blizzy63

I, too, purchased the new MPC-996 Monkeemobile kit...particularly for the new tires. Upon examination, mine are definately big and littles. Wondering if your same-size set are an error? The model in the background is the Ertl Blueprinter issue of 1989 that I built in 1990. Note the original-style MPC Goodyear (Sports Car Special) tire, which came in big and little sizes. It's too bad those old MPC Goodyears couldn't be dressed up with the current tampo printing.

Next month (February), according to ‘SteveG’. They’re apparently on a ship right now… One hobby supplier says mid-March.

The AMT 1963-65 Corvette Stingray annuals had SB 327 engines. The 1966 kits had the SB 327 and added a "Custom 396" (separate BB). For 1967, the SB 327 was dropped and only came with a BB 427. It remained this way through three '67 re-issues (T238, 6777, T-201) and the 'Street Rods' back-dated '63 coupe (A163). Ertl put a SB 327 back in the kit along with the BB 427 in 1986 (6520). (No "cheating", fortunately...although, a "427" only in a '63 might be fudging it if we pretend it's a 'Mystery Motor'.)

Yes, please. Stock wheel covers and I'll be in for the '63 Corvette convertible.

Complex looking, yes. But only six kit parts... Obviously, they were influenced by the '63 Corvette Grand Sport race car engines of the times. The AMT 1965 and '66 annual Corvette Stingray fastback (coupe) kits (#6925, #6926) had this intake option as well.

Here's a long-shot... For the upcoming '65 GTO hardtop kit: How about including some optional speed equipment from the original AMT 1964-65 Tempest/GTO kits. I'd love to have the Weber cross-ram intake system option back! Add a roll bar and a seat belt harness and you'll make one fun kit!

The AMT ‘69 Ford Falcon Modified Stocker kit has this air cleaner (velocity horn) for its 351 Ford engine.

Stumpy trans...but for a reason. Typical engine-chassis arrangement on AMT annual kits of this period (including the steel axle through the engine block).

Starlift: For NASCAR purposes only... obviously...

It’s all interesting trivia but for me, I wouldn’t be interested in a convertible car kit, even if it had a separate roof. I would definitely buy a hardtop.

Rare, yes. A Starlift top on a '62 Galaxie Sunliner won't give you a stock '62 Galaxie hardtop. '62 Ford Galaxie hardtops were all Thunderbird-styled squarebacks.

The chassis may have been different from the standard platform chassis but I thought we prefered a separate-parts chassis (separate exhaust, suspension, etc.)... To me, it looked fine when assembled. (The clear roll cage was different...)

I don't think any past kit had this top so someone would have to create one from scratch.

'I'd buy that for a dollar...!'

Two early AMT 'Trophy Series' Ford FE engines from 1962 and '63: Left: 1961-62 Ford FE390 from the AMT (and Lindberg) '34 Ford Pickup kits. It was an all-chrome engine in the kits but I stripped and painted this one in stock colors for fun. Right: 1962-63 Ford FE406 hot rod mill from the AMT '32 Ford Victoria kits. The original kit called it a "427" which was new in 1963 and... why not. It's still an FE. (I would agree that the Ford FE352 in the AMT (Ertl) '60 Ford Starliner kit is the best 1/25 scale FE engine. The engine in the AMT (Ertl) '62 Thunderbird kits is a 390. The AMT (Ertl) '66 Fairlane 427 and '67 Comet Cyclone GT 390 FEs are good mentions too.)

thepartsbox resin louvres are very good. They each measure 7mm x 18mm. I'm seeking louvres that are 9mm wide. On the right is a resin louvre unit from my parts box. It measures 25mm wide x 20.5mm. I don't know where it came from (!)...

I've noticed that of backup lights for years. Back when I was a car nut in high school, the old pre-1967 cars that we liked and could afford were usually "low-price" models that did not come equipped with OPTIONAL backup lights. Our family car was a 1961 Pontiac Laurentian with blank-outs in the rear bumper where the optional backup light would be. Yet the '53-56 Chevy taillights were always the same: They included the clear backup lens even if the car wasn't equipped with them.

Thanks, Snake. I just had to have a '55 Chevy sedan in the flavor of the Staub Brother's circa-1963 gasser on my shelf...

Will be glad to have the early gasser parts back. They are useful for the AMT '55 Bel Air Sedan kit (which should have them too). Taillights were not the best on this old 1965 kit. I tried to improve the stock taillights but they were not to my satisfaction.

Those are definitely the original "custom wheels" (wheel covers) in the AMT 2153 '53 Ford Pickup kit from 1963. They were part of customizer George Barris' contribution to the custom parts in the original kit. They lasted through the '60s until 1969 when they were replaced by five-spoke mag wheels on the AMT T270 '53 Ford "Baja Patrol" kit. The Barris custom wheel covers were restored to the kit in 2019 by Round2 (AMT882) and also appeared in the same year in the AMT Custom & Competition: Custom Caps 'n Wheels parts pack (AMTPP021).

Here's a jalopy AMT '40 Ford Sedan glue-bomb I restored some years ago. I added the dual exhaust parts (upper) from a '40 Ford Coupe kit.

Are you working on the AMT '39/'40 Ford Sedan kit? That kit never had the extra dual-exhaust parts. They were only in the AMT '40 Ford Coupe and Sedan Delivery kits.

Sorry, which "'40 Ford" are you refering to...?

Hopefully, their knees would be too shot by now...?