Mark

Probably waiting until it's nearer to coming onshore here...shipping costs will affect the price, and I don't mean that they'll get cheaper...

Not that anything newer really needs much in the way of service. My current 2018 car is approaching 58,000 miles...original tires (I do switch tires for winter, but the snows go on late and come off ASAP), little else touched other than oil changes. The rear brakes were replaced at about 45,000 miles...someone who heard that was surprised. With my previous vehicle, all four wheels had been done twice by then. The original stuff barely got through the warranty period. The electrics will require even less. The manufacturers and dealers will replace service and repair profits with charging monthly fees for apps to keep everything on the car operational. And they'll decide when the car becomes obsolete by no longer offering the apps...

Newer vehicles aren't designed to be taken apart...they're designed to be put together as simply and quickly as possible, with the least amount of labor. Disassembly is the buyers' problem...

Maybe it's Phil Dirt.

The Willys pickup, like the car, is on the small side compared to a Chevy or Ford. The pickup had a smaller bed than the other trucks. Willys advertised that it could "do the work of a larger truck", they just forgot to mention that it might take two or three trips to do it...

Insurance companies don't make money by paying on claims. They make money by NOT paying on claims. That said, I have kept collision coverage on the last couple of daily driver vehicles, as long as I owned them. The line item for collision coverage isn't very much in the scheme of things. I won't drop glass coverage either, and don't understand the reasoning behind trying to save money by not having it. One cracked windshield puts you ahead, even if you keep the car ten years. I did pay for a windshield for an older car out of pocket (had a wiper scratch from before I bought the car); most glass shops will charge you less if they know you are paying for it yourself...still, it ain't cheap.

I haven't had that problem, not saying it doesn't exist though. The Nomad body I have has both of the rear pillars (either side of the rear glass) broken, as well as one B-pillar. Rest of the body is really straight except for that typical drivers' side cowl droop. I thought this one was a bit better in that respect, but it still needs help there. The hardtop does actually fit together pretty well, except for the sloppy hinges and too-flat rear glass. I don't see any mention of retooled clear parts, nor are any being offered for sale separately, so I would assume they have not been retooled. I haven't picked up the hardtop, as I've already got more of those than I'll ever deal with in this lifetime...

I've been messing with one of the Nomad bodies; mainly, fixing it where all of them break. Where the rear most pillars contact the roof. They're paper thin there. Hopefully that's what is being tended to. The one I have is a very early kit (first issue), with one-piece vinyl tires. Still, I'll want to pick up Atlantis' version.

The AMT pickup bed is pretty close to stock for those trucks.

I would try to cut the ambulance down to nearer the length of a Cadillac car: shorten it through the rear door and maybe in the quarter panel and front door too, and then just look for something to use for interior parts. Maybe just look for a Monogram '59 Cadillac?

Those thinking "why didn't they use the existing Road Runner underbody" should probably wait for the new kit along with the rest of us. The Road Runner ain't perfect either. It's designed around tires that are way larger and wider than original equipment. Look at brochures, original ads, period road tests, and correctly restored 1:1 cars, you'll see tires that look too small. Try to put that size tire on the kit, and unless you cheat the front spindles and rear axle to move everything out a bit, the narrower tires will be too far inside the fenders to look right.

The "fill in the back side" treatment can also be used in removing molded-in exhaust detail (the Coronet kit will not need that with its separate exhaust parts). Most builders will just swap out the entire chassis instead of doing this, as often a newer kit can be found with better detail. But I remember the old CAR MODEL magazine articles where this was done, and I can now do this in cases where I couldn't back then, so...

Wash the plastic first, rough up the cut lines with sandpaper (if they are really thin, then rout them out with a small Dremel bit or scrape with a gouge blade). Apply a good epoxy putty (pack it in leaving no air pockets), let cure, sand smooth, then block sand the top surface. Ghost lines gone.

Of all the people who buy vehicles with off-road capabilities, you're one of those who genuinely need it. I'd look around and see what others in your area are using. If one brand sticks out over the others, that might be the way to go...

If you took it off, you can put it back on (except for emblem or script detail). I've applied putty over the damaged crease area, then sanded on each side of the crease to bring it back. Doesn't work first time, keep trying until you get it.

The original annual Coronet kits ('68 through '70) all had wedge engines. That underbody was shortened a bit and reused in the '71-'74 Charger annual kits.

The Jo-Han '70 4-4-2 annual kit body doesn't have the rocket emblem on the trunk lid. The '72 annual does. Since the USA Oldies '70 is pretty much a '72 kit with '70 bumpers and hood, that would make sense. (The Oldies issue first appeared in '75 or '76, a '72 wouldn't have been much of an Oldie then.) The images of '72 4-4-2s I'm pulling up don't include the rocket emblem. My guess would be that Jo-Han produced the '72 promo to specs furnished by GM, and a decision was made to eliminate that emblem (or make it part of a package) at some point afterward. The detail remained on the '72 kit body, and was carried into the '70 reissue.

The first Revell issue had a roll bar, slicks, and mag wheels for the rear only. It also had five stock tires (one for the spare). It didn't have the supercharger or straight axle. When the blower and straight axle were added, the mags, spare tire, and roll bar were taken out. The hinges on everything were changed too.

I have heard and read about vehicles being totaled by insurance companies, instead of providing a rental while waiting for parts. Insurance company saves the cost of the rental, meanwhile they auction the wreck for (probably) more money than they'd get for it in "normal" times...

Asking prices on eBay are pretty much ridiculous for everything...the free listings keep rolling over, some items are out there for a year or more. Finding the parts I'd like to have aren't a top priority, I'll trip over a built one at a show or in a collection someone I deal with picks up...

I'd imagine a sealed or mint original might have some value, the reissue might turn up cheap on occasion. I've had an eye open for one, but I'd want it for cheap as I only want the engine for a 1/20 scale funny car.

Maybe the driver identified with British or Japanese drivers.

The wheel discs had portraits of politicians...Democrats on the left side, Republicans on the right side. I remember it being promoted as the "Archie Bunker car" for a short time.

Looks like the MPC (1/20 scale) Hard Hat Hauler. There was a 1:1 version that toured the show circuit as a feature car. Both the kit and 1:1 car had THREE superchargers, stacked vertically. (Of course three wouldn't work as well as just one, but the car probably didn't run anyway.) The kit had a big chrome hard hat (similar concept to the Red Baron, with its German helmet). It also had a "forklift" setup at the front. MPC issued another, football themed kit (Gridiron Grabber) which used the same basic car but with a football helmet and shoulder pads over the rear tires. That one had two superchargers on one of those "pyramid" intake manifolds.

One of the "factory guys" had to give his car back over the wheelstand thing. I don't remember who it was, but I believe the car involved became the Mr. Norm (Kraus) car after that.