tim boyd

Ron....ran across the SBC Chevy bellhousing from the original AMT Double Dragster kits a few days ago, and sure looks to me like a reasonable representation of an early era scattershield. Sure wish I had run across that when I was building the model....would have fit very nicely....TB

Thanks for the heads-up on those wheels. I do recall the 4-door Vette but was under the mistaken assumption that the pseudo Daytona had different wheels. Best...TB

Andy....those MPC Chevy Panel kit body tools were irrevocably modified, sadly, to the "Barnabas Van" kit MPC introduced around 1968-69. But I have seen some resin rebops of the original body from time to time, that could be combined with the rest of the MPC nee AMT/Ertl 1932 Chevy Cabriolet kit to come up with a reasonable (affordable) duplicate of the original kit....TB

Hi Ulf....I think you may be referring to the Swedish 1/1 scale car magazine that was called "Wheels" IIRC.. The monthly model column was written by Hans Kihlen as i recall, a very talented builder and writer. Very cool that you remember that article! Thanks all for your comments....TIM

Thanks Bob (and all of you who commented on the project). The front tires came from my parts box but my best guess is that they were the Pirellis that were originally found in the Revell "Skippers Critter" kit first released in 1966, and in all the various Revell Miss Deal Stude funny car kith produced over the years. I don't have the new Atlantis kit based on the Miss Deal tool, so I can't say if the tires in that kit are the same as the prior Miss Deal kit offerings.......TB

That luggage carrier is very close to the Mopar trunk lid luggage rack offering for 1971-74 B-bodies. It was a factory installed option in 1971 and possibly 1972, but available as a dealer installed option for all four model years. There was an E-body application too but not sure of the details. And yes, had one installed on my '74 RR, too. TB

There is at least one project under consideration there that is not in any of the above guesses. Now as to whether any of those mentioned in the posts above are also on their short to mid-term radar screen, just one that I am aware of, but there's lots under way there that i do not have a clue about, so i guess just about anything is possible. Only thing I do know for sure is that if you like what you've seen over the last two years, and we all keep buying the "cloned" kits, there is a bunch more styrene car and truck kits under consideration there....TB

This post is expressly for those who do not read Model Cars magazine, which of course is published by our hosts here at the Forum. If you are a regular reader or subscriber, you've already seen much of what is below and can go onto other posts here on the forum. But for the rest of you.... Issue #222 includes a six page how-to feature on a 1930 Model A Full Fendered C/G build project that was heavily inspired by the 1/1 scale Harry Luzader '32 Ford Gasser that was a perennial winner at the drags throughout most of the 1960s. The article also includes instructions on how to add fenders to the fenderless Revell 1930 Model A Five Window Coupe hot rod kit in a pretty easy way (though not with the kit source you might expect). As this is written issue #222 has been available for about two months and is soon to be superseded by issue #223. If you would like to see the details of this build, may I humbly suggest you get ahold of that issue soon, either at your local hobby store, from your favorite on-line model car source, or at this link at Spotlight Hobbies. https://www.spotlighthobbies.com/all-products/media/23385/model-cars-magazine-issue-222/ ***** When preparing an article like this, a writer will take many extra pictures that do not end up in the actual published article. First the writer will edit it down to a smaller number, and then the magazine's Editor and Editorial Staff will edit the pictures further to fit the available article and magazine cover space. In this case, it took most of six pages to show all the build steps, leaving space for only four photos (including a small cover image) of the completed model in the published article. Accordingly, copied below are some of the many "outtakes" (photos not used in the final publication). You can also read more details about the project, about some of the areas I might have done a little differently had I had more time to complete the model, and some expert feedback from some of our forum's most respected drag racing experts, at this link: ****** Enjoy this pix below, and again, if the subject is of further interest, be sure to check out the magazine article while it is still available. Best....TIM The two key parts sources for this project: All the kits (including the two posted above) used in this project... PS: here's the magazine cover to look for...

With Camper top and optional slot mag wheels.... Optional Y-Block supercharger install.... Interior finished in 1963 Custom Cab colors (door panel and lower IP match the exterior color). Note interior locating tabs....snaps perfectly into the body.

Thanks Steve for updating us, and for the straight skinny/info on the WalMart distribution situation. Best....TB

Alan...having observed the 1963 kit up close, your comments apply equally so there. The engineering of tabs and pins in the 1963 is really well done. The interior and the pickup bed floor/front wall literally snap in place in the body, perfectly aligned. No glue needed. All the components that fit the body have alignment pins. It's really a joy to assemble. And a huge improvement over the original kit body, which was littered with sink marks and a pretty much non-usable upper bodyside molding engraving. Even the camper top goes together in a breeze with the alignment tabs etc. TB

Dave and his team have been working on this one for a very, very, long time. Will be very cool to see the result in living (well, not, but you know what I mean) styrene! TB

The Uncertain T tooling hit the scrap pile, probably in the late 1970s per sources I trusted at Monogram when i posed this question about 25 years ago.... not only that, I have a theory on why the kit might had never been reissued (beyond licensing issues), as explained at the following link....TB Building the uber-rare Monogram Uncertain T album | Funman1712 | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

Trevor, that's one of the things I want to investigate. When Revell began this project, I told them that the '70 Torino GT/Cobra engine was a great place to start. But they were dutifully looking for 1/1s to research and scale, and preferably ones that were out of the engine compartment (to allow more precision detail). While I never heard back 100%, my presumption was that they were successful in their search. Best...TIM

For those willing to do a quick google search, there is now a full kit buildup/review posted elsewhere on the interweb...TB

Got mine a couple of hours ago. Molded in White. Body color front bumper (chrome front bumper is also included although body color was standard on Mach 1). Tires are tampo printed narrow whitewalls. Engine certainly appears to be a 429 Cobra Jet (will compare engine parts tree to the Revell Boss 351 kit later but appears to be an entirely separate tree...the original Revell design brief and 1/1 scale research effort was targeting a 429 Cobra Jet Ram Air engine...). Even though they appear to be plated on the box art and instruction sheet built model photography, the standard Mach 1 wheels are not plated but instructed to be painted silver. My recollection is that the wheels and trim rings were a brushed polished finish on the 1/1; somewhere between Silver and Revell Chrom paints in reflectivity and appearance. Suffice it to say I'll be using the awesome Magnum 500s in the Boss 351 kit for my project. Decals are comprehensive but are only for the standard Mach 1 lower bodyside blackout treatment. Those wanting the optional side stripes will need to use the second set (silver or black, depending on which one you used on your Boss 351 build) from the Revell Boss 351 kit. Decal sheet includes numerous small detail marketings especially for underhood area, similar to the Boss 351 kit. As mentioned above, the vertical front seat color inserts in black are on the decal sheet, this will save a ton of time vs. having to mask those areas as I did on my earlier Boss 351 model build. The Mach 1 used a smaller hood blackout treatment than the Boss 351; this is not provided on the decalized sheet. (I will need to go to my reference file to recall if the hood blackout treatment was standard or optional on the Mach 1, or if this kit application is unique to the vehicle in the Bond movie). There are no lockdown pins on the Mach 1 kit hood. (UPDATE - a quick check of on-line sources suggest that the blackout hood treatment and hood pins were standard/provided on Mach 1 and other 1971 Mustangs ordered with the RamAir option. So would a Mach 1 429 Cobra Jet without the ram air option come standard with a non-blackout, non hood pin treatment?. I don't fully trust online sources so will need to research this further in my library reference files. I'm betting Rex can help us on this too.) The rear taillamp panel has the honeycomb pattern. Revell appears to have gone to quite a bit of effort to deliver a fully and properly differentiated 429 Mach 1 vs. giving us just a half-hearted update of the Boss 351 kit; they are to be thoroughly congratulated for their effort and delivery on this. This kit (and the Boss 351 companion) are pretty much dreams come true for me. For over two decades I've had partly completed AMT and MPC 1971 Mach 1 annual kit builds sitting partially completed, in part because the engines were so awful/incorrect. Now I can build the Mach 1 the way it deserves. More coming later...TB

Dan speaketh the truth here. I was always a strong advocate for brighter (and in some cases, repeats of heritage) colors in my career at Ford. But the truth was that silvers, grays, and whites were almost always the fastest sellers while the more expressive colors tended to sit on the dealer lots waiting for the one buyer who appreciated something different (with the dealer paying monthly floor plan expense in the meantime). At the assembly plant, colors with a low sales mix added complexity and complicated the loading/flow through the paint booth. All of which help to explain why they are so uncommon. Of course, for cars like the Mustang, brighter colors were/are a lot more viable as a product offering. But not so for most mainstream cars and SUVs/CUVs. For my 2024 Mustang GT, I had to order the car well before the color swatches were available to view. I have always like bright blues, so I ordered a new color called "Vapor Blue" (Whisper Blue on Lincolns). When I finally saw the color palette, Vapor Blue was in reality a medium blue gray with pearlized/metallic clearcoat. I don't like it at all. But it is the 100% thing people first comment on when they see the car, and everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) loves the color. Go figure. Interestingly enough, and while I can hardly believe I am saying this, on a future 2025 car I just ordered last week (not a Mustang) that I will take delivery of sometime late summer, Silver has been dropped from the color palette. First time in what, 30 or 40 years? Maybe there is hope for some of us who prefer more expressive colors after all. TB

Given Spotlight's recent mail order delivery service, would not be surprised if the kit shows up here in the next 24 hours. Will do a quick look and try to answer some of these questions....TB Until then, here is the image of the decal sheet as shown on Spotlight's order page for the kit...\ Really nice that they added the decor group seat two tone inserts...that will save a lot of time vs. the masking I had to do on the Boss 351 kit.... Note that the standard Mach 1 lower blackout panels are included along with a decalized representation of the Mach1 lower bodyside chrome moldings that sit atop the blackout treatment. I will probably want to replace those decalized moldings with 3D moldings from Evergreen strip on my build, though. TB

I painted an original issue MPC 1970 Challenger front bumper with Revell chrome about ten days ago. Back in the day (er..that would be 1971...) I had partly removed the front bumper guards for a Pro-Stock project; so for this test I had to finish removing the bumper guards, then sand that area to a smooth finish as well as sand off all the remaining original plating. The first round was 360 grit, followed by 500 and finished with 1500. I then applied a single, pretty heavy coat of Revell Chrom. It flowed really nicely and gave a glass smooth appearance out of the spray booth. Looked equally good after a day (no sign of any sanding or mods to the part). Yesterday (about 10 days after) it still looked just as smooth. So far no issues after light handling, and still a perfect finish. No dehydrator in this case, and no clear coat. Very, very encouraging. At least so far. Clearly superior to anything else I've tried. TB

The "bumblebee" Scat Pack stripes on the convertible were not exactly to factory scale; Steve said he would investigate trying to get them more accurate on the Hardtop. We'll find out soon enough if this made the update...TB

Of the three box arts of the original kit (1963 Annual Kit...1964 reissue of the 1963 annual kit....1968 reissue with Camper Top), i actually prefer the Camper version best. The new kit has a much clearer/vibrant treatment vs. the original 1968 Camper "portrait" box art treatment. Personal Preference/To each his own, I guess. TB

...Spotlight Hobbies. David Dale got his over the weekend; I ordered two tonight. Pretty excited about these....TB .

x2!!!! tb

Thx Dan for catching the issue error...fingers did not type what the mind was thinking! I've corrected my post. The article started out as primarily domestic kits, but at Tim K's suggestion we added info on kits from overseas makers. Here's the text of the paragraph Dan mentioned above... But Wait, There’s More… I don’t have sample kits of the following to show you, but there are yet more SUV-themed kits for you to explore. These are mostly curbside style offerings rendered in 1/24th scale, and the quality and level of detail varies from kit to kit. Some were not actively offered in the North America hobby trade but they will be familiar to our overseas readers. Some of these kits include: Italeri Mercedes-Benz G230, Italeri (first generation) Range Rover, Hasegawa Suzuki Jimny, Tamiya Mitsubishi Pajaro, Tamiya Toyota Land Cruiser 80, Tamiya “YJ” Wrangler, ARII Nissan Safari, Aoshima Nissan four door JDM Terrano R3 (aka Pathfinder SE V6), and Aoshima Range Rover and Aoshima Toyota Hilux Surf Wide (aka 4Runner). I really appreciated Tim K's flexibility and follow-up as I continued to update the sidebar text in the magazine layout about 5 different times as I kept adding more and more of those primarily overseas manufactured kits! We also showed box art images images of the Fujimi Toyota FJ, Toyota Hi_Lux Surf Wide (the JDM version of the 4Runner) kits, the original Monogram Land Rover (c. 1980 and apparently never reissued), and the current Revell Germay Land Rover Series III LWB kits. Best...TB – Tim Boyd

I am expecting that you are exactly correct on this....it is very interesting to me, though, that they ran and shipped both kits at the same time...maybe one continuous run at the plant with the gate function shift you describe at the middle of the cycle? TB