Mark

The Sportsman and subsequent "NASCAR" reissues have the stock gas tank detail replaced with a fuel cell.

There's some butchery with the Matador; not with the custom but with the Allison sportsman version that came after the custom. The body was smoothed (door handles and scripts removed) and the chassis was messed with a bit.

The Revell '67 kits (Shahan Coronet, Sox & Martin GTX) will have the hood scoop, and the Dodge might have a set of Cragar wheels too. The '64 Hemi hood scoop can be altered to fit too (the rear edge has a reverse curve, to match the rear edge of the '64 hood).

Do they have an app for that?

The Bat Machine did include a complete "stock" version including the seats. The upholstery pattern in the '70 kits is likely unchanged from the MPC '69 because AMT had the promotional model deal that year. MPC's '70 hardtop looks slightly "starched and pressed" next to the AMT, but it's passable. AMT did a '70 convertible promotional model but no kit. The promo has the correct deck lid without the recess at the center. I'm pretty certain it has the "hardtop with the roof cut off" upper quarter panels and windshield frame like the MPC Bat Machine.

MPC's '70 Impala hardtop kit did have "SS" emblems, bucket seats, and a console. I'm not sure about the "Bat Machine" convertible kit. AMT's annual issue of the '70 hardtop had the bench seat and no "SS" emblem, but the box did refer to it as an SS.

Those parts were in the '67 annual kits, and the chassis/engine parts from them carried over into the big Chevy kits issued through 1970. Not stock for any of them, but a neat option nevertheless...

There was an IMC Surf Buggy kit; it would appear that it was later modified into the Bugs Buggy, which is what was reissued. Doesn't look too bad, especially for eight bucks...but I'm watching my purchases lately, so I'll pass...

Anyone have a pic of what's in the 1/20 dune buggy box? I stopped at one store today, out of curiosity picked up one of those and it seemed awfully light and the contents seemed to have a lot of empty space, especially for a 1/20 scale kit. Checked another one, it seemed to be the same. I didn't buy one...last two weekends, I was at a local show and then NNL East offing some stuff in order to make some empty space and a few bucks...

I've still got my Mustang, and the 1970 catalog that came in the package. Later they sold the "club" membership in stores. I had one of those too, it included a chrome Camaro.

The '63 Nova kits could be had for quite a long time, but the '65 Craftsman kit was always tough because people were buying them up, assembling them, and trying to palm them off as promotional models. There were no '64 Nova kits or promotionals. MPC '72 Dusters are tough now (built ones often have cut hoods) but '71s seem to turn up more often. That usually happens when a newly tooled version of a particular car turns up, whether the new one is better than the original or not. For example, I've got three or four really nice, clean, rebuildable '62 Impala convertibles that I bought after the AMT/Ertl convertible came out. I don't think I've got more than ten bucks in any of them. Same goes for '61 Impalas, both hardtops and convertibles. I even tripped over a couple of cheap '69 El Caminos after the '68 came out.

Just why would be a mystery for the ages, but obliterating the color name might be part of the buyout deal. Back when Duplicolor came in the cans without labels (everything was printed right on the can) the stores that carried the closeout cans apparently had to obliterate the Duplicolor brand name on the cans! I bought a bunch of cans back then (at Big Lots; Ollie's didn't exist, at least around here) and the name was knocked off of every can with what appeared to be a wire brush wheel. Those didn't have the colors named on the cans, but the code number on the sticker was visible (unless it had faded due to age). In most cases you'd know what make of car the color was for, but you'd have to find an older Duplicolor book to figure out what color you had, though.

I've got two unbuilt convertible kits; one I got from my older brother in '73 or '74. He got it from his wife's uncle who had it sitting in his closet since '64, so I know pretty much where it has been all these years. I can't remember where I got the other one. I pieced together a hardtop from a partial kit found on eBay, and another kit that apparently got cannibalized for a slot car back in the day. The body in the partial kit was painted, but none of the parts in either kit were ever assembled. I did have to buy a window unit from one of those eBay "break up a kit and sell the parts" vendors, but even overpaying for that piece I haven't got nearly as much in it as I would have if I'd found a complete one.

I was going to mention the "loading up" in the final years...a lot of these people refuse extra assignments or overtime for many years, then grab all they can in the last five years before retirement to pad the pension payment. In New York, public employees (including the politicians that never met a tax they didn't like) receive pensions exempt from New York State income tax.

The MPC '69 Trans-Am was a late '69 release...box art looked more like a '70 annual kit than a '69. As for the '67 and '68, those tend to get lumped in with other kits that have been "replaced" by newer kits of the same subject. As for the '70 El Camino, AMT did announce one but never produced it. They announced several other '70 annual kits that didn't appear, and a couple others that were announced didn't appear in exactly the same versions.

The Jo-Han '69 Rebel has to make this list. The number of Jo-Han stock Sixties cars that weren't also made as promotional models can probably be counted on your fingers; this is one of them. Short production run, probably done in between the '69 Ambassador and '70 Rebel. I've heard the '69 Rebel is the Jo-Han kit that was produced in the lowest quantity, and I'd go along with that. The AMT '69 Cobra coupe (convertible with separate glue-on vinyl roof) belongs here too. One shot deal, never came back. The '68 Torino convertible pace car is a tough one too, but nowhere near as hard to find as the '69 Cobra. AMT '68 Chevelle is a no-brainer...you can convert a '69, but an original '68 is tough to find and expensive when you do find one. Sticking with midsize GM, let's throw in the MPC '68-'69 GTO convertibles and Jo-Han '68 4-4-2. When was the last time anyone saw an unbuilt MPC '70 Cougar convertible? MPC '68-'69 Coronets, (particularly convertibles) aren't falling out of the trees lately, and never really were except when new. Most of them got built as drag versions (meaning the hoods got cut, among other things). MPC '68 Impalas, AMT '64 GTO, Jo-Han '68-'69 Javelins...I'll say I've gotten to ten here. Others would include the MPC '70-'71 Cyclone, MPC Dodge Demon, AMT '66 Skylark GS (the annual 3-in-1 kit), AMT '67 and '68 Galaxies, and MPC '66 Mustang fastback. Non-musclecar rarities would include the Jo-Han stock Maverick (and '71 Comet) and '69-'70 Cadillacs. I'll probably think of half a dozen others right after hitting "submit reply"...

When I was in high school, the one teacher that whined the most about being underpaid always had a tan in the middle of winter, this before the advent of tanning salons. She also whined about not being able to collect unemployment when she was off during the summer. One kid asked her "didn't you know that when you took the job?"; we never heard that complaint again. My sister is a teacher; she has a choice of being paid over the course of the school year, or taking smaller payments year round. She's never whined about being underpaid, at least not in front of me.

Big Lots around here hasn't had kits in eight or nine years. The last ones were probably from RC2 clearing out their stock when they decided to quit the model kit business. Buyers' Choice Silhouette, '76 Caprice, '66 Wildcat, things like that. They might have been $5 apiece, maybe $7. At the same time, Ollies had returns from Walmart when they quit selling kits around the same time. They had the WM-boxed Modified Stockers and ex-MPC dirt track cars, for (I think) $4 apiece.

I'm surprised any of those are left in unassembled form. Those, and the Revell "Rodfather" (modified Roth Tweedy Pie) all seem to have been built (and not particularly well, at that) by kids under the age of 10...

The moment I clicked on this thread, somehow I thought that the car involved would be an Audi. Ironically, the pop-up ad below the first post is for an Audi dealer. Anyone else remember the ad campaign Audi was running right after the "unintended acceleration" incidents, featuring supposedly high-IQ Audi owners? This, right after they were trying to say that owners were confusing the accelerator with the brake pedal...

Years ago, they did. It's hard to imagine now, but about twenty years ago the AMT '66 Nova (stock version) was out of production and highly sought after. I found about twenty of them at a Big Lots store, and resold them for what would be decent money even today. A dealer bought the last six from me, and he paid the same price as everyone else. So he must have been expecting to resell them for even more.

The AMT "for 1968" Camaro kit had that hood. I've probably got enough parts to build a couple of those on the pile.

That's an AMT hood, it's from the custom only "for 1968" annual Camaro kit. AMT didn't have advance information on some 1968 cars because MPC had the promotional model deals for those. AMT threw a few customized '67 kits out there and called them "for 1968" kits. Most of their '68 annual kits had "1968" on the box, the custom ones had "for" in small letters next to "1968". The hood pictured is a custom item of course. If you have a Camaro body with the roof molded in place, it is either AMT '67 or MPC '68. The AMT "for 1968" kit had a '67 convertible body with no scripts or emblems, no taillight panel, and a separate vinyl roof.

Supplies are where you find them! Automotive swap meets usually have one or more "body shop supply" tents where you can get automotive wet/dry sandpaper, spot putty, glazing putty, and masking tape. I'd try the local body shop supply places (or a NAPA store) first for putties and tape though; the flea market/swap meet guys might be selling old stock. The storefront places do a lot of business and will turn their stock over a lot, making their stock "fresher" than the swap meet stuff. There will also usually by one or two "cheap tool" tents with all kinds of little tools, putty spreaders, sanding sticks, things like that. If you have any decent model railroad shows in your area, try those; the better shows will have one or two tool/supply vendors with all kinds of pliers, razor saws, knives, sanding sticks, sheet plastic, and little detail stuff. IPMS show vendors will usually have similar stuff, if you are lucky someone will have molded plastic rivet or bolt head packages too. For sheet plastic, check the phone directory and see if you've got any plastics suppliers within reach. Some of those places have a little storefront where they sell cutoffs and leftovers. I've got a bunch of sheet plastic in various thicknesses from one place around here. What they call "cutoffs" or "scraps" are often way bigger (and cheaper) than anything you find at the hobby shop. Don't forget the hobby shop too, if you are lucky enough to still have one in your area.

The Polycast wheels (and white-letter tires) were probably dropped because Chevrolet was trying to pitch the Monte as a different/more upscale car. I remember one of the early magazine ads; it read: "sorry, no four on the floor". Even the brochure above makes reference to "subtle" SS markings. They were trying to establish the Monte Carlo as more of a luxury car; that wheel/tire combo would have undercut that effort (though it does look great that way). I've seen references to a convertible being offered; that was dropped too, not necessarily for the same reason.