Mark

Last time I saw $7.99 was when they were dumping the stock after Walmart stopped carrying Model kits on a regular basis. Those kits were pre-Round 2 AMT and MPC...

Before shaking long settled paint, MIX it. Get a good (metal) mixing utensil and get it into every possible area of that bottle. If by chance it absolutely won't mix, then it can be written off as no good. If it mixes, then shaking periodically should keep it mixed.

That's a very late, match race version of the Willys. S-W-C seem to have abandoned Gas class for match racing in 1965-66. Note also the trimmed lower body. This car is restored, as is the first one (that the old opening-doors Revell kit represents).

Scratch building using wood was still considered somewhat "mainstream" in the mid/late Sixties. The short-lived (but still great) Rod & Custom Models magazine included articles by Phil Jensen, as did Car Model. The R&C articles included scratching a Bugatti with a wood body and engine, and wheels made from cardstock sealed with shellac. The only items taken from a kit were the tires. Right after Jensen completed the build, Monogram's kit of the exact same Bugatti came out. The Car Model articles mainly centered around heavy trucks, building cabs not offered in any of the then new 1/25 scale heavy truck kits. Even if you aren't inclined to try to build anything like that, the articles are a good read, as they give you an idea of what was and wasn't available back then.

It was probably the Ramchargers' Plymouth coupe, an Altered class car, that triggered the 24" crankshaft centerline rule. That car ran in 1959/60 and was made obsolete via that rule being added, probably for the 1961 season.

I haven't built one, but do have an assembled one. The chassis and interior piece were used in several kits, there don't appear to be any problems in building it.

The original kit didn't have any optional wheels. Had to make room for the spoof parts!

The 300C chassis seemed to compare well with an early Sixties Imperial chassis I checked some time ago. The floorboard will need a bunch of work though. The 300C has a Powerflite transmission; later Torqueflites don't need a floor hump quite as big. I can’t see messing with the chassis on these cars, stock or not, as the greasy bits aren't the focus point of them. I'd concentrate more on the interior, getting the right depth and detail, myself.

Eddie Rickenbacker: WW1 flying ace, owner of the Indianapolis Speedway (until 1946), airline magnate, car manufacturer. The Rickenbacker was one of the first couple of American cars with four-wheel brakes (earlier cars had brakes on the rear only, except the Ford Model T which had one brake on the transmission). Rickenbacker led an interesting life, I seem to have heard that during his flying days he crashed or was shot down a few times, and was given last rites in the field a couple of times.

Imperials didn't go to Unibody construction until '67. The '64-'66 generation car was a facelifted again and again '57. The car didn't sell well enough for Chrysler to plump for a ground-up rework until '67. The tank on the kit chassis probably represents an armor plated unit. You wouldn't expect the Green Hornet to ride around with an exposed run-of-the-mill gas tank, would you?

The Round 2 AMT '68 Camaro Z/28 may have side marker light decals.

I haven't used that specific brand, but do use another similar product. It looks like slightly thickened Elmer's glue, which I have also used. Any of these should peel right away when you separate the parts.

I have never seen a '63 in any scale, resin or otherwise. If (big "if") anyone would attempt a kit, it would probably be a '66 IMO. The center section of the Dart body (windshield, cowl, doors) looks pretty much the same as a '66 Barracuda. For the rest, you'd have to piece it together from sections of other car bodies, with a lot of epoxy putty thrown in.

I have seen a '65 two-door hardtop. I'm pretty sure it was R&R Vacuum Craft, so there is a chance that it was copied off of someone else's body. Long out of production either way.

Might need Maxwell's Silver Hammer to persuade some of the parts to fit better...

AMT kits from that era do sometimes have vague parts fit issues. Throw in the fact that it is a VW (unusual subject matter for AMT back then). It is what it is.

There was a '70 kit, coupe only however. The last convertible kit was the '68.

With assembly plants near DC and many state capitals. May as well put them near the "resources"...

One kid in the eighth grade brought in a pair of those X-ray glasses. We never saw a bunch of girls scatter that quickly...

Latest info on the HAMB (thread about HOT ROD soon going quarterly) is that the next issue of Rodders' Journal is currently at the printer.

The El Camino wheels are identified as Fenton RTs on the original Street Rods series box.

The wheels in the newer issues (1975 or so until now) are either Fentons or E-T. The original Street Rods series box (the one Round 2 used the artwork from for the latest issue) might specify which. I've got every issue of the El Camino, I'll take a look at that one later today. I had a 1:1 set of the E-T version of that wheel. One piece cast aluminum, "bolt" detail was recessed and cast as part of the wheel. I'd imagine the Fenton version was similar. Neither wheel was any lightweight, but still better than the Cragar Street Super Trick which was (like most other Cragar Street wheels) a cast aluminum center with a steel outer rim. Theirs was chrome plated, but again like their other wheels Cragar never did find the handle when it came to chrome plating aluminum.

Okey didn't buy the company, only tooling and (some) leftover stock. For all we know, the original Jo-Han company could still be in business under some other name, producing some unknown (to us) product or service. Okey's operation is Johan (no hyphen), the other one is hyphenated as was the original company's name.

The beads that look like metal fittings won't be at Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Michael's used to carry plastic #11 (11/0 in jewelry parlance) beads that had a .030" hole. That particular brand seems to be unavailable now, though you might turn up something similar (or old stock) online. The metallic looking beads I have found online (check eBay) are: 8/0; 1/10" (10 per inch for the jewelry folks), .050" hole. 10/0; 15 per inch, .036" hole which corresponds to Beadalon .036" braided wire. 11/0; 19 per inch, .030" hole which corresponds to Beadalon .030" braided wire. 15/0; 22 per inch, .024" hole which corresponds to Beadalon .024" braided wire. The Beadalon brand braided wire is commonly available at craft stores, the beads will be found online. Do a good search, as they are available in a variety of colors. You'll find something you like that won't have to be painted, or that you can tint with colors to get an anodized look.

But if they could 3D print it, it could be done faster...