Mark

Anyone else pick up one of those Revell Firebirds, and are you too shaking your head over the choice of rear tires in that kit?

Probably a later version of the Hands wheel, or a copy. I wonder what those were used on in the past, the 5 on 5" pattern is pretty much limited to 2WD pickups and fullsize passenger cars. On a similar note, Sears carried Cragar S/S wheels when they first came out, only theirs were named A.J. Foyt wheels! They did have Foyt center caps (I have seen a couple of those). Sears wound up swapping the Foyt center caps for the normal Cragar ones to clear the wheels out, the Foyt caps are probably really tough to find now...

Both of the stock Mustang II kits have a correct V6 engine for the stock versions. Both originated as 1974 models; no V8 was offered that year.

Those later Novas have been gaining in popularity over the years. The '75-'79 cars are essentially a second-generation Camaro under the skin ('68-'72 have the first-gen Camaro front subframe and suspension/steering layout). The MPC kit is converted from the '75-'77 Pontiac Ventura and still has a Pontiac engine, but the body proportions have the AMT '76-'77 kit beat all hollow. The Cougar kit can't be built 100% stock unless you swap in a correct engine or leave the hood closed. Its engines, chassis, and wheel covers are carried over from the MPC '69 and '70 kits. Unless the engine is a real focal point for you, just stick the hood shut.

The Corvette convertible annual kit (not the reissues) has them, they are better than the Lindberg units as the AMT ones have open holes. One of the AMT Hot Rod Shop (parts packs from the Sixties, reissued a couple of times) has a set also, that set is four-lug however.

The Dart body was updated from '69 to '70, then altered again for the LA Dart wheelstander. The Ramchargers' 1:1 Dart funny car was a '67, not a '70. That car had a narrowed steel body (with fiberglass roof) and a one-off chassis. Their '70 funny car was a Challenger as depicted by the Round 2 reissue kit. MPC did make a Dickie Harrell '69 Camaro funny car kit. That Camaro body was all over the place; after that, it became the Jeg's dirt track body, then the black street machine with the Pontiac engine, then the convertible.

I don't soak brushes in such a way that the cleaning solution gets all the way up to the ferrule on the brush. That way, nothing gets on the portion of the bristles inside the ferrule, which could build up and dry causing the bristles to fan out. I only dip the brush in the paint a third of the way up (if even that). I'm notoriously bad with cheap brushes, but pretty meticulous with the good ones.

The only kit was the convertible, but the hardtop was available from a couple of resin casters.

There was a 1962 version also. The Round 2 reissue '62 BelAir coupe kits (Northwind, Don Nicholson) and AMT/Ertl drag versions (Nicholson, Dave Strickler, Hayden Proffitt) include the engine parts for the Z-11 version.

I did a couple of them many years ago, never had a problem with the screws. If anything, I'd think that later production kits would have more potential to be problematic, with the parts being cast in worn-out tooling.

That one actually is from a '59 Pontiac kit. There are similar ones in other kits as custom options, that don't look as good.

I'm guessing my insurance company is still on the "work from home" kick. About a month ago, someone piled into the back of my car while I was standing still in traffic. They got the estimate on 12/1; that day, I received an e-mail stating that I would receive a decision in "two to four business days". Day seven begins today; all the while, they're paying for 80% of a rental car, as well as (in all likelihood) storage on my car. Can't wait for the arguments to begin....

There was a 1960 "hardtop" promo, with no pillars. It's exceedingly rare (I don't think I've ever seen one, only a picture or two), and all are promos molded in warping/shrinking acetate plastic. A couple of resin '63 hardtop bodies were made by different casters. The "cut up a Ranchero" fix is probably the easiest way out. Judging by the way the light is hitting the windshield on that promo, it's loaded with stress cracks and needs to be replaced. Just a few weeks back, the last issue of that kit was available as a closeout item. I myself have parted out a couple of them in the past, to get the glass for Modelhaus '62-'65 kits. Those days are long gone, but I did turn up an unbuilt Ertl issue kit at a flea market, for a buck.

That's pretty much what I would do. I'd only piece in as much as is needed to make the repair, and use the Ranchero's windshield glass as well. The door pillars are missing too; you'll have to make those.

In front, to lower it you'll need to move the wheel location higher up on the spindle. Other methods like trimming the springs will move the steering linkage closer to the frame and/or oil pan, same as when that is done in 1:1 scale. At the rear, lowering blocks installed between the leaf springs and axle will do the job in all but the most extreme cases. The springs stay the same relative to the chassis, so the shock absorbers don't need to be changed. If you're going radically low, then the stock suspension setup probably won't cut it. You'll then have to look at other, more extreme lowering jobs and see what changes were made to those to get the desired results.

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?