Dave Darby

You've all probably heard the adage "making a silk purse out of a sow's ear"... That is what I am going to do here. For those of you who have a copy of Model Cars number 217, there's a bit of a preview of this build in the Vintage Workbench column. The Lindberg Roadster Pickup is not most people's choice for a build, but not only is it a good source for restoration parts for older AMT kits, it also has a good bit of potential of its own. Here is an initial mockup, with some different rolling stock, and a sidepipe from an AMT 57 Ford... Not terribly bad. We'll trim those pipes a bit later... As mentioned in the article, the 392 Hemi in the Lindberg kit is very close copy of the one in the the AMT 32 Roadster kit. Just for fun.. Those quads are just for giggles. One thing pretty apparent is how the radiator shell looks rather over inflated. We could swap for an AMT shell, but I have another idea. With a little sanding around the edges, the custom grille from the AMT 34 Ford pickup fits pretty nicely. The kit headlights sit pretty high on the fenders, so we'll fill those gaping holes with some plastic rod and drill some new ones. Much better. Here is another glaring issue with this kit. Those huge gaps between the top and the body. I cut these sections out and borrowed some from an AMT 29 Model A Roadster. A little sanding and... Much better. You can also see my first draft of a bed tarp, which I later replaced with a more refined, better fitting one. Here I've narrowed the custom rear roll pan from an AMT 53 Ford Pickup. That tailgate area sure looks flat, doesn't it? We'll get to that. Note those trim lines on the back... With the marked section cut out, the tailgate from the AMT 34 Ford Pickup is a perfect fit. Probably about time to get some axles under this thing. I trimmed down a front axle from an AMT 32 Roadster, This may or may not be permanent. I cut a notch in the crossmember to move the axle forward a bit. It was also necessary to clearance the bottom of the radiator shell a little bit to allow the axle to move forward. More to come...

Accidently posted here. Check "On the Bench" for photos. Please delete.

Looking good! Great job on a kit that is not an easy build.

Looking good Jesse! BTW, you'd be surprized how well you can touch up that chrome with a Molotow marker.

That is too cool 6 ways from Thursday! Masterful job on an awesome subject.

Just the body dimensions. The running gear was carried over from the sedan kit. I got some good shots of John's 34 in 2013. I'll have to dig them up.

That new tool AMT 57 looks pretty good once you get some decent sized wheels on it. Very cool build.

I love seeing older builds like this. I also really like the chop, paint and graphics.

The red one was actually built from a Aurora 34.

What issue was that? I'd love to find a version with all the parts in one box.

No dates or other information listed. These are all 1/25 Scale. AMT KITS 1375 - Coors Beer Peterbilt 352 Pacemaker COE Tractor Cab 1384 - 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe Street Rod 1386 - 1967 Mercury Cyclone GT Car 1393 - 1966 Ford Galaxie Sweet Bippy Car 1409 - 1996 Chevrolet C3500 Dually Pickup Truck (Snap) (New Tooling) MPC KITS 985 - 1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee Car 991 - 1980 Ford Bronco Truck

Bringing this back from the dead, Lindberg was never shy about cloning other company's work. In this case, they largely copied the AMT 29 Model A/Ala Kart kit, with a few parts from AMT's 25 T and 36 Ford. The Ala Kart wheels in this kit, though unplated, are even nicer than the newly tooled ones in the Mod Rod reissue from 2016. The drag slicks are very close to the early Trophy Series units as well. Fun kit. My original escaped down the road. I need to get another one.

From Round2: WOMPIN WAGON AMT '55 CHEVY NOMAD 3-IN-1 (1:25 SCALE) AMT's 3-in-1 '55 Nomad returns better than ever! We've fully retooled the chrome features resulting in improved overall fit-and-finish of the Wompin' Wagon. Adding to the improvements, the decal sheet has also been expanded with stock badging options and more! For the custom gasser builders we've also included optional red tinted glass in this version as well. Look for this chromed-out Chevy to hit hobby shelves soon! Due Early 2023. Preproduction samples subject to improvements in production. #AMT1297

Yes, but I believe those were Airfix kits reboxed as MPC.

I just happen to have a Rat Roaster, and I'm working from home, so I just opened mine up and looked at both the contents and the instructions. I didn't see a master cylinder in either place. So unless I'm blind (which happens to me once in a while, LOL) apparently it never had one.

Yep, and the original 55 the Badman was based on didn't have the side windows either.

The running gear and engine compartment of the Cosma Ray is under the Streaker Vette. If the toolbase (or inserts) for the Cosma Ray are still around, it could happen.

The big story here is everything you need to build the Bad Man is here except for the decals.

While we're at it, I'd love to see Round 2 backdate their Dodge van to a 76. (Yeah, that would likely involve tooling a new body.) And while I'm dreaming, a 1/25 scale version of the 1/20 scale MPC 71 Ford Econoline.

Hey Brian, thank you for the positive feedback!

You knocked that build (and the article) right out of the park, Dennis!

There's part of one of those Lincolns under this guy.

Nice job on both. Great color choices, and very clever paint treatment on the Mod Rod gas tank.