Mark

The 1/32 scale Continental was reissued in the mid-Nineties, in the SSP program. A couple other 1/32 kits ('56 Ford convertible, custom-only '56 Chrysler) were also issued back then.

Both AMT and MPC made Corvette kits every year '68 through '77. Both companies' kits had big-block engines (except for the AMT '68, which I'll get into in further detail). AMT's had manual transmissions, MPC's had automatics. If you turn a built one over and look underneath, that's one way to tell them apart provided they are built out of the box. The AMT '68 is something you'd be interested in only from a collecting standpoint. MPC made the promotional model that year so AMT was not provided with advance information about the '68. They apparently wanted to get a kit out so they basically guessed at the body, and made one to fit the chassis from the '67 kit. It is a convertible with a separate glue-on roof (not the removable convertible hard top). The AMT '68 Corvette kit body is not accurate (fenders rise up too high among other issues) leaving the built model looking like a Palmer kit. AMT did a few other kits like that, without accurate information ('68 "Chevrolet SS 427", basically a bizarre custom '67 Impala, and a Camaro and Firebird that were basically the same kit with different engines and exterior trim). The "Chevrolet SS", Firebird, and Camaro (and Corvair?) are marked "for 1968" on the boxes as opposed to "1968" on the normal annual kits which can be built as correct stock 1968 cars. I don't think the Corvette kit was marked "for 1968" though. As bad as the '68 was, they issued it two more times: as a promotional item for AC spark plugs, and again in the early Seventies as a John Greenwood GT racing version. Great box art, not so great box contents. AMT did a better Corvette kit for '69, and issued it as separate hardtop and convertible kits through '76 even though there was no 1:1 '76 convertible. For '70 and '71 only one box was used for the coupe, and one for the convertible. The boxes were not marked with either model year, and didn't match up with the annual kit boxes. AMT did the one-box deal with their Camaro kit for '70/'71 also. For '77, only the coupe was issued, with no optional parts. The only extra in AMT '77 annual kits was a CB radio and a couple of overly thick CB aerials. The '77 annuals were AMT's last until the late Eighties, when Ertl repackaged the MPC annual kits as AMT. All of the AMT Corvette annual kits still had the big-block engine even though 1:1 Corvettes no longer had it after '74. The chassis and interior got recycled into the Eckler custom hatchback kit not long after the '77 kit left the catalog. MPC had the promotional model contracts for Corvettes in most of these years, so the AMT annual kit bodies don't look quite as good as MPC's. If you are really into Corvettes, you'll probably want both anyway. I'm not positive but I think the AMT convertible kits included separate hard tops. MPC issued their Corvettes as separate hardtop and convertible kits '68 through '76 (again with the phantom '76 convertible), and coupe only for '77. All have big-block engines. Kits through '75 have the working front suspension with metal coil springs. '76 and '77 annual kits lost the metal springs but still had poseable steering. The '78-82 annual kits were retooled (different from '68-'77) with a small-block engine, catalytic converter exhaust, and so on. The '78-'82 kit chassis will fit the '75-'77 body/interior and is an easy fix for the wrong engine/exhaust deal in those kits. MPC sprinkled in a couple of customs over the years (Astro-Vette concept, 'Vette Van) with annual kit chassis and interiors. The Mako Shark variations are not based on the annual kits; the chassis is entirely different. The AMT/Ertl '70-'72 Corvette kits are all-new (nothing shared with any of the AMT or MPC annual kits). These have small-block engines. AMT/Ertl issued a '70 LT-1 coupe, '72 convertible, and '72 coupe street machine with an altered chassis. Racing Champions or RC2 later issued a '71 convertible, but I don't know if anything about it is any different from the earlier '72 convertible kit. They also did a '70 coupe snap kit and assembled retro promotional model.

It's the "new" one. The original annual kit was updated yearly thriough '76, and ended up as the Eckler hatchback custom version.

AMT/Ertl '72 street machine. Only issued once in that version, but you should be able to find one reasonably if you look around.

I'm surprised that John Callies' car didn't pop up here, though his may have been a Simca (looked exactly the same, though). That one was a real bad boy, it was featured in HOT ROD in the early Seventies if I remember right. The AMT body has the hood top "louver panel" detail as well as a full roof. Like Snake says, the nose is a bit long but that's no big deal. My older brother had a 1:1 steel Topolino nose section years ago (bought it at a flea market, sold it on eBay for stupid money). As I recall, the grille was stamped as part of the nose but had a thin stainless trim piece that went around it. The engine in a stock one sat way forward, access to it was by removing the nose and that louvered panel. To make the AMT body "more stock", you'd have to attach the separate hood piece, then shorten the nose and possibly the front of the hood. I was messing with one awhile back, and (to me anyway) Revell Anglia front fenders seemed to be a good starting point. It wouldn't be too tough to vacuform a set of fenders either. The Revell parts pack body was promoted as a Cal Automotive piece on the package, and it does look the part. The AMT piece is workable though, and a lot easier to get. There's a decent stock version kit out there, in 1/35 scale. I'm surprised Heller didn't do a stock one in 1/24 scale years ago.

The Country Squire kit didn't include ANY windows...not even the piece of clear sheet plastic. No templates for cutting windows from flat stock on the instruction sheet either. The Revell 1/32 scale '55 and '56 annual kits were the same in this regard.

I don't remember specifics because I wasn't looking for one, but I'd bet that you could have picked one up at NNL East earlier this year in that price range. eBay is probably on the high side because you're looking at a lot of sellers who are trolling the same items over and over.

The Model King issue is dated 2004. Hard to believe it was 11 years ago that they had that kit run. However many were produced though, you can still get one for around the retail price of a current kit if you pound the ground.

Because the original parts that were removed probably no longer exist. Comparing the plated tree in the current kit to one from an original, the parts still in the kit are arranged differently in relation to one another. That would indicate that the original tooling was reworked (possibly cut apart, or individual inserts removed from it and rearranged). When that happened, it was seldom done with the thought of putting it back together later in the original arrangement. At the time (early Seventies) the thought was probably "let's dump these outdated custom parts". Like the Tom Daniel kits show rod kits that were restored to original versions, reworking the Ford pickup back to the original near-stock version would likely have to be done with newly tooled parts. The same type of alteration (rearranged parts) was done with one of the other early Ford kits I checked; if I remember right I checked the '30 Ford phaeton kit when I had an original one a while back.

I did one of the Revell kits last summer; on it I did the "washboard" area with the matte aluminum Bare-Metal Foil, and the rest of the trim with the regular chrome finish foil. Painting the washboard area with aluminum silver would work too. You're looking for something of a contrast between the anodized aluminum insert, and the polished stainless trim.

If I were going to dive into a project like this, I'd start with a solid car.

The body is more accurate than the Lindberg Belvedere, but the Jo-Han chassis has stock exhaust detail molded in. Combining the Lindberg chassis and interior with the Jo-Han body would give you the best of both kits, though the Lindberg kit has some inaccuracies ("too new" rear axle, too-wide rear inner fenders).

I've never had much trouble with "tire burn" in Jo-Han kits; certainly nothing on the level of MPC or (the worst) early Sixties Revell kits. Revell used to bag their tires back then; trouble is, they put the taillight lenses in the bag with them!

There's also the '61 Oldsmobile F-85 wagon. Again, not offered as a kit when new, but first available in kit form (and in styrene, not acetate) in the USA Oldies series. Most of Jo-Han's subject matter wasn't considered cool back in the day (Ramblers, Olds Toronados, big Chryslers) but a lot of us appreciate that stuff now! It's highly unlikely that we'll ever see new kits of many of the things Jo-Han did as promotional models, so if you want a big mid-Sixties Chrysler or Plymouth, or a two-seater AMX, your only alternative in most cases is the Jo-Han stuff. People are realizing that whatever is out there now is all we will ever see in the future. I don't think any of us realized or understood just how small Jo-Han was compared to AMT, MPC, Revell, or Monogram.

From what I've read over the years, a certain amount of "regrind" plastic is actually desirable, as it makes the finished product less brittle. I don't know if it's true, but I always thought that vintage Jo-Han kit plastic used less of the stuff, and so ended up more brittle than other manufacturers' plastic.

The front mount blower and wheel "pants" were probably added to let you take the streamlining another step or two further. Carl Casper did race a few 1:1 dragsters, but this one was more of a show car. I'll be getting my hands on one of these to see if it can be reworked to resemble Tommy Ivo's short-lived streamliner dragster.

The Radial Tuned Suspension package consisted of a small emblem, attached to the dashboard...

I've bought multiple sheets from Gooche on eBay; she will do combined shipping.

Where is the chrome rear bumper shown on the box? One caption does read: "chrome bumpers"; that's the only error in the box art. "Optional step bumper" is a correct caption; it is "optional" as opposed to no rear bumper at all, which is the way a lot of these trucks were delivered back in the day.

I'm not positive, but I think the last issue of the Charger (AMT Buyers' Choice, yellow car on the box) had a couple of small parts from the Thunder Charger on the chrome tree. It might have been headlights or a grille insert, something like that.

AMT '61 and '62 Buick Special station wagons; the '63 Nova wagon includes the same engine but with more of the parts plated. The Boss Nova rear-engine thingy has it too. Similar to the Double Dragster's early Hemi, but with nicer valve covers and a couple of intake setups that aren't in the dragster kit. The Revell '41 Willys coupe street machine has an early Hemi also. A lot of it is shared with the drag version, but this one has a Torqueflite transmission instead of a GM Hydramatic, and it has block-hugger headers and a streetable water pump/alternator setup.

They vary wildly. Some are very good, but I've got a '67 Cyclone annual kit sheet that is so pixelated that is unusable. Most are scans of original sheets, probably not quite as good as originals but much better than nothing.

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere (or maybe I overlooked it)...did Revell wipe the "Chrysler Fire Power" lettering from the valve covers?

If you keep switching drill bits back and forth, after a while the pin vise won't tighten around the smaller bits. Especially with the cheaper pin vises made of softer aluminum. The bits are a lot harder than the aluminum and the corners of the "X" in the pin vise will crush around the larger bits. If you don't tighten it enough and the bit snags in your work, and the pin vise turns but the bit doesn't, then you get even more wear. Get a couple of good pin vises to use with the smaller bits that you use most often (you might have a couple of favorite drill sizes for ignition wiring or pins to anchor small parts). Don't use those with the larger bits. For larger bits, you can get steel collets. Check the tools/supplies section on eBay; a few vendors sell collet sets for cheap.

The interior is very simple; just the seat with the interior side panels attached. The floor was a separate piece, so it could be used to build the car with or without fenders (without, the body sits lower on the frame). Does your parts box body have the trunk lid glued shut, or is it part of the body? If it is part of the body, then you have the body from the first issue roadster. Later issues had a separate rumble seat lid.