blizzy63

Revell 85-4516: Supposed to be out right around now..

Yup. Tiny, fiddley, little chromed parts (recalling old Revell drag kits). That's where one wants to keep a suicide note on standby...;)

Totally agree with your point: "It is what it is." I built this kit in 1990 in a stock-ish form when I was returning to the hobby as a young adult. I appreciated the history of the kit in terms of the experience of building AMT/SMP annuals in the early '60s. I learned that the kit had drawbacks including inaccuracies and warpage. Despite this, I would build this kit again in the future but only as a much modified gasser or Bonneville runner.

I have a copy of this picture taped over my modeling desk; I've been planning to build it...and that day is coming soon (I recently bought a new Dremel tool and a solid front axle from the Revell '54 Chevy kit is ready to go). P.S., if anyone has any of those old, soft Firestone Darlington tires or slicks lying around, feel free to send some my way. Thanks!

My go-to chromed rims for years were the ones in the old AMT '57 Chevy Bel Air ("Pepper Shaker") kits, although you only got two per kit (top of photo). The set of four (below) are the new kids in town for AMT. They were first supplied in the AMT 824 '36 Ford kit in 2013 and then later included in the AMT PP021 Custom & Competition: Custom Caps 'n Wheel parts pack in 2018. (The AMT 723 and 1192 '65 Ford Galaxie 500XL kits contain unplated versions of these new open wheels.)

Thanks for posting the decal sheet from this recent AMT899 'Stovebolt' kit. Looks like we get two vintage decal sheets in one: Above the "Stovebolt Six" is the decal sheet from the original 1967 AMT 2637 '37 Chevy Coupe kit; From the "Stovebolt Six" and lower is the original sheet from the 1969 AMT T288 '37 Chevy Coupe 'All American Show 'n' Go' series kit. Great job and thank you, Round2!

Here's my 2 cents on the subject: I picked up this partial AMT 1963 annual even though I already have a couple of AMT/Ertl repops in my stash. I was building a Shelby Cobra at the time and I wanted to have a close look at the original custom wheels which were renditions of the early Halibrand 'kidney bean' mag wheels. My kit has a poor condition box, some pieces are missing (interior, open wheels, wheel backs, some novelty items, etc.). The original owner appears to have attempted to adapt the body and chassis for slot car racing purposes. The body does have a crisp and bold quality that reminds me of a promo model. The 409 engine in this original '63 annual appears to an exact match to the one in the AMT '64 Impala kit (see comparison photo) in its stock form. The competition/custom engine parts are different between the two kits. The oringinal engine offerings are far more interesting than that offered in the later AMT/Ertl offerings which seem like more primitive 1961-ish designs.

No. Those 'cone discs' from the original No. 140 kit from 1960 were not reproduced after the kit went through its first "up-date" in 1966 (No. 2340). They were replaced by Olds Toronado-like hubcaps (see Casey post above). Also altered were the Buick 'Nailhead' valve covers, exhaust headers, and the fender skirts were deleted.

I understand the adoration for this early AMT Trophy kit. I've built a few of these since 1974 and this one may be my last. Built last year, during the COVID lockdown, as a box art "strip" version from the original 1960 AMT Trophy kit (no. 140) box. Been meaning to do it for a while. Used vintage tires, Buick valve covers, exhaust headers and decals. I say that it may be my last because it was such a simple, quick, satisfying build, I don't know if I ever need to build another. (Maybe a flat-colored jalopy version...??) (This year, I completed its mate: The AMT '40 Ford Tudor Sedan original 1960 box art drag racer with vintage headers, tires and decals.)

I've been on this planet for 58 years and it's amazing the details that you miss. At my high school (1978-81), 1962-67 Chevy IIs and Acadians were THE hot car, but I never ever saw the emblems on the front fenders or knew of their existence!

"Nova SS" emblem on the front fenders... ...my brain melts...

How 'bout this for a WhatEverHappenedTo: SMP (AMT) 1911 Chevrolet from 1961-62.

Yeh. "Street" my eye. Back in the day, the police in my home city would have that pulled over and sent to the Motor Vehicle Inspection Station and failing inspection on day-one. (Witnessed that myself c.1980. Subject was an early-'70s Camaro with a blower and ladder bars.)

Searched the archives. This is the only other shot:

Getting any version of the MPC '65 Mako Shark II would be good for me but calling this a "1968 Chevy Corvette Custom" would be totally WRONG! (Or should I say 'ignorant'.)

I like them for the extra parts too. If Round2 re-pops the AMT '65 Olds Modified Stocker, I hope that they open more sprues to complete the blower parts and the stock Starfire wheel covers. (I so want those!)

Yep. A bad time for Firestone. In August 1977, my family had a new Firestone Deluxe Champion bias-belted blow out on the I-5 in Washington State on a vacation trip home from California. But I recall that it was their radials that were having a real bad time of it. Put a real damper on their brand.

Built this AMT Prestige Bonneville about 20 years ago as a mid-'60s custom mixing parts with the AMT '65 Grand Prix kit. The taillights are Modelhaus '59 Bonneville units. The tires are AMT Firestone Supremes with white-stripe whitewalls from my parts box since the Prestige kit supplied incorrect-looking, overly-skinny, generic Firestone tires. The original AMT kit from 1965 had the original Firestone Supremes which AMT introduced new circa-1964 (see photo of original AMT '65 Bonneville kit below).

The slant 6 makes me chuckle. I used to drive a '75 Dodge D-100 pickup with a 225 Slant-6. Boy, I used to stomp on that accelerator pedal to try and make that thing giddy-up and go. The engine was bullet-proof but I wondered if I might have gone easier on her with a 318 V-8 under the hood...

It was a '60s show car...from the 1964 Ford Custom Caravan. The 'Alexa' custom '64 Ford Galaxie by the Alexander Brothers of Detroit. Nice model, John!

Looks like a typical, vintage 1958-60 build of this kit. (The next step for a typical vintage build would be to put on every decal on the sheet!) Interesting ivory coloring on that model. Looks like the color of vintage styrene from the early AMT/SMP annual kits. Is that paint or the plastic? What issue is your kit? I have one in white plastic (from 1974) and one in grey (2004).

While many may criticize this kit for not being up to today's model car kit design standards, it was cutting-edge for an annual model car kit in 1960. In 1958, AMT and SMP launched their 3-in-1 customizing kits, which were kit versions of their 1/25-scale annual promotional models (promos) that they produced for the U.S. auto manufacturers. They included custom and racing parts along with a decal sheet. For 1958 and '59, the kits (like the promos) did not have opening hoods or engines. This continued for the 1960 annuals except for three of the annual model kits that were featured with new opening hoods and engine compartment details (including V-8 engines). These three annual kits were the AMT '60 Ford Thunderbird, the AMT '60 Buick Invicta, and the SMP '60 Corvette. (The AMT '60 Ford F-100 and SMP '60 Chevy Apache pickup kits also began to feature opening hoods and engines as well.) When I see this kit today, I see a survivor of model kit history. The '60 Corvette and '59 Chrysler Imperial (both originally SMP kits) are the last remnants of the 1958-60 period of annuals that, along with the AMT Trophy Series kits, launched a model car kit hobby.

LOL. Not so fast, bud. It's up to you as the model builder to make the model look wavy, blurry and ripply...

AMT/Round2 has put into my hands an AMT annual kit that has not existed in this form in the last 57 YEARS! To me, that's dang-near MIRACULOUS! Decades ago, I used to look at the annual kits in the 1964 AMT catalog and just sigh... Now I say: Round2! Gimme MORE!!

Thanks for pointing out the origins of the kit's "Custom Aluminum Wheels". When I first saw the custom wheels for this 1964 AMT annual kit, I wondered what they were as I didn't recognize them from this period. All I knew was that Dean Jeffries was credited for designing the custom parts. Since your post, I've learned that the above car is a Lola GT Mk. 6 which debuted in January 1963 which sported one-off, custom-made magnesium knock-off wheels. It is odd that these particular wheels would turn up on a 1964 GM intermediate, custom or not. Oh, well. That's the spirit of the '60s for ya! (Here's a look at the Lola GT Mk.6 on "Jay Leno's Garage":