garagepunk66

Fantastic build John! Thanks for sharing

Bill, if you read my post, I was suggesting the 57 Chrysler frame as a starting point for scratch-building the bolt-in FRONT subframe.

I would think that the logical starting point for the front subframe would be the AMT 57 Chrysler frame. The frame horns differ somewhat and the subframe rails "vee" outward to the rear after the kickup ends; but the suspension, engine cross-member and central section are all very similar. A.#3 cross-member ( the one where the torsion bars anchor) will have to be scratch-built. For the rear suspension, rails, rear floor, etc., you might try the JoHan Turbine car as the rails have the right "C" shape to the kickup and seem to be correct for a C-Body car.

This story is pretty much anecdotal, presented for your amusement only.... I would totally agree that the bulk of Auto World brand marketed items were top notch! From the Mini-Men to the Sponsor Decal Sheets it was all good stuff. I wish i could find some more decal sheets!

Dateline: 1975...Nine years of age and I was starting my 4th or 5th model kit to date. I had found the Revell '54 Chevy Sedan Delivery (with the Stars & Stripes Box Art) Kit as an opened, returned item at my local Jupiter Store (sort of a discount liquidation/overstock-based retail outlet for various department stores). Having (somehow) already finished the Revell '55 Bel Air and not yet fully understanding the pain that some of those late '60's - Early '70's Revell Kits could inflict; i plunked down some change for the kit. The kit had been taped shut at the store and had been marked as contents complete, so when I got home and opened it, I was baffled at the non-opened doors on the body, as the box art car clearly had opening doors! I looked the rest of the kit over and pondered my options. I had an old hand-me-down copy of a 1969 Auto World catalog and all at once clearly understood the need for their much-hyped Auto Cutter tool that I had seen within its ratty, dog-eared pages. Now for those who are too young to remember this gadget, it basically consisted of a woodburner fitted with an X-Acto blade holder at the tip. In the catalog it was touted as a wonder-tool to end all wonder-tools! A full page was devoted to its various, amazing uses! So, off i go to see my Dad, to present my dilemma and show him my wonder solution! My Dad, assures me that we do not really need that expensive gadget, and that he can open up those doors for me. He gets a candle out on the kitchen table and lights it, then pulls out his pocket knife. At this point, even in my young, inexperienced mind, the prospect of success with this particular method seemed rather dubious and voiced my concerns; but Dad could not, and would not be swayed. The results were quick and predictable, rendering my new pride and joy into completely un-buildable junk. Tearing up, i gathered my stuff and headed for the basement, swearing off ever asking my Father for help on any model car project ever again. Now, I never did get that Auto Cutter. I think as a result of this experience, i surmised early, and probably quite correctly so, that in unskilled hands such as mine, a heated plastic-cutting tool could become more of a liability than an asset. Anyone have any similar experiences to share?

1/24 - 1/25 Ulrich Mini-Men are available again, the same ones Auto World used to sell. Ulrich is an EBay seller, sells at a Buy-It-Now price and ships quickly. These were tooled up in the early '60's so the look is reflective of that era

Sorry to dredge this old thread up from the dead; but I am also contemplating the open-mold concept of casting a styrene/Tenax mixture. I also use this combo instead of filling with putty so I'm quite comfortable with it's working characteristics. Using SCI-Grip 3 intsead of Tenax (covered in other threads on this forum - available from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00466V8F0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER ) would make it more cost-effective too, and lord knows i have enough sprue to melt down. I have an original AMT 69 Falcon Kit and i want to make molds of the wheel opening areas, the trunk-lid section between the tail-lamps and window frame detail to cast sections for adding back to the current-release modified-stocker body and I prefer to work in all-styrene. I would think that a very-thin mixture that would be brushed in and built up in subsequent thin layers would work pretty well if allowed to dry thoroughly between coats; and the subsequent coats would fully fuse with what is already cured out.

Thanks for the fantastic review Tim. I still have the mid-1980's reissue unbuilt in my stash, but those tires, the reference booklet and decals are worth the price of admission alone! I hope AMT/Round 2 will package those pad-printed Firestones in a Parts Pack in the near future as i can see buying several sets

RancheroSteve, i did notice the scale issue, particularly in the engine components. It looks like a small V6!. I believe i am going to use the Tamiya slot-car body and open up the front and rear bonnets after finalizing a monocoque tub configuration and fitment. The opening doors i can do without as I believe that aspect to be the fiddliest of the fiddly on the IMC kit due to the relatively unsupported cowl structure. The detail-up kit from HRM does look nice. The GT40 and the T-70 are at least fraternal twins in some senses by birth given their Lola Mk 6 parentage; but I'm not certain of how much is similar by the MkII generations of each are shared in terms of suspension, transaxle, etc.

thanks Ace-Garageguy, i found the M8B kit this morning and its on the way

hi guys, i just got a nice unbuilt IMC 1/25 scale Mecom Lola T70 Spyder and am now considering my options. This kit does have a reputation for being particularly fiddly and given the lack of detail on most components, i'm left wondering if i might have been better served by buying a Tamiya 1/24 Slot Car Body and scratch-building the bulk of it. I may yet go that route and use the IMC kit for reference here & there. can you suggest a good source for a detailed, correct Hewland transaxle, half-shafts, brakes etc?

thanks for all the welcoming comments. i will be lurking here for quite a while as i gather parts and techniques for a '68 Falcon Trans Am racer project. DrKerry, are you over on the HAMB as well? seems like maybe our paths have crossed before at a HAMB on the rocks event or somesuch?

hi guys, i'm 49 years old and have been building off and on since age 7 and buying collector kits from the secondary market since age 13. those were the dark days when Fundimensions owned MPC, Mattel owned Monogram and Matchbox/Lesney owned AMT and on-the-shelf kits were positively dismal !!!! back then, i was the kid responding to ads in publications like Old Cars Weekly or Hemmings for photocopied lists of kits for the price of a Self-Adressed-Stamped-Envelope. old kits were mysterious and exciting and covered subject matter that interested me; primarily '60's drag racing and hot rods. the IMC Little Red Wagon was the gateway drug, purchased mail-order in 1979 from Hobby Town in West Allis (remember them?), a slew of JoHan Mopars, and then the Revell Parts Packs set the main line.... thanks for letting me rant. it's a great time to be a hobbyist and we are seeing some great kit releases these days and aftermarket support is really good too. i'm going to add a new area of subject matter to my scope, as i have recently become enamored with vintage road racing, and can see some fun builds in my future with Group 2 Trans-Am sedans, Can Am, and maybe an Austin Healy or two. i hope these are welcome areas as i was thoroughly browbeaten over on another "traditional" forum for asking if a '66-'70 Trans Am sedan build would be "traditional"