Mark

For midsize cars other than GM, take a look at the Mopar pro street kits ('68 Roadrunner, '69 GTX, '70 Coronet). Those are also good for most Fifties cars also (which are pretty much the same size as most Sixties intermediates). The Coronet rear underbody is different from the RR/GTX (as I recall, the kickup over the rear axle is higher). For GM intermediates, the '67 Chevelle (AMT or Revell) is the way to go, as you might just be able to swap the entire chassis. If not, the rear half will probably be easier to join to the front half of whatever chassis is already under the car.

The Nova chassis is a pretty good fit under early Falcon bodies also. Ranchero might need a little extra overhang at the rear though.

Same rear tires it had first time around. Hopefully molded in black styrene, as opposed to the slightly flexible stuff, which made it difficult to cement them together and eliminate the seam between the halves.

The original issue kits were built on two wheelbases (depending on the car) and I'm pretty sure the rear suspension setup differed on the shorter cars. But you could probably build the shorter wheelbase chassis setup with the parts in one of the recent kits.

First funny car in the sixes, also Leroy Goldstein's all-time favorite race car!

The other bodies (Mustang, Barracuda, Chevelle, Camaro) were restored to stock after the Super Stocker issue, so unless they are revised or retooled, those won't reappear. Simple enough to grab a stock body (MPC, Revell, or whatever) and rework to fit the GTO/Monte Carlo chassis.

I'm surprised that the spare didn't gradually go flat while you were driving on it. When they are way underinflated, they will let more air out when you hit a bump or do any hard cornering. I check mine whenever checking the tires on the car, I figure I've already dragged the compressor outside anyway...

Not to mention the "footlongs" that came up short. A few years back, Subway tried to claim that they owned the term "footlong", and even the hot dog restaurants that had been using the term since the Thirties were all supposed to stop. Most of them just ignored Subway, but someone posted on social media a picture of a "footlong" that came in at about 10-1/2". Their legal campaign pretty much ran out of steam at that point...

The Atlantis Mooneyes dragster kit does include a near-complete roadster frame pack. The only part from that tree that is used in building the dragster is a push bar, which was altered to create a wishbone radius rod for the dragster. Scratch another push bar (the tow bar might work) or build a "street" chassis that needs no push bar. The leftover chassis equipment parts on the other tree will fall right in place. Among the leftovers will be the wider rear axle with cross spring, dropped front axle with cross spring, radius rods (including hairpins for the front), shock absorbers, steering box, and so on. I didn't buy duplicates of this kit because all of the other parts pack based kits will include that speed equipment pack with two sets of everything, and the dragsters will always use the narrow rear axle.

And, don't anybody tell him that, no matter how thin a coat of paint is laid on, that it won't be scale thickness...

And, it looks as though the "parts" and "decals" sub-categories have been eliminated and folded back into "automotive kits" along with promos. The overall listing numbers must be taking a nosedive...

He may have been referring to the Santa Esmeralda disco cover version...

The wiper sweep definitely differs on LHD versus RHD cars. I've got the same thing to change on a Modeler's Toyota C-HR kit. Just a hunch, but I'd bet the vast majority of XK-Es have those seams. There ought to be a website devoted to the cars and the detail changes. I wouldn't proceed without knowing enough about it. You might decide to put them back anyway.

I wouldn't use half round, I'd use square stock (available in smaller sizes), just a little sanding will knock the corners down. I have to do the same on a Revell Austin-Healey that someone else started. They molded the multiple-piece body together and sanded the raised seams off of the front fenders. Those are swage lines (body panels overlapped and crimped together) and would take a lot of metalwork to eliminate on the 1:1 car.

The new issue of MC has an article on scale shop equipment and tools, the lead photo of the built '60 Comet shows an AMT display brake drum in its natural habitat. Again, not the best nor the easiest to find, but they are an option should you have any.

Had (a lot) more of the country had been electrified (with a standard system) prior to automobiles becoming available to the masses, we'd likely have had electrics all along. But most homes were still using oil lamps, and in the refining of oil for home lamps they wound up with a lot of gasoline, which was regarded as a by-product with few uses before there were gasoline engines and automobiles to use up the stuff (instead of dumping it, which was done back then). A big part of the push is coming from the top down, which is easy to dislike. But it is coming, like it or not. The companies developing conversion packages are trying to get on the bandwagon early. The ones who come up with an affordable and versatile package are going to make money hand over fist.

You wouldn't want the Nova, as the suspension at both ends would be all wrong. A lot of pro street Novas even ditch the stock front suspension, and some even lose the leaf spring rear setup. The Revell Beretta is based on the Dobbertin J-2000, which was first built with a solidly mounted rear axle (no suspension whatsoever). That was the version Revell used as the basis for the kit. The 1:1 car was later altered to incorporate a vestigal rear suspension, but is still incapable of being driven anything like a street driven (or even drag raced) car. The kit chassis might be workable with smaller rear tubs and some sort of suspension.

Maybe the eBay seller is selling kits he doesn't have...

The "good stuff" is coming in as soon as it can be unloaded from whatever ship it is on...

To sum it up, even as a single kit this is an excellent value for anyone into early Sixties drag racing, or street rods. The Dragmaster chassis is very well done while still being easy to assemble, and the "extra" roadster can be assembled without the one part that is needed for the dragster. The speed equipment parts tree has enough parts to finish off both chassis. The small-block Chevy engine is typical early Sixties Revell. Though only one set of tires is included, you get multiple sets of wheels including two pairs of dragster fronts, and these are among the better ones done in 1/25 scale plastic. Though some tweaks are needed to get a 100% correct dragster, you do also get a ton of extra parts for other projects.

I knew that because I have one of the Atlantis kits... Never having had any of the original double kits (only parts from a couple of them), I'm surprised those didn't have at least a small sheet of sponsors, numbers, and class designations, like what Revell did in the late Sixties and much of the Seventies.

Quick question...if one of the model kit manufacturers offered a replica of the GM (or Ford, or aftermarket) "electric crate motor package" (in other words, everything needed to convert an older car or truck) as a parts pack, who would buy one?

Decal sheet is VERY small (not much is needed). They might be wedged in the instruction sheets or boxes somewhere.

An actual quote from a guy I used to work for: "Why does EVERYONE think I'm paranoid"?

MPC tooled the Toyota kit for Airfix (that one, and a number of others including the 1/25 scale Aston Martin). The two companies shared a bunch of kits in the late Sixties. The girl figure in the Toyota was the same one included in the Airfix issue (not sold here) which was a 007 issue. MPC left out the Bond figure. Only a couple of convertible Toyotas were built, specifically for that movie. I heard that Airfix offered that kit as a coupe also...MPC never did...why they didn't is a mystery as that was the more "normal" version...