Dave Darby

I must be in the minority then. I love that old tool style stuff. I don't need a 100 piece chassis with detailed suspension. I rarely flip my builds upside down. I want accurate looking old school subject matter. With lots of options and extra parts. And that is where Johan and AMT shine. That's probably why Round2 gets most of my money. I also know how much new tools cost. There are too many modelers that are only assemblers these days. I was kit bashing and making my own stuff when I was 13. It's amazing what you can do with a set of pin drills and some evergreen plastic. When I see grown men complain about kits not falling together, or not being detailed enough, it chaps my hide. Not to be mean, but those guys need to break out some craftsmanship and creativity, or switch to jigsaw puzzles. Everybody wants instant gratification. I dunno, maybe blame the video games?

I agree in many instances, but there are exceptions. The AMT/Ertl ProShop 32 Ford Roadster had a horrendously erroneous instruction sheet, calling the chromed roll bar brace a radiator hose, and instructing builders to section the injector pump. They also had you install the triple carburetor set onto the blower manifold as an option. I don't think the old instructions were all that bad. They may not have used numbers and paint color call-outs (which in the case of the new tool Ala Kart were completely wrong, having you paint chrome suspension parts flat black), but millions of 12 year olds still managed to successfully complete most of those kits.

It's entirely possible that some of MPC's engineering staff came over to Ertl with the sale. John Mueller and the late Dave Carlock are/were industry veterans.

Ertl bought MPC in 1986, before either of those kits were tooled. The Olds was the last new tool sold under the MPC/Ertl label, which was discontinued in 1989. The engineering looks very similar to the 66 Nova, and other Ertl kits from around that era. I'm pretty sure both kit tool designs originated in Dyersville.

Man, what a beauty! Gorgeous paint job, great color. Only one very minor, but noticeable glitch. Your driver side low beam headlight lens is clocked 90 degrees off. The other three are perfect.

Left to Right - Craftsman issue, original 1957 dealer promo, and my 1989 issue build.

Nice job. I like it! It's either a Trophy Jr, or a Craftsman (both from the same tool, just different release dates.) Some Craftsman issues didn't have fender skirts, so most likely, yours is a Trophy Jr kit. In many ways, those are more accurate than the glue kit, because they have a more accurate hardtop, Ford lettering on the wheel covers, and nicely engraved exhaust ports on the rear bumpers. What color was yours molded in?

I built box art cars for AMT during the Ertl era, and as I understand it, the tool is missing. I've never heard of it being damaged.

Dave Carlock was with AMT for many years, later with Testors. A super nice guy, he was one of the first people I spoke with at the beginning of my five year tenure of building box art models for AMT/Ertl during the 1990s. Dave passed away in 2015 at the age of 77.

They would probably have clone a new body for it. Provided the rest of the tool still exists. Which is a long shot.

Why wouldn't it? At the last reissue, Round 2 put the correct decals, tires and missing parts back in.

I'll second that. Maybe add a set of Moon discs and/or chrome reversed wheels to that list.

Sweet! I double need that kit now. I wonder if that artwork is by Jeff Allison. He just joined Round 2 about a month ago.

Seems to me, this discussion should be centered on what the title implies. Round 2 offerings for April 2025. Conjecture about things that are off center of the topic and beyond our control do not really add to the discussion. Frankly, I'm hoping that Round2 has more kits to offer in May than what they have this month.

I can confirm that. They are clones of the original Ala Kart wheels, that were tooled up for the 2016 "Mod Rod" reissue. Pretty nice, although I'd like to see the chrome reversed wheels they retooled for the 36 Ford even more. They could reuse the Street Rods issue box art for those, and be somewhat close.

That's a really cool conversion. The only issue with the Monogram roof is they are too tall, scalewise, although it doesn't look to bad on the longer Cadillac body. Cool idea!

I had one when I was younger that was built by a teen. It came out just fine. Having watched that build video, and and knowing the craftsmanship level of the builder, I'm calling builder error. There is a thing called test fitting parts and assemblies. Putting things together in the proper order. (Like fitting the doors and hinges to the body when you install the retainers.) I've seen other builds by him that were similarly messed up (25 T chopped coupe [REALLY BAD job], and Streaker Vette as examples). He's a nice guy, and I hate to denigrate other builders, but it is what it is. Is this kit a walk in the park, shake the box and you have a masterpiece? No. But it isn't unbuildable either. I'm going to pick one up first opportunity I get, and build one for myself. I'll keep you posted.

No hemi. 5 spoke mag wheels, tires and headers were unique to this issue.

Yep, it was part of the Elegance Series. All were molded in color, had tinted glass, and special parts. Among them were the 34 Pickup, 32 Vicky, 57 Chevy "Lemon Peeler", the 57 T Bird "Wonder Bird", and I know I'm leaving a few out.

The AMT 34 Ford PU never had Mustang wheels, but the second issue did have 64 Corvette wheel covers. Perhaps that is what you are thinking of.

X2

From Sunward Hobbies out of Toronto, posted on Facebook. Anybody know anything?

Iamsuperdan is correct when he says members of the staff are going through health issues. Besides Gregg's back injury related issues, I went through an 8 month battle with head and neck cancer. We had to put everything we own in storage while we temporarily relocated from South Carolina to Illinois so we'd have familial support during my cancer treatment. We are back in SC now, but have not been able to get into a long term place of residence yet. In addition, during the trip back, the screen on my laptop was damaged, which will require replacement to operational again. Model Cars Magazine is a small operation, and life happens. Your patience and understanding will be appreciated. If you want to help me get up and running again sooner, I do have a GoFundMe page. Dave Darby Cancer Fundraiser

You could do that, too. It's nice to have options.

Actually, I think it was Bob Paeth's Rambler.