Mark

MPC was out of the slot car business after '67 or so.

I did mean funny car model kits...the manufacturers (MPC in particular) seemed to want to get two uses out of those body tools every year (besides the promo models). That's why you got 1/25 scale Dodge Coronet and '70-'71 Mercury Cyclone funny cars, when no such things existed in the real world. Every so often they'd do something unique (like the '67-'68 Cougar or '69-'70 Dart funnies) but for the most part they'd drop a promo model on one of a handful of chassis they had. MPC did that again in the Seventies with the pro stock kits. Had those been 100% new and separate from the stock kits, they'd have been more accurate (no windshield wiper detail on the bodies, for example).

What you have is a body from an MPC funny car kit...since it's a '69, the kit it came from would have been the Mr. Norm car. Most funny car kits back then used stock bodies, with all the trim and panel lines. MPC was getting another use of the body tooling, which is the most costly part of most kits.

From the looks of it, for the (1984) reissue '67, they took the '72 seats and re-engraved the inserts to tie in with the '67 rear seat.

If you've got bodywork to cover, primer is an absolute must. I use as little as I can get away with. I'll dab primer onto bodywork areas with a small brush, and only spray the whole body after all those areas are smoothed up to the best of my ability. The Chevy body had two nasty sink marks; one on each quarter panel near the rear of the car, above the "washboard" side trim. There were some small areas on the tops of the front fenders and on the hood, no big deal though. On the other hand, the white roof is sprayed over bare white plastic. I was able to smooth out the roof without using any filler. If anything, I used a coat of the gloss white itself as a "primer". This was a club project built to a deadline...life got in the way of things that summer, and I rushed a few things to get this one done. I've got an original issue of this kit that I want to do; this one was a learning experience that will be applied to it. I'll probably go back and try the two-part system as it was intended to be used. I've used the clear over a couple of the metalflake colors, and it worked fine. I've got a couple of other clears to experiment with too.

The bucket seat insert pattern is different between early production and recent kits...not having a complete original though, I'm not sure which is correct but would bet on the earlier ones. My niece has a 1:1 '67...I should go over and have a look at it. If you get an early kit, first thing to do is take those plastic-eating BFG radial tires and throw them as far as possible...

Lousy photos, but this '57 Chevy is painted with half of the Testors "two-part" system. My experience with their clear is, if anything, it's soft compared to the colors even given additional curing time. I don't load it on either; if anything, I don't put enough paint on which makes polishing problematic. I've had a tough time with the clear in the past, so for this one I went without it. I'm not crazy about clear over white in any case. Both the lower body and roof are Testors "two-part" lacquer.

Vega was '71-'77. MPC made a hatchback kit every year ('71 and '72 have opening rear hatch). If you want to cut one up, look for a promotional model. MPC made a couple of pro stock kits with gutted interiors. The '74 Bruce Larson USA-1 is set for reissue in a couple of months. AMT made a station wagon funny car, but the body was way off. Actually they made two different Vega wagon funny cars, the second one is longer. The original one is closer to stock size-wise, but is kind of slab-sided. AMT never did a stock or street version.

To get clear glass and decent plating, I'd probably go for one of the recent kits (molded in gray) or the Round 2 issue. I think those started out molded in color but more recent ones might be white. If you're looking at sealed boxes, I don't know if the Round 2 kits can be told from one another as far as plastic color. If you're buying an opened kit at a show, you can just paw through it and see if it's what you want. I think I've got a pre-Round 2 kit around here, haven't looked at it lately but if I remember right it was gray and had decent chrome. I only finished one of the two kits I bought in '84 (converted it to a Tempest Sprint post coupe)...got pretty far along on the other one, got pretty stupid with the chassis and engine compartment but it's still unfinished. I should get back on that one...

I've used these without the clearcoat, and gotten decent results. The metallics should get a clearcoat if you intend to wet sand, but I've applied a couple of the solid colors without using the clear.

The reissue body was reconstructed from the Unswitchable funny car. If you look at the inside, you can see all of the marks where the trunk lid exhaust holes were filled, and the wheel openings were moved. The early reissues (molded in dark blue) have that "welding goggle" dark tint to the clear parts, and later kits from that boxing sometimes have bad plating. The later production ones have clear glass, better plating, and the bodies are about the same. Any of the reissues need a bunch of sandpaper work to smooth them out, but it's worth the effort. I remember when that first reissue came out ('84 or so) and was glad to see it, dark glass and all...

Get everything organized, and it won't look so sprawling/intimidating. And get rid of that Gnip-Gnop game...

Jo-Han only did the Fury in '68, hardtop and convertible. The GTX hardtop came in for '69, first as a promotional model and then the kit. The promo has a different chassis from the kit. A GTX convertible kit was announced but not released. The Road Runner hardtop kit was also first issued in '69. It's a rarity for Jo-Han: an annual kit without an equivalent promo model. '70 was the same deal: GTX hardtop promo and kit, RR hardtop kit. For both years, the GTX kits included a funny car chassis while the Road Runner included a NASCAR version (the '69 annual included Richard Petty markings; the kit likely came out before Petty announced his move to Ford). The '70 GTX was the last Plymouth promo model issued by Jo-Han.

Jo-Han didn't do any Dodges after '64, unless you count the Challenger funny car...

"I'm your ice cream man...stop me when I'm passin' by..." "Hitler Ice Cream cones...you'll not see a better ice cream cone..." "Not see...Nazi...get it?" I'm here all week, folks... try the veal, and don't forget to tip your waitress...

I've found the "milestone" stuff from the past, and also things I saw back then but couldn't talk my parents into buying! First kit I remember building myself (Premier Valiant; called a "1963" on the box, but was still the '60-'62 body style), first AMT kit I remember ('62 Falcon; this would have been in '66, maybe '67). Too, a lot of the late Sixties AMT reissues that I only saw on store shelves once (if that), the Surf Wagon '65 Chevelle that I bought the day before Christmas one year even though everyone was telling me I'd probably get other model car kits for Christmas. And, no, I didn't get another Surf Wagon the next day, and I never saw that one in the stores again either...

I don't understand the magazine business...they're letting this one go, they axed Rod & Custom but kept Street Rodder...

Look for the 1982 annuals as opposed to the '83 versions. The '82 kits had clear glass, '83 had the "welding goggle tint". In most cases (Supra, EXP, Cavalier) the other parts are exactly the same.

Nope, all of the long box pickups had wheel covers ('72-'75). '76-'78 were four wheel drive only, with the oversize wheels and 1/20 scale Indy car tires from the earlier kits ('76 annual showed the two wheel drive version on the box, but the parts aren't included). The only other two wheel drive version was the Express Truck, but that one had the slotted wheels.

The Pontiac six block wasn't the same as the Chevy. Only some internal parts interchanged between the two. They don't even look very much alike. The Trumpeter Nova six is a 194, the earliest version of the Sixties/Seventies Chevy straight six. AMT included 194/230 sixes in their '64 ('64 only) El Camino and Chevelle wagon annual kits. The AMT Chevelle engines are similar to one another but not alike (they apparently tooled two of them). Those have axle notches in the blocks bit are otherwise pretty decent. They're tough to find now though. Some AMT Novas ('62 convertible/hardtop and '63 wagon) had a straight six also, but those have a whopper of an axle hole and are way simplified. I haven't compared then to the Chevelle engines lately, but I think the Nova parts are on the small side. The 1:1 250 is a later version of the 194/230, as I understand it some of the later engines have the intake manifold cast as a unit with the cylinder head like the Ford 144/170/200/250 sixes. Best choice would be the Trumpeter engine, though you will probably have to update the intake/exhaust, pulley/belt setup, and maybe some other details.

You've got to understand, this was GM. The same GM that puts a few plastic parts and a stand-up hood ornament on a Chevy Tahoe, and sells it as a Cadillac. The same GM that took a Subaru, moved the ignition switch to the console, and called it a Saab...

Who's talking about a Ventura reissue? Not me, that's a given...

The first issue Trans-Am (the one released after the '69 annual) had the clear hood. That's the last one with it.

Just one thing: there was no '75 annual, only '76 and '77. The first issue was the Pro Stock, which was a '75. Nobody ever ran one of these in Pro Stock as far as I remember, but rumors did swirl around back then about the (then) top Chevy guy in Pro Stock going back to the big-block engine, and using the Nova body because it was (supposedly) aerodynamically better than the Camaro. The street machine version is based heavily on the Pro Stock, with some new parts: mufflers, and a less-narrow rear axle to allow the use of some smaller street tires. The Pro Stock lightweight seats were swapped out for the stock units from the annual kits.

No reissues of either the ('69) Firebird or Camaro included the turbine engine. The first reissue of the Firebird was in late '69, as the Trans-Am. That kit had the V8 and OHC six. Next issue after that was the late Seventies White Lightning street mackine, again with the six and V8. After that, MPC issued that black '69 Camaro hardtop. Engines were again the Pontiac six and V8, though I think they did include Chevy valve covers for the V8. Next up was the Firebird convertible. The Firebird was issued only once as a convertible kit, the early Eighties yellow one with the Trans-Am hood. Again, six and V8. There was a convertible promotional model in '69, but no kit. Next issue after the convertible was the dark blue Firebird hardtop, pretty much the same as the White Lightning except for the color. Six and V8. This is the last kit with the original Firebird annual kit interior bucket. Then the Camaro convertible was issued. The interior was changed to a Camaro upholstery pattern, and I think the molded-in console was removed and a separate one created. The engine in this one was a big-block Chevy, that looks like it is from the MPC '71-'72 Chevelle kits. All of the Firebird reissues from that point on had a different upholstery pattern from the earlier ones; more like the '68 annual kit (though not exactly like it).