tim boyd

Chris...as of a month or so ago when I last talked with him, Norm had stopped producing his '30 A Chopped Coupe. As you probably know, his body was different from the Revell body in a number of ways, enough so to justify building models using both bodies, in my opinion. At this point, I suspect it will be a long time, if ever, we see the Revell Coupe kit back on the market, so I sure would like to see Norm put this one back in his lineup....TIM PS - the corrected Firewalls are either the Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland parts, or ones I scratchbuilt from the Revell '30A Tudor kit, as the Monogram firewalls didn't look adaptable to this body. I showed how to do the Revell approach in my article in the April 2017 (I think) article in the other model magazine.....TB

Cale.....hearing feedback like that is music to my ears and a big source of motivation to keep on doing articles like this.....thanks for the feedback!

MCW Automotive Finishes/Dave Dodge offers the '63 GP for those interested IIRC - TIM

Here's a complete tutorial with 39 pictures on the Mustang/Pinto JoHan kit. I don't know if this will help you or not, but thought I would offer it up anyway....good luck with your project. TIM

To all who've commented, thanks for your thoughts and your conclusions. This book was quite the project, pretty much a half-time job for about nine months last year. It is very reassuring and rewarding to hear that you are seeing value and interest in the contents. For those who are considering the purchasing the book but are unsure, here is a link to a "preview" excerpt of the book on the https://www.cartechbooks.com/ website, it shows various pages from the first half of the book.... https://www.cartechbooks.com/collecting-muscle-car-model-kits.html And here is the table of contents which summarizes the overall subjects covered in the book: Chapter 1: In the Beginning: The Origins of the Model Car Kit Hobby Chapter 2: The Four Waves of Model Car Kit Evolution and the Envy Factor Chapter 3: Laying the Groundwork for Muscle Cars: The Pre–Supercar Era Chapter 4: The Supercar Is Born, Part 1: Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick Chapter 5: The Supercar Is Born, Part 2: Chevelle and El Camino Chapter 6: Dearborn Responds: Ford and Mercury Performance IntermediatesChapter 7: It’s All about the Packaging: Chrysler and AMC Supercar Intermediates Chapter 8: The Pony Car Brigade, Part 1: Mustang and CamaroChapter 9: The Pony Car Brigade, Part 2: Everything ElseChapter 10: Smaller in Stature, but . . . the Story of Junior Supercars Chapter 11: Flash, Space, and Grace: The Family Supercar Chapter 12: The Domestic Sports Car Chapter 13: Today We Call Them Tuners Chapter 14: The Model Car Kit Collector Chapter 15: Afterword There are also sidebars in most chapters on subjects various, including a "Missing in Action" sidebar in Chapters 3 through 13 which lists potential new muscle car kit topics that nost need to be brought to market. Again, thanks for all your favorable comments and your interest. Best Regards.....TIM

As many of you know, Model A Five Window Coupes are about as hot as it gets for a traditional hot rod project these days. That also makes them popular subjects for model car projects. While the newish Revell kit still remains in model car production suspension, coupe bodies have been available in resin and several of these models contain 5W Coupe bodies using that medium. Each of these models has been constructed within the last five years; five of the models here were the subjects of how-to articles. One (the #44 Washington Blue, Caddy V8 powered version) was covered in a recent Model Cars Magazine how-to, others appeared in how-tos in the other model magazine, and the pale green/white scallops car was the subject of a four-part "Hot Rod Hints" how-to presented elsewhere in my Fotki album. At the following link, each model is presented in multiple photographs, including engine and interior close-ups, and underbody chassis shots. Several of these models were based on the now-hard-to-find Revell Model A Coupe kit, but several others featured resin-cast bodies instead of the kit parts. Here's a teaser look at each of the models featured at the link above. Thanks for looking! TIM PS - yes, I need to dust off a couple of these before photographing.....TB

Michael....glad to hear it. Your're right about the amount of info, too, this is not a one night read; not even close. Thanks for posting your feedback, much appreciated! TIM

This confirms my understanding the last time I discussed the topic with Revell management, which was now a quite a number of months ago. Given what's happened in the interim, it's anybody's guess as to whether this will actually take place, and if so, when. TIM

Guys....this morning John Greczula at Round 2 asked me to post this message from him on his behalf.... "Gentlemen, After receiving multiple direct emails and learning of this thread, I feel the need to quell some of the lather that seems to be foaming over the edge of the glass of conjecture: Make no mistake. The '28 Ford project has been on the radar, in the hopper, etc. for quite a while now. A certain veteran AMT Kat and I discussed it at length, years ago already. The tool exists but is far from usable in its present state. As you all know, the majority of it was repurposed for the '29 kit. There is VERY little left in the tool and the gaping holes left by the removed inserts would need to be filled with new blocks containing sprue lines designed to flow plastic to what IS there. This is not a trivial or inexpensive process. However, it is something that I want to see happen as much as the rest of you. As for just including the parts with a reissue of the '29 pickup/woody, well, I'd rather do it right. Some parts no longer match with the '28 parts. Further, if we were to spend the money to resurrect this kit, we'd need every sale possible. A large portion of the mass market clientele would not want to have to "figure it all out" for themselves. You guys? Sure, you could do it with your eyes closed. But to make the investment worthwhile, it'd have to be a little more accessible to modelers of lesser skill. Rest assured, it's at the top of the list of kits to try and bring back. I make no promises, as there's always some unexpected problem that gets in the path of making headway on some of these cool projects, but we do listen, we do care, and we do what we can to keep the entire available market at least a little bit happy. Thanks for your interest and support. John " **** PS - Greg or other Mods....please delete the image below from this post....I am unable to do so for some reason.....thanks TIM

Dennis......that is SO tasty....man, you gotta finish that! Is the engine the Olds from the Revell Roth Outlaw kit? TIM

Thanks Chuck....of course, I didn't show this picture.... Yep....that's a simulated milled aluminum instrument panel and velour cloth to simulate carpet!!! Talk about the '80's! Cheers....TIM

Dennis....I did just that back in the mid 1980's.... (Turns out exposed color camera film wasn't such a good idea for tinted windows after 35+ years of shelf life)....more pictures including detail shots here..... TIM

Thanks Scott. I hope it lives up to your expectations! Cheers....TIM

Ding DIng Ding..... Still.....I'm a little surprised that this info has surfaced now, vs way back (several years ago) when I first heard of got wind of it. Still.....the news that Dennis Doty and Tom Carter have now heard the info and publicized it adds credibility to the story. But the part about the tooling being in China is new news to me. Like most of you here, I'd love to see it materialize, and sooner rather than later!!! TIM

Scott.....you can order it directly from the publisher at this link.....https://www.cartechbooks.com/collecting-muscle-car-model-kits.html Terry.....thanks Man! Your endorsement means a great deal to me. And yes, it was a ton of work. Pretty much a half to full time job for nine months last year..... TIM

Casey....no it is not. But I did help the Round 2 team with the upcoming Hydro Vee reissue by loaning them an original Hydro-Vee box art and instruction sheet find I glommed from eBay years ago....this is actually a pretty cool kit; I just wish it was 1/25th instead of the actual larger scale....TIM PS - there is "new news" about the "never reissued kit" on another model car forum that some members here also view from time to time.....it is from two reputable sources and at least part of it also corresponds to my knowledge of the situation....TB

Brian....my source wasn't talking....but as another forum member said earlier in this thread, since the Eagle version was reissued in the late 1990's, one would hope that tool still exists. But in doing the article and comparing the two kits, there were quite a number of changes from the original 4070A kit (the one I'd most like to see reissued) and the 4070B Eagle, so my guess is that the 4070A kit in its original form will never be reissued...TIM

For those interested in Ertl's International truck kits, there was extensive coverage of this subject (including most of the applicable box art) in the December 2017 issue of the other model car magazine. During preparation of that article, I was told by my Round 2 contact that there were no plans at the time to reissue the 4070B Transtar II Eagle Cabover, nor the even more desirable original CO-4070A version of this kit tool (Ertl's first-ever 1/25th scale kit). And yes, they were aware of what these kits are selling for in the collector market.... TIM

Thanks Greg for alerting Forum members.....the book is indeed finally out....I bought several copies (for the people I dedicated the book to) this morning at one of Detroit's premier auto book and magazine stores. It's also now available direct from the publisher ; this link has some more info on the book. It has over 400 all color pictures of box art (most individual pictures show multiple kit boxes), and even a few representative built model examples), 176 pages, 95,000 words.... focus is on kits of muscle cars (and their predecessors) from 1949 to 1974 model years. Includes original annual kits, some reissues, and most other newer tooled kits issued through mid 2017. Mark Budniewski, a frequent poster here, reviewed the text for accuracy and completeness. I'll try to post some pix of the book and a bit of an overview of the contents soon.... All..thanks in advance all for your interest, and for those of you who decide to buy the book, sure hope you enjoy it! TIM

My regional hobby kit source told me yesterday that his kit distributor told him that the first kit that will come through under the new Revell Germany ownership is essentially identical in content to the prior Revell (USA) release, but the retail price will be just above $40. He also told me that the new wholesale kit price (what he pays for the kit before putting it on his retail store shelves) will essentially increase to what the retail price (the price you paid for the kit) was in the past. This source is usually very reliable and I have no reason to doubt what he told me. Needless to say, he also has doubts as to how this revised pricing structure is going to go over in the hobby marketplace, if it turns out to be true. TIM

Sounds like a winner, Ron. Hoping to see it when you are done....TIM

The only truly correct engine for that Air Trax Marauder X-100 is in the Revell '70 Torino GT and Torino Cobra kits. The AMT '69 Galaxie kit incorrectly recycled the FE V8, and the MPC Cougar kit was both a 428 CJ FE and a pre-production Boss 429, neither correct for the 385 series 429 V8 that was standard in the X-100....TIM

Alan.....great project....I'll be watching from now on.....Cheers....TIM

1. 1964 Ferrari Belinetta Lusso 2. 1971 Charger SE with 440 Magnum, Buckets/Console Shift, and G-60-15/15x7 Rallye Wheels option, any color combo 3. 2001 Jaguar XK-R in light blue metallic....oh wait, I actually had that one for a while - fantastic car 4.. 2018 Mustang GT Convertible, 6-speed manual, spoiler delete, Kona Blue with Black/Blue Interior TIM

Peter....boy that goes back a long way....I had totally forgotten about this myself. Anyway, glad to have helped out and best regards......TIM