Mark

'53. I've always liked those Monogram tires. Just wish they were a tad wider, two of them as rear tires would make a nice "big and little" combo with the smaller Monogram tires, or even old AMT Trophy Series tires.

No question now, if you can actually do things with your hands, there is good money to be made now. Mike Rowe's podcasts and TV shows testify to that. Someone willing to spend 18 months to two years learning how to weld, for example, if they are willing to travel to find work they can easily pull down a six-figure income and pay off both their education and their equipment in a couple of years, as opposed to hoping other people pay for a college loan that might not get you a job. My brother's son-in-law does drywall. Last I heard, he's got as much work as he can handle (and he can handle a lot, he's not afraid of work) and actually has to turn work down on occasion. Another in-law recruits automotive techs, and that's another area that needs good people. For people who are willing to work and don't want an office job, the opportunities are out there right now.

There are still a few good casters left. Modelhaus made a BIG hole with their departure though, nobody will ever fill that. The 3D print guys are taking the place of casters in regards to conversion parts. More brain work in creating the files, less manual labor: no making masters, making molds, or pouring resin. Press a button and wait awhile, and there's your part. No air pockets, smaller sprues (pour gates and vents), no mold release. They're working smart, not hard. Most casters underpriced their time resulting in burnout or their acquiring the attitude that they were doing the world a favor. I got out before it reached that point, as I still like to attend shows and it's nice to do that without looking over my shoulder for people still waiting for parts they paid for.

Probably a '63 Mercury NASCAR that I started collecting parts for in 1987. I found a built '63 at the MCCA convention in Dayton that year. Stripped off about four paint jobs (some sort of cheap household gray enamel on top, then black, then two shades of blue) to find a pretty decent body under all of that. Some of the scripts were lightly sanded, but those are coming off anyway. I think they are already gone. The original plan was to pretty much follow a Don Emmons article from '63 or '64 where he built a replica of Parnelli Jones' car. The first round of added detail parts included AMT '57 Ford suspension and the basic engine from a Revell Mysterion. I had designed and made a vacuform floor and firewall that fit the kit chassis once it was trimmed down to just the frame. Over the years I have sold a few hundred of those. Every couple of years, though, better parts turned up. First the AMT '66 Fairlane engine, later the '60 Starliner engine and entire chassis. Later I found a decal sheet for the Parnelli Jones car which solves the problem of the 1:1 car's markings. I think that when I do get more into this one, I'll probably go back to the earliest selection of chassis and engine parts. Other than the decals, it might just end up as I had planned on doing it originally.

I have learned not to trust any "chrome" spray paint. If the stuff looks like chrome, why don't they paint the lid of the can instead of plating it?

With two-part putties, the small tube of catalyst (hardener) deteriorates far faster than the "main" portion in my experience. The hardener will first separate into a thicker form and a watery part (which can be fixed by kneading the tube prior to opening it. Next, it starts hardening on its own, you will spot this when you squeeze it out of the tube and you get hardened specks contaminating it. After that, the tube itself becomes hard and brittle, cracking when you go to take off the cap (if not while you are kneading it in preparation to open it). Fortunately the catalyst is sold separately. If the filler you have is in a can, separating into smaller containers while it is still new and not settled might be a good idea, as long as the containers are kept sealed. For the Bondo product which comes in a tube, simply keeping the tube capped and flattening the far end as you use it is good enough. That has worked with me for a couple of tubes thus far.

I have been getting that off and on all day, not sure why...

If you have the Willys pickup that was built as a gasser, those had four-cylinder engines. Some of the later ones based on the Jeep design had sixes, but not the prewar ones. The prewar engine was refined a bit for use in the Jeep, so a Jeep four-cylinder engine would be the best one to use.

Most Sixties issues of the '57 have the Stylizing parts (the parts in recent issues are considered to be customizing parts). The second issue was called "The Gasser", in a "wordless" style box that had only an illustration of the drag version on the top panel. Next up was the Elegance Series kit which was molded in yellow, had blue tint clear parts, and didn't include those parts. I wouldn't worry about finding one of those, not many were made and they don't turn up often. Next after that was a Gasser Series issue which came in a cartoon style box and included a drag strip starting line display base. It has the Stylizing parts back in, but is another one you needn't worry too much about tripping over anywhere. Last issue with those parts is the first Pepper Shaker, the one with a green drag version (with black roof) on the box. Round 2 has the '57 out right now in that same style box but the new kit does not have those parts. You'd need to locate the original one (T-280). The second Pepper Shaker is also numbered T-280, but has a turquoise drag car on the box and does not include those parts. You'll have to find one of the early issue kits, or luck into a parts box with them in it (which can happen if you know what to look for).

IMO the sealer primer dries leaving a smoother, less "pebbley" surface than other Duplicolor primers. As for coverage, thorough shaking is an absolute must. In recent years the products seem to have been cheapened by putting in less solid material in the can versus "carrier" (thinner). Lately I have applied "filler primer" first when needed, sanding that, then applying sealer primer on top of that. The sealer does (for me, anyway) prevent the solvents in the color coats from attacking or penetrating the primer applied first.

Some of those are second run deals, like the Commandos Plymouth and the stock Comet (unless that is a Comet and not the Cyclone). The Maverick, on the other hand, IS a big deal. DD's first '70 Maverick was constructed from a showroom stock car in a very short time frame. At first, it even had a bench front seat. That one would be "stock" enough that a showroom version could also be offered...

Parts availability can figure into it also. I have heard and read about instances where a car was totalled because some of the needed parts weren't readily available, and the insurance company didn't want to pay for a rental car in the interim. My niece had the opposite happen some years back. Her couple of years old Cavalier got smacked pretty much like the Honda pictured. It should have been totalled, the collision shop doing the estimate understated it so they wouldn't lose the repair job. Once they tore into it, they "found" "additional damage" that, had it been reported along with the original damage, would have resulted in a total loss.

I stopped at one on the way home today. Mostly the Revell kits already mentioned (no Viper or pickup kits) but they did have an Atlantis "land, sea, and air" set reminiscent of the Monogram gift sets from the Fifties and Sixties.

The hanger shot shows the AWB body, which was originally modified from the convertible configuration of the original annual kit body. The stock bodies in the current hardtop and convertible kits are both newly tooled, as are the stock bumpers and a couple of other incidental parts.

No, '60-'62 Falcons were simply not designed with a V8 engine in mind. Everything is different on the V8 cars, even the "frame rails" up front are heavier gauge. I have heard that some early Falcons with V8 swaps later develop issues with shock towers and frame rails spreading apart under the added strain. Some of the V8 suspension stuff will bolt in though. Ford briefly learned from their mistake with the Falcon. All early Fairlanes have five lug wheels, minimum 8" rear axle, same brakes on six and V8 (later 390 cars do have 9" axle and bigger brakes all around). But they forgot again with the Maverick and Mustang II. With the latter, '74 (only year with no available V8) differs from '75-'78 considerably up front, especially under the skin.

Now they need to stick some of the suspension parts pack trees into the vacuum plating device alongside those engine packs.

They might be dribbling stuff out there from their last buyout, much as they have been doing with the Toys R Us leftovers the last two or three Christmas seasons. Revell and Round 2 seem to be able to sell everything they can crank out for the most part, so I wouldn't expect to see too much in the closeout stores at this point.

The one on the roadster looks like a repurposed canteen, my guess would be some sort of expansion tank. Whatever the radiator is, it doesn't look like much for that Cammer, not that too much is needed when the car might run for a couple of minutes at a time, at most. I can't see rerouting a remote oil filter all the way back there, and on the opposite side to boot. They'd put the remote as close to the original location as possible to make the connecting high pressure lines as short and direct as possible. Fuel cool can would be out too, that task could be accomplished between rounds by draping an iced towel or two over the front-mounted fuel tank.

Besides most of the parts being missing, the Edsel body in the funny car version is r-o-u-g-h. Between promos, toy store frictions, and kits, it was probably just plain worn out prior to the funny car issue.

Now they put "islands" and huge concrete light stanchions in parking lots to prevent that kind of thing. Bunch of killjoys. One kid in high school was doing doughnuts in a parking lot with his dad's Chrysler...misjudged things a bit and caved in one of the quarter panels. I wonder just when he was allowed to drive again.

Best bet might be to check the coming contests and shows here, and at IPMS website, and see if any events correspond with your travel plans.

There are two pins on the inside of the body, on either side of the cowl. The engine compartment piece goes into the body, with the back of it contacting those pins. Besides flash removal which is needed on most kits (some more than others, of course) the parts do fit together pretty well, especially for an older kit that has been issued many times before. The chassis has a couple of small tabs on the top side to locate it front to back relative to the engine compartment piece once that is installed.

Probably not...second version of the '66 is a low rider as I recall. But, the '66 and '65 share a lot of parts, particularly the chassis. So if the parts are different, they will interchange between the two kits.

I had one when I was a kid, have since picked up a couple of partially built/rebuilders. I had a sealed one but sold it a few years ago. By far, the best looking dune buggy body.

The Great Unloading has begun! In the earlier days of eBay, if all of a sudden you saw several examples of a kit that had been impossible to find previously, the "reissue is coming soon" light came on...