Bill Anderson

Hi, I'm looking to get a 1962 Pontiac 1/25 kit, likely a 421 cu inch Catalina or another model. Looks like there are 5 or so different ones (AMT/Ertl) readily available, and I'm seeing similarities in them, and I'm wondering if some are just remakes of early production runs. Anyway, which of those out there offer the most detail, best fit, etc.? Thank you, Bill Anderson

I've been looking at various reviews (via Google / youtube) of some kits I have been looking at or have already worked on. As mentioned earlier, it seems like each kit has its own plus/minus attributes. With the exception of the Tamiya Ford GT (I'll get it for father's day), all my cars and interests revolve around the '50s and early '60s American models - the cars of my youth of course. On a side note........most all of my friends back then were motorheads to one degree or another. But it seems like following generations just don't seem to care about cars. I have 4 adult kids (all early '50s), and the three boys only cared about the stereo in their cars, and not much else............ I find that especially sad, for I had the knowledge/time/tools to teach them so much about cars...........but no one seemed to care.

Chris, I private messaged you about your 58 Ford boot........... Tom, I had a 54 Pontiac (Red Roach) and the 57 Ford convertibles when I was in Chicago. Most of the time the top was down I had the boots in place, for IMO it looked so much better and "complete". But of course it was a pain in the backside, both to put on and take off............

NICE !!!! I will see if Ebay has one of those covers! Thank you!

While I said I didn't want to start a "versus" thread, what I really meant was I didn't want to start a "flame war" of arguments. That said, I would like your thoughts on the quality, detail, & other differences between the kits from Revell, AMT (round2), Jo-han, Monogram, Ertl, Lindberg, MPC, and so on. Thank you! Bill Anderson

Hi, Back in my teens and early '20s I built a lot of model cars from AMT and Revel and Monogram. I dropped out of that for decades, but have recently gotten back into model car building again. In looking for various kits that would interest me, I've found that I've lost touch with the various brands and really have little clue as to what is what in regards to quality, detail, difficulty, etc. I do NOT wish to start a "versus" thread here, but I would like to know your thoughts on the various manufacturers 1/25 or 1/24 kits. Thank you, Bill Anderson Spring, Texas

I'm building a replica of the '57 Ford Fairlane Convertible I had in the early '60s. As there are no suitable '57 Ford convertible kits, I'm using two different AMT hardtop kits. I want to cut off the top, and replace it with a convertible top, or a suitable cover for a "folded down top". So my questions are, what other model has a convertible top that would work, or a folded down top cover that would fit? Thank you, Bill Anderson Spring, Tx.

Hack n whack, Believe it or not, I thought of the same thing. That said, I would prefer a full convertible top or a cover for the downed top. I call that a tonneau, but that may not be correct. I'm going to start a separate thread on this, assuming its allowed.

I would love to get ahold of a convertible top or tonneau cover that would not be difficult to use on this kit. That would make my day!

I'm surprised to hear that this "V" grille part was NOT necessarily indicative of the 312 T-Bird option. I've been under the impression since 1963 that it was. Perhaps I was told that by the seller........ Yes, I'll be grafting this out piece out of some left over parts, but I sure was hoping there was one commercially produced out there. My car was a ragtop, and of course the kits are all hardtops. I'm not sure what I'll do about that - either cut off the top and add a tonneau cover or paint the top white and fill in the window section to match the ragtop, or just paint the top white and leave it be. Thanks for the info and advice, it is appreciated!

Hi ! I'm building a 1/25 scale replica of the car I had in the mid '60s. It was a beautiful black '57 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible with a white top and red interior. What made it "special" was the 312 cu in "T-Bird" motor, which was identified on the vehicle by a chrome attachment to the front bumper. The attachment hooked to the top of the two vertical bumper guards, went straight across and then formed a "V" in the center. I'm using a couple of AMT kits to build the car, but of course none have this added bumper feature. I've researched via Google and Ebay but can't find anything out there. So assuming that is true (is it???), I will need to build my own from sprues or model piping. Has anyone dealt with this before, or have an insight as to what would work? Thank you, Bill Anderson Spring, Texas

Excellent idea!

Thanks all, I'm building this as a "stock" version, just like the one I bought new in late '89. So a sway bar is a "must have".

Hi, Well, the Revell 1990 5.0 Mustang "Drag Car" was coming along beautifully, and I got to the point of applying the suspension/steering components. While I thought I had all the parts cleaned up and painted, I realized I had not taken part # 30, the front sway bar off the sprue. As you could guess, the thing snapped in two, even though I used nippers to remove it. While often these things can be repaired, I could not do it with this. This front sway bar is part # 30, and identical with Revell's kit 4195 ('90 Mustang Drag Racer) and kit 4252 ('90 Mustang 2 in 1- police version). So I got on Revell's site and submitted a plea for a replacement. The site indicated they were "swamped" and it would be a week before I got a reply. Well, its been longer than that and my hope is failing. I realize this part will likely never be noticed as missing, but its driving me nuts. Anyone have any idea on where/how to secure one? Thank you, Bill Anderson

Thank you again. BTW, I have read all of the Spenser books, actually all that was written by the author and those that took over for him after his passing. ENJOY, Bill Anderson

My first new vehicle (I was 45) was a 1989 Ford Mustang LX 5.0. It was my mid life crazy car, only taken out on good days, etc. I did all the usual upgrades popular at that time, and it was a lot of fun. So I wanted to build one just like it and got the Revell 5.0 drag race version - number 85-4195. It has the stock parts, and I am building it as such. The problem is, while it includes the stock parts, there is no mention of them in the instructions. Of course most of them are intuitive, but the underpinnings (i.e. suspension, steering) are a bit confusing. I understand that this is a sister kit of the Revell Police Intercepter Mustang, which does give instructions that would be useful to me. I tried Revell's website, Ebay, Google and Youtube to get the instructions, but to no avail. So my question is........how can I obtain a copy of those instructions? Your help would be greatly appreciated! Bill Retired guy in Spring Texas.............

Hi, I'm back to building vehicles after a very long time. In the '60s, building muscle car kits was my favorite pastime, along with model railroading. I've been very active since then building railcars and structures for my train layout, but only recently began building car kits again. It is a great hobby, and I'm happy to be back! Bill

Hi, Somehow I lost the instructions for the Revell (85-4252) 1990 Mustang Police Car - a "2 in 1" kit. I have searched the net for some time, and still can't find them. I even searched on a Revell download site and the product number they have is for a Constellation aircraft. Anyone out there have a lead? Thank you, Bill Anderson Spring, Texas