Mark

The Belvedere isn't 100% stock as the box art would have you believe. I'm 99% certain it has the lightweight seats, not sure which engine setup it has though.

One-shot for Model King. X number were made, that's it unless they decide to do another run.

In all except a handful of cases, hardtops and convertibles had one windshield, sedans and wagons had another that was slightly taller.

The black squirrels are a variation on the Eastern Grey squirrel. The black ones are claimed to be able to withstand somewhat lower temperatures than the greys.

Which issue of the kit do you have? The early (Lindberg) issues probably don't have them, but the newest Round 2 (AMT) issue might. I'm not aware of any being sold separately.

The Sunliner/Starliner script deal also applies to the '60 annual kits, except that hardtops can have either script. What probably happened was, kit production alternated between hardtop and convertible a couple of times, with the script being recut on the body tooling's side slides each time (except once, until the error was detected). I've got hardtops in both versions.

The '61 Sunliner and Starliner were variations on the same tool; a couple of inserts got changed and the convertible became a hardtop. I believe the Starliner hardtop body has Sunliner script on the front fenders.

When we were 12, poor parts fit = use more glue!

Modelhaus once did a '57 sedan body based on an AMT promo body molded in styrene that turned up. The story goes that at some point AMT was looking at doing another '57 Ford kit based on the promo body. I've got one of the Modelhaus bodies, will have to dig it out and check it versus the one pictured.

There are certain kits that I collect, and have every issue of (AMT '59 El Camino for example). But for some reason I've been picking up early issue MPC '75-'76 Dart Sport kits whenever I have seen them. The recent reissues are still in good shape, I have one of each. I guess that keeps prices down on earlier issue kits. I bought one as a donor kit for a pro stock Demon resin body, but wound up cutting the taillight panel out of the resin body and grafting it into the Dart body. I've got front wheel openings from an LA Dart body to graft in (the resin body was a copy of an original Demon, and the Duster wheel openings weren’t corrected). I'll wait for the new Demon kit and use that one as a guide to tying up the loose ends on the conversion. Pre-Round 2 reissue Darts (often called Dusters on the box) have the molded-in exhaust pipes removed from the chassis (Round 2 put them back). And these kits have some of the engine parts from the pro stock issues. The engines and chassis can be used in rebuilding annual kits, as can the glass.

I have heard from someone who sells model car kits, that the Atlantis car kits compiled from the Revell parts packs haven't been setting the world on fire. It seems that even some of us old guys haven't put two and two together yet to figure out that the Atlantis kits are indeed the old Revell parts packs. Atlantis should think about putting photos of the parts trees on the boxes in order to tap people on the shoulder regarding this.

You'll have to rework one of the available kit grilles, or scratch one. Nobody will do an aftermarket part for a kit that hasn't been produced for 55-plus years. In my own long ago experience, demand for an aftermarket conversion or part dropped to near zero when the base kit wasn't readily available.

Back when the original AMT used the T prefix numbers on car kits, some numbers were applied to multiple kits, though in all probability not to two at the same time. That's likely the case with the two Monogram kits. The Cop Out Duster was in Monogram's catalog, and on K-Mart store shelves, for a bunch of years. It probably got renumbered more than once along the way.

From what I have seen, the body/chassis pieces look to be thicker than the Piranha chassis tubes. If I ever did one of those, I'd probably extend the Piranha chassis at the back, and move the pivot point back to let the body lift up higher. Too, I'd probably want some sort of interior "tin" in the body, and maybe some other touches to make the thing more integrated overall.

The Studebaker has not been reissued as the funny car version. The stock Studebaker has been reissued, as has the Piranha. The body-to-chassis connecting pieces unique to the funny car would have to be fabricated.

The Atlantis kit pictured has artwork depicting a different truck from what is actually in the box. The kit is closer to the Chevrolet equivalent of the GMC stake truck (third of the first three trucks pictured).

There was a fourth Model King issue of the Falcon, can't remember what car it was. More recently it is in the Round 2 reissue drag team set.

The Falcon and Mustang chassis are similar but not the same. Chevelle, Olds F-85 roadster, and Edsel used one chassis. Nova and Tempest used another chassis. Barracuda and Corvair (not pictured) shared another.

I recall the stock car transporters as being based on an earlier moving van trailer, with some added interior parts. Including the moving van trailer to widen your search should turn up more available kits, and possibly at a lower price too.

Plastic pins securing the chassis plate = definite X-EL. $15 is a great deal, maybe think about picking up a lottery ticket--

Ertl wrecked their Fiero with the conversion to the '88, as the suspension is now all wrong. For '88, GM dumped the parts bin setup (Chevette front, X-car front end in back) and did a redesign. Then, at years' end, they dropped the car. Those windowed C-pillars made it seem as though GM was trying to make the Fiero look like a Honda CR-X. Now, if Revell were to convert the Monogram '85 into an '84 Indy pace car, that might be worthwhile.

MPC early Eighties kits in general were known for bad tire burn, especially those with the BFG Radial T/A tires which were first used in some '82 annual kits.

Most early Sixties Revell car kits were packaged inside a sealed bag inside the box, instruction sheet included. So the '56 Ford pickup is correct. I believe the tires and red lenses may be in another bag together, inside the bigger one. One of the '56 pickups I have was packaged that way. If so, the red lenses are probably toast. Some Revell items were shrinkwrapped on the outside, including early Custom Car Parts packs (parts were wrapped to a hanging card) and their '62 Chrysler Corporation car kits (the first versions, not the Metalflake versions--those were bagged same as the Ford pickup, tri-Five Chevy kits, etc). AMT bagging unplated parts inside the box started with the 1969 annual kits and was phased in on Trophy Series and other kits. In the early/mid Seventies they also bagged plated trees in a more cellophane-type of material. I'm not certain about when MPC started. Jo-Han never bagged anything until SeVille took over in the early Nineties. AMT-packaged Jo-Han kits (late 1966 through 1974-75) weren't bagged either, as those were produced and packed by Jo-Han.

MPC was usually a year behind with funny car and pro stock kits back then. The Muldowney Plymouth was issued after the '73 annual kits so it used the '73 body. The '72 body was in use in the Richard Petty NASCAR kit around that time. Round 2 has the luxury of nearly fifty years' hindsight now.

All except the red stock-only issue have duals. The original issue of yours is the only one with custom headliner detail, clear red taillights, and thin white line US Royal tires. Unfortunately the last two items were bagged together...