tim boyd

Wow Richard...don;t recall seeing this one before...it is SO cool! Thanks for posting the picture...TIM

Rob...as far as I know, the chassis stance remains as it was before. But I don't totally share the view that the kit has an unusually high stance. Could it be lower? You bet! Have I made this change on most of the ones I have build so far? Yes, but mostly at the front for the highboy version only. Does the channeled version sit too high? Probably so, but they probably set it up with the lowest chassis stance that could be engineered into a kit that allowed both Highboy and Channeled versions in the same box with some carryover parts for both versions. My last build was the Channeled version, and I lowered the stance both front and rear for that one. Sort of the "secret handshake" that separates serious hot rod modelers from the more casual modelers who build box stock only. Just my views here, but I also realize that most of the people who care enough to read this thread will probably agree 100% with your view on this....thanks for the question...TIM PS - for reference, here's a box stock build of the highboy version with the stock stance....I personally prefer just a bit of forward rake,and that's how I am setting up my follow-up kitbashed builds....but I don't know that I would call this box stock view an unusually high stance for a street driven 1/1 scale '29 on '32 rails highboyTB

Allen,..yeah...I'm biting my tongue over that one. But yeah, the kit really is that good. And the details of the Blown version are really well done. I'll probably build just one with that engine, But I can guarantee all my other builds of this kit will have anything but an SBC in front of that firewall! Cheers...TIM

Richard...my view exactly. Thanks...TIM PS - it's premature to talk about future versions of this kit too, but if/when they do arrive, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Halibrand Quick Change under the rear. Adding a transverse leaf spring and Model A crossmember (like most of us would prefer) would require a new frame mold, so I suspect that's less likely, but time will tell. TB

I've just posted a detailed preview of this new kit as a new thread....click here.....TIM

As promised a few weeks ago, this is my Revell ‘30A Chopped Five Window Coupe Hot Rod Kit Preview...given the amount of new info here, I'm starting a new thread for you (hope the moderators are OK with this). A couple of days ago, Ed Sexton at Revell gave me the green light to share with you what I know about the upcoming second version of Revell’s Model A Hot Rod kit. The following info is derived from building the two versions of the kit under contract to Revell during its earliest development state two years to this month, as well as referencing a just-completed box art layout comp. Take this info as directional only, as details may have changed along the way. We’ll find out for sure when this kit is released later this year, presently as part of Revell’s 2nd quarter production schedule. The kit builds two versions, a ’30 A Five Window Coupe Highboy on a ’32 frame, and a very trendy channeled version based on a “Z’ed” Model A frame. The frames, crossmembers, front suspensions, rear suspension, rear axle/differential, brakes, tires, rear portion of the exhaust system, multiple headlamp choices, ’40 Ford based steelies and hub covers, choice of two interior steering wheels, and shifter are the same as last year’s ’29 A Roadster kit. Almost everything else is different. Starting with the outside, the two-piece body casting perfectly replicates the real thing. Unlike the Roadster kit, the rear wheel openings are not radiused/relocated – they look entirely 100% factory stock to my eye. The complex multi-surface body stamping below the windows is perfectly rendered, and a huge advance over the old Monogram ’30 Five Window kit execution. The separate top casting allows realistically thin A/B/C pillars, and today’s engineering tolerances allow a very precise fit between this and the body casting (the shape and assembly procedure of the interior also likely required this type of kit execution). Up front, BOTH a chrome plated ‘30A Radiator grilles AND a ’32 Deuce grille shell are options. (Yes, the Deuce grill shell will swap to the earlier ‘29A Roadster kit without mods). Separate firewalls are provided for the Highboy and Channeled versions. Both are designed to support a hood (though a hood is not provide in the kit, savvy modelers will be kitbashing their own hoods as soon as the kit hits the market). The top features a large roof cutout that nicely showcases the interior (details below). As this model represents a modified 1/1 scale hot rod, the roof opening does not replicate a factory stock Model A roof (but could be easily modified to so for those who want to make the change). The Highboy interior is traditional tuck’n’roll. The flavor and execution is similar to the ’29A Roadster Highboy interior, but the parts are all different. The Floorboard and IP (industry jargon for the instrument panel/dashboard stamping) are the same as the unused extra parts you’ve seen in the Roadster kit, but there is a new, well-detailed “So-Cal” style plated five gauge insert for the IP. The Channeled interior is truly revolutionary, and by far the most innovative feature of this kit series. The design team, including the late Roger Harney, and John Mueller, refer to this as a “SKELETON” interior. It replicates the exposed interior body structure of a stripped Model A coupe, before any upholstery is added. The parts are incredibly well detailed. Perfectly matching the theme are two WW-II style “bomber” seats. I can’t recall another 1/25th scale hot rod kit with this "Skeleton" feature; regardless, this setup is beyond cool, completely consistent with current Hot Rod design trends, and beautifully rendered. It is THE HIGHLIGHT of a kit with many highlights. The engine design approximates a small block Chevy, mated to GM 4L60E style AOD tranny. Two induction options are provided, a traditional tri-power carb/air cleaners/intake manifold setup, and a blower. The blower appears to me to be a perfectly correct representation of a contemporary Dyer 6-71 supercharger. The blower case appears identical to the one in the Revell ’62 Corvette gasser kit, with minor detail differences in the blower end caps. The blower drive is nicely done (a separate fan belt and pulley setup is included), and a very complex radiator hose curves perfectly around the blower drive/pulleys to perfectly connect to the radiator. The blower is capped with two four barrel carbs and an open blower-style air scoop. The headers are similar to those in the Roadster kit, but arranged to the SBC exhaust port spacing, and sweep downward to the rear as does the Roadster design. The left header artfully curves around the steering column extension. This introduces a second set of wheels, a plated set of what are often referred to these days as “Halibrand" and/or “Speedway” mags, in shallow/n/deeper offsets, with a set of matching three-prong style knockoffs. (For a better look at these wheels in unplated/painted form, see the upper right corner of the June, 2015 issue of Scale Auto magazine, and the bottom of page 25 of the same issue.) These, of course, also swap right onto your Revell ‘29A Roadster builds without mods. The final box art is a very eye-catching execution. I’m particularly taken with the “military-style” workout of the channeled version, complete with “fauxtined” US Army “star” decals. Simple flame decals for the sides are also included. As I’ve alluded to before (I couldn’t really spill the beans ‘till now), if you like the Revell ‘29A Roadster kit from last fall, I think that you’re gonna LOVE this kit. In almost every respect (except perhaps the rear suspension and axle treatment), it is nearly 100% in line with the most current trends in 1/1 scale hot rodding, and anyone who’s paying attention knows that Five Window Model A Coupes are THE HOT TICKET in the entire world of hot rodding right now. Perfectionists who plan to use a bright body color will probably want to finish the main body to top seam with a bit of filler and sanding before paint, and some builders will no doubt some will want to tweak the roof opening and/or the firewall shape/execution (if not planning to engineer your own lift-off hood setup). This kit is the culmination of years of work by Revell and their contractors. I heard rumblings of this project as far back as six years ago (from trusted and reliable sources outside of Revell), but the rumored complexity and broad scope of the project seemed unlikely to me, so I tended to dismiss the info. I regret that I was never able to discuss it with Roger Harney before he passed away (I did not receive formal acknowledgement of the project from inside Revell until several weeks after he passed away). But those of you who knew Roger know how much he adored hot rods; you can see his fingerprints all over this kit, and this project is truly a gift to us from him as well as the entire internal/external Revell team. In summary, at least for me personally, this kit is THE KIT OF THE DECADE for hot rod modelers. I hope you’ve enjoyed this preview. My appreciation to Revell for letting me share with you the details ahead of the kit intro later this spring/early summer. Best Regards...TIM

Great modeling ideas and fun viewing for hot rod, custom, and muscle machine enthusiasts....plus all "Great 8" Ridler finalists...thanks for looking.....TIM 2016 Cobo Autorama and Autorama Extreme....300+ pics at the link

Steve...just simply a great job on your '65 Monaco. I would LOVE to have that one in my case. I built that kit when it came out, I was 11 at the time. I liked the "molded in Gold" finish as my spray can paint jobs at that point were far from consistently good. One of the things I like so much about your build is that you chose a factory paint scheme that simulates the kit molded color...that is, you played out exceptionally well what the kit itself was hinting at. Of course, your detailing is also superb. Way to go! As 1960 - 1974 Mopars are a personal favorite (both in 1.1 and 1/25th scale), Mopar C-Bodies a particularly favorite personal favorite, and I have closely relevant experience with the 1/1 '65 Dodge (my Dad factory-ordered a '65 Custom 880 wagon - the closest wagon equivalent to the Monaco hardtop) which stayed in the family for over ten years, having served him, and my two brothers and I as personal transportation, I do have some views on the ancillary topics in this thread: * with the benefit of hindsight, the 1965 Dodge C-Body styling was probably a bit on the bland side, but at the time, it was hugely important in re-establishing Dodge in the full size car market. From 1961-1964 (including a short period during the 1962 model year in which there was no full size Dodge at all), Dodge's participation in the full size medium price class was at best a footnote. Odd to bizarre styling, the aforementioned gap, and then a series of derivative and dated 1962 1/2- 1964 cars based 90% on a 1962 Chrysler Newport, generated poor sales and damaged Dodge customer loyalty. The all-new 1965 C-Body, capped with the new Monaco (using the 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix product formula) and the Custom 880 wagon (the first "wood-sided" wagon to use chrome trim borders instead of Ford's "ash" wood fiberglass moldings, which created a stampede of competitive copies throughout the rest of the decade), spoke loudly to ChryCo owners that "Dodge was back" in this part of the market. It set the stage for major Dodge full size/C-Body sales growth through the 1968 model year (my personal favorite from this era was the '67 Dodge Polara 500 & Monaco 500), and a continued strong presence in the segment through about 1972-73 (the end of the "fuselage" C-Bodies.) * the 1965 Dodge body design looked a TON BETTER with the addition of aftermarket wheels. Again, I speak here from experience. I had purchased a set of Rocket mags (poor man's Cragar S/S) in the 15x6" reverse size for use on the '69 Chrysler Town and Country wagon I was driving. When I traded that for a new '73 Duster 340, I put the stock wheels/tires back on and gave the mags to my brother Robert who was driving the '65 Custom 880 wagon at that point. HUGE difference in visual appeal, let me assure you. In current times, most '65 Dodge C-bodies you see at hot rod and Mopar events wear some form of aftermarket wheel/tire treatment. If any of you have the April, 2011 issue of Street Rodder at hand, take a look at p.19, where there is a photo of Jerry Wilson's '65 Custom 880 two door hardtop (upon which the Monaco was based) painted bright red with a white vinyl top and killer set of 17" mags and blackwalls. Superb! So I strongly support you, Steve, in your choice of aftermarket wheels and tires for your build. * a few years back, I built two MPC '66 Dodge Monaco 500's - one factory stock (which required changes to the MPC tool which incorrectly retained the fender top trim you can see on Steve's '65 model), and the addition of an "L" shaped rocker molding on the forward front fenders that was missing from the '66 kit. On the other one, I left the MPC "mistakes" (which were undoubtedly last minute changes to the real car that were not planned when the model tool was updated), along with a street 426 Hemi and the '66 Chrysler 300/ '67-'68 Plymouth Fury "fastback" roof - both of these features were under consideration for a limited run of factory Hemi '66 Monaco 500's, which was later cancelled. Needless to say, I used Cragars and blackwalls on one of these two builds...I'll try to dig up some pictures and post here or in another thread in the section of the forum. So Steve, I'm with you all the way on this one, brother. Great job! TIM

Full review on a near-final test shot of this kit gives (nearly ) the whole story... http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/new-moebius-65-plym-1/new-moebius-65-plym/ make sure to read the captions for each picture (use the "roll" feature).... Best Regards....TIM

Both those finished Toro's are super-scharp. Great job, guys. TIM

Bought the new kit yesterday (Friday) at the Model Cave, Ypsilanti, MI. TIM

Without going into details, I can only pass along that Dave and his team worked really, really hard on both the overall proportions and the details of the Cyclone body, Everyone is welcome to their opinion and comments, of course, but I do recommend holding off making any final/definitive judgments until you get the actual kit body in your hands. Just my 2 cents.....TIM

When the USA Oldies kits came out, Dennis Doty was quick to point out some of the 'errors" in interiors in his published works. While not mentioned in this thread, the engines in these kits were for the most part pretty primitive as well. At the time, Dennis was close to Joe Haenle and well aware of some of the challenges he faced in running his company. At the same time, we as modelers in the mid 1970's were overjoyed to get a chance to buy these models of some long-favored automotive subjects and be able to build them once again. Because back then, there was almost no way to acquire old, out of production kits, unless you were lucky enough to live in a metro area with enlightened merchants like Models Hobby in Ferndale, and two other store that Dennis and Chuck Helppie showed me - one on East Eight Mile Road in Detroit, the other in Wyandotte. Mail order of old kits was not yet to arrive, and 'toy fairs" at the time were just getting started, and tended to focus on 1/43rd and toys, rather than 1/25th scale kits. In short, the JoHan kits were timely, incredibly well received by adult modelers, and while subject to some "errors" as noted in this and other threads (which resulted from an effort to get these kits back into production, with a minimum of fresh investment and additional time to market), were a real boon to the adult modeling hobby when introduced in the mid 1970's/ TIM .

Holthaus does a very nice '60 Polara transkit. Like you, I prefer the '60 Polara/Matador over the Dart Phoenix/Pioneer/Seneca/ et al. TIM ,

Fred...that's some excellent paint detailing on your chassis! TIM

Bob....great conversion so far on that '62 Two Door Sedan...way to go! TIM

Issue #197, August/September 2015. F-J, the following comment is not targeted at you, but to all MCM forum members: If you guys are not subscribing or otherwise reading BOTH of the major model car magazines, you are missing tons of relevant and entertaining info that will significantly increase your enjoyment of the model car hobby. There...I've said it. Please stop and consider for a moment or two.... Thanks....commercial break is now over. TIM

Here are both the GoKart and the Triumph from the AMT 1963 F-100 and Chevrolet Apache kits, built up. These were covered in detail in an article in Model Cars Magazine around 2010 or so.....TIM

Steven...that looks terrific! Can't wait to see it come together in final assembly....TIM

Cameron...I have a '16 Mustang GT Premium with the six speed manual...it's the convertible version. It's quite a leap beyond the S197-based Mustangs...both in terms of technology/content but also in terms of the feel and drive of the car. I look at it as the Mustang GT having finally made the leap all the way into sports car territory. I think you'd be very pleased with your choice. I also think you are exactly right to pay down the remaining CC balances before making your move...Good Luck with your plan! Cheers....TIM (full disclosure...I'm a retired Ford lifer so I may not be the most independent thinker on this subject(!)

Jairus...I'm loving what you are doing to this one so far...particularly the Z'ed frame up front...please keep us in the loop as you make progress! TIM

Dave....same here on considering you a friend...for sure!!! Great reference pictures, too. As far as molding the windshield unit to the body on the AMT kit....guys this is why I am always ragging on about the need to actually build model kits before critiquing them. The AMT windshield/IP unit does not match up to the AMT main body cowl at all. Not even close. If you are painting your AMT '29 a dark color, it will hide the gaps fairly well, but if you are painting a light color (white, yellow, orange) you are going to cringe at the result - a ditch all along the joint, with even larger gaps at the outside edges of the joint. I sure cringed did the first time I built one. That is why I consider it to be absolutely essential to, yes, cut the windshield frame apart from IP/cowl continuation and...yes....mold the IP/cowl configuration to the cowl of the body. The result won't be 100% accurate - as proven by Dave's 1/1 pix above...but it will look one heckuva lot better than doing nothing at all. Cheers..TIM

Yikes....the body is highly altered....cut off at the forward edge of the front fenders....retooled at the rear with an "integral spoiler"...hood entirely different....That would be a major investment to return the tool to stock condition....for comparison here is a stock MPC 1966 Dodge Monaco 500 Hardtop built by yours truly back in ... yes... 1966. (This MPC tool also included the 1966 Polara 500 Convertible version which was the basis of the Magnum kit) . Compare it to the parts breakdown shot in Mike's post of the eBay listing above and you can see how much has been changed. Uuggghhh!

The tool was significantly modified to create the "Magnum" (IIRC) concept/showcar kit- the one with the single and dual bubble tops and a jutting front end design. I don't have that kit so I can't comment on how heavily the tool was modified. If the tool still exists, I suspect it is pretty much irretrievably altered in terms of being able to return it to a showroom stock '66 .... TIM

Dave...hear ya on this. That was certainly my initial impression as well. But having painted and built several of these now....I no longer have the feeling that the Revell body lacks finesse. Maybe it's the paint thickness on top of the body moldings, which appear a bit overwrought to me when looking at just the unpainted styrene. Clearly i would have done the stock rear wheel wells/Quarter panels if I had led the kit development, but in almost every other consideration I now prefer the new body. Plus as one of our esteemed/respected hot rod builders have pointed out here (sorry guys, I can't remember exactly which one of you highlighted this), the drop off of the rear deck area (when viewed from the side) is more accurate in the Revell body. And you don't have to mess with the cowl/windshield area (the AMT kit really should have the lower part of the windshield/IP part cut away and molded to the front cowl, and then again you have to deal with plating the windshield on the AMT kit. All this is done correctly, right from the box, in the Revell kit. Cheers...TIM