Mark

The main body is the same (mostly)...check the area below the cargo door. Earlier issue delivery kits had rear bumper brackets molded to the lower body. The Round 2 Three Stooges issue has the body notched in that area to allow the usage of the coupe's bumper brackets that are molded as part of the chassis. I think the alteration was made for the RIDES issue pictured. If you have the delivery's rear bumper, you could cut the lower pan area from the damaged body and piece it into the RIDES one.

This kit is closer to 1/20 than 1/24, probably to allow for the motorized version. Monogram produced it just before they started doing the stock Thirties Fords, with which they settled on 1/24 scale. It wouldn't be too tough to whip one together in 1/25 scale...

Same tires that were in the MPC Firebird and Camaro annual kits from '73 through '78 or so.

The AMT-boxed Jo-Han kits were just that...produced by Jo-Han and packaged in AMT boxes with AMT decals and instruction sheets. Parts in these were not bagged (AMT started bagging unplated parts around 1969; Jo-Han kit parts were never bagged until the Seville era). The plastic used was the more brittle Jo-Han type also. Had these been manufactured by AMT at their facility, parts would have been bagged like other AMT kits, and the plastic would have been similar to what AMT was using in that time frame. If anyone out there knows which company initiated the deal, why it was done, why particular kits were or were not shared, who ended the deal, and why it ended...they've kept it to themselves. All of the higher-ups from that era in both companies are now deceased. Jo-Han started the USA Oldies series in '74; maybe they wanted to keep those for themselves (or maybe AMT didn't want to try selling those under their brand name). Jo-Han kits sold by AMT include Olds Toronados ('67, '68, and '70), Olds 4-4-2 ('69 and '70), two-seater AMX ('68-'70), "Coke bottle" Javelin/AMX ('74), and non-stock items like the Hornet hatchback funny car ('73), pro stock Maverick, Dodge Challenger funny car, '72 Torino NASCAR, and Mark Donohue Trans-Am Javelin/AMX. Some were offered by Jo-Han at the same time the AMT versions were sold; others (two-seater AMX for example) were not sold by Jo-Han in their packaging while AMT sold them. The kit-sharing started in late '66 with the '67 Toronado which was included in AMT's '67 annual kit lineup, and ended with the NASCAR Torino, pro stock Maverick, and Challenger funny car in the AMT '74 catalog. It's been a while since I looked, but I don't think any of those kits carried over into the AMT '75 catalog.

I worked for a commercial (no residential work) roofer for nine years...same story. Among other things, I did the payroll and sometimes got involved with HR. Guys wouldn't show up when needed, would disappear during the winter so they wouldn't be called in for repair jobs (they'd even change phone numbers). But when springtime rolled around, they were back, often owing money that the owner loaned out over the winter. I told the boss to try not calling a couple of the worst ones back, to make an example and bring the rest into line...nope, can't do that because they're hunting buddies. I'd set up savings deductions with the credit union for these clowns; when I went to the CU office to drop off the check, half of them are standing in line waiting to withdraw the money. It's not perfect anywhere else, though...hard to hire good people when you are competing with "off the books" work (no taxes, no child support deducted) and/or just sitting at home waiting for the monthly check...

The automotive swap meets are a mixed bag. Most times, you'll walk away empty-handed after seeing half a dozen guys trying to resell stuff they picked up at the clearance store, but then again there's that one-in-a-hundred deal that makes you forget the previous 99 trips...

I had one (actually, still do)...it was great for taking to the outdoor car shows. I could stick it in my pocket, and it was easy to use and took decent pictures...

I'd be patient and wait a bit...I'm betting Moebius will be doing the A-990 themselves at some point. Extra Lindberg underbodies are good for slipping under Jo-Han bodies, though.

No Cougar II kits in my area (would have snagged one if I'd seen them), but I did pick up an MPC HOT ROD '73 Mustang funny car. Mostly Lindberg stuff (I'd have grabbed a Dakota had it been molded in white, got enough red ones!), only a handful of Round 2 items (couple of curbside 'Vettes, couple of snap-together Willys, and the Mustang).

If the stock 330 box has a red car, the kit will have the A-100 bucket seats. (Earlier) kits with a light blue car on the box will have the bench seat.

Color is definitely different; the Model King issue is white, probably the first time that kit was molded in white. Decals are also different, tires might be different, rest of kit should be the same.

A lot of swap meet and eBay sellers try to sell recently dropped kits at inflated prices..."it's out of production, you know!" The reason it's out of production is because people stopped buying them. I was at the Three Rivers show/swap last Sunday...a couple of vendors had kits on their tables that I have been seeing every year since I started going. There are a couple of sellers at NNL East that air their stuff out every year too. I still manage to spend some money at both events; other guys were there to actually sell stuff...

The Matador has been reissued a couple of times, but the later issues are different from the first couple of issues. The FIRST issue (T-430 "Penske Matador") was issued before the first showroom stock one. The body has recessed areas where the door handles go (handle detail wasn't engraved yet!) and doesn't have any emblems. There's another Penske issue in a different box (probably different product number too) that was issued after the '75 annual kit. The second Penske issue probably has the same parts as the first one, except the body would have the door handle and emblem detail. That version is the one that was included in the racing team set with the trailer and Chevy van. The later version (Bobby Allison Sportsman) was done after the last ('77) annual, and has some different parts (wheels, grille, among other things) from the early Penske issues. Lesney/AMT did the Allison version, and made some alterations including putting a fuel cell on the chassis and wiping the emblems from the body. The showroom stock versions can't be reissued unless those changes are undone. AMT/Ertl reissued the Allison version a couple of times. The early Penske versions (all should be molded in white) should be worth more than the later Allison version (AMT/Ertl molded in gray; not sure about the first Lesney issue).

The Seventies reissues have '68 side markers on the body; a couple of those were called '68s in spite of the '69 hood, grille, and taillight panel. Several resin casters made '68 conversions for those in the past; if you scour the tables at swap meets, you might turn one up (I did, a few years ago). The '68 Hemi Dart chassis and engine are way ahead of the parts in those kits, and should fit without too much trouble (wheelbase might need adjustment).

The five stock wheels go back to the kit's origins as a promotional model. AMT put five wheels (and three headlamps in some cases) on the plated tree in some of their kits in the early Seventies. Extras for the parts bins for the promo assemblers, in case one got dropped or a chunk of a part broke off while they were being removed from the sprue (which, I presume, was done as a separate step from assembly). I don't know the brand of the custom wheels, but I'm pretty certain that the centers in the 1:1 wheels were magnesium. I've seen pictures of dragsters and funny cars with those wheels on the back.

I've never had, or applied for, an American Express card. Every solicitation I ever got from them mentioned a $75-$100 annual fee. They want me to pay for a credit card, when they are making two or three percent on every purchase at my end, and who knows how much from businesses who accept the card? And that's not even getting into interest payments from people who carry an outstanding balance (that group doesn't include me). I dumped another credit card earlier this year...instead of standing up for me in a dispute, they rolled over and became a toadie for the rental car company. Of course, I paid every month and didn't carry a balance, so they don't make as much money off of me as they think they should...

The Imperial needed inner wheel pieces that weren't in the original kit, because the annual used different tires. The tool for the original tires probably doesn't exist any more, so they used one of the existing tires that was the same size and looked right. I've seen a number of those Imperials for sale at flea markets and consignment shops, people are sticking them together and trying to pass them off as old "screw-bottom car" builds. The tires give them away; that and the fact that a lot of Imperials seemed to pop up out of nowhere at the same time...

According to the 1966batmobile.com website, the original car (the one converted from the Lincoln Futura concept) still has the original chassis, but the engine and transmission were replaced with a mid-Sixties Ford 390/C-6 automatic. The fiberglass copies constructed at the Barris shop were built on '65-'66 Ford Galaxie (not GM) chassis, lengthened several inches in the middle. All three of those used the FE-series V8/C-6 automatic powertrain also. The website includes a number of period pictures of two of the copies under construction, clearly showing fullsize Ford chassis being used.

X2 on Humbrol, also on "stirred, not shaken". Like most other metallics, Humbrol "de-mixes" or settles fairly quickly. Every few minutes, I'll stir the paint in the tin, and also wipe the paint out of the brush because anything left in the brush is "de-mixing" also. You don't have to do a full-on cleaning; just wipe it with a clean rag (you don't want to put lint on the brush that will be going right back into the paint). Dullcote, or Humbrol flat varnish, does a great job of leveling the flatness on the finished job, even if you dragged the brush around a bit too much while applying the color. If you've got a big paint booger (dry-brush spot caused by overlapping strokes) in the middle of a wide-open area, though, you should fix that and touch up the area before putting on the clear. I try to paint the hard-to-get-at sections first, then go after the more wide open areas after wiping any settled paint out of the brush.

The fiberglass Batmobiles probably got the flat paint or flocking to cover less-than-perfect bodywork.

Not an area of interest for me, but I bought a couple of them for parts and was impressed: the mid-Eighties Monogram sprint car kits. I think the main chassis is molded with D-shaped (cross-section) "tubing" instead of being round as it should be (to ease molding). But the rest of the kit is great...no tires or other parts adapted from anything else, the whole thing was done from scratch. Like any race car kits issued in series, the earliest one(s) will be the most correct, as later versions usually get a few new external pieces added in an attempt to keep the kit looking up-to-date. The updates under the skin are usually ignored. The early Monogram Pro Stock kits (two Camaros, two Thunderbirds) are nearly as accurate, but lose a few points for lacking inner door panels. The Revell Tommy Ivo Showboat is a bear to build (years ago, I won a bet with my older brother by getting one assembled) but it too looks like the 1:1 to my eyes. The bodies in the early Jo-Han kits are great, but more so in areas most people don't realize unless they cut a couple of them apart. The Mopar bodies are accurate enough that you can swap windshields, fenders, and clips between them without much messing around. I'm pretty certain their AMC stuff has similar commonality. I've got a started '62 Dodge Custom 880 (1:1 was a rush job; '62 Chrysler body with '61 Phoenix front clip). I cut the front clip off of a busted '61 Dodge kit body that I found at NNL East, and it fit the '62 Chrysler body like it was made for it. Which it was. In 1:1, the '62 Chrysler was actually a '61 Dodge with the '61 Chrysler front clip and roof, and new quarter panels (to get rid of the fins). I should get going on that one again. Those types of swaps don't always work out in scale. The AMT '65 Bonneville and Grand Prix bodies differ just a bit in width, for example...just enough to be maddening. I want to swap an early Sixties Comet front clip onto a Ranchero; again the widths are a bit different so some additional cutting and fitting will be needed to make everything match up. Ford did the same swap in 1:1 (Comet wagons were basically Falcon wagons with Comet front sheet metal; wheelbase on the wagon was the same as a Falcon, shorter than the Comet passenger cars). Ford Australia did the same swap on their Falcons in the mid-Sixties, because they didn't want the North American '64 restyle.

Dave reached into his own pocket a number of times with his reissues, for things like new clear parts. The clear parts are (obviously) run separately from the kit because they are made of clear plastic, so the tool to produce those parts could easily be misplaced because it is separate from the rest of the kit. Same goes for red taillight lenses, and (with some early kits) the chrome tree. The '59 Imperial reissue got new glass and a new chrome tree. The cost of all that had to be divided over the number of kits he expected to sell. And if he didn't sell as many as expected, then there's a problem because the profit is in the last one-quarter or one-fifth of the run. And that's not even getting into things like storing 5,000 or so kits until they are sold, or having to write the check (or take out a loan) when those 5,000 kits get delivered. He took chances on a number of things, including ones I wouldn't have taken a chance on, and stepped up with the money to do it when others would not have done so. I hope he made a ton on those reissues; he deserved to.

Stuffing the ballot box, things like that. That, and none of these companies are going to put a list out there and tell everyone (including competitors) of what they have and don't have. Jo-Han/X-EL did the "put out a list and let people vote" thing years ago. But they listed literally everything Jo-Han ever made, with no consideration as to whether or not they could actually bring something back. Actually, there wasn't much they could do, other than what they did...look at the choices they made for the X-EL promotional reissues, and even the USA Oldies series.

These kits finally showed up in my area, and I was able to snag two of them. I've rummaged through one several times today, in between other things...and every time I'm noticing things I didn't catch earlier. It reminds me of the Kurtis-Kraft midget kits, it really does look like a labor of love...it seems like great pains were taken to make the parts look as good as possible on the assembled model. Sprue attachment points are minimized and appear to be (wherever possible) put in places where they won't be readily seen. Hollowed-out ends on the injector stacks and headers. Two frames (looks like a trip through the parts box will turn up enough stuff to build a second rolling chassis), three sets of headlights, two seats, two cool steering wheels, and I'll probably see more next time I poke through the box. Plenty of versions using only what is in the box, and the possibilities with other kits like the Revell '29 pickup and AMT roadster appear to be endless. Bring on the coupe! For those not liking the exhaust port spacing, maybe just swap heads with one of the other Buick engines out there? (Yeah, you shouldn't have to do it, but so many other things in the kit are so good that I won't get too bothered by the port spacing.) Casting copies of a "preferred" cylinder head shouldn't be too much trouble. The inner fender wells can/should probably be cut apart from the interior side panels and installed separately anyway. It'll probably be easier to sand out the ejector pin marks on the fender wells (so far, the only ones I've seen that really stick out).

Monogram had it figured out with the Tom Daniel kits. Auntie or Grandma stop at K-Mart wondering what to get the model building kid for his birthday. Checking the model kit aisle, they grab one of the TD kits and one of those Testors sets with the six or seven bottles of paint, the cheap brush, and a tube of glue. The main parts of the kit are molded in the color shown on the box (or close enough); the paint set covers the interior, engine, exhaust pipes, and chassis. The kid gets the thing built that day or the next, and it looks pretty much like the one on the box. He's happy, the gift giver is happy (probably spent $3-$4 including a birthday card), and Monogram probably chalks up another sale next year.