tim boyd

Gaute....I agree with Greg's comment above. Will be following along with your updates, and thanks for sharing! TIM

Jairus...thanks for the comments, but Dave M. and the team at Moebius and its suppliers deserve all the credit on this one; I had nothing to do with it other that to say "great choice" when I heard it was in development. Best Regards and Merry Christmas to you and yours as well. TIM .

Gene....just want to add my vote here...this looks terrific and I like others especially like the paint color you choose. Maybe you should build more hot rod models.....! Cheers...TIM

Probably the same ones that are in the soon-to-be released '65 Belvedere kit.... see pictures at this link....TIM

Quoted from the top view of the MPC '65 Custom 880 Convertible box art: "Important Message: You are looking at an unretouched photograph of the 1/25 scale Dodge Custom 880. The new type of Styron plastic comes professionally finished in base Metallic Gold. No paint is necessary...but with a translucent top coat, your model is Best-of-Show." The MPC Monaco kit had a similar box art message. Since MPC's 1966 annual kits omitted this "new type of Stryon plastic", we can assume the idea did not play all that well.....on the other hand...as an 11 year old modeler who had marginal results with spray paints, I liked being able to assemble the Monaco kit without having to worry about paint. Hmmm....TB

All of my 1965 Monaco and Custom 880 convertible kits were molded in a metallic gold color. The 1966 Monaco 500 Hardtop and Polara 500 convertible kits were molded in white. They may have been molded in other colors too, but those above are the only ones I have seen personally. Cheers...TIM

You are correct....the Custom 880 upper door panel insert repeats the brushed vertical "aluminum" trim theme of the instrument panel in lieu of the Monaco's wicker trim, and the seat trim has a different sew style, as well as the bench seat with center fold down armrest i(f I am remembering correctly) vs. the Monaco's buckets. The MPC Custom 880 convertible kit interior nicely matches the 1/1 scale Custom 880 wagon interior my Dad owned (to the extent possible when comparing a convertible to a wagon interior). My comment above about the Monaco & Custom 880 interiors was intended reflect the overall interior treatment, not specific to the door panels and seats. Maybe I should have been more clear about that. Cheers...TB

The images posted just above from Ron and Charlie (via his link) look close to what I remember of the wicker treatment. Some decanted Testors enamel spray paint Base Gold, mixed with a buff or light beige flat paint, should get close to this look. TIM PS - if you study these interior photos (particularly the ones in Charlie's link) they clearly convey the money mother Mopar put into the 1965-1968 C-body interiors. The Monaco shared much of its interior appointments with the Custom 880 series, and my Dad's '65 Custom 880 wagon was one of them. We're talking real metal materials, die cast parts, detailed door panels; soft wrapped parts instead of hard plastics, we're talking real quality and heft. Sadly the finance guys got to the 1969 C-body replacements, and those interiors could not hold a candle to the '65-'68 models. TB

Exact same link as previously posted a few messages earlier above....good info nonetheless....Cheers TB

Bob...yep on that Big Block. The small block didn't return until the late 1980's Prestige Series '63 Roadster, IIRC. TIM

I recall this (the '63 Street Rod issue with the '67 backup lamp) being discussed the first time I visited the team at AMT headquarters on Maple Road in Troy around 1975. They were already aware of the problem, and had plans at that time (IIRC) to fix it. Apparently many 1.1 scale Vette enthusiasts had sent them letters about it. TIM

Just to reconfirm...the Revell 'cuda kit came out in the fourth quarter of 2013 (not 2014). Those of you with a reference library of model mags can see the eight-page article I did on this kit in the other car magazine in late 2013. The Sox and Martin version came along in the summer of 2014 I believe. When I was trying to get Revell to consider this kit, starting in the early 2000's and right through to 2010 or so, I always pitched the '70 Hemi 'cuda convertible as being the most logical choice (based on the 1.1 values and collectibility), so I would love to see one in scale. But alas, I've heard absolutely zero about any future spinoffs of this kit, convertible or otherwise. But contrary to what some of you guys think, i do not know everything that is going on at Revell (in fact, i don't know much of what goes on there in future kit development), so let's hope we are all surprised with another derivative of this kit sometime in the future. TIM n

A vinyl roof was optional on the '65 Monaco, although nearly all '65 Monacos I've seen include this option. Most of them I've seen were black (in fact, not sure I recall seeing any other color than black). Interior trim colors for the Monaco were somewhat restricted. If you go to the Hamtramck Registry website, they have scanned and posted most of the pages fgrom the dealer showroom color and trim manuals, which show the interior color and trim options for Mopars from the early 1960's through mid 1970's. It's an invaluable resource for this type of project. In this case, they are missing the 1965 Dodge Color and Trim Manual, but here's a link to a page that lists (but does not illustrate) the 1965 Monaco interior color choices http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/DealershipDataBook/1965/65_Polara_Custom880_Monaco0002.jpg Finally, the '65-'68 Dodge C-body brochures in my library all show with Monaco (in '65) and Monaco 500 ('66-'68) wicker inserts being more goldish in color than beige or tan. But the dealer reference materials posted at the link above claim the inserts are "natural wicker" in color. So go figure...! Here's a photo from the Hamtramck Registry link above... Good luck with this project. TIM

There is an excellent/highly detailed article on what you need to do to make an accurate '39 Ford DeLuxe conversion in Model Cars Mag from just a couple of months ago. It also includes info on Bill Coulter's limited production resin '39 Ford DeLuxe using a master from the late Tom Creegar and casting from Don Holthaus. Highly recommended for those who are interested. TIM PS - I thought the AMT "'39"/'40 Ford Sedan kit lost the wheel skirts during the "Street Rod Series" updates c.1973-75. If needed, I can go back into my cave and research and confirm/deny this.....TB .

I don't have my Chrysler paint chip book handy, but this color actually looks like '73/'74 Silver Frost Metallic. It was a sharp color then (my 1/1 scale '73 Duster 340 was painted that color), and it looks sharp now. Watching your progress on this one....Cheers..>TIM

Ron...that's a very sharp build. Looks like correct-for-'74 B5 Lucerne Blue Metallic too. I've got the parts set aside to do a similar build...one of these days! . Best...TIM

Dennis...I hear you, man. Nothing like having the piece in your hand, right now.. Even if it takes a little more work it keeps the project momentum moving forward.....Cheers...TIM

Craig....bingo....that's the one! Thanks...TIM..

Dennis....excellent, excellent progress. Really love to follow your builds and your building style/how you explain it. And the choice of the Sombreros to go with the Caddy engine is inspired! One idea for you to consider - Replicas and Miniatures offers a Duval/speedboat-style windshield frame specifically designed to fit the '29 A Cowl. It replicates a rare and valuable 1/1 scale component design with a name that I cannot recall at the moment but you would recognize it if you saw it. It would be a much easier adaptation to the AlaKart than the DuVal frame from the AMT/Ertl Phantom Vicky Phaeton, possibly requiring no tweaking at all. It was probably based on a Rik Hoving master, too. As far as I know, it's still in Norm's catalog. Here's the only photo I could find of one of my projects with the windshield.... Cheers...TIM

Nice! Extremely nice! TIM

Yes, it takes time to make sure a kit is as correct as possible, and sometimes that means multiple delays. Just as was the case with the '61 Ventura, I expect any delays will be well worth it once the final product arrives (sharing just my own point of view here)....TIM

Curt....we'll be watching for yours, too. For what it's worth, my own view is that the kit instructions are very straight forward. (I realize not everyone agrees with me on this). Just remember that for the channeled version, it uses the same floorpan (part #62) as the highboy vresion. I had no other issues during assembly at all. The instructions say to use part #13 for the channeled version; it's shaped entirely different and does not fit at all. (Part 13 is for a second, future version of the basic tool that has a different body). Once I figured this out (and checked with Revell to confirm I was right), I pulled out the instruction sheets for every kit I bought and made the change so I wouldn't forget even if I built the kit years later. Cheers...TIM .

Bernard....so glad to see you finally digging into this kit...whichever way you end up going I know it is going to deliver a killer result. Earlier this week I did a "double Z" to the rear of the Model A frame with the start of my sixth build of this kit. I did it by gluing a 2nd '29A roadster frame on top of the first, then cutting away the lower back half of the original chassis, but the result is very similar to yours. I also did a "Z" on the front part of the frame rails (just ahead of the engine mounts), again gluing the front of the second frame on top of the first frame, then cutting away the far forward portion of the bottom frame. Haven't decided how I plan to go forward from here yet...but possibilities include a Navarro flathead, a blown early Olds, or maybe just the Nailhead with the intake/carbs/spark plug covers from the old AMT Trophy Series "32 Ford Custom/'40 Willys" kit. Most likely it will also include a Model A rear crossmember and full Quickchange/transverse leaf spring setup...probably based on the Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland parts catalogue. Can't wait to see how your project evolves. Cheers....TIM

and another view....from the left....box stock '29 Highboy on '32 rails, kitbashed '29 A Highboy on '29A Z'ed rails, the box stock '29 Lowboy (Channeled) on '29 Z'ed rails, and a ktibashed '29A Lowboy (channeled) on '29A Z'ed rails.....Umm....gee....ya think maybe I like this kit???? Thanks for looking...TIM