Mark

I test fitted the chassis and interior; those will fit with minor work. The grille/bumper is another story due in part to the MPC body having the rectangular headlamp setup. I'd instead look at 3D print earlier grilles designed specifically for the MPC body.

Said to be coming before years' end. Price will be in line with other Round 2 car kits coming at the same time. No box art made public as of now.

2X on noise reduction. I once had a pair of snow tires that had an uneven tread pattern, likewise for noise reduction. Radial snows might have been quieter, but these were bias-ply, bought as radial tires were just ramping up in popularity here.

Any small part that snaps into place has a habit of eventually separating itself from the model.

The parts will be a less expensive way for potential buyers to get acquainted with the quality of the parts. If they are satisfied with those, they'll be more likely to lay out the bucks for a complete kit later on.

MPC '72 Chevy ramp truck has some. Revell '53/'54 Chevy (sedan delivery and sedan, NOT the '53 hardtop) has a few.

There are at least three different series of 1/32 scale cars. The basic series started at 50 cents and ended up at 70 or 75 a few years later. No chrome, no vinyl tires. All did include clear parts, a handful had engines, and some had a small decal sheet early on. About 40 cars, most made in two versions like coupe and convertible. Usually one version is a lot harder to find ('37 Chevy coupe versus convertible for example). Table Top Classics included more upscale cars, had engines and plated parts. I believe most if not all had vinyl tires too. These were priced higher ($1 maybe?) Brass Series also had vinyl tires and engine detail as well as brass plated trim parts. Had Pyro done these in 1/25 scale, even with the same parts breakdown, they'd have lasted a lot longer in the model kit business. They should have done the Design-A-Car kit in 1/25 also.

I don't believe the two were connected, though they were from the same general area. They existed side by side for awhile. Premier kits did have plated parts (one of the earliest companies to have them). They did do some interesting things. I've got their '55 Chevy convertible kit, it is molded in blue and off-white. They go together to form a two-tone body, with the plated side trim covering the seam. If anyone has a convertible kit molded in red and white, I'd be open to trading for one.

Don Hardy (Pro Stock chassis builder) briefly offered a kit to put a small-block in a Chevette. I believe he stopped selling it thinking the bolt-together swap with the stock unit body and front brakes was unsafe. He also constructed the only Pro Stock Chevette I'm aware of, the Kenny Hilger (Brown & Hilger) car from the Southwest (Colorado?). Chevettes had a 94" wheelbase, same as a Ford Pinto. The Pro Stocker had a small-block engine.

In the Northeast those cars rotted with lightning speed. My mom's '70 Torino (bought new) had quarter panels that flapped in the breeze four years later. In mid-'77 she bought a new car, one of my brothers wanted the Torino's 302 to drop into a Falcon sedan delivery he'd bought. I remember being at the garage when he pulled the engine; the second it broke free of the engine mounts, the windshield cracked. The floor in that car was in Fred Flintstone condition by then too.

Get one of each, and measure the key areas. I'd bet that Monogram still had information gathered for the 1/12 scale kit in the archives at the time they were acquired, and Revell used it in the creation of their kit. Both of them look "right".

There have been a few 1/24 scale WWII plane kits, also a steam locomotive. As far as car/truck subject matter, it would probably be a semi pulling two trailers.

I once encountered a guy who left an empty cart in a checkout aisle, then went off to do his shopping. I moved it out of the way, then put my stuff on the checkout. Guy walks back with an armload of stuff, and expects me to let him in front of me. I explained to him that you take the cart around the store to put items in as you find them. Then, once you have everything you want, you go to the register. Incredible...

Usually with the cart in the middle of the aisle, at enough of an angle that nobody can pass on either side.

The Lindberg issues of the '34 have modern/trendy modular custom wheels.

Revell did a (then-new) Mini (the one that isn't really "mini", just has styling cues from the original one) around 2002 (the date on the kit piece).

Front wheel drive something or other. Mini, maybe?

A guy around here had one with a Buick Grand National V6 (but the early type, without the intercooler). Haven't gone to the drag strip more than once or twice a year, but haven't seen it in a long time. Another local guy built a Ford EXP with a Boss 429 back when those cars were fairly new. Never saw it on the street (though it was registered), only saw it at a couple of indoor car shows.

That tank is the wrong shape and in the wrong location. It should be off to the drivers' side leaving room for an oblong muffler alongside it. For some reason, AMT left the gas tank off of their kit chassis.

The Moebius Mercury Cyclone will be the closest thing out there. Mustangs had a similar suspension design but the floor pan and trunk area are nowhere near to being correct. Moebius cribbed the Cyclone chassis off of AMT's '66 Fairlane. So it's not 100% accurate for the Cyclone, but still closer to it and the Falcon than anything else.

Radio control is a tough row to hoe for a local shop. There is one in my area that is still strong, but another one closed about twenty years ago. Guys go to the store to buy magazines, order the big stuff online, only going to the local store for supplies needed right now. And the bigger stuff always carries a risk of becoming outdated "dead" stock.

The Round 2 issue '34 pickups all include five of the chrome wheels retooled for the Mod Rod (ex-Ala Kart) double kit. The '25 T double kit (ones with the chopped coupe body) include four chrome wheels also.

Went to an outdoor car show/swap meet last week. Didn't buy anything there, but one guy I know who set up there told me he was having a garage sale next Saturday (yesterday). Bought a bunch of parts bags, partial kits, and various stuff. The BJ/Bear kit is 1/32 scale. AMT used solid vinyl tires in their truck kits; 1/32 scale tractor-trailer tire makes a pretty decent 1/25 scale medium duty truck tire (as in: ramp truck). Two are missing (along with some other parts) but sixteen of them are still here. The chassis can be cut down for use under a Jimmy Flintstone phantom cabover body, the trailer and fifth wheel setup might be usable for something. The cab sleeper unit has a raised section with windows that might be usable for a custom trailer or something. The Moebius Nova wasn't here, but some parts were including all of the tires (they'll make decent gasser front tires) plus the entire engine and both transmissions. The Powerglide is the best one in scale, I'll have to cast that. The Rat Rod '29 pickup is missing the roadster pickup body and the bed, but the phone booth cab, chassis parts, fenders, and the Rat Rod wheels and tires (not in the current issue kit) are there. I believe the Malco Gasser Mustang is all there. I've already got one, this chassis will get used under something else like a Henry J. There's a Lindberg Dodge cabover in there. I bought it for parts but it might be all there. I'm going to check the parts against the instruction sheet for this as well as the Malco Gasser. The Piranha might be missing the fuel tank...big deal. That chassis will slide under something else. There's a '63 Nova wagon (annual kit), a couple of '65 Chevelle wagons, and an El Camino. I need another Nova like a hole in the head, but this one is in decent shape (even the chrome looks good). I've got a Moebius Nova gasser chassis (bought without body) waiting for this. I bought the Chevelle wagons and El Camino in one bag. I needed another wagon roof to stretch one for an Olds Vista Cruiser (they're longer in the rear door area), and also noticed that it and the Camino are early reissues with red taillight lenses and chrome bezels. Those look like they will come apart without a struggle, and can then be cast to get better parts for the more recent issue kits. There's some other stuff in there: numerous partial chrome trees, tons of wheels and chassis parts, a Monogram SVO Mustang (busted body, untouched engine), Revell '66 Suburban parts (no body, but untouched chassis). A couple of huge boxes of entertainment for the coming winter...

The tub is actually harder to tool up. It was done to simplify promotional models; fewer parts, easier to assemble. The down side is limited detail on the sides, and the taper (draft) from top to bottom. The separate parts eliminate all of that.

The mid-Fifties Revell 1/32 scale car kits had separate side panels. You could say that those were replaced by the interior tub with the SMP/AMT '58 car kits.