Mark

The Sears version may have been exclusive to their stores. Sears was hit-and-miss when it came to model kits after the early Seventies, but they probably still had enough stores carrying them to justify a special issue.

These were AMT trailers, not the ex-IMC piece. The box for this one used the same artwork as the Rat Fink trailer, with the trailer's side panel graphics changed.

The quarter panel trim on the 210 differs from that of the Bel Air, in that the 210 trim doesn't have the painted recessed area on the lengthwise strip like the Bel Air's has. There never was a '55 210 in kit form that I'm aware of.

That one (the blue van) started out as a Monogram kit with no engine detail. Revell later made extensive changes to it.

You'd have to research the R-5 version of the Studebaker engine to see if that option in the kit is accurate. Only a couple of them were built, none were sold to the public that I'm aware of.

It's all about subject matter. So-and-so's kits might be more accurate, better quality, whatever. But if the subject matter doesn't get someone excited, they're not going to be interested in it regardless of accuracy, quality, or price.

Only one of the AMT big rig trailers turned up to supplement the Atlantis items already on the shelf. The trailers are $24.99; the two Rat Fink trailers I bought last time around (same except for decals) were $19.99. Right now I've got a "15% off one entire purchase" coupon that came in the mail awhile back. That is good through the 16th. I'd suspect that if they get new stock in, it will hit the shelves around the 17th.

I don't believe there was ever a 2WD version of those 1/24 scale (ex-Monogram) pickup or Blazer/Jimmy kits.

It wasn't a Sox & Martin car, but rather a nearly stock Barracuda with Sox & Martin decals. The '72 Challenger annual kit had Motown Missile decals patterned after the '71 car (the '72 was a Barracuda), and the '72 Duster had Arlen Vanke decals though the kit itself had only the small-block engine with no speed equipment and only a handful of other optional parts. The decals were okay by MPC 1972 standards, but better ones have been made for all three cars since then.

Ideal Toys had a similar idea in the early Seventies, but it involved individual hand tools (saw, sander, router, and so on). They were good for making balsa sawdust, but didn't have enough grunt to do anything beyond that.

I remember looking one over at one of those new car shows back in the day. Easily the poorest quality of anything there, and that show may have included the short-lived VW Fox (window sticker on those had an added "body panel alignment charge". Those cars weren't built in Germany or even Mexico, they were built by the boys from Brazil. I heard about a DeLorean for sale. The owner only drove it from time to time. I'm here all week, folks...try the veal, and don't forget to tip your waitress!

I believe those Hawk streamlined kits were also issued with some different parts, as 1/25 scale "sports cars". The basic bodies were the same, but roofs and windshields (among other parts) were added to make them look different.

Getting the paint off of that metal, use household paint stripper as opposed to something you'd use on plastic. The finish is probably baked on, it might even be a powder coating. Once it's all removed and the metal is thoroughly cleaned of paint, paint remover, and anything else, the first coat of primer should be an etching primer.

Those bosses are definitely for keeping the model from shifting around in the package. If you don't see exposed fasteners, you'll have to put some light stress on the chassis to see if it flexes. Areas where it doesn't flex are likely where it's attached to something. The chassis might be attached to the interior with glue and not fasteners, though. You might see if any parts like the fuel tank or transmission pan are separate. There could be fasteners concealed under those, or under the exhaust pipes, or at the top of the inner fenders. The Welly diecast, likely being cheaper than an Ertl, probably has fewer screws and more rivets (peened over metal) and possibly snapped together parts than a more costly piece. You won't know until you dive into it. The ideal situation would be to track down a damaged version of the same item, that you wouldn't be afraid to break to work out how it is put together. It wouldn't need to be the exact same car, as the manufacturer probably uses a similar system in all of the cars they produce.

The MPC dirt track car kits will have them. If that seller has other parts listed, I'd bet he has other parts from any of those kits listed also.

The Revell Chevy van is the short one.

Not an electrician, but I'd bet on each outlet doing its own thing (GFI outlet will be protected, non-GFI outlet will not be).

Might the '73 Mustang have another, different engine too? I'm not too sure about the 429, but the Boss 351 was definitely gone by then. The two '71 versions are as good as they get, and I'd bet the '73 will be as good.

The Jeep pickup was done shortly after Revell was sold by one of its original owners. They started taking a lot of short cuts, like not including plated parts, around the same time.

The kit wheel covers look rough in the visible areas. The promo would have been done to GM's specifications (except the incorrect windshield trim on the coupe) so maybe the promos wheels represent what was originally intended.

Just found the convertible I'm piecing together. I have an incomplete chrome tree with one wheel cover; the back side of it is smoother than those used in the coupe kit. The optional wheels in the convertible are knockoff wheels, better executed than those in the '63 kits.

Those are from the AMT '65 coupe kit. I've got one, the wheel covers are still on the plated tree. My convertible is pieced together from multiple sources, so I can't verify what it should have. I've probably got a set of wheel covers for it, but those might be from another coupe. I haven't looked at it recently. As I said before, I don't think the MPC '65 has any stock wheel option. Their '66 has the knockoff wheels, as does their '67 (though the 1:1 '67 had a revised bolt-on wheel without the knockoff). Then again, their '66 and '67 still have the fuel injection stock engine.

AMT coupes and convertibles '63-'67 were separate but similar tooling. There were differences: coupes had the seats molded as part of the interior, convertibles had separate seats towards the end. The current '63 coupe kit is the original, updated through '67 and later revised back to '63. The current '63 convertible kit is based on the coupe, with a newer body that was tooled by Ertl. What remains of the old convertible kits is now the custom-only '68 kit.

Pretty sure they are AMT. I don't think the MPC '64 and '65 Corvette kits had stock wheels.

I would keep the Coronet piece, and just add front suspension detail and improve the rear suspension where you can. The Coronet part fits more tightly to the inside of the body than anything else that you can adapt.