Mark

The only "old" part of the banjo rear axle was the center section; all of the stuff inside was new. The reason for keeping the center section was that it had a torque tube and not a driveshaft with universal joints. The torque tube acted as a third traction bar. When the Pontiac rear axle was installed, the torque tube setup was retained. The Chevy engine/early Ford "banjo" rear axle setup seems to have been transplanted into George's "Hurst Gasser Passer" English Ford Prefect. Both Mustangs have fiberglass bodies. The '67 body is said to be a Ford Engineering piece, the same one that was used to design the body dies. It would have been used to determine where the steel body panels would be joined, where the spot welds would be, where the hinges would be placed, where access holes would be needed for routing wires on the assembly line, things like that. While the first Mustang was under construction, the rules still required a production car frame. Shortly after it was finished, fully fabricated frames were allowed in the interest of safety. The '69 Mustang used a Willys frame again because George simply stuck with what he knew would work. The '69 body is a "splash" taken from a pre-production car. There's a 1971 issue of HOT ROD with a feature article on the Multi-Maverick. The kit chassis is pretty much spot-on (mostly rectangular tubing, not round). There's also an interview with George somewhere out there, where he stated that MPC bankrolled the construction of the 1:1 car in exchange for the rights to make the model. (Not farfetched: MPC did kits of three of George's cars, and each was in the catalog for a long time.) The body is off, particularly in the areas of the hood and rear wheel openings. Like the AMT XR-6 Dodge Deora kits, the development of the kit went hand-in-hand with the construction of the 1:1 car, and occasionally got ahead of it to the point where some details don't match. There is another MPC Maverick kit (Jolly Roger funny car) that uses the Multi-Maverick body with a flat hood (the JR has a different chassis that places the engine entirely inside the body). One of those, even a built one, could supply the unscooped hood to help correct the Multi-Maverick. Neither issue of the MM had decals that got close to the look of the 1:1 car either.

To add a little bit of information: -Besides the AMT '65 Mustang ('64 pace car) convertible, Monogram first issued their 1/24 scale Mustang convertible with Pace Car decals. -AMT issued the 1967 and 1969 Camaros as Indy Pace Cars in assembled promotional models and as kits. MPC/Ertl offered a mediocre '69 Camaro convertible as a stand-alone kit (molded in orange, without Pace Car decals) and in a three-car set (molded in white, with Pace Car decals), in the late Eighties. -Revell's '72 Hurst/Olds convertible is no longer in production, but it can be built as a Pace Car provided you track down a Fred Cady decal sheet. -The MPC 1979 Mustang pace car (offered as the 1980 annual kit) has an option for the T-roof setup used on the actual Pace Car. Monogram's kit has the sunroof which makes it a replica of the version that was sold to the public. -Others are available in resin. R&R offers/offered the '52 Studebaker and '54 Dodge convertibles, and probably has others as well. KG Models offered the '85 Cutlass Calais as a vacuform kit. I passed on that one back in the day, but it actually looked pretty good (though it took a lot of work to cut out and assemble).

NHRA Gas class rules at the time required two seats. The Willys kit has one seat because the first issue was modeled on the John Mazmanian car, which was frequently match raced at a lower weight, and with a larger engine, than NHRA Gas class rules allowed. When match racing, the rules are whatever the participants agree on. The second issue, the black Stone-Woods-Cook car, was match raced as well and many pictures of it can be found with one seat. The Pittman Willys is restored to the 1963 season version. For 1964, Pittman built a '33 Willys with a Chrysler engine. In 1965, while match racing with the '33, it was wrecked. Pittman then "un-retired" the '41 that he still owned, installing the Chrysler engine and making some other changes. The '41 was used through mid-'66, when another '33 Willys replaced it.

Nope...'61-'62 Buick Special wagon. The Double Dragster doesn't include the adapter to mount eight carbs to the top of a supercharger, nor does it include a crank-drive blower setup for a Chrysler engine. (The DD's Chevy engines do have crank-drive setups.) The same Chrysler engine (with more chrome) was in the '63 Nova wagon, along with the trailer from the Buick wagon. The Boss Nova kit has the engine too, minus the crank-drive blower (it doesn't fit the Nova wagon in its mid-engine configuration).

The Ertl Corporation acquired AMT in 1982, when Lesney went into bankruptcy and was forced to sell it. (Lesney bought AMT in 1978, moving it to Baltimore after the Troy, MI building had been sold in a climate of fast-rising property values in that area.) Ertl acquired MPC in 1985. Under Ertl's ownership, some AMT kits were released under the MPC brand, and vice versa. After a couple of years of that (and shipping AMT and MPC branded kits in different size boxes), the MPC brand was phased out, and only used on Buyers' Choice reissues that had been MPC items originally. MPC was started in 1963 by George Toteff (an early employee of AMT) and Dick Branstner (who then owned the "Color Me Gone" super stock Dodge). They stayed on good terms with AMT's upper management in spite of having left the company to start MPC. The first few MPC kits were sold through AMT because they had excellent distribution, and were able to place the products in far more stores than a new company. The early MPC kits distributed by AMT include the Dream Rod, Wild Dream/King T double kit (two AMBR winners in one box!), '28 Ford two-door sedan, and '65 Dodge Coronet. Box art, decals, tires, and instruction sheets all are MPC, they don't match up with other AMT kits that were out at that time. The first "official" MPC kit was the '64 Corvette. AMT already had Corvette coupe and roadster kits (based on the promotional models) so MPC had to distribute that one on their own. That's why it's a lot easier to find either of the AMT '64 Corvettes, than the MPC '64 coupe. When MPC reissued some of the kits that had previously been sold under the AMT banner, all of them were modified in some way. MPC didn't want to issue the same items AMT had sold. So, the Dream Rod became the Tiger Shark, the '28 Ford sedan became a roadster pickup/station wagon, and the Wild Dream/King T double kit was divided with each car being sold separately. There was some back-and-forth activity between the two companies into the late Sixties. Somehow, the Plymouth Barracuda and Chevy Fleetside pickup kits that had been issued by AMT for 1967 became MPC kits for 1968. These, and the Jo-Han kits packaged and sold by AMT between 1967 and about 1974, have never been explained by anyone in any great detail. With all of the principal parties now gone, it's unlikely that anyone is left that knows the "how" or "why" behind some of this stuff.

Same basic car, but much of the Dream Rod's body was reworked in the transformation to the Tiger Shark. The 1:1 car was recently restored as the Dream Rod; all of the changes were reversed. Long story short: if you want a Dream Rod, search out a Dream Rod kit. Some parts (glass, chassis and engine parts) could be sourced from the Tiger Shark if needed.

The donor kit that would be needed, is the AMT/Ertl Connoisseur Classics issue pictured in this thread. There is an MPC Connoisseur Classics issue also; that one is from the Seventies, and includes only the stock parts. The Vampire Van doesn't include the stock Chevy fenders, hood, radiator shell, or other trim parts. That said, if you are able to get to any of the bigger model car-related shows, you should be able to find a rebuildable original panel delivery. One of the guys I set up at shows with had a couple of them last year. They were in decent shape (not gluebombed), had all of the parts needed for the delivery, and could have been rebuilt using a Vampire Van as a donor. Each was in the $20-25 range, less than the price of the delivery parts if they were offered in resin. I remember him lugging them to several shows and not selling them. I don't remember where the first one sold (probably a show I didn't go to), the second one finally went at NNL East last month. I'd have bought them myself, but I've already got enough parts to make three good ones already...and that's probably two more than I'll get to...

Under all of the body modifications, it's still the '33 Chevy panel delivery. The Vampire Van body still fits the stock Chevy fenders, and the stock Chevy hood still fits to the Vampire Van's cowl. On the flip side, the Chevy cabriolet body should drop right onto the Vampire Van chassis, if you are interested in a vampire-themed convertible with a coffin-style hood...

I'm pretty certain insurance laws differ from one state to another. In 2006, someone rammed the back of my 2004 Dakota and bent the rear bumper. I was told that NY State law allows the insurance company's estimate to include used OEM parts if: (a) the vehicle is not "current year" (2006 in my case), or (if it is "current year" but has more than 5,000 miles on it. In my case, they could not locate a suitable used bumper, so they had to pay for a new one. While checking prices on used vs. new bumpers, most of the used ones I came across included in their description the disclaimer "not suitable for insurance repair". I don't know what that encompassed, possibly these units had been bent previously and then straightened. Used bumpers that would have been acceptable were priced the same as new ones (or so close that shipping would have made them cost more). Sometimes the OEM parts aren't kept in stock very long, so used and aftermarket are the only available options. My niece's 2003 Cavalier was struck and nearly totalled (really should have been; the estimate was within a couple hundred dollars of a total loss...and after repairs were started, additional work had to be done that pushed the total higher). This was in 2006 or 2007. Even then, a new front bumper fascia wasn't available from GM, and at the time no good used front end sheetmetal was available in the area. So she got new sheetmetal but an aftermarket fascia, which differs visibly in some minor detail. In a case where only the fascia would be damaged (and none of the sheetmetal) the auto parts dealer will rarely split up the complete front end to sell just the fascia, headlamp(s), or one fender. The whole will often be worth more than the sum of the parts, and will be easier to sell.

Nope...offer the panel, but at a price that reflects the content. Selling less for more doesn't work, at least with me...

The retro-Thunderbird was killed before it had a chance, by dealers looking at a big fat markup. It was probably worth sticker price, but the ten grand beyond that, that some dealers were asking, brought a lot of negative press. The PT Cruiser ran its course. Daimler didn't develop a second-generation model, they only cheapened it and squeezed every nickel out of it. A co-worker of mine had a very early one; a few years later she looked at another new one but was appalled by how much the thing had been "de-contented". A two-door wagon would have sold better as a second model than the convertible, and would have lent itself to a sedan delivery version. The HHR was okay, but overpriced at first. I considered pulling the trigger on one in 2007. My nephew, who sells new cars, told me recently "be glad you didn't buy one...we've had a lot of problems with them". Then there's the panel version: pay $300 more for no rear seat, no windows in the rear doors, and no quarter windows? What kind of logic is that? I'm surprised Ford didn't come up with a similar vehicle, to grab a piece of that market. The Fiero: typical GM thinking, build it out of the parts bin but charge the long dollar. I looked at one in 1984. Base model, $8,400...sticker price, dealer won't budge. Where's the OHC, where's the aluminum engine...where's the five-speed transaxle? Throttle-body fuel injection...not much more than half a Quadrajet with a bunch of wires attached, dead-end technology. After looking at that, I never gave a GM vehicle more than a passing glance until I saw the HHR.

I don't see any. I bought this kit because my original issue kit is missing some parts, including the carburetors. So, I haven't got originals to compare to, but the new ones look good. The ejector pin marks are on little tabs that have to be trimmed off, two on each carb. One tab is attached to the intake horn (near the bottom, on the back) and the other tab is attached to the lower front part of the carburetor. The intake horns are partially hollowed out in the style of recent Revell exhaust pipe ends. I'd bet these are better than the original parts.

The Premier kits are molded in styrene. I've got an unbuilt '55 Chevy convertible. It's molded in two colors (white and blue). The body is split in such a way as, when assembled, the car is a factory style two-tone color scheme. The side trim is molded as separate pieces, plated, which cover the seams. The plating is as good as anything made today. The colored plastic is opaque and extremely shiny. Years ago, I showed this kit to a couple of friends. When the new-tool Monogram '55 Chevy convertible was issued, one of them built one right away. Remembering the split body in the Premier kit, he cut the Monogram body apart in the trim recess area when painting the two-tone color scheme...he said it saved time, he didn't have to mask the body or wait for one color to dry before applying the second color!

If that's like the other Premier kits, the windshield is a sheet of clear acetate, die-cut with tabs that fit into the slots on the body. I've got a Premier '55 Chevy convertible and a two-seater Thunderbird, and that's how they are. No windshield frame was included. One of the manufacturers of wood model kits (Berkeley?) did a kit of that show car also. The body would have been a rough-shaped balsa block, with cast metal trim parts and rubber tires with stamped metal hubcaps.

A fair amount of the Little Deuce remains, but a lot of changes have been made. The engine is different, as are the wheels and tires. The headlights and taillights have been changed also. If you want to replicate the Little Deuce, try to find one of the Early Iron Series roadster kits (the one molded in black). It's a lot closer to the Little Deuce than the recent issues. I've found a couple of those for way less than the retail price of the current version.

The tires are the ones tooled for the Rat Rod Model A releases. They're nicely done, but look like radials with their rounded shoulder areas. The old Revell Goodyear bias-ply tires had sharp delineation between the tread area and sidewall. That said, the newly tooled parts are done quite well. I bought the reissue because the original kit I have is missing the gas tank, carburetor/intake horn units, and another part or two that weren't in any of the later issues. Revell is paying extra attention to exhaust pipe and intake parts, and trying to mold these parts with hollowed-out ends. I don't have the original parts to check against, but I'm betting the new carb/intake parts are better than the originals. The new generator looks better to me, and the Chevrolet script on the valve covers also looks like it's improved. The decal sheet is also larger than the original, with instrument faces and body side striping the original sheet lacked. The license plate decals on the original sheet edge out the newer ones, but otherwise the new sheet is decent. The optional parts (fenders, lanterns, and raised top) will probably be saved for use on one of the recent issues, as will the new wheels and tires. Revell also included two newly tooled mag wheels that look a lot like the American Torque-Thrust IIs on my Fairlane. I'll have to either pull a mold off of one of these, or scrounge a second pair, for whenever I get around to building another Fairlane.

That's Jack Abramoff (sp?), a famous lobbyist. The media made the Boris Badenov comparison at the time he was in the news.

The whitewall tires appear to be the Rat Rod units; not exactly like the originals. The parts trees to the right side in the next two pictures (fenders/gas tank, plated wheels and other parts) are new tooling. Apparently the original parts were discarded and/or altered when the kit was first revised away from the original Tweedy Pie configuration in the early Seventies. My original issue kit is missing the gas tank and carburetors with curved intake horns, so I've been waiting for the reissue since first hearing about it. It would have been nice to see wheels and tires that match the originals more closely, but these can be put to use on something else. Wonder if we'll see the Tweedy Pie/Boss Fink again at some point?

The can will lose pressure over time, but in many cases the paint inside may still be usable if decanted and applied with an airbrush. I have had paint settle and separate, namely AMT lacquer in solid colors.

Most people who are seriously into these cars will have at least one of each version issued. For two identical seats, build every other version with the second seat from another Willys kit. The ones you took the seat from could then be built with different seats, either aftermarket castings or from some other kit. Revell had to make the kit "generic" so that it could be issued as several similar cars. But the little details (wheels, valve covers, seats, roll bars, headers) differ to some extent on each car. You'll want to switch a few things around to make each one in your collection look more like the 1:1 car it represents.

Check out the decal sheet in the Jimmy..."Mustang Ranch, Silver Springs, Nevada"...

I've got two AMT '67 annual kits (Barracuda and Mustang), and three '68 kits (Riviera, Torino fastback, and Galaxie), that are still shrinkwrapped. Two of the '68 kits have period store price tags. I've had the Barracuda since 1973, and I know where it has been since 1967. Neither of the people who had it before me would have had the capability to wrap it. I bought two of the Mustangs from a trustworthy collector/seller (now deceased) in the mid-Eighties. He knew where they were since 1972 (info is lightly penciled in on the box bottom; corner of shrinkwrap was cut and pulled away in that area). Opened the other Mustang upon receiving it, it's exactly what it's supposed to be. Same goes for a '67 Galaxie hardtop kit that I bought from the same guy, that I cracked open and built in the late Eighties. Two of the '68 kits were purchased at Toledo about twenty years ago, for (at the time) little more than what vendors were asking for current kits. I can't see the doll vendor who sold them to me going to the trouble of wrapping those. A couple of these do exhibit minor pulling-in of the box lids, but I've got a few others from the 1969 period that do not have any issues. That has more to do with storage conditions than anything else. Looking at several other AMT '67 annual kits (and one empty box) that are unsealed, not a single one of them has the tape marks or residue on the side panels and box bottom that the pre-'67 boxes will always have. Bagging of the unplated parts inside the box started later ('69 or '70) but I'll stick to my earlier statement: shrinkwrapping boxes at AMT started with the '67 annuals. That said, I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a shrinkwrapped kit, especially in an online auction...I'd have to see it.

Looks legit to me...I've got several sealed AMT kits from that era, the wrap on each of them looks similar to that one. I've had a couple of them since the early Seventies, and a couple others bought from a reliable collector/seller (bought two of the same kit, both wrapped; opened one and it was "right"). Others were found for less than the price of a (then) current production kit, so I'm pretty sure nobody would go to any great length to do anything to those. One or two of mine are split along the seam on one side of the box, but they were that way prior to my getting them. AMT started shrinkwrapping their kits in late '66 with the 1967 annuals. Trophy Series kits were "phased in"; they generally stayed with the little pieces of tape on each side of the box, and were changed to shrinkwrap next time the kit was issued with different box art. Yellowing, excessive shrinking that pulls the top of the box into a "concave" shape, and drying/splitting of shrinkwrap are caused by storage conditions. If the box was sitting in an attic or other place with temp/humidity extremes, it would develop any or all of these conditions. The Chevelle kit was probably stored under optimal conditions over the years. That said, I've never spent that much on a kit, and if I were to do so, I'd have to see it "in person" beforehand. I've seen too many shrinkwrapped kits with stickers, writing, paint spots, and other issues under the shrinkwrap, as well as shrinkwrapped pre-'67 AMT kits, to trust anything but a hands-on inspection. A period store price tag would be a plus, though sometimes you don't want to see that on the top face of the box lid.

Maybe GSA required mirrors on both sides, but my mom bought a 1995 Dodge Neon, brand new...with no passenger side mirror. She wanted one without any options other than an automatic transmission...not even a radio (which was still optional). Dealer found her one with the automatic, rear window defroster (required in NY, except on hatchbacks), side moldings, and a radio. Mom agreed to take the side moldings but insisted on no radio. The dealer left it in because they couldn't get the block-off plate for the instrument panel. And what would they do with an AM radio? My brother got the car after my mom quit driving; first thing he did was go to the junkyard and get a passenger-side mirror...

They are (solid) now...they weren't back then...