Mark

I have yet to see the accessory that improves the appearance of a PT Cruiser or HHR. I'll exclude wheels and tires from the discussion. The stick-on portholes, fake wood, stick-on '57 Chevy style side trim, pinstriping stickers with an inch of clear carrier sheet all around the designs, replacement grilles, chrome overlays for bumpers and door handles, and (my favorite) the stick-on hood scoops serve only to fuel the fire for those who hate those two vehicles. The PT in particular has a couple of unflattering views at the front, caused by the wide grille, itself necessitated by the transverse engine, wrong-wheel drive layout. But, the designer (same guy did both) still did okay with them, and they generally look best when left alone. At least I haven't seen one with a fake convertible top with a sunroof in it...

Maybe they could put together a tour with the Beach Boy and the Allman Brother...

Those rear wheels look like the ones from the Monogram flip-front '66 Malibu (the black one). Best Super Tricks I've seen. I've measured a set of 1:1 rear wheel halves, and the Monogram units are the most correct ones out there. I'm trying to put together a front wheel that's as good. The stance on this build looks just right. How good/bad a job did the original builder do on cutting the body panels?

I don't know anyone who buys a kit for incidental items anymore. When retail prices were $12-$15, you could grab a new kit from a show vendor for $7-$10. Now that show prices for new kits start around $16, I cut that habit out pretty quick. If I get more than one of anything, I try to pick up the "first" kit from the LHS or at a show. Conversion donors or "parts kits" can come from one of the craft stores (provided they stock that kit of course), bought with a 40% off coupon to keep the cost down. Even then, the "parts kit" needs to have more than one set of wheels or an engine. And, there needs to be something tangible left over to sell, trade, or give away. I've also bought "leftovers" from slot car guys who use the bodies and related parts and don't need the rest, and even from those eBay "break up a kit and sell the parts" vendors.

Sometimes I see people walking around stores with coffee that they brought in; no big deal, at least it's paid for. More often, I've seen people eating candy bars or other stuff that was merchandise in the store. Not once have I seen anyone hand an empty wrapper to the cashier to be rung up as a sale. That's not a new thing: just the other day my mom was telling me that one of the grocery stores is going to wrap or bag items like grapes and cherries because so many people "sample" them. She said even the older ladies were doing that as far back as she can remember. As for the handicap parking, everyone is special. It's that entitlement, me-generation, "everyone gets a trophy" mentality. More often than not, the "handicap" is simply an inability to put down the fork...

It wouldn't be too tough to develop two levels of product using the same artwork: an all-out, everything-included set, and a basic set that includes only script/emblems, locks, and other exterior detail. By arranging the fret (or fretless/backed sheet) with the basic stuff all to one side, and everything else in a separate area, it is possible to produce varying proportions of basic/full detail sets once the level of demand has been established for each. A lot of guys don't buy the full detail PE sets as they exist now, because they look at the thing and figure that for $20 they won't use much of it. Someone just wanting to knock the molded-in script off of a kit body to make painting easier will purchase a basic set for $10 or $12, while those who want the grille, dash knobs, pedal pads and key rings will still spring for the full set. The loss of a few full-detail set sales would probably be more than offset by sales of the basic set to people who wouldn't have bought the more expensive full-detail set under any circumstances.

Besides the wheel openings being incorrect, the Demon kit's hood is too flat. Way too flat. That's because the underside half of the hood tooling is carried over from the Duster, unchanged. Compare the Demon kit hood to one from the Ramchargers funny car, LA Dart, or even the AMT Petty Kit Car kits, and the difference sticks out. Besides that, the fit of the front bumper in the original kit isn't very good. My guess is that the Duster kit tool was converted to the Demon for mid-year release, and a restyle on the 1:1 Duster was anticipated for '72. That never happened, so the front end had to then be changed back to Duster spec in order to produce promotional models. A while back, I bought a resin Pro Stock Demon body. To make it clear, it is NOT the one pictured above. I don't know who did the one I've got, but it turned out to be a mess. The front wheel openings were unchanged, the rears lengthened (all towards the front, effectively shortening the wheelbase). A tubbed chassis was included, but nobody was narrowing the frame at the rear in '71. A casting of the gutted interior from the later Sox & Martin kit was included, but the master had the rear wall shifted forward to clear the wheel tubs. The hood casting was awful. Out of the whole thing, I've salvaged the bumpers (nice chrome), taillight panel, and front pan. I might be able to use parts of the interior bucket and chassis for something. I've got the front pan grafted to a '75 Dart body, and am pretty far along in (re)fitting the taillight panel. Ironically, the '75 front wheel openings are closer to what is needed for the Demon. I might see if I can scrounge a started LA Dart or Hemi Hunter kit, and cut the front wheel openings and hood from it. I bought a Modelhaus hood, but being a perfect copy of the MPC kit piece it's also too flat.

The top one was probably done with more than a little backing from AMT...note the AMT logo on the cover. As I recall, most of the articles and content dealt with AMT products also. I've got that one, but I'm not sure where it is so I can't say who published that one. The lower one is a Spotlite book, published by Petersen (Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, etc). There were a series of Spotlite books, each covered a specific topic like bodywork, upholstery, engine swaps, customizing ideas, and so on. I've known people who try to collect the entire series of those books.

Spoken by a non-hunter. I don't hunt either, but under normal circumstances the hunted is well aware of the hunter...their senses are far better than ours, they're aware of the hunters' presence, and the hunting is taking place on their turf. If it were one-sided, everyone that goes into the woods would come home with something. It's only when you get into those "canned hunts" that it's unfair, and no true hunter I've ever known would take part in anything like that.

Most of the early Revell kits ('59 Corvette, Ford Skyliner, '57 Ford Ranch Wagon, first version VW bus) included figures, but often when you find those kits assembled the figures aren't included. Most builders (myself included) don't think we're up to painting and detailing the figures. Revell figured that out pretty quick, as few of their later kits have figures included. I've got one of the MPC Jeepster kits with the safari version, and I'd like to stick it together that way. No figures included though, and I'm trying to work up the courage to try doing three or four for the project.

Who says you have to use those capabilities on public roads? Some cars can go over 150 miles per hour...I can't remember the last time I saw a speed limit over 65. The H1 can be driven on a 45 degree slope: up, down, or sideways. It can be driven through water nearly as high as the top of the hood. You can inflate or deflate the tires from inside the vehicle. Those aren't capabilities that can be put to use in normal driving. If I had an H1, though, I wouldn't use it for normal driving. Some folks buy a convertible and never put the top down. If I had one, I'd probably never put it up. A lot of people buy SUVs with four-wheel drive and never actually use it. One of my friends had a Geo Tracker (given to him by a relative), which I hear is actually pretty good in the snow. When he was selling it, I asked him how good it was in the snow. "I don't know...I've never put it in four-wheel drive". And he did use it during the winter. If I had the thing, after the first big snowstorm, I'd have gone out and tried to get it stuck somewhere, just to figure out what it could and couldn't do.

The original Hummer was cool. Not practical as everyday transportation (I wouldn't want to park one), but its capabilities are intriguing. If I had a ranch or estate with a lot of land, it'd be interesting to have one just to play around with, just to see what it could or couldn't do. The H2, on the other hand, was just a wannabe. It had the appearance cues of the original, with few (if any) of its actual capabilities. Typical GM; let's drop a different body on a Chevy Suburban and ask a bunch more money for it.

The one with the blue car on the box is a Revell of Germany issue. In all likelihood it will cost more than the Special Edition, at least in North America. Get the Special Edition, and be assured of getting the optional parts.

Comparing a PT Cruiser to a Miata cuts both ways...next time you need to get four people somewhere, the Miata is going to come up a bit short. If I were looking for a used vehicle, the PT would be my first choice...I'd make sure the maintenance issues were taken care of, though. Chrysler had a good thing going with the PT...a vehicle that sold well, with each sale helping their corporate average fuel economy. If not for the upheavals in the company's ownership and Daimler's looting of Chrysler, they should have invested in a next-generation version. Everyone I know who has/had one liked them, but the design got stale and they cheapened it over the years to keep prices down.

When I hear eBay mentioned, I'll ask them why it isn't listed if they can get that much for it there. At flea markets or garage sales, when I see eBay printouts on the seller's table, I keep moving. Nothing to see here, folks. When I ask for a price, and they have to dig out a notebook because nothing has a price tag on it, it's usually "keep moving" time there too...

If it's an original Hemi car, it will magically be "restored"...

I didn't see "why" in the original post, just an observation that some things aren't done. Some things aren't done because the builder didn't think to do them, others because the builders don't think they are up to that particular challenge yet. Other times, they've got the idea to do something, and they want to just get it finished and move on to the next idea. One guy I know will have an idea, and stay with it until it's finished, perfect or not. He gets things done. I've got a great talent for "thinking things to a standstill", and don't get as much done as I'd like.

As much as I want...no mortgage, no vehicle payment, all the bills get paid, and there's some left for savings, retirement, charity, and all of the other important stuff. I'm not rich, but consider myself very fortunate in that way. Other people I know have season tickets for one or more sports teams, blow money at the bars or the casino most weekends, own boats or motorcycles (or both) that they really can't afford, or have other activities that are way more expensive than mine. I have been tapering off somewhat on new releases, concentrating on filling holes in various sub-collections (Indy 500 pace cars, concept cars, for two examples) and picking up decal sheets and parts to go with things already "in stock". I've sold off some stuff that I'll never get to, and don't regret getting rid of anything (yet).

Basics...not filling seams between parts, not removing ejector pin marks or trademark information. Especially when there's a ton-o-money in aftermarket parts tacked on the same car. Ghost marks from unused cut lines on the underside of hoods would fit in here too. No inner fenders...being able to look at a car from one side, and see daylight from the other side. Same goes with seeing the inside of the interior when the hood is opened (or removed). Those pre-manufactured "distributors" that look like a couple of pieces of tubing stacked together, with the wires clumped together and stuck into the top. Incorrect class markings on drag cars...a fenderless T-bucket is not a gasser. A little research can save a lot of embarrassment; you don't have to leaf through an attic full of musty old magazines to get good info any more. Those "hot knife" Pro Street conversions, where the chassis is assembled and a different body dropped on without lining up the wheel openings or reworking the roll cage. A lot of those have cages that are nearly half an inch below the inside of the roof, with the driver staring ahead into the firewall or cowl. Seventies luxury cars with the basic "alternator and water pump" fan belt.

The '67 was the last annual to include stock wheel covers. The '68 annual kit box was marked "for 1968", meaning that AMT (not doing a promotional model for '68) did not have information on the 1:1 '68 when they produced the kit. Other "for 1968" AMT kits include the Camaro (a custom '67), Firebird (custom only, based heavily on the Camaro), and a "Chevrolet SS 427" (basically a custom-only '67 Impala with no rear window). I haven't got the "for 1968" Corvair kit, but my guess is that it had a '67 interior, and possibly did not have side markers on the body.

Basically two guys ACTING like they're beating the krap out of each other...

And then, you've got people who think EVERY intersection is "right on red". Some aren't, and have a huge sign posted. I've had people lean on the horn behind me, and had to reach out the window and point to the sign. When right on red is allowed, and I'm stuck behind someone, a very gentle tap on the horn usually jogs them awake.

The Chevy (promo and kit) used correct wheels with separate tires. The AMT '25 Ford double kit had its stock tires molded as a unit with the wheel when it first came out, and in all issues into the Seventies. No parts are shared between the Chevy and any other kit.

I remember years ago, when Campbell's (the soup maker) got busted for putting marbles at the bottom of the soup bowl for commercials, so the vegetables would be closer to the top instead of laying at the bottom under all of the broth. For the McDonald's commercials, they probably shove everything to one side of the bun, then show the "good" side of the burger. I don't often eat at places like that any more; I'm spoiled for that stuff because at work I can get lunch in the dining room. Most of the Revell drag car kits had that "prototype model" disclaimer on the box. The "prototype" was often a 1/16 scale kit with the hoses and wiring left off. The one-piece front tires and slicks, and the Cragar Super Trick front wheels that actually looked like Super Tricks were the giveaways...

Probably has something to do with its resemblance to the 426 Hemi block...