tim boyd

Craig,,,,,there were at least four colors, including the ones you listed. I don't recall at the moment what the added fourth color was...may have been white (or black) but I cannot state from memory for sure.... The '32 Custom Tudor was never issued as a stand-alone kit. However, the body itself was combined with the '32 Phaeton/Vicky tool parts for a one-time only 1975 "Street Rod Series" kit....but other than the body, no other parts from the original '32 Custom version of the '32/'40 Willys kit carried over... Hope that helps....TIM

A few of these posts are somewhat close.... but I think most of you will be surprised (I sure was). They're gonna be cool kits (my prediction). Further good news is that several of the other ideas posted in this thread are, to my understanding, on the future kit possibility lists of at least one of the kitmakers. Even further, one of the most frequent suggestions in prior threads on kit tooling spinoffs/derivatives is having the metal cut right now ( I would expect it to hit the market middle of next year). It's always a good idea to send your kit suggestions directly to the manufacturers, and to enter them on kit suggestion lists (like Revell's at NNL East) or website surveys. Believe me when I say "every vote counts" in these type of situations. The reality is that the modeling staffs of Round 2, Revell, and Moebius are just too busy to actively monitor these forum threads on new kit ideas. It also carries a lot more weight if they know someone went to the extra effort to contact the company directly on a new kit idea. Example? As several of you suggested, I'd personally love to see a '70 Ranchero ( particularly a Squire with the Ram Air hood like the one in the current issue of Vintage Truck magazine). While it would have to be new tooling, much of the kit could be based off the Revell '70 Torino Cobra/GT work, just as the new 1970 Charger kit was patterned off the old Pro-Modeler 1969 Charger tool. A note to Revell, along with a copy of the magazine article ( or at least a reference to it), builds the credibility of the idea, and might at some future date be enough to push it close enough to the top of the list that the kitmaker would contact the owner of the featured truck, conduct a measuring session, and then do the analysis to see how much new engineering work would be required to actually create such a kit. As for that Lusso kit idea, like several of you it's at the top of my list as well....some of you with connections to the Asian kitmakers need to actively continue to actively communicate that idea. Maybe to Revell Germany as well. It seems like a hands-down commercial kit success to me. Also, more important than ever now, I am told, is the ability for an all-new kit tool to spawn at least 2-3 follow-up spinoff kits, and more if possible. (Go back and review Luc's posts on this subject if you need more explanation). So when you send those ideas, it will add considerable helpfulness/validity if you also list the other derivatives that could be developed from that kit tool. (I know many of you are already aware of much/all of the above, so I apologize for repeating it here for you guys....) Also, I'm visiting later today with John G. of Round 2 (it's been an annual tradition now for several years), I'll try to remember to ask about the Charger III tool. I agree, that one would be a killer reissue if somehow the original tooling still exists. The 24 hour countdown starts in about 30 minutes.....TIM

Sounds like a pretty cool idea to me.....sort of a Rod and Custom Dream Truck approach applied to a Ford pickup. Certainly no more work than trying to tweak a '48 Ford Custom chopped roofline.....I for one would love to see how this idea plays out if you decide to try it.... TIM

Bill.....smile!.....TIM

"Multiple versions of a new tooling. Hmm... ‘26/‘27 turtle deck T hot rods? With period-correct drivetrain and suspension? Oh yeah. " ***************************** Matt....not this weekend, at least, but I'm pushing this one really, really hard with one of the kitmakers. Others are doing the same. Recommend you (and anyone else who agrees with Matt) to let the kitmaker of your choice know of your desires now.... TIM

Then again, maybe the best solution is to just build the kit as it comes in the box....I could argue (but I won't) that the chop on the kit is every bit as artful as the one on the full size car pictured above. As one of you said (words to the effect). top chopping is indeed an art, and no single execution of art will seem superior to another in the eyes of every onlooker....

Agreed! Maybe even before I get there....the show opens at 9am EST....wonder who will be first to post the news? TB

None of the above ideas.....only two more days and the news will be out.....I expect to be back from the event by early Sunday afternoon and will try to post what I know (and learn) then....TIM

For those of you planning to attend Sunday's NNL Motor City, at least two of the model kit companies will be there, and my understanding is that one will announce two versions of an all-new kit tool there....TIM UPDATE 4 December 2017 - Topic Title revised to reflect that this reveal has now already taken place....TIM

Casey....fully agree that the Boat kit is not a Y-Block, most obviously due to the exhaust port spacing as you note. Ironically, the exhaust port spacing IS correct, though, for an MEL. I checked out the Boat kit engine up close again, and the block has the normal 45 degree V8 angle to mount the head and intake assembly, rather than the MEL's more shallow angle, so in that regard it is not authentic as an MEL, either. Kind of generic engine with a mish-mash of mostly generic parts from various sources. TIM

Eric....that is one gorgeous RR. Your attention to detail stands out throughout this model. Great job....TIM

Thanks Bill and Dave. As to the sources for an MEL, I thought we've gone over this before (and perhaps we did, earlier in this thread, but I don't have the time to check right now). Here are the kit sources for 1/25th scale MEL's * AMT Trophy Series '25T Double Kit (and its many reissues) - as noted above, this is an MEL engine, but AMT chose to make the valve covers look like the earlier Lincoln Y-Block for some reason. * AMT first generation Lincoln Continental kits - 1962- 1965 (I don't have a '61 but I suspect that kit also had it). This was the Lincoln 430 MEL. Several of those kits - particularly the '65 annual kit - had some very cool hot rod accessories for the MEL engine. AMT did a 1965 reissue in the 1990's so this one is not as hard to find as you might expect. * AMT second generation Lincoln Continental kits - 1966-1969. This is the 462 MEL kit. It was supplied in the kits in stock only form (from what I recall), but most of the engine was plated. Even though the real Lincolns switched to the all-new 385 series 460 engine in 1968 1/2, AMT kept the MEL engine through the end of the Lincoln Continental annual kit run in 1969. Someone did a resin rebop....memory says that it was either Missing Link (or one of its facility partners) or Calnaga Castings. In any case, this was a number of years ago. * With a nod to Casey (who posted in a different thread), I should probably also mention that the just-reissued AMT Chris Craft boat kit has a V-8 engine for the race version of the boat, and while very crude, it has several MEL-like features (the exhaust port spacing, the distributor location, and possibly the unusual engine block to cylinder head alignment seen in the MEL and Chevy W-engines, although I can't tell for sure looking at just a completed model). But of course it has the earlier, Lincoln Y-Block valve covers, and it appears to be too small, size wise, for a 1/25th MEL. It would require quite a bit of work to make into a passenger car engine - the Lincoln or Ford Double T kits are a far, far better place to start if you want an accurate MEL for model car usage. . Just to reiterate (again), the Mercury based 1958 higher series Edsels had MEL engines, but the AMT Edsel kit replicates the smaller, Ford based Edsel series, and those had FE engines that year, and that's what's in the kit. * Finally, for those of you into really obscure kit info, the ultra rare Aurora '22 T Double Kit had a pseudo MEL engine, if you can believe it, which does make some sense as in many ways this is an East Coast flavored copy of the AMT '25T Double Kit in some ways. However, the Aurora kit has some very unusual features, including a front cover/engine mounting plate that looks like it was designed for a V-Drive boat, and MEL Valve Covers with "Corvette" lettering. I know Norm Veber pulled some molds of this engine, and made a few copies years ago, so he might be a source, but only if you were trying to build a hot-rodded and nostalgia-dripping Hot Rod model, not a showroom stock MEL. Hope that helps...TIM . TIM PS - anybody wanna guess what kit might have had the Lincoln Y-Block I mentioned above, had things worked out differently?

Justin....it's exciting to see your progress....and mega-kudos for your decision to go with a Y-block! TIM

Dennis.....looking very, very tough & cool. Particularly impressed with your chassis mods.....can't wait to see further progress...TIM

Good question. The short answer is that I was engaged in discussions with many other builders and friends during the NNL and never got to the part of the table with the trucks this year. I have done full coverage of the semi-trucks in particular in prior NNL's because I find the kits, the subjects, and the builds to be fascinating on many levels. Pat Redmond (posts on another Forum) did a great job covering the Trucks section in his coverage this year. Also, check out Howard Cohen's coverage. Best regards....TIM

Greg.....hope you can finish it and show it sometime in the future....and thanks for playing along even if you didn't quite get finished in time, this time. Cheers....TIM

Gerry....I gotta seriously consider getting this one. Is it really buildable (compared to the British white metal model Lusso I bought in the late 1980's)? Are the body proportions reasonably accurate? Do the white metal window/upper door frames look realistic when finished? Since it still looks like we are not going to see a Lusso in 1/24th scale styrene, is this the holy grail (acknowledging the MFH pricing structure) we've been waiting for? Would really appreciate your view on this (along with anyone else who has bought and/or built this kit)....thanks...TIM

Bernard...how cool to have your modeling skills applied to the drag/ski boat genre! You have probably already confirmed this from your research, but for others reading this thread, the choice of a 427 FE Wedge is spot-on for drag/ski boats for the first half of the 1960's. The FE "Interceptor" V8 was totally dominant in the various boat classes for both drag and endurance racing....and only later on did the Hemi become as successful. The Revell Parts Pack engine is a good one, too. Cool work on the hull decals, too. The one drawback to the Hemi Hydro (vs. the original "Show and Go Drag/Ski" version of this kit) is that the tuck'n'roll of the revised seat setup no longer matched the tuck'n'roll of the side panels which remained from the original kit. It's not a huge difference, but it is noticeable. Norm Veber used to cast the original issue interior parts which were a perfect match to the side panels. Maybe he still has a few laying around. Whatever you come up with, I'm sure it will sing! TIM

Thanks all for your feedback. As someone who has been photographing model car contests for nearly 40 years now, it has always been my belief that it is important not to just look at the models, but also to learn who actually did all that great work.....TIM

Matt....I will make the correction/update. Thanks for the feedback... I was in another part of the room and could not hear the announcement of most of the awards. Of course, I'm from the "there shouldn't be ANY awards at NNL's as they are non-competitive model car shows" school of thought, but I do understand that this info is of interest to many.... TIM

Wow. That looks terrific! TIM

I presume you are speaking of Randy Derr's 1/12th Camaro....I didn't take any photos of it as I had taken a bunch at a prior NNL when Randy debuted the completed model. But there are a number of very good images of this car in Howard Cohen's photography of NNL #38, also posted here in the "Contests and Shows" section of the forum. Hope that helps....TIM

The AMT/Ertl 1972 Corvette Convertible kit, first issued around 1991 or so IIRC, also has a luggage rack. As noted above, the GM and Mopar racks are slightly different, but I plan to use the '72 Corvette kit rack on my replica of my 1/1 factory-ordered '74 Road Runner E58, to which I added the luggage rack (it was still a Mopar dealer accessory even though no longer factory orderable by '74) after I took delivery of the car. I did not remember the luggage rack from the '75 Corvette annual kit or the '80 Monte Carlo kits, thanks for the info guys! TIM

Alan.....very,very sharp build of a kit that was clearly engineered to different aspirations and market expectations some 60 years ago. Way to go! And please, keep posting. Your work is ALWAYS inspirational and interesting to me, and I suspect, many other readers of this forum. Cheers, mate.....TIM

Full coverage of the main show, with its "American Road Racing" main theme, and a separate post with the results of the "Vintage Beach Racing" Cult Theme....all posted in the "Contests and Shows" folder of this forum (scroll way down the "General" forum page for this section). TIM