stavanzer

Another factor that doesn't get mentioned, is that the original AC Cobra was designed in Great Britain for miniature British Drivers. Once it got to the States, Corn-Fed 'Murcan boys had trouble fitting in the Dang Things. I've gotten to sit in both real and replica Cobras and at 6' even, the original is impossibly cramped. The replica is better, but my Size 13 feet would make driving either a chore. both cars are small. With the low doors and seating position, I felt like I was sitting "on" the car, rather than "in" the car.

So, the COPO kit with a new hood, basically? I do like the Colour!

Yep, Revell got a whole lotta use out of those wheels. That whole series of Corvair powered Showrods are simple, and all 5 of them differ in only a few ways. They cover some neat options though. 1. T-Bone Stake. C-Cab Pickup 2. Patent Pending. C-Cab Van 3. Guber Wagen. C-Cab Popcorn Machine 4. Meter Cheater. C-Cab French Taxi 5. Moon Mixer. C-Cab truck with Apollo Capsule on the bed. (Got to be seen to be believed) http://www.showrods.com/showrod_pages/moon_mixer.html The whole batch were an attempt by Revell to compete with the much better Tom Daniels Showrods by Monogram. Not a great attempt IMHO, as the whole batch were spindly, fragile kits, that did not have the sturdy construction and "playability" of the TD kits. They were lame too. The weak box art, and subject matter, just did not resonate as much with us. (at least amongst the kids I knew who built this kind of kit) The Un-gluable 2-piece vinyl tires did not help either. If Atlantis has these, I could see trying to release them again, with Nostalgia Style box-art. and Improved tires. Clever matching of parts trees could make them 2'n'1 kits. I think that would make them a better value proposition to todays Adult, Nostalgia driven buyer.

Bruce, Have you USED Anti-lock brakes? I have. I drove cars with Anti-lock brakes and used them. I had to show customers at the dealer how the Anti-locks worked. And, I've repaired them. This is one of those cases where the 'new-fangled' tech is clearly better. I've owned and driven stock Model T Fords with Rod Actuated Brakes, a 1953 Vintage Military truck with primitive 'Juice" brakes, and now modern cars with Anti-lock. It is one of the few modern systems that is a Hands-Down, No-Questions-Asked improvement. You and I cannot control or pulse the brakes faster or better than the system in Anti-Locks. They provide better straight line stopping power, and are much better at stopping swerves. Trust me, I am as old school as they come in many ways, but if my wife is in the car, I want Anti-lock brakes on it.

Paul, not sure if you had seen this. A little bit about the Autocar Cab.

Good Luck on the Build, Sir. It looks like a great idea.

Steve, I have both chrome trees. You can only get one set of Wheels on the tree.

I'm sure the Japanese had tractors that were used for towing the beaching dollies of the planes at their bases.

Here, a complete list from TD's Website. http://www.tomdaniel.com/85_kits/frm_85kits.html and a link to the Showrod Rally http://showrods.com/home_page_links/home.html

Great save for a forgotten Glue-Bomb. I hope somebody can cross post this over at the Showrod Rally. Tom Daniels still drops in once in a while, and I know that he would be pleased to see this. Fantastic Build, Sir!

I hope it has both the Blower and Tunnel Ram intake set ups. Looks like only one choice of wheels. From previous exams of the kit parts, only the Non-chrome trees will be run as options. The Chrome tree will be whatever it was when it was last run. Really sad. Choice of Wheels is almost standard as the price of Entry into the ranks of an "Official 2'n'1 Kit", these days. 2 hoods scoops and alternate seats? Try Again, Revell! You missed the target this time.

Is that 'Salinas Special" a resin kit? It is awesome!

Bill, you have it 100% correct.

Steve has said many things over many years. I will not call him a liar. I will point to the results of all he has said. No pics of the car, no hints as to where it is, no rumors from anybody other than Steve about current status of car and other owner.

Fmeep. Best Cat Name Everrrr!

Well, Bill, I agree with you, but I think it goes much deeper than what you mention.

What is the Donor Kit for this body? If I wanted just a curbside, does the interior come with it?

The one New Fangled Feature that I really like is the Rear View Camera. I'm fond of Anti-Lock Brakes too. Other than that, I prefer fewer Electronic Wundergadgets in my cars. I have a 2014 Sienna Minivan now. Given my failing eyesite, it will be the last car I own. I do plan to keep it up though, as somebody has to drive me to work in it. It gets decent mileage, and is a good all purpose vehicle. My days of having a 'toy' to drive are now over. I miss them, but then loss is a part of life. Now that a "Kill Switch" will be a legally mandated part of you car after 2024, you might as well stop buying cars.

The AMT '40 Ford Coupe. Iconic? Sure! But, I can never seem to actually Pay for One, as I always see something else I'd like better. If I ever get to a Model Car swapmeet again, I might just pull the trigger then, (but maybe not... Small Budget, Huge Inventory.)

Noel, It has been for a certainty that the original tooling is long gone. It was destroyed many years ago, along with other "unprofitable" tools that were sitting around. Blame Draconian State Tax laws about unused inventory, and the fact that all that tooling was for "Old Toys" in the eyes of the Folks who made the decisions at the time. This same Mindset and Tax regime cost us many AMT Tools too, If I understand what happened. (That is a BIG "IF") Here is what I think the situation is now. 1. Steve Scott is (to put it politely) an Old Man clinging to an "Old Man's Dream" I'll allow that it is not malice driving him, but a dream that he will never achieve. The exact same dream that keep men holding on to rusting Muscle Cars in the driveway. "I'm going to restore it, someday!" 2. The Car Itself? Rusting away in a garage in Southern California. From the ages and timing of all involved, my guess is that it is in Burbank or a some other very old neighborhood in SoCal. Most likely in one of the traditionally Model T Ford sized One Car garages that spawned so much of 1950s-60s SoCal Hot Rod Culture. It will be found when the children of the current owner clear out his stuff after he has passed away. It will look awful. It will be sold to somebody with VERY deep pockets, who will sell it at Mecum's or Barret-Jackson's after an extensive restoration, for millions. There is a 50/50 chance it will leave the country and move to an temperature controlled vault in Japan, like so many other Classic Automobilia has. 3. The kit. It is gone, Long Gone. In the years before the Great Hobbico Bankruptcy destroyed R/M, there had been a well planned revival of a couple of Tom Daniels popular Showrod Kits. It Got us the Tijuana Taxi, the Rommel's Rod and a couple others, all lovingly re-tooled from original kits. These were fresh tools, copies of the old kits, not the 1960's tooling. Although most kit maker's are very closed mouth about plans for new tooling, there have been Zero Rumors of R/M cutting fresh metal for a new Uncertain-T. (My suspicion is that if R/M considered doing the U/T , that getting the right's to re-tool it from Mr. Scott were a big deal, and not worth the trouble, so the idea died in series of phone calls and letters in the mid 2005-12 time frame) 4. So, for the 40-70 year old fans of this kit, there have been a few resin copies sold (and perhaps still available), there is an ever shrinking number of kits and built-ups for sale on the secondary market, and that is about it for the supply. Those that are left are expensive. They will get more expensive, so there is no better time to get one than today. Truthfully though, the demand for these kits appears to be shrinking at a slightly slower rate than the supply. There are just fewer and fewer people who want one of these kits, and despite the occasional newcomer, the fanbase for odd 1960's Showrods is not growing very fast. The supply that is out there will keep up with the demand for now. That is how I believe things stand in early 2022. I am most probably wrong about some things. Reading rumors here and at the 'Coffin Corner' of the "Showrod Rally" Website back in the day, and having read back issues of "Hot Rod Deluxe" and "The Rodder's Journal" magazines, there have been no human eyes set on the car since the mid-1970s, and no real solid news about it's whereabouts in almost as long. I think that the issue now is slowly sliding into "Dead Horse" territory, pending some Great, Unexpected discovery of either the car or the tooling.

Colour me "not surprised". It seems that it is harder and harder for companies (any company) to "Get Things Right The First Time" anymore. Projects with years of planning suffer from last minute glitches and simple mistakes that were never caught in QC. I can guess why this happens more frequently now, but I'll keep those thoughts to myself.

Thanks, Guys. Hot Wheels eh?

Great Job, Adam! MOAR Matchbox!

Link does not work for me, Clayton.

Enough to inspire somebody to use the AITM Restrite Sleeper, and clone the original kit! Good information, guys.