tim boyd

Guido....that sounds right. It was so, so long ago. But it almost has to be that one....North side of Ford Road east of Wayne, right? TIM

What John said about the Hamtramck Registry. It's a priceless resource once you figure out how to navigate the website. TB

John....my all time Holy Grail car is a 1971 Charger SE with a 383 Magnum or 440 Magnum, buckets with console, Tachometer in the Rallye Gauge Cluster, and the F-60-15/15x7 Rallye setup. I always preferred a little more understated appearance combined with a few luxury touches and a killer powertrain combo under a (non-scoop) hood. And of course, Dodge was my favorite make until I started my career at Ford. Before I bought my new 1973 Duster 340, I looked at a two year old 1971 Charger SE with a 383 4-speed. The owner said it was a originally Chrysler "brass hat" (executive lease) car. I was concerned about the expense of clutch replacements (I was a college student at the time), so I passed and went for the new car instead. According to Galen, there were just 29 1971 Charger SE's built with the 440 Magnum and 4-speed. About fifteen years or so ago, I called on a 1971 Charger SE 440 auto for sale that had all the right stuff except for the paint I can't remember the exact details; but I think the car was 1971 Gunmetal metallic (the feature color that year for Charger SE's, but NOT a favorite for me); and he had switched the vinyl roof color somehow (from black to white???) when he had it restored. Otherwise it was complete, including the SE bumper outline moldings and the SE molding along the front pan beneath the bumper. I recall him wanting $30k at the time, which was no steal, but probably a reasonable price then, it if was as he represented. Still being incredibly busy with my career at the time, I passed. A few years later, a similar car appeared on the cover of Mopar Collector's Guide, a burned up hull. Sadly, it was the same car. Apparently the wiring harness caught fire where it entered the interior (apparently a known issue with 1971-74 B-bodies), and he didn't have a fire extinguisher. He said he might try to rebuild it, but that would have been a real challenge. Don't know what happened to it. The late "Viper Dave" on another board had a dark green '71 Charger SE he bought new, I can't recall if it was a 383 or 440 magnum, but it was really nice. HIs had the 14x6 Goodyear Polyglas tires on the Mopar Road wheels. Don;t know if it is still in the family after he passed. The only other one I've seen was a Dark Gold (can't recall the exact name and I'm away from my reference library right now) SE with a Gold roof and interior; I presume it was one of the Magnum engines based on the Bazooka exhaust tips. It was in nice unrestored condition, sitting in the parking area of the Meadowbrook Concours also around 2005 or so. But it wasn't for sale. And yes, I have been collecting parts to build a model of my dream '71 Charger SE. For years though I have not been able to come up with the preferred color combo to use..... As for the 360 E58, I totally concur with your comment. It didn't wind at the top end like my '73 Duster 340, but my '74 E58 Road Runner had low and mid range torque that Duster 340 could only dream of, in spite of being in a considerably heavier body. It was a great, and to this day still largely unsung, effort by Mother Mopar to preserve and continue their performance heritage in the hostile mid 1970's. Thx for jogging the memories....TIM

Ever since the 1970 model year, I've wished for one of those "340" package Challengers. I only ever remember seeing one at a dealership that year, on Ford Rd. in Westland, Michigan if I am remembering correctly. Seemed to me the perfect combo of non-embellished Challenger style combined with the best overall powertrain (always thought the 340 was better than the 383 Magnum; the E58 360 better than the 400 4bbl), upgraded suspension, and all that combined with a smaller price tag (every dollar counted back then!) Thx for activating the memories! TIM.

If I am recalling correctly, the 383 4 bbl non-Magnum (330 gross hp. vs. 335 for the Magnum) was an option for non-R/T 1970 Challengers....and those Challengers came standard with non-scoop hoods....TIM

Thanks guys....also great to hear about your Mopar models and real cars....and those '71/'72 Mustangs....which were and remain today my most favorite of the pre-"Mustang II" early Mustangs. I've got two of those partially built....an AMT 1971 Mach 1 in Grabber Lime with the dark green interior ....and an MPC 1972 Mach 1 in Bright Lime with the white with black interior. The '71 needs a 429 Cobra Jet (from the Revell 1970 Torino/Cobra Kit) and the '72 needs a 351 Cleveland (from the Revell 1970 Mach 1 kit)....someday I'll get back to those two....TIM

Scoop detail....the kit will have four different hood scoop layouts and two hoods to facilitate them. Don't know which ones are correct for the Jenkins Pro-Stocks, but they're all four there. Here are some pics from the kit preview I posted at my Fotki site a few weeks ago.... . TIM

Always glad to serve! Thx for the compliment, too! Cheers....TIM

Tom....I think this is the one that you are talking about....but this one was a Scale Auto Enthusiast article from what I recall....so..... So maybe it was this one, which was a Street Rodder Modeler's how-to series..... This one got finished to the point of a complete chassis and suspension, but never got to the engine. Many more photos of both are available at this link.... thanks for asking....TIM

What Tom said. There are a number of other R&M of MD hot rod flathead Ford parts on that engine as well....including the clear fuel pump bowl which you can just barely make out in the photo at the back of the engine. When finished it will will be wearing the R&M of MD Thickstun air cleaner atop those carbs....TIM

.....Revell '31 Model A Tudor sedan with interior adapted from the "skeleton" interior parts from the channeled version of Revell's 1930 Model A Five Window kit along with a real wood floorboard. The fully detailed and wired Thickstun Flathead Ford V8 uses parts from Norm's product line. An extremely "Z'ed" frame was modified from the modestly "Ze'd" frame from the channeled chassis version of the REvell 1929 Model A Roadster and 1930 Model A Five Window Kits. Paint is House of Kolor Clear with multi-colored mini-flakes over black primer, followed by House of Kolor Candy Organic Green. Windshield and backlight also tinted green. This was originally to be a magazine project car, but based on recent developments that no longer appears to be the case. But still hoping to finish the model, maybe later this year. Thanks for looking....TIM PS - this image was posted in response to an e-mail question from MCM Forum member Randy C.

Scott....there have been several discussions about an AMT history book with several reputable authors and at least two possible publishing sources. One of the issues is that AMT's history and kit catalog is immensely larger than those of the companies Mr. Graham has covered so far, so I am not sure that the format he used in the earlier books would work for an AMT history. Right now, my publisher is concentrating on the new book we just announced, to I doubt they'll be interested in something like this for at least another couple years at the earliest. Several of the key original AMT execs are still alive and well, and I briefly interviewed two of them for my new Drag Racing Kits book (though not in anywhere near the detail the subject deserves). I do hope that someday someone (both author and publisher) will take the plunge on this subject, especially as these folks are both (mid 80's to early 90's) and we may not have them around for another decade or longer. TIM PS - Graham's books were helpful resources for several fact checks for my latest book; I completely agree that they're excellent reference materials. And Bob Reder, who was the longtime #2 at Monogram, self-published a book on Monogram's history which was also very informative; unfortunately he passed away years ago and I think finding a copy of that book would be exceedingly difficult. TB PPS - Bob Johnson, the longtime product manager at Monogram and then Revell, is also compiling information from employees of Revell and Monogram, as part of building a further reference source on those two companies, but I don't believe he has near-term plans to publish the info per se, at least at this time. And for many years Dennis Doty was also compiling a reference base on AMT kits, if I am remembering correctly. TB ' r

Yep...I think that might have been the exact train of thought there....except....a correct '30A Roadster would not look like the coupe kit with the roof left off. But you knew that, anyway. Cheers Tom....TIM (More '30A Roadster reference pics here....TB)

The pandemic in China actually did stop production of kits (and most all industrial output in China) for a couple of months early in the year, but yes, I agree that kit production of all genres is now largely back on track now. But that has nothing to do with the timing of the '30A kit reintroduction. Prior (pre-Hobbico bankruptcy) and (to the best of my knowledge) current German Revell management has concluded (rightly or wrongly) that for business purposes they need to spread out the introduction of kits that are derived from a single tooling set. Since the '29A Roadster kit was reintroduced early this year, as I understand it the thought is to wait about a year before the next kit based on the same tooling set (in this case, the '30A Coupe) is brought to the market. Given the uncertainty in global markets these days, I think there is a fair amount of risk by delaying this long, but unfortunately I don't get a vote here. Ever since I became definitively aware of this project (January 2014 if I am remembering correctly) I have voiced the view to Revell that the '30A Coupe will be the much stronger seller of these two kits, and that production of it should be prioritized over the Roadster. My takeaway was that Revell agreed with my view on the sales potential, but for business purposes they thought that by scheduling the Roadster first, they would maximize overall sales from the tooling set over the lifetime of production. Of course, had there not been the tooling issue that interrupted the '30A production run shortly after it began, we would not be having this discussion today. There is no conspiracy at foot here. It is a simple series of business decisions that has guided the kit introduction sequence, further compounded by an unexpected production issue just after the kit was first introduced several years ago. But that doesn't mean we as hobbyists have to agree with those decisions. Bottom line? Ever since I set my grubby fingers on the first round test shot parts of this kit over six years ago now, my thoughts were, and remain, that this '30A Coupe is among the best hot rod kits the hobby has ever, or will likely, see. Everytime I talk to Revell management or their agents, I express my wishes, and those of many others in this hobby, that the '30A Five Window Coupe hot rod kit goes back on the production line, so that all hobbyists who want to buy and build this kit can have that opportunity much sooner than later. TIM

Roger...I've thought about doing just such a conversion (mine was to have been with the convertible body). Yours came out great; and I really like how you got rid of the "going uphill" look of the front end of the AMT/Ertl '41 kit. Great color choice, too! TIM

Rodney....saw your pictures last week but was running and could not take time to write a reply back then. Now that I have a bit of time I just wanted to compliment you on a super-realistic hot rod model that is filled with character and style, along with great craftsmanship. Great job! Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve.....TIM

Thanks Steve, Chris, Jerry, Al, Eric, and Dennis! And Al....I certainly agree that Panther Pink is a great color for a 1970 'cuda! Here's another view, showing the rear bumper altered to remove the "sugar scoop" effect along the lower portion, which is totally incorrect for a 1/1 1970 'cuda.

Thought I had a better image of my Monogram '69 SuperBee Six Pack in 1969 1/2 code F6 Spring Green Metallic, but all I have posted in my Fotki site is this comparo photo which was an unused outtake from my Collecting Muscle Car Model Kits book a couple of years ago. Anyway, FWIW I completely agree with Bill's above comments about the Monogram '69 Super Bee.....TIM

Hopefully the '30A Coupe will resurface early next year. The Revell team fully understands that this version of the tool will handily outsell the other version if it gets to the market. I think (hope) it is just a matter of time now until we see it (again). TB

Mark is being very modest here; as he proofed the entire book content (twelve chapters and roughly 85,000 words, as well as 350 images) for me in record time to support a four-month pull-ahead of the completed project requested by the publisher. Mark also did a great job of filling in the details of a few subjects where I was, after much research, still missing a few of the finer details. It's always a great help to have a second set of eyes read a manuscript, and having something as knowledgeable as Mark about the subject of the book was a blessing for me and, ultimately, for anyone who buys and reads the book. I've said it to him before, but I'll say it again here...."THANKS Mark!" TIM

When I did a story on this kit for Model Cars magazine many years ago (around 2007 or so, IIRC), I called Revell/Monogram's VP of Engineering Roger Harney, who I'd known since the late 1970's, for the straight scoop on the status of that tool (mold). He told me it had been scrapped many years ago; he couldn't pin down the exact date but it was probably in the late 1970's when Monogram's President Tom Gannon had them clear out a bunch of old and unused tools that were (at the time) thought to have little or no commercial value going forward. Obviously, with benefit of hindsight, Roger wished it hadn't been let go, but from the perspective of the late 1970's, when virtually no one had an interest in dated mid 1960's custom show cars, it's not hard to understand how the decision was made at that time. I have every reason to believe what Roger told me was the truth. Oh well.....TIM

Sharp, sharp, sharp!!! So cool to see these old "Classics" kits put together these days. They were excellent kits (fit issues aside). Mike, I built the coupe version of this kit many years ago, and while mine still looks good today, you really nailed yours. Congrats on a highly successful project on your end! TIM

What Mark said....this one (the Midget kits) rank either at the top or very close to my list of the best 1/245h/1/25th scale kit of the last decade. The subject wasn't really my cup of tea either, but the kit was SO well detailed, yet literally falling together, that I couldn't help but build both versions as soon as they came across my door step. I never heard that it wasn't a good seller, but given the narrow niche appeal, don't doubt that that turned about to be the case....TIM

Craig....really, really liking the vibe and look of this Bad Boy....way to go! Cheers....TIM..

Dave (and anyone else interested in this topic...), here's the download on the new book..... Best....TIM