tim boyd

I too would love to see a kit of this (the coupe, please). But please - make it a full detail kit - no curbsides or pseudo "full detail" with a less than accurate, separate engine representation. Thanks....TB

I got the impression that they commissioned all the incorrect distributors to be fixed. Good to see evidence of it here. Thanks Brett....TB

Excellent! That's exactly what I had envisioned. Thanks John...TB

jb and Rob - I kind of wondered the same thing. But as I thought it through...the stock oil pan clears the tie rod and there is enough room inside for the rotating crank/rods et al. So if the new deep sump pan extends below the tie rod, it doesn't change the basic architecture of the engine above including the centerline of the crank rotation et al relative to the tie rod location. I checked the reference article but unfortunately there is no shot of the underside to further clarify this, but i expect the real car probably has an open-air tubular passageway that the tie rod inserts into from one side and comes out the other side, while the oil circulates inside the pan. The one low-angle action shots posted in the prior forum page by Brett and Scott seems to coincide at least theoretically with this approach. Can anyone who is more familiar with the subject add any info here? TIM

It's all at the link....25 photos and text....TIM

OK guys, as requested, here are 25 images and commentary on the new kit. Thanks for all your input (some of which is included in my review). Best regards...TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/new-revell-70-sox-a/

The deep sump oil pan has a notch/cutout for the tie rod. Exact builders will want to augment/improve that feature with a through-the-oil-pan clearance tube. TB

You guys got me thinking more about this one...checked my references and there's an article on the gorgeous Bill Bagshaw "Red Light Bandit" '70 Pro Stock Challenger in the April, 2013 issue of Mopar Collectors Guide. It's not the same car, but a similar Mopar and run during the same time period. Quoting from that article...."One thing that was gone [prior to the resto] was the special hood scoop, which reportedly had been fabricated with some leftover Shelby stuff Butler had on hand in 1970. Bill recalls, 'in those days, there were no tunnel rams yet; we had an IR (individual runner) setup, but there was still no room for the carbs under the Six Pack scoop E Boyd hood we'd gotten from Chrysler. One thing we did about six weeks after that first race was change the hood to accommodate that. Ron pointed the clearance problem out to me, said we need to fix that, and we had an extra acid dipped hood there, so he rigged up something that was higher and the car picked up 2mph! I said '"I guess you're right.'" This would seem to confirm a couple points above, including the possibility that the S&M hood scoop was altered at some point during the season to likewise create clearance for the IR manifold and carbs. BTW, the Revell 'cuda kit includes that individual runner manifold setup. TB

Rob...I'll try to post some pix later today or tomorrow...TIM

Like several other modelers, writers, kit builders et al, I had been campaigning for years for Revell to do a correct '70 'cuda. As part of that effort, I sent them an entire copy of the Popular Hot Rodding Feature of this car called "Chariots of the God" by respected author Paul Zazarine that appeared in October 2008 issue. (pp. 54-58). I pointed out to Revell how little it would take to do a 1970 spec S&M 'cuda as a second version of the kit idea. I would presume that they tracked down the owner of that car, in that condition, and based the kit on that car, as it appears to be (based on a quick inspection) a duplicate of the car in that condition. BTW the article text also states "A six-barrel, lift -off fiberglass hood was fabricated by Sox and Martin for the Hemi 'cuda." The article also reports that the car was restored by the then-owner, musclecar collector Todd Werner of St. Petersburg, FL, to "as raced" condition. The article generically mentions the quality and accuracy of his restorations. The article also shows the resto as being signed by Ronnie Sox, Herb McCandlees (sp?), and others; presumably they would not have done that if the resto was way off base. Now we all know that "as raced" varies from race to race during the year, but in this case what we should be referring to in reviewing the kit is, it would appear to be, this specific car and build condition. By the way, there are many images from that specific article on the web with a quick Goggle image search, including good shots of the engine compartment as mentioned in the above post. Hope this helps...TB

Thanks Brett for posting this. I got the 'cuda kit Saturday from The Model Cave in Ypsi,Michigan. Based on a quick once-over, it appears to completely and fully duplicate the '70 Sox And Martin 'cuda in the form it was shown in that 2009 issue of Popular Hot Rodding. As several of you have mentioned, the 1/1 scale '70 S&M was MUCH closer to factory stock than the '71 S&M 'cuda, and that reflects in the differences between the Revell and the JoHan S&M kits. If you use the JoHan kit as the basis for deciding whether the Revell kit is accurate, you will come to the wrong conclusion. Finally, I noticed that the box art model is incomplete in the engine compartment. It's missing the ignition coil that sits on the passenger fenderwell (and yes, it uses that unexplained hole that was in the stock kit version) and possibly other details. The coil IS in the kit contents. I was also surprised at the extent of the decal work. Looks like the only red you'll have to add to the car will be at the front and rear ends. Plus, as one of you noted above, looks like almost all the stock parts are in the kit as well. I'll try to post pictures of the kit contents in the near future. TIM

There is no sleeper in the new issue. I illustrated it with parts from the second (c. 1973) reissue of the original California Hauler, so you could see what you are missing. On my Fotki site, Tim Ahlborn reports Round 2 is going to do a plated Mercury sleeper as a Parts Pack offering in Q4 2014. Now that rocks! TIM

,,,back in the day, I would have passed on the A/C and Power Windows (too much weight, too much to go wrong), but the Torqueflite would have been a must! (Didn't really learn how to run a 4-speed manual until eight years later when I learned on a '78 Ford Fiesta(!) - not my car - and back then the Torqueflite was also a 'hot' ticket (double entendre intended) for the street drags...).TB

John...."Amen" to that Of course, if I had the opportunity to order, I would have ordered a '70 - instead of '71 - Hemi 'cuda convertible. The '70 was the original of that third gen 'cuda, and SO much more of a clean, uncluttered design, 'Billboard' notwithstanding. Then again, if I had had the opportunity, I would have gone with the '70 340 'cuda convertiblerather than a Hemi, hands down. Now I'm dreamin' for sure! Two more comments on this thread - there is a very informative article on hemi 'cuda convertible pricing in the current issue of Mopar Collector's Guide. Suffice it to say, the author was arguing that E Body Hemi pricing - which had reportedly taken a dip post-'08/'09 recession - was coming back strong. He predicted the auction last weekend would set a new record, but I doubt that he expected it to go so high. One other reason this one brought such a price was that it was reportedly more original (rather than rebuilt) vs. most of the other '71 hemi 'cuda converts out there. TB

Brett...I had the exact same experience as you regarding flash on the '40 Willys and '36 Ford kits. The California Hauler is nearly perfect - the only flash I found at all was on one of the parts runners. Thanks for posting the link to the Car Model article - I pulled out my old copy and re-read it this morning. While this link doesn't show the issue's cover photo, Phil painted his PB in '57 Chevy Tropical Turquoise (he called it '58 - I haven't checked yet to see if the color carried over) and '64 Ford Wimbledon White. Of course, these are both exact match aerosol colors in Testors Model Masters Lacquer paint can lineup... TB .

OK team, here's a 27-photo review and commentary on the Round 2 reissue of this iconic truck model kit, including a detailed comparison with the original T-500 kit dating from August, 1969. Make sure to use the "Roll" feature so you can view my comments (and add your own if desire) as you look at the images.....thanks for looking....TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/new-amt-t500-califo/

Harry....there are more than a few people out there who would probably agree with you. But the sales growth of CUV's in the US, and indeed worldwide, suggest that there is considerable additional opportunity for new products of that type. As long as everyone has the ability to find a product that works for them individually, I'm OK. If it happens to be a CUV, whatever works for them. (I confess that I have a CUV in the driveway right now, and it is a very convenient/useful product. But I am still looking foward to when my '15 GT Convertible replaces it next year!!!) TB

Charlie....I remember that ad very well. I also remember that as recent as 1998, Lincoln was the #1 selling luxury brand in the US. You've obviously put a lot of thought into this subject and I can tell you care about the brand and its future success. I have no issue with your post (I don't agree with your comments about Lincoln, but every one has a right to voice their view), instead my point was simply that the review that you linked to was by some measure the most negative of all the MKC reviews I've read. I just wanted to make sure that those following this thread were aware that most of the other major auto reviews were more favorable, and in some cases, extremely positive. The author of that article is well respected, but I was surprised at some of his statements in the article that, in my judgment, do not align with the actual facts. (You may not be aware that I spent 35 1/2 years in the auto industry in marketing, product strategy, and design roles). I'm retired now from Ford but I can tell you that as of the day of my retirement, everything you read about Ford being serious about Lincoln as a luxury brand is very real. Obviously, I can't speak about it in detail, but the path that they are following has been very deeply thought out and ultimately the market will decide the success of that strategy. My own personal judgment is that the MKC will be a substantial hit. Time will tell all.... BTW, the next Lincoln product (after the MKC) according to press coverage, will be a production version of the Lincoln MKX Concept shown at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. http://www.lincoln.com/2016-mkx-concept/ It sounds more like the car you were expecting per the last sentence of your reply. The MKC is a smaller product than that, and right now, unless I am missing something, only BMW (X1) and Acura (RDX) have something comparable to the MKC on sale at dealerships (the MKC is also at dealerships now). Audi, Mercedes, and Lexus will eventually have competing entries but to the best of my knowledge, they are not on sale at dealerships in the US yet as of this date. Again, thanks for your comments and thoughts...I don' t expect that I changed your mind, but at least we've had a good dialogue... TB PS - I just read on AutoBlog today that Lincoln was just ranked the #1 Luxury brand in customer satisfaction in the AutoPacific 2014 owner surveys.... http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/17/lincoln-gmc-win-autopacific-vehicle-satisfaction-awards/ ...one more small step in the right direction.

This is a much more negative article than just about any other MKC review I've read. You might want to check elsewhere (you could start with autoblog.com) for a more balanced view...most reviews I've read were generally complimentary, and a number of them predict the MKC will be a major success. The author's assumption that Lincoln is late to the party is completely wrong. The smaller "C" segment CUV market where MKC will compete is just developing here in the States. Most of the current competitors are "CD", "D:, or larger segment entries. And complaining about the platform strategy is a bit disingenuous when Audi uses the exact same approach on just about every product they sell. TB

Man this is a superb project! Congratulations and looking forward to seeing it finished.....TIM

Gee...Very, very sharp! Very period correct and gorgeous paint work too! Noticed your west London addy....are you anywhere near the route from Mayfair/Berkeley Square to Heathrow? Have traveled that route many, many times during my career. TIM

Fred...yeah, that is my signature on your SVT Cobra certificate. I signed all the certificates for SVT products from mid-1995 through 1998 model years, the period when I was the Team Leader for SVT at Ford. I certainly considered a '13 Shelby, but the GT 5.0L is such a powerful car these days that it best met my needs (I need to use my car year 'round and the winters around here are pretty tough). Using a Shelby in the winter here seems almost sacrilegious. I had planned to buy my '13 when the lease ran out, but some idiot backed into the front fender and so I decided to let it go and order the '15 instead. I'm very excited about it, for all the reasons people have mentioned above. Best regards...TIM

There was an excellent story in the Wall Street Journal (I believe it was a week ago Saturday) that had much more details on the Source Interlink Distribution business and its failure. I would imagine it's now at WSJ's website (www.wsj.com) TB

Actually Harry, that is great example you cite - and we see where that got them (this took place mostly during the pre-bankruptcy era at GM, based on what I've read). The amount of the switch cost I've seen is just a little more, but regardless the cost, it was clearly the wrong tradeoff. TB

Harry....sorry...had to go pick up Michelle at the airport....no I have not driven any of the new Mustangs yet. I did have a Lincoln MKZ on loan earlier this year with the 2.0L EcoBoost and I was very, very impressed with it. The new Mustang engine is a 2.3L EcoBoost so it is larger and more powerful. You can read the reviews of the new Lincoln MKC which uses a less powerful version of the new 2.3L EcoBoost (the Mustang version will be 300hp plus (they haven't released the final ratings yet). I also had a second leasecar in the family fleet for several years with the 3.7L EcoBoost V6 (an awesome Ford Flex Limited AWD). All I can say is that once you've driven EcoBoost cars and you go back to a regular car, you'll miss the instant throttle response, low end torque, and endless power of the EcoBoost. At least I do. (Cheezzzz....sounds like a commercial????) I ordered my '15 with the 5.0L because I've always been a high performance V8 boy, but the technologies these days are making the other engine options more and more attractive. TB