely associated with Ford at the time, so 301 it became...

Chevy had a 400 small-block, and the 400 (402) big-block which was also used in "SS 396" Chevelles and Camaros for the last couple of model years. Years ago, one of my brothers parted out two '71 Caprice station wagons, mainly for the engines and transmissions. One was a big-block, the other a small-block. Both had "400" emblems on the front fenders.

And, oddly, the other day I saw a story about the owners of the K-B Toys name thinking about reviving that brand. They claim to be looking into doing it in a way that avoids both Toys "R Us' missteps, as well as their own past mistakes. If it happens, I'd guess it would be as a mainly-online store, with a brick-and-mortar outlet here and there...

They did have them (never a fantastic selection as I recall). They got out of kits in the late Nineties around here. For some reason they had a boatload of AMT/Ertl new-tool '57 Chevy kits at the time, every version that was available (basic, Pro Shop, Coca-Cola, and street machine versions). They blew them out at $3.33 apiece. I snagged all of the Pro Shop ones, probably ten or twelve in all. I've got one, maybe two left that I didn't resell later on. After that, they had a limited selection in a free-standing display at Christmas time for a few years. I did see a couple of AMT Ecto-1A kits scattered among the diecast cars in recent years, that's about it.

The one pictured is a copy of the original kit. The front wheel openings are incorrect (they're carried over from the Duster; 1:1 had Dart fenders, front and rear wheel openings are a mismatch both in shape and detail). The kit's hood is too flat also, as the underside tooling was shared with the Duster, right down to the center bulge (the Demon hood is flat down the center but extremely thin there as a result)....

And now, here's a late entry from Buffalo, NY, sponsored by Mighty Taco... (if you're from around here, you'll put two and two together pretty quickly)

If it fails to start, do you jiggle the handle?

The Revell John Buttera T kits are correct. The Buttera '33-'34 Fords are undersize because they use the same chassis as the Ts.

The trim around the windshield is unique to '63 also...except AMT never changed it on their '64-'67 promos or kits!

First thing: if I had one of those, let alone two, they wouldn't be stored anywhere where they were visible to the general population. Second thing: I wouldn't post stuff like that on FB, unless they were heavily insured and I wanted them gone...

Modelhaus did repop the original bumpers (they pretty much did bumpers for every annual kit!), but I recall there being a notation about the early (pre-Modified Stocker) rear bumper not being a good fit on the "repaired" kit. AMT did a number on the GTO in creating the Modified Stocker; so much was changed that Ertl had to tool an entirely new interior bucket and chassis also. This was one of their earliest efforts, so it didn't come out nearly as good as their later work like, say, the '66 Nova kit.

You should be able to pull up the instruction sheet on the Round 2 website, that should confirm yes/no...

But is that a "Revell" release, or a Revell of Germany release that was planned long before the buyout? Revell of Germany kits imported here were typically a few bucks more than the Revell USA equivalent. A local HS did get the German issues of kits readily available here, and had no trouble selling them. Apparently some buyers wanted the different packaging, and as I understand it some of the kits of foreign subjects got better decals in the German version.

The only '65 Riviera kit with "way less content" was the Barris Cruisin' USA issue, which was one of those Lesney deals where they blocked off all of the parts not used in the version shown on the box. Ertl put everything back, except for a pair of chrome headers. I'd bet Round 2 puts those back. The annual issue had a clear display base too, but as I remember the car didn't really fit it very well.

Looks like a little bit through the doors, and a bit in the front fenders both in front of, and behind, the gills. The elongated rear wheel openings help draw attention away from the front end stretch. Looking there, I'm wondering if a couple of inches weren't added behind the door area as well, just above the rear wheel openings. They did a great job on it, it really flows nicely.

The last round of rumors (prior to the bankruptcy and subsequent sale) involved Revell deciding not to do a Ranchero, because it would require tooling yet another body. Whether or not the new company does one, I'll likely stick with the conversion, as the kit is already paid for and taking up space here! If I want a second Ranchero, I can use the leftovers from the first one to fix the door and roof length on a multi-piece-body kit that is also "in stock"...

I started on a conversion from the two-door sedan, long before the wagon kit came out. I'm using pieces of the old Revell Ranchero (the one with the body molded in sections). The parts I cut off (parts of the quarter panels, and the rear piece that goes around the tailgate) actually fit pretty well. Of course I got distracted and set it aside. Now that the Ranchero kit is officially a no-go, I'll probably get back on it at some point.

It was included in an issue of the AMT '72 GMC Jimmy also. I believe it was called "Bushwhacker".

The custom roof is done by cutting the stock roof (lines on the inside of the roof) and then adding a trim band to the rear portion. The trim piece is on one of the plated trees. The kit doesn't build a 100% accurate Villa Riviera: the 1:1 was a '63, it had extended front fenders and hood, and rounded wheel openings. It also had taillights (Rambler turn signals installed upside down) that didn't make it into the kit. IIRC, one of the HOT ROD annuals has a series of articles on the construction of the 1:1. For the wheel openings, weld some conduit to the fenders, then back up the Bondo truck...

The Cadillac kits are still readily available, at least around here. I did see a pickup kit at HL a week or two ago, but it was gone by the next time I was there. Most, if not all, other Revell kits are still available in my area. There hasn't been any sort of speculation run on them as far as I can see. They'll be back in one form or another. Meanwhile, if I see some goober laying out $100 apiece for these kits, he can have my third pickup (and maybe even my second Model A coupe).

New kits: buy 'em, open them up to check everything. Most stuff with a bar code isn't ever going to be worth big money (there might be a couple of exceptions, like the Revell Model A coupe if the reissue never appears). Anything missing, contact the manufacturer and get replacement part(s) pronto. Old kits: if you intend to build, buy opened ones so you can check condition and completeness (and make sure you aren't getting a rewrapped box with something else inside). MPC kits are notorious for tire-marked clear parts and decal sheets. Jo-Han plastic is brittle compared to other manufacturers', leading to broken parts. The nightmare scenario with a Jo-Han kit is a part that is warped AND broken. If you don't intend to build it, a sealed one might be preferable. But you have to have a feel for knowing if the wrap is original. Store price stickers from back in the day can be helpful.

I'd have to check to be 100% sure, but I believe that is the AMT '23 roadster. It was issued only once back in the Seventies, and shares a lot of parts with the delivery truck that Round 2 has reissued a couple of times.

Those parts would make the Nova look something like a Pontiac...too bad the rest of the kit doesn't look much like a Nova...

MPC never changed tires in their kits...maybe the materials changed, but the tires themselves didn't, they always had one-piece vinyl tires in 99% of their kits. Maybe they knew something about these materials that AMT didn't?

That orange hood might be the custom hood from an AMT '76 Nova. There would be a custom front end piece to go with it. I've never had that kit, so it's a guess. There was no stock/custom '75 Nova, and the '77 had all of the optional parts eliminated. So, if it's from the Nova, it has to be a '76.