Brian Austin

I wonder how well that custom grille fits the Revell kit.

I like 'em all...well, up to '64 or so... :-)

Interestingly these are multi-piece, while Hasegawa VWs are have one-piece bodies, and at least one was issued as a Revell US release.

Interesting selection of releases. The VW camper looks to be a fun subject.

CIBIE lights are cool. Did any of the period custom cars sport yellow-lensed Euro headlights (i.e. French)? Also it's interesting to find rectangular headlights on cars built in foreign markets, but derived from US models, such as Argentina's Ford Falcons. Here is a '78 facelift Falcon. The prior styling cycle sported quad round headlights in square bezels.

I haven't been in a B&N for a very long time now, but I recall being rather disappointed in the selection of automotive books at the time.

Neither do much for me. :-P (I was always more into Prog rock) :-D

No worse than the '70s. :-p

It's an American film. Probably just a coachbuilt body.

I think I'm more partial to AC's Aceca myself. :-)

I have the ITC Jaguar coupe and wonder if there would ever be a market for that series of largish-scaled sports car kits. Those were nothing particularly special in terms of detail or accuracy, though they did offer some interesting subjects. As far as the other kits mentioned, perhaps a polite email to Glencoe might be in order.

Same age bracket as model car builders, right? ? I have enjoyed the build threads on the SA board. I've done web searches for build pictures of a particular random kit from time to time that I'm interested in purchasing and those often show me what's in the kit. Once the forum is flushed down the drain I'll miss the pics. (Though to be fair, threads with pictures bearing the heavy Photobucket watermark aren't nearly as useful).

They do have some neat small-scale car kits.

Don't forget Palmer, Pyro and Lindberg. ITC (Ideal) tooling wound up with Glencoe. Much of Lindberg and Pyro tooling wound up with Round2. And remember the Matchbox line of 1:32 scale kits? That tooling went to Revell. Related to this discussion, promo diecast banks originally produced by Banthrico had been reissued from time to time by Cutting Edge Industries, so some of that tooling might still exist, and the tooling for PMC (Product Miniature Corp) plastic promos has been rumored to have still existed.

FWIW, the Bond sub cars were also profiled in one episode of AutoBiography series on MotorTrend TV. https://www.motortrendondemand.com/detail/the-case-of-the-missing-movie-cars/23246/ (The episode does not appear to be available on YouTube or Vimeo at the moment.)

Let us know how the roof comes out, as my project hadn't progressed any further since I posted. :-) I did determine that my attempt to use a '59 El Camino tailgate (whole) wasn't going to work with the Revell body, so I carefully cut the bit I cut off at the rear and glued it back in. I'll then need to make the upper part of the tailgate. It should actually be a top-hinged hatch, so I'll probably cut the window frame from sheet plastic.

So where does the smooth bottom come from when the car transforms into the sub? :-) Very strange instance of licensing regarding the black livery of the model.

R&R Resins had some interesting subjects, but the execution of the kits in my opinion were rather hit-or-miss.

I'd rather start with a Revell '50 Olds frame than a Chevy's. It's a lot closer in shape and size. It seems to me a Canadian Pontiac would be a tough sell as a kit subject. There are resin bodies around.

I wouldn't term the Bi-Autogo as a mere motorbike. It happens to be a large two-wheeled automobile with small retractable wheels for balance. Driver sits in the middle of the cab with two side-by-side seats just behind. Power is V-8, and can get up to about 20MPH! Prototype completed in 1913. Apparently the builder never intended to put the design into commercial production. https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/search/catch_all_fields_mt%3A(bi-autogo) OR catch_all_fields_et%3A(bi-autogo) https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Automobile/ebvqyfXNpNUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=bi-autogo&pg=PA390&printsec=frontcover

Jo-Han/Ex-El offered of Oldsmobiles similar to that.

Many of these were tooled up as promos. The '50s Oldsmobiles were offered by Jo-Han into the X-El era, but those had plain chassis and no interior. Mid '50s Pontiacs were offered by Jo-Han (promo style), and AMT offered a '57 Bonneville convertible. I don't know much aout the AMT Bonneville, other than they turn up on eBay. Also, FWIW, Banthrico offered cast metal promotional banks in around 1:25 scale. These of course would have solid-cast windows, so no interiors, and no chassis detail, but their lineup included Lincolns and Cadillacs and others that were not done in plastic in this size.

I'd try running the PE sheet over the edge of a table, carefully back and forth in two different directions, like straightening curled paper or cardboard. Probably won't come out like new, but you might increase your area of workable material.

To answer the original question, I'm not sure we'd find a meaningful number. How do we all define "wrecked"? Custom show cars routinely got rebuilt year after year. The Predicta is an example whose fame comes from its middle-era configuration. One can argue the Lincoln Futura was already wrecked by Ford, through neglect in its later years. It likely could well have been scrapped at some point had it not become the Batmobile. A number of driveable replicas have been built of both the Futura and Batmobile.

Are there rubber O rings of the right size?