CapSat 6

Thank you! I've sure had quite a few of them! For all of their faults, I really like these kits, & the new one seems to have made a pretty big splash in our little hobby pond!...

I guess some of this depends upon whether or not all or most of the old tooling variations (inserts?) exist for the different building versions of some of these trucks. My belief is: some of the inserts still do exist for multiple variations. I think the challenge for Round 2 has been to identify them or otherwise get them to work with existing tools. I'm going to keep my picks very one-tracked: - 1978 Dodge Warlock pickup - uses more or less the Little Red Express body set up (Utiline short bed), short wheelbase 4x4 suspension, smaller size MPC 4x4 tires, unique "wagon" wheels on their own sprue, short box sized wooden bed rails. - 1978 Dodge 4x4 "Macho Wagon" - uses more or less the current kit's body setup (Sweptline long bed), long wheelbase 4x4 suspension, the same smaller size MPC 4x4 tires & unique "wagon" wheels on their own sprue (as above for the Warlock), and a roll bar for the bed (one piece of which is in the new kit). Also- new Macho Wagon decals. Maybe do a retro box that uses the same design theme as the ones MPC used for their original Little Red, Warlock, Firebird Trans Am, and Volare Super Pak kits, with pictures of the truck from old Dodge brochures. A Macho has never been offered in model form, but undeniably, this would be a popular kit. Bonus points for finding the inserts for the long bed rails, custom hood, brush guard from the "ThundersTruck" longbed, and camper top. -1979 Dodge Little Red Express - issue the same as the 1978 version of this kit, but use the 1979-80 grille, hood and cowl set up. This would be a variant that was never done in scale before. -1979 Dodge Macho Wagon (Simon & Simon?) - same as "Macho Wagon" above, with the '79-'80 grille, hood and cowl, with new decals. A "Simon & Simon" TV truck could be offered, especially if they tool up the right roll bar and grille guard. I think they could find the inserts for all of these variants, especially considering that they were able to come up with the Sweptline bed, chassis, and bench seat interior & steering wheel for the latest issue.

Looks like a great starting point for a rare one!

An all-new 1971 Challenger kit would be a great opportunity for one of the model companies to tool up an accurately- shaped Challenger body. All of the recent Challenger tools have their issues: - The old Monogram '70 T/A (original tooling circa 1982) is too fat and squat. It doesn't look half bad when built, but it definitely does not capture the look of the Challenger body shape. The kit itself is simple in places, but to me, without considering the body proportion issues, I think it builds up fairly well. Because of the body proportions, I would not want a new '71 Challenger based on this tool. -The old AMT Challenger (original tooling circa 1982) has body proportions that are good, except for the separate roof. The rest of the kit, while simple, isn't too bad. IF a new body and interior could be tooled up for this kit that does not have a separate roof (and of course, with good proportions & details), then it's possible that this could be a decent base for a modified reissue, although it still would not stack up to most "modern" (circa 1995 to present) model tools. -The newer Revell R/T-T/A tool (circa 2002?) has it's issues. It's simpler than most modern tools tend to be, and the body sides don't curve right, because it's based on a diecast tool. When assembled, the interior and chassis don't tend to sink into the body the way that they should, so the chassis hangs down unless you do some major clamping before the glue dries. The body overall is good, not great - the proportions are kind of funky. Some of the smaller details are kind of funky, too. I'm not a fan of this one - I would not like to see a modified reissue of this kit. That leaves us with the prospect of an all-new tool for a '71 Challenger. Many would say that we have too many Challengers already, but I would say that we haven't really gotten a good one yet. Multiple versions could be spun off from the same tool- even the '72-'74 "Sad Mouth" Challengers could be given a go...

I think these were "Toys R Us" only...the El Camino in red plastic, I also remember the '71 Duster in purple plastic, and the '70 Monte Carlo in dark green. There might have been others but I don't specifically remember them. The only tell was a sticker on the shrink wrap stating that it was molded in the specific color. The plastic was definitely softer and more rubbery than the gray plastic from the era. It seemed to be polished a little, too. None of these were very common at the time. I had a green Monte Carlo and sold it off and I still have a purple '71 Duster that I built without painting the body.

I’d like to see them reissue the ‘78 Chevy stepside...then again, I’m partial to any MPC kits we haven’t seen in awhile. If there were swapable inserts to that took, it would be nice to see the different grilles, beds & drivetrains. I seem to remember they did a custom dually variant that had some cool custom parts.

I don't necessarily disagree with these statements. Here's what I would say to address them: 1) Limited schedule. This would not be a competition series, it would be an exhibition series. Maybe 6 races during the whole season, put in at some of the least busy and most historic tracks (although there goes my "run them on road courses" idea...). It would be to attract more attention to the whole thing. If I knew they were doing something like this, I'd be more likely to come out for one of these races. As it is, I'll admit it- I'm kind of bored with the whole series right now. 2) Shrinking / graying fanbase- I get that. I also get that right now, Muscle Car era cars are cool with pretty much every demo (thank you, Vin Diesel!). The old timers will want to show up & they'll drag their kids along (who are my age- twist my arm, Dad!), especially if these care are running big blocks, however mild they are. Big blocks make a great sound under full song. The more I think about this, the more interested I am in it! 3) I think they have run 110" since around 1980, before they used to run a 115" wheelbase. Maybe a newer chassis can be lengthened by 5" cheaply enough, or the front suspension mounts could be moved forward. There are several companies that are making new sheet metal for many of these cars, including roofs, you can buy nearly a whole 1969 Charger unit body right now. Perhaps one or more of these companies can develop a body skin package to use. I would imagine all you would really need is a roof, quarters, front fenders, bumpers, decklid, hood & grille, everything else could be fabricated. As long as it still looks relatively stock (no roof chop, or weird sectioning), that would be with the spirit of the thing. I think as long as you had a stock appearing body and a make-appropriate big block, there would be few complaints about the suspension configuration. All you would need is maybe a dozen cars for such a race. Oh, and old-style pit stops: at least one round of pits stops, with no tech after 1980 used... If I had some extra cash, I would want to build one of these cars just for fun. Fly down a track in one of these cars once in awhile- sign me up! I'm sure you could find about a dozen 1:1 hobbyists who might be willing to build up some Mopars, Fords, GM and maybe an AMC Matador out of some of their spare parts to play with 6 times a year. If they didn't want to drive, maybe some of your retired racers would turn a wheel in one of these once in awhile (like the Legends Series). There would be no need to make this a competition series, it would really be more of an exhibition series in my mind. The Legends cars (prewar coupes) some years back created some excitement. Since then, the market, if anything, has absorbed more of the old NASCAR culture, and it seems to me that this could be a welcome addition. Nothing else they are doing right now seems to be working... Now I want to go build a model of one. Dave Van, I'll race that Shoebox of yours in a Mopar some time soon...

That is a beauty!

I had been thinking something along these lines...how far away from the original intent would we be getting if there was a modern spec chassis (with an emphasis on safety), repro parts for the bodies (and making the bodies look as stock as possible), any engine that could have been had in that car line in any year? It could get expensive to use muscle-era bodies, but then again, if a rusted non-numbers car (307 Malibu, 302 Torino, 318 Belvedere, etc.) could be found, then the basic structure could be used, and for some of these cars, repro fenders, quarters, rockers & trim could be used. Maybe the emphasis should be on "the show" as opposed to competition, so that there isn't an entire field of Hemi and Boss 429 powered aero specials. Finding "the best package" should be discouraged. Maybe race on semi-road courses instead of strictly ovals. I'd like to see as many makes, models and years racing as possible. Variety would make this or break this. As much as possible should be done to control costs - maybe make it so that older Cup cars could be obtained relatively cheaply and rebodied for the series. In my mind, it should be a hobby series, as opposed to a step in the competition ladder. Done right, this could be a real attraction.

Thank you- that's a handy list! I intend to build a '70 Duster 340, like one I saw many years ago that was somebody's driver in the mid-80's in northern Delaware. It was orange, with a bench seat, floor mounted manual trans, dog dish wheel covers, no stripes, and tiny "Valiant Duster 340" decals on the fenders. Even as a teen with no driver's license, I knew that car was something special. I'm not sure that the carb in the Duster 340 kit represents a '71 style ThermoQuad- actually, I'm not sure it really represents anything. & I'm not 100% sure, but I think the 340 that comes in the Duster Street Machine comes with the non-a/c fan belt set up.

These are remote possibilities. Round 2 or Revell could perhaps tool up notchback bodies for their existing ‘67-‘68 kits. The ‘69 Torino fastback is still with Round 2 I believe. The Rebel Machine is probably farther off. The Jo Han kit can still be found, as pricy as it might be.

Good choice! This one was never really done well, and I really like these cars.

A '67 Grand Sport Skylark would be boss! I think Round 2 still has what's left of the '64 Cutlass 442. A pic of a "hanger shot" has made the rounds pretty recently. The body had the windshield frame removed at some point, it would be nice if they were able to restore it. But - c'mon Steven- please allow us ONE more Challenger- we need a GOOD one. PLEASE???

Awww man! We'll have 1,000 replies to this in no time Respectfully: 1) The LS-6 probably won't happen...AMT has one in their catalog, so does Revell. They both have their problems, but they're good enough to run and sell, so there is little motivation to do a new one. The best path to a good one seems to be combining the Revell snap '70 Chevelle body and interior with a more detailed chassis & engine (the AMT '69 Olds 442 chassis is my "go-to" for GM '68-'72 A bodies). The GSX is already available in 1/24, and that kit, while a little simple, is quite nice. You probably just couldn't make a business case for either of these. 2) The '70 Duster: my guess as to why the '71 was done is because of the more aggressive looks of the '71 compared to the '70 (no "shark tooth" grille on the '70, louder stripes on the '71). A few resin casters do a '70 Duster grille, that would be most of what you need to backdate the '71. It's possible Round 2 could tool up a new grille, throw in their new dog dish caps and wheels from their '78 Dodge pickup, and could get another easy variant of their '71 kit. This one could be a maybe/possibly. 3) Early Vegas: before Revell was sold, this might have been a possibility. Yenkos, Pro Stocks, Pro Streets- they could have done multiple variants. AMT / ERTL did a 1/18 diecast some time back, so, maybe this is a good subject to revisit? The MPC kit was modified to become the Vega of later years, and it was no great shakes to begin with. If Revell ever actually revives and becomes something like it was before the sale, this one might be a slight possibility, but the chances as they are now are slim. 4) See #1. Round 2 has the body tool for the '69 GTO Judge. It was last issued as the Arnie Beswick funny car, in 1/25 scale. I think the body is 100% stock, and to my eye it's pretty nice. You could combine the body with the '69 442 Chassis, get a nice Poncho engine in there, and you're mostly to a stock Judge. I think Round 2 having this body tool and Revell having the 1/24 Judge kills the prospect of getting a new 1/25 kit. We COULD however use a nice new 1/25 '70 GTO. Round 2 has the stock '70 kit, which isn't so nice, and it's been compromised by the changes back and forth from stock to circle track car. 5) '70 Trans Am: I could actually see the case for this one. "Old" Revell could have developed an all-new kit, doing different bodies ('70 Formula, '73 Super Duty", "Rockford Files" Esprit, '74-'76 cars). MPC's kits aren't coming back, and multiple variants could definitely be tooled for better sales. Some of the Trans Ams and / or Formulas, depending on the year, were never done by MPC back in the day, so there are some gaps to be filled, too. 6) '70 Challenger. *sigh*. The MPC kit had excellent body proportions, good body details, and substandard engine and chassis (the MPC body has been irreversibly turned into a Funny Car body). The AMT kit has decent body proportions, some body details that were off (& that nasty separate roof!), some added parts for the Vanishing Point version that were terrible, and ok to good chassis and engine. Revell did attempt a 1/25 kit, based on a diecast kit. It suffers from odd body proportions due to the diecast origins, some body details that are just wrong, but a good chassis and interior and an ok engine. It builds as an R/T or T/A, which at first seems genius, until you realize that the same 440 Six Pack engine is used for either version. As much as a great Challenger kit has never been done, and one is needed, I doubt we'll get one now. Our only hope is that one of the manufacturers thinks we need an all-new '71 Challenger R/T and actually does a good job with it. Here are a few of mine. I have tried to keep my list strictly to Muscle Cars. The definition of Muscle Car has broadened considerably over the past 20 years. Remember: no low compression, no non-performance engines, and mostly performance models or packages based on American passenger cars built between roughly 1964-1972 *... 1) '69 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler. Not the NASCAR version, just a straight-up, 390 powered muscle car. 2) '70 Chrysler 300/Hurst. Perhaps the coolest **only full size muscle model ever made. 3) '69-'72 Pontiac Grand Prix. Maybe Round 2 could do a "one run of fun" on that Pimpmobile that this has become, and tool it back to stock form. While they are at it, do a few special bits and decals for a Hurst version! 4) '66 Buick Skylark. See #3. * Cars made after 1972? Colonnade GM cars? 360 Volares? The '70's cars are stretching being called "Muscle Cars" a bit. Their performance just wasn't the same. Some of these models had the same intent though, so my belief is...maybe. A 350 powered Cutlass Supreme would not qualify for me, but a 454 powered Laguna S-3 might. A 360 powered Volare or Dart Sport might qualify, but a 360 powered Gran Fury? No to the Gran Fury, but maybe I would call that one "Cop Muscle"... ** are 427 Biscaynes, 426 Monacos, & 7.0 L Galaxie 500's Muscle Cars? Maybe not by strict definition of their package, but I would say yes, since they have muscle engines, and since that's how some were used. Maybe less the Monaco and the Galaxie for me- those were just full size cars with big engines, really- boulevardiers. A 427 4 speed Biscayne however probably just existed for one primary purpose :)...

I missed that- I was looking at the panels for the cab assembly in the instructions. They show the cap going on the right place on the bedside. It does seem that Round 2 looked this one over pretty carefully when they developed this new release!

Scale Auto Enthusiast Magazine had a feature on him some years ago, that's where I remember seeing some of his builds. In that same article, I also remember he used spare parts (leftovers from other replica stock conversions) to build a nice dark blue early '60's Chrysler custom.

Don’t spend big bucks on that one. The Lindberg/ Palmer one is superior to the old ARII tool. It sort of looks like a Challenger. Years ago, I briefly flirted with the idea of throwing a Monogram ‘70 Challenger chassis and interior under one of these and then thought better of it.

Maybe that’s why they left it off of the new instructions. I guess an enterprising builder can just cut the cap out of the quarter panel on the MPC “Supercharger” ‘74 Charger (which does not belong there...)...

Beautiful!!!

I have been a fan of Mr. Airio's work for a LONG time! I remember he did a '65 Dodge Dart, a '70 Dodge Dart Swinger 340, and several others that we haven't seen in this thread that I really liked. I of course like them all, but love the Mopars that he does! I wish I had 1/4 of his talent. The burgundy Gran Tornio shown in the first group of pics was photographed perfectly- I had to look at it a few times to convince myself that it was a model!!!

I've seen that one before, too. That's a beauty, Steve!!!

I have seen that white Coronet before and I have to say that it's gorgeous! The same for Michael Kroger's cars!

You made that one look good! The proportions of the body are accurate in that kit (which is nearly miraculous, considering that it's an ex-Palmer tool), but the details are a little soft. Still, not a bad start with that kit if you want to build a drag car and/or throw another kit under it (for instance: AMT or Revell chassis & engine). The only other game in town for these Challengers ('72-'74) are the old MPC Annuals, which are getting pricy, and, truth to be told, the chassis and engines in those are hardly any better.

Part # 105 on the old chrome shot. I of course do not have a copy of the new model yet, but I'd say the gas cap is probably still there, maybe the hole in the cab is flashed over. See the link to the instructions for the original 1978 Annual 4x4... https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/mpc-instructions/automotive-cars--pi/dodge/1971-1980/mpc-new-dodge-picku/1978dodgew150pickup-8.html

Part # 105 on the old chrome shot. I of course do not have a copy of the new model yet, but I'd say the gas cap is probably still there, maybe the hole in the cab is flashed over. See the link to the instructions for the original 1978 Annual 4x4... https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/mpc-instructions/automotive-cars--pi/dodge/1971-1980/mpc-new-dodge-picku/1978dodgew150pickup-8.html