Mark

There was never an AMT issue of the Red Alert in 1970 trim. The Red Alert kit was first issued around 1973. I believe the Red Alert was unchanged parts-wise from the '72 annual kit. The Red Alert was one of those AMT kits that you saw on the shelf in every K-Mart store in the country. The box art was retained through the late Seventies. The '72 was backdated to the '70 many years after the Red Alert last appeared. When that was done, most of the optional parts from the Red Alert were replaced with different parts. There is only one 1:1 car, the '70.

The Chevelle was backdated by Ertl to the 1970 (which actually makes it more accurate as the Red Alert because the 1:1 car was a 1970). It was later reissued as a '72 again, but the '72 bumpers were newly tooled and weren't as good as the originals. Most of the optional parts have been changed, and the cut line on the underside of the hood has been eliminated too.

He's at the other end of NY, in Buffalo. I live nearby, I was just there yesterday. He just mailed out another list, and should have it posted online soon (although a lot of stuff on the printed list is already sold).

The '64 Galaxie annual kit that had the working light feature is now the Modified Stocker kit. The curbside kit that Model King issued a few years back is the original 1964 promotional model, later issued as a Craftsman Series kit and as an Ertl Blueprinter mail-order item. Apparently AMT created two '64 Galaxie tools: one for promotional models, another for the kits. Some parts interchange between the two (which would make sense because AMT would have used one set of masters to create the two tools).

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. car (later issued as the Mademoiselle Secret Agent 97 without any alterations) and the Piranha were first issued around the same time. They didn't share a single part.

The early Gremlin funny car (first released in '71) had two grille/bumper units. One is on the plated tree and is 100% stock (even has engraved headlamp detail). The unplated one has no engraved detail, it's supposed to make the body more closely resemble a one-piece fiberglass unit. I'm not sure which early Gremlin I want; Wally Booth's '72, or H.L. Shahan's '71 match race car (Gremlin wheelbase was too short to run legal Pro Stock prior to '72).

The S/ST (Street Super Trick) was chrome plated. The center section was cast aluminum, the outer rim steel. The center was probably attached to the rim in the same way as the Cragar S/S wheels: steel tabs were cast into the aluminum center which were then welded to the rim. The bolt head detail was decorative. The Street Super Tricks were HEAVY, and the plating started peeling on the centers (and the outer rims started rusting) not long after they were put on the car. The racing Super Tricks are spun aluminum, they may have been anodized clear when manufactured in order to keep them from dulling. Still, they will have a more natural aluminum finish. Most rear wheel halves (and a lot of fronts) had dual bolt patterns (five lug, Ford/Mopar/AMC and GM pattern). The rear wheels are a lot more common than the fronts, most racers had more than one set of slicks but seldom had extra front tires. Centerline wheels are similar to the racing Super Tricks, except the halves are stamped (not spun) and are permanently riveted together. They have a slug sandwiched between the halves in the lug bolt area like the Super Trick. I am not sure if the slug is steel or aluminum. There are more rivets around the perimeter of a Centerline wheel than bolts on a Super Trick wheel (fifteen bolts if I remember right). The Centerlines I have seen have only one lug pattern (either Ford/Mopar/AMC, or GM) not dual pattern. Centerlines are supposedly a bit lighter (when comparing similar sizes), and could be used on the street.

The wheels in the Chevelle are Super Tricks. The rears in particular are the best ones out there in my opinion. The fronts, though not perfect, are pretty decent too. The 1:1 spun aluminum Super Trick wheels were never meant for street use; they aren't built to withstand rough road surfaces, curb strikes, and other calamities associated with daily use. There are inner and outer halves that bolt together, with a cast aluminum slug that goes in between the halves to lend strength to the bolt hole area. The halves can be mixed and matched to create different widths and offsets. I borrowed a set of 1:1 rear wheel halves and measured them. The Monogram Chevelle wheels have the correct center area detail (rises outward slightly to accomodate the cast aluminum center slug). They also have the dual bolt pattern that most of the wide rear wheels have, also the correct number of bolt heads around the perimeter to hold the two halves together. Most other Super Tricks in 1/25 scale are dead flat across the center, have only one bolt pattern, and/or have the wrong number of bolt heads around the perimeter.

Those look like Fenton "RT" wheels. AMT's '59 El Camino kit has had those wheels since the mid-Seventies. All four are the same width; relatively narrow. To fit wider tires on the rear, AMT included thicker wheel backs. E-T had a similar wheel, but I can't recall the name. I believe four of those (in two different widths) were included in Monogram's Corvette SS Hatchback kit (a later variation on the Tom Daniel Street 'Vette). I had a set of the 1:1 E-T wheels; no longer have the wheels but still have the plated plastic center caps and a bunch of the Uni-Lug inserts and nuts. If anyone can use them, I'll shoot you a good price on everything...

It includes the automatic and Hurst shifter. The W-30 version of this kit had the four-speed.

AMT did offer the Jo-Han '69 4-4-2 in AMT packaging. The box art was not in the style of the 1969 annual kits, however. I believe this was the first instance of Jo-Han producing a kit that was sold by both itself and AMT. Previous efforts ('67-'68 Toronado, '68 AMX) were sold only by AMT. AMT and Jo-Han both sold the 1970 4-4-2 kit also. AMT sold it in two different boxes with different stock numbers. AMT did the two-box thing with the 1969 and 1970 AMX kits also. One of the boxes for both the 4-4-2 and AMX were in the same style as other AMT annual kit boxes.

The rear axle is correct; it is a Mickey Thompson unit. I don't think anyone else had access to some of the parts he produced. The Jo-Han Logghe Brothers chassis is still the best one out there IMO. Jo-Han ran into problems with the later funny car kits, though. The Gene Snow Challenger chassis is a "transitional" unit from 1970, unique to that particular car. I've never seen another chassis exactly like it. The Mickey Thompson "titanium" chassis was also a one-off. Original plans were to build two (one Pinto, one Mustang). But the titanium tubing was expensive and difficult to get, labor intensive to weld, and not much lighter than steel because it couldn't be had in the sizes and thicknesses desired. Only one titanium chassis was built; it was used under the Pinto. The Mustang body was draped over the Pinto's chassis for some pictures. I don't know if the Mustang ever saw competition with either the titanium chassis or some other one. The Pinto saw extensive use; M/T only had one Pinto. Revell would offer a kit of the same car in a later version a few years later. Jo-Han was boxed in by having tooled two one-off chassis that were superceded by Pat Foster's "digger" style chassis, that ironically first saw use under Mickey Thompson's 1969 Mustangs. M/T tried to improve on the concept but failed to do so. Had Jo-Han waited until, say, 1972 and tooled a more standard chassis design with a 426 Chrysler Hemi engine (like Revell did), they may have been able to get more mileage out of their drag car kits.

But the body is what you see first, and that's where Jo-Han's stuff really shined. Some of the other parts they did were great, too: -late Oldsmobile engine (so good that Ertl cribbed it for their '69 4-4-2 kit) -426 Hemi engine (still one of the better ones out there) -Boss 429 engine (the best one ever done) -Logghe Brothers early funny car chassis (still the best one ever done IMO) -Toronado front-drive unit (the focal point of those cars; Jo-Han took the trouble to do it right) -Hurst mag wheels (again, the best ones out there) -Firestone Drag 500 tires and slicks (only ones out there, but Jo-Han wasn't sticking dragster slicks in their pro stock kits!)

I'm led to understand that only the '59 Rambler wagon and snap-together Chrysler Turbine Car were the only new (post-Seville) production items. Everything else (including the "limited edition" '68 Plymouth police car) was assembled from stockpiled parts that came as part of the purchase, with new decals and vacuformed clear glass added to the police car. The original Jo-Han company was in bad shape for many years IMO. They'd lost their Dodge promotional model deals after 1964, Plymouth after 1970, AMC and Oldsmobile soon after. Only Cadillac remained, and that ended after 1979. Jo-Han rose and fell on the promotional model business. They didn't produce many kits that weren't financed (at least in part) on the back of a promo. They seemingly never had access to what would no doubt have been the biggest promo contracts, like Chevrolet and Pontiac (though they did do a couple of the latter in the mid-Fifties). And, little by little, MPC chipped away at Jo-Han's Chrysler business. Ford had some potential (was I surprised to see the Maverick kit in late 1969!), but in the end Jo-Han only did the Maverick, '71 Comet, and '72 Torino fastback. They started out the Seventies pretty well, heading in a racing-oriented direction. But race cars get outdated fast. Though sought after now (and even when new), the USA Oldies series didn't include the best set of selections from the Jo-Han tooling archive. I'd suspect that most of what was offered was chosen more because of completeness (even mere availability) of tooling, than for potential popularity. Many of the kits differ noticeably from the original annual versions. Most lacked customizing parts, and also have later interior detail because parts of the tooling had been recut and reused in the following years' product. Some of the later non-Oldies reissues were closer to the original annual kits, but by then it was too little, too late.

The body has a '66 front end because it was reworked from the MPC 1966 fastback body. The body sides look something like a 1967 but the rear window opening was altered from the 1966 (squared off lower corners). They could only change it so much, if you compare to any of the 1967-68 stock bodies out there the rear window on the flip-front car is much smaller. Best choice for a more correct replacement would be the AMT 1967 annual kit body, second choice would be the mid-Nineties AMT/Ertl 1967 fastback. The annual kit body is a bit thinner, the newer one could be thinned out by doing some grinding on the inside.

There's nothing wrong with making a few bucks once in a while to help offset the cost of a hobby. Half of the guys who set up at the toy shows or model contests are doing just that. Selling a few items and coming out a few dollars ahead on them pays for the table at the show, which helps the club putting on the show. Having a bigger/more crowded vendor area brings more people through the door looking for deals, which helps the club even more. In the most extreme situations, you can luck into a collection or a bunch of items at a (non-model) show, sell some of the pile for what you paid for everything, and get the stuff you keep essentially for free. When eBay was really roaring at full steam, I could manage to do that two or three times a year. When I buy something at a show, I might bargain with the seller, but what he or she paid for the item doesn't enter into the conversation. If they come out ahead, and I get something I want, that's a win-win situation for both of us. Some guys can do builds for money, I can't. I've done a couple of them, and don't see myself doing it again. I've done okay at contests (in the distant past), but that's only because I spent a lot more time on something than the average guy. I can do decent work, but I can't do good work fast. If I charged by the job, I'd be working for pennies per hour...if I charged by the hour, nobody in their right mind would pay that much for the work!

The '32 Ford roadster is a good nostalgia exercise, goes together easily and looks okay when finished. Some proportions are off when compared to one of the newer '32 kits, but it is now a fifty year old kit. I've got one in the works, to match the box art. Modifications are limited to a new firewall (kit instructions tell you to merely cut away the bottom half of the kit piece) and extending the front and rear frame horns to meet up with the bumper brackets (which is where they belong). Trying to do anything with the body proportions is an exercise in frustration; change one thing and everything else looks off. Enjoy it for what it is, just don't get too cerebral with it. The '39 Wagonrod, out of the box, is one of those love-it-or-hate-it things. Parts-wise, it has a nice Corvette engine, an up-to-the-minute Art Morrison chassis that can be used for other projects, and some neat wheels. Tires are shared with the '32 Phantom Vickie which came out around the same time (they originated with the Plymouth Prowler). The '34 Ford might just be the best '34 kit out there...better than the Aurora five-window, certainly better than AMT's first two attemps at a '34 passenger car (three-window coupe, two-door sedan). Monogram's three-window coupe might be as good, but is a lot harder to find since it was altered away from a stock version long ago. I'm told Revell's snap three-window isn't bad, but I haven't looked at that one long enough to form an opinion of it.

The Hurst version of the kit includes the automatic, the W-30 version includes a four-speed. Pedals and console are different in each kit, and correct for each configuration. No issue of this kit had both transmissions. The stock air filter setups and exhaust systems differ between the two versions also.

These aren't new, though at some point they may have been retooled also since they were used in so many kits. The two different sizes of this tire might be due to retooling, or perhaps different materials being used, with some tires shrinking and others not.

Aurora put a lot of effort into being first to market with a particular kit. Accuracy often suffered because of that. In the case of the Ferrari, the kit started out as a model of one Ferrari, then changed to another that was introduced while Aurora was developing the kit. Aurora's Avanti was out way before AMT's kit, and likewise isn't as good as AMT's. From what I can determine, AMT's kit came out in late '64 or early '65. Studebaker stopped building Avantis in late '63 when they quit assembling cars in South Bend. (They built engines there for cars assembled in Canada to finish up the '64 model year.) I don't think Newman and Altman had started building them yet; if they had, AMT would probably have changed the engine and introduced the kit as an Avanti II...

A few years back, I spotted an AMT '66 Mercury kit (the rare "Show Car" second issue). Starting bid, $9.99. The one or two of those I'd seen previously sold in the $75 range (yes, for a '66 Merc; this was before RC2/Ertl brought it back the last time). Neither of the ones I'd seen previously were sealed like this one. The auction ended on a Sunday afternoon, and at that time I would be driving back home from the Three Rivers meet in Pittsburgh. I always like to bid in the last few seconds, but that wasn't possible this time so I placed a bid. I went in on the high side but figured since this was a sealed kit someone would want it more badly than me. When I got home and checked my e-mails, I found out I did get the kit...for $9.99! Nobody else bid on it. The shrinkwrap is legit, in fact someone marked it (on the box bottom) that they had bought the kit at a toy show in 1983. Last night, I picked up a Revell late-Fifties Porsche Carrera kit for $10.50. Nice box, sealed parts bag (everything is in one bag, including the tires which are two-piece styrene). This is the original stock version of the racing Speedster that Revell has reissued several times. The stock version was issued only once. You don't see built stock ones because the windshield frame is extremely thin, and the kit didn't have molded clear parts. They expected you to bend that thin clear sheet styrene and glue it to the thin windshield frame! I've got a couple of these kits already, plans are to carve a form and vacuform a windshield that will fit the frame without pulling it out of shape. This one looks so good I'll probably just leave it alone. Even with shipping figured in, there aren't too many fifty-years-old-plus kits that sell for $20. If Revell reissued the kit today, it would sell for more than that. On the flip side, I sold some Digger 'Cuda parts (upper/lower body halves and bare frame, no other parts). Bought at a swap meet for $8, two or three guys slugged it out with the winner paying $114. He was happy to get it too, gave me great feedback. Of course, a few years later it was reissued...

I've used Chrome-Tech in the past, usually two or three racks every year. I have some kit parts replated, but mostly send out resin parts that I sell at a couple of shows per year. Chrome-Tech lets you put plastic and resin on one rack; LMK wants them racked separately. Last time around I tried LMK. Turnaround time was faster, but I wound up tossing half of the parts because the plating was contaminated (had a "gritty" appearance). (I don't sell "seconds".) Back to Chrome-Tech for me!

The Ivo Showboat is a bear to assemble, but looks great when it's done. My older brother had the original issue, never completed it, told me I'd never get it built when I bought the HOT ROD double kit. The exhaust pipes aren't tough, the tough part (for me) was getting the engine mount pieces that are on the engines lined up with the corresponding parts that are molded as part of the chassis tubes. The small tank at the front (not sure if it's a fuel or oil tank) is molded in two pieces with a lot of taper that has to be filed away before the assembled tank fits. Too, make sure the body panels are cleaned up on the inside (ejector pin marks), fit the frame, and meet one another without leaving gaps between them on either side. The Mickey Thompson Challenger I is supposedly easier, but I haven't gotten too far with that one. I did pick up two of the SSP issue Showboat kits thinking I'd build an eight-engine version. You need parts from a third kit to couple the engines, which I have. Haven't gotten around to that one, though...

The Wildcat was built on the Invicta (middle series, price-wise) body. It and the LeSabre are six inches shorter than the Electra 225 (214" vs. 220"), wheelbase is three inches shorter (123" vs. 126"). Only the Electra used the longer body for 1962. The Invicta station wagon, being essentially a 1961 wagon with a '62 front clip, was a half-inch shorter than the passenger car!

The extra headlight and taillight are remnants from when the coupe body was used for the promotional model. (The original annual kit was a convertible, and included the hardtop as a separate part with "vinyl roof" detail.) AMT would include extras of some small parts on the plated trees so the parts bins for the workers assembling the promos would fill up faster. They wouldn't have problems running short on headlights or taillights if some were dropped or broken. Many of the kits from the early Seventies (Pinto, Mustang, Monte Carlo) had five stock wheels on the plated tree for the same reason.