Mark

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...

"A contractor of ---" sounds like "I'm calling from your credit card company". What credit card company? You don't know the name of it? When you came to work this morning, what name was on the building that you walked into? My mom got those types of calls a lot. First off, she was nobody's fool, second, after they'd ask for a credit card number or something like that, she'd tell them that, even if she were dumb enough to fall for their krap, she couldn't see well enough to read the number off of a statement. Click...

It's not coincidence...once a reissue is announced, multiple examples of earlier issues appear. Especially projects. It happened with the Nova station wagon, it happened with the '64 Cutlass, it has been happening with the Revell parts pack based kits. Trying to get out before the reissue hits the shelves, shredding the value of pretty much anything but a mint-in-box example.

Mike's Miniature Motors (Mike Watgen) offered a complete copy of the 1911 Chevrolet. I believe he also offered a "rod" version (minus stock wheels) and a panel truck version also. I traded some of my own stuff to Mike for one of the stock kits not long before he passed in 1993. I also have a disassembled promo...first thing I ever won on eBay, when I went online in 1999. Round 2 is probably right about the kit...not many of the 1:1 version were built, only one complete one still exists (and a partial one).

The AMT tires in the Chevy van and El Camino kits are not the same as the MPC Jeep/Pacer tires. The MPC tires are smaller, and interchange with their stock automotive tires.

'67 Shelby GT-350 has the exact same parts, so whichever you find first or cheaper. The '68 GT-500 does NOT have the same parts, it is not as good a choice.

Those too appear to be based on the AMT display drums. Backing plates appear to be copies of those in the Revell Roadster Chassis Speed Equipment parts pack (the pack included two of them, not four). The Atlantis Mooneyes dragster kit includes that pack, but does not use those backing plates leaving them as leftover parts. Checking recent AMT reissues, none seem to include the display drum. The '63 Galaxie and '64 Impala kits include a display disc brake however.

But they are molded in two halves. All of the halves are exactly the same. Each assembled slick is going the wrong way on one side, and both assembled slicks are identical in that respect. Any way you cut it, when you use that particular set of slicks, one will be correct on the side facing out, the other will be correct on the side facing in. The lettering is also in the same place relative to where the wrinkle detail is. You are more likely to find plastic or resin slicks that are oriented correctly on both sides to the direction of the car. From there, it becomes a question of finding the right size slicks.

The chassis from the Tom Daniel 'Vette was recycled into the 1/24 scale '65 Corvette. None of the C3 versions (TD or "wagon" version) has been issued since the '65 came out, so the change is apparently a permanent one.

MPC only did that one snow tire. They used it in Jeeps, Jeepsters, '69 and '70 Grand Prixs (Grands Prix?), and some of the mid-Seventies Plymouth intermediates as well as the Pacers. Someone mentioned Fireball Modelworks, I would second that opinion, his stuff is excellent and fairly priced too. I tend to think of "kits first", sometimes forgetting the aftermarket stuff.

The ones in the El Camino are larger than shown on the box, they are 4 x 4 tires and are taller and wider than the usual automotive snow tires.

But these are cast in two halves, all of the halves are the same. They are all going the wrong way on one side of the slick, and one of those wrong-way sides faces out.

MPC made snow tires in 1/25 scale. They substituted them for military tires in their Jeep kit. The recent Round 2 Jeep in the Godzilla movie packaging will have four (five?) of them. MPC's AMC Pacer kits included two of them also. I'm not sure about the reissue '78 Pacer though. (The '77 station wagon is an AMT kit, it never had them.)

Any of the styrene wrinkled slicks out there should be done correctly, at least the few I have seen are correct (mirror image, correct for both sides). Vinyl tires are more costly to tool, so short cuts like the "wrong on one side" deal seem to be the norm. Though it shouldn't be...all they would have to do is create two masters as with the plastic ones. Cutting the tool wouldn't cost more one way or the other.

On eBay already? The Great Unloading has commenced...

No, they wrinkle the same way so they are wrong on one side.