tim boyd

Thanks Mark....knew you would chime in if needed......and yes, the "Beer" kits were an attempt by AMT management to wholesale more kits (the funny cars, the various semi-truck kits, the Model T Delivery, et al) using the Beer liveries as a way to convince the hobby trade these were "new" kits they had to order. I was doing work for AMT at the time....I remember grousing at the working level about much that was going on there but don't recall much being said - good or bad - about the success - or lack thereof - with the Beer kits. TIM

Guys.....Steve has a very big assignment in his full time career right now and he is doing the right thing by not trying to run his business on the side during this period...this hiatus has been planned for months and I am sure Steve is completing all existing orders.....and I am equally sure he will reinstate Calnaga when the current career assignment is completed. He has been working on some very cool additions to his product line for when the time comes......Cheers....TIM

Interesting comments. This tool dates from an era at AMT (around 1974-76) where a good deal of new styrene (kits) were introduced, but many were clearly sub-par in terms of fit and finish. Lack of alignment tabs, as Chris rightly points out, was a problem with many of these kits. My understanding was that the Trojan Horse was the first issue from this tool. It was followed by a whole series of derivative kits using the same chassis and powertrain, but different bodies. Top of mind: Monza, Corvette, Astre, Vega, '74 Satellite, and others I probably can't recall at the moment. And lest we forget, the infamous "Peanut One" kit. I always thought the Mustang body was pretty well done as a replica of the real 1/1 scale car, but some of the other bodies were pretty outlandish in terms of proportion or style. The engine was called out as a 417 Donovan on at least one of the various box arts, and if I am recalling correctly, the engine block had vertical ribbing that was not on stock 392 Hemis and similar in appearance to what I recall was in at least a few shots of the 417 Donovan from the magazines back then. I built this kit few years back with the Satellite body ( the body somewhat modified to make it a bit more stock-like/less outrageous). 0ther than the front and rear end caps issue that Chris also noted, it was a fairly OK kit for the era But not at the level of execution of the Revell funny car kits, the JoHan Mustang/Pinto, or in some ways, even the prior AMT funny car trio (NitroCharger andn the Torino and Nova(?) spinoffs. TIM

They are not exactly identical kits. Close, but there area few elements unique to each kit. Conversely, the top hat parts are identical to both kits. Check out the original review I posted at the beginning of this thread for exact details....thanks...TIM

Hot Rod Hints #2 is now available for your review......Thanks for looking.....TIM

Robert and Jeff....thanks for the feedback; much appreciated...TIM

John....I have not done this direct comparison but any Flathead Ford should fit in a '32 Ford frame (after all, the original frame was designed for that engine). As for more specialized comparisons like the one you attempted, I can't say with any degree of precision. I thought the Tweedy Pie kit was based on a shortened '32 Ford frame (saying this without digging the actual kit out of storage, so take this with a very big grain of salt), so in theory the Flathead should have fit there. However, as many have noted on this forum, things that work together in 1/1 scale don't always transform to models; in particular, some engines seem to be scaled slightly bigger (or in a few cases, smaller) that 1/25th scale. I realize that you probably already know all of the above Sorry I can't provide a more definitive answer......TIM

I talked to Don Emmons about this at GSL two years ago. You will recall that he was doing good deal of work with AMT at the time. He didn't know the answer as to why it was cancelled. But he speculated that the MB 300SL Trophy Series kit had proven a tough sell at the hobby shop level, and that there might have been a fear that a 911 would receive the same reaction. (Remember, at that point the 911 was only 3 years old and it was pretty much cult favorite at that time vs. the huge popularity in enjoys today.) Still, I can see that 1/10th wood buck sitting on a table in the engineering section of the second floor at AMT headquarters just as plain as day. I'm not a 911 fan myself, but darn that looked good!!!! TIM

Hot Rod Hints #2: Converting to a Flathead Ford V8 Most of the scale hot rod kits you can buy include OHV V-8’s from the postwar to early 1960’s era. Alternatively, in the 1/1 scale word many hot rods employ hopped-up versions of the venerable 1932-1953 Ford Flathead V8. Swapping a Flathead V8 into 1/25th scale 1920’s and 1930’s hot rod models is not as hard as you might expect This tutorial has 11 images and captions for each photo - use the "roll view" feature to quickly review each step. Here's the link.... We are blessed with some really premier scale hot rod builders on this Forum. If that's you, I doubt you'll learn anything new here....but for the rest of you who are either less experienced model hot rod builders, haven't done much kitbashing, or just prefer simpler model projects, this one's for you. Enjoy, and be watching for Hot Rod Hints #3 and #4, which will be available for viewing in early and mid March, respectively. TIM

John....you are correct on all counts.....TIM

I still have my two sheets (though they are starting to get pretty picked over).....cool stuff....thanks for sharing for those of us that remember (and those that are seeing them for the first time...) TIM

Makes me wonder if a 1/1 scale version of this car might have been a winner at the GNRS (Oakland) back in the day... 9 more images and detail shots at the link.....thanks for looking. TIM

The MPC Stutz Bearcast is the feature kit the current issue/"Classic Kits" column of the other modeling magazine. It's a really well done kit. TIM

Great story Bob! Thanks for sharing this info.....TIM

Scott...I do have the Honda, the BSA, and the Triumph. I've built the Triumph (a great kit!!!) but have yet to attempt the other two. I have compiled quite a bit of reference material on the BSA, but sadly I don't have much interest in building the Honda at this time....thanks for asking. TIM

1/25th scale kits ever (on a dollar per parts basis), and one that is pretty rare too: Revell's 1/25th scale Parts Pack Harley Davidson Chopper "Custom Show Bike" parts pack has gone as high as $250 in some cases....if you can find one. Here's a look at the kit along with a step-by-step build....make sure to use the "Roll View" feature so you can quickly look through the pictures and read the captions at the same time. Thanks for looking.....TIM

X2!!! I am humbled.....Dave you rock. TIM

Hmmm.....me neither (smile). That aside, the current Mustang is now the BEST SELLING SPORTS CAR IN THE WORLD!!! One would think that would present a smart business opportunity to the model makers here. What I fear is that if the domestics ignore this market, one of the foreign kitmakers will fill the void. Based on past experience, that runs the possible risk of an underdeveloped engine/engine compartment detail and content (especially crucial for a product like the Mustang), and surely a higher kit price. Not a win for the domestic kitmakers nor the domestic kit buying public. But I'm sure most here would agree that any current gen Mustang kit from a foreign kitmaker would be better than none at all. TIM PS....I wonder what a full detail kit from Aoshima might look like???

I've had this kit in my stash (that is, the original Heller release) for over 40 years....will be watching your buildup as it always seemed to me to be a kit of a very cool subject, designed with features well head of its competition in the model kit business at that point in History. Will be following your progress with great interest....TIM

Heh....thanks guys for the great reaction and feedback! Really encouraged that you find value and worthy ideas here.... There will be three additional Hot Rod Hints "Chapters" as follows... Hot Rod Hints #2 - Adding a hopped Flathead Ford V8 to your Traditional Hot Rod Model - available for viewing early February Hot Rod Hints #3 - Details Make the Difference - available for viewing around the beginning of March. Hot Rod Hints #4 - Finishing Touches (little things you can do to personalize your scale hot rod builds from all the others on the table at your local club meet, NNL, or contest...) - available for viewing in Mid March. Thanks again everyone....and please make sure to post pictures for us to see of any models you build using one or more of these ideas! Best Regards...TIM

I did do an article kit that...it was the 50 most significant hot rod kits of the last 50 years...it was in the May, 2009 issue of World of Rods magazine. For a picture of the magazine cover and more...here's a link to the text of a follow-up piece on this subject - including the top kit from each decade and the top kit of all time (the latter being a tie) - that I posted at my Fotki site a few years ago... thanks for the comments and question.....TIM .

Amen, Ron...in my opinion it is bordering on a national scandal that there hasn't been a full detail kit of the current Mustang yet - particularly given that it is sold globally now....the Mustang is incredibly popular in overseas markets and one would think that appeal would stretch to a scale replica kit.....TIM (Well, maybe I overstated that national scandal term a bit, but seriously, what's the deal here???) TB

Charlie, I presume you are referring to the sink marks in the original (c.1998) release of the kit.... Check out my online review of this new kit which includes photos of the original kit issue with the sink marks on both the left and right c-pillars. compared to the new Derby Cars release where thje sink marks are NOT there, thank goodness! The sink marks on the original kit release can be seen on the C-pillars of the partially painted body on images #18-21. That body had the sink marks filled with Eurosoft Body Filler, which is a pale pink, so you can see the fixed areas in a very pale pink color - you have to look closely at the full picture - you won;t see it in the thumbnails Hope that helps....TIM

Traditional Hot Rod model builders may want to check this out. It's the first of a series of on-line tutorials showing some building ideas and steps that led to the pale green with white scallops '30 A Highboy seen on the NNL Cult Theme table at the 37th NNL Nats last fall and pictured below. This may be a little on the basic side given that talents of some of you that post on this site, but for others that want to try a little kitbashing that will yield big results, give this a look. Thanks...TIM

x10!!!! TB