tim boyd

I noticed that too. The '70 Michigan Plates are exactly correct (or to put it more precisely, exactly as I remember them from 44 years ago!). TIM

Bill is of course exactly correct that the F60-15 was JUST the Hemi 'cuda...unfortunately I was rushing and forget to include the word "Hemi" prior to "cudas" in my response. I just corrected the post accordingly. Thanks Bill for catching that. TIM

No flocking this time, it is as you say, exactly, a "relatively quick 'build and review' project....thanks TB

David, not only do they look good, they fit perfectly - a straight swap, no kitbashing. TIM (PS for you non Mopar Muscle Mavens out there, all '70 Hemi 'cudas came factory equipped with Goodyear Polyglas GT F16-15 RWL tires...TB)

Bob...that is WAY sharp! Thanks for sharing, and keep up the great work. TIM

Latest build updates... "Carpet" area of floorboard masked off and sprayed with DullCote for a more, well, carpet-like appearance... "Pistol Grip" shifter....still need to do a bit of paint touchup on this piece and one other one show further below...and yes, I got rid of the parting line at the top of the shifter boot after I took this picture.... Revell provides decals for both the IP face and the individual gauges (the latter attaching to a clear lense attached to the back of the IP); plenty of Micro Sol made sure the decal eventually snuggled down....managed to spill some black paint on and just below my carefully detailed heater controls cluster....have since cleaned this up and re-drybrushed.... Rear chassis showing the Dana axle, rear leaf spring suspension, and exhaust system. I removed the copyright engraving behind the rear tank but left a second set of copyright engraving in the area below the axle untouched, thinking it would not show. At least in the 1000x1000 digital pictures, it does show, as you can clearly observe. Something to keep in mind if you are building this as a contest model... Here the engine is largely complete (it has been fully completed after this photo was taken). Note the oil filter decal, the detailed carbs, and the Street Hemi Orange overspray on the factory exhaust manifolds - replicating the 1/1 scale factory restorations of this engine. The kit's Hemi valve covers are plated (vs. bodycolor), so I left them plated (reflecting a possible "Day Two" configuration for this 1/25th scale 'cuda owner) rather than stripping them and painting them textured flat black, which is the correct configuration for a factory fresh restoration. Finally, a shot of the heater hoses and upper radiator hose with the Revell kit decal markings applied... Should have another update soon with the completed engine and completed interior... Thanks for looking...TIM

Man, Juha's Marauder is SPECTACULAR! Just WOW! I have the AirTrax '69 Chrysler 300 and '80 Mirada kits. TIM

Dave...they look fine to me. The holes are also molded open which certainly helps with the paint detailing,...TIM Thanks Casey...that's the one! TIM

Dave...the kit you are thinking of is the AMT/Ertl 1972 Corvette kit from the early 1990's (and probably reissued several times since then). One of my 1/1 scale references says that the Corvette and Mopar B/E Body Luggage Racks were identical, so presumably this would be a completely correct source for the rack. TIM

Here are a few images from a quick buildup I am doing with this kit.... Front suspension detail.... Dana rear axle and suspension detail Engine block.... Body painted in pseudo 1970 Code TX9 "Black Velvet" (actually, Tamiya Gloss Black).... Basic interior panels finished in the blue factory interior color (replicated exactly with MCW Automotive Finishes '69/'70 Plymouth Blue Fire Metallic paint)... I'll continue posting updated images as the build progresses....thanks for looking...TIM

GTX....right you are, no RWL or provision for same. The tires are all-new tooled, however, and look to be the right size/shape. Turns out that the Round 2 Goodyear Polyglas GT F-60-15 RWL tires are an exact fit and swap - no modifications needed. The Round 2 AMT Parts Pack for these tires just showed up at my LHS this week...TIM

Greg/// - the Revell '70 'cuda DOES include the "Fishgull" rocker moldings - I think that may be what you are thinking of with point #1 above. These were standard on the 'cuda per my references (but not on the AAR). They are 2 separate pieces on the plated parts tree and look/fit great. But they really should be finished in the "Astrotone" Silver (heavy metallic silver with a matte finish) as the chrome plating is not 1.1 scale correct. As for the Rear Window Louvers, it will be interesting to see if those Louvers in the 1/24th scale '71 Cuda kit will "fit" the 1/25th scale '70 'cuda body...I would guess not but you never know until you try it... Best...TB

AMT/Ertl '71 Duster 340 for the engine (also has a trip-power option), plus the fan belt assembly from the AMT/Ertl '71 Duster Street Machine (the base kit fan belt includes an A./C compressor that would probably be verboten for such a Pikes Peak machine!. TIM

You guys would never believe that Tom wasn't an architect - his drawings for this project sure looked like professionally drafted blueprints to me! TIM

Same here, about the only changes from '73 to '74 were the longer rear bumper pads, the 340 to 360 E58 engine change, which should have had zero effect on the body, and new paint colors. Hmmm....TB

Guys...I may be the guilty party on this one...several years back I gave Revell quite explicit suggestions on the factory content/options for this kit and I may have suggested a red stripe along with the Black and White. I need to find my correspondence and see if I'm the one to blame.... TIM

Casey...you are correct in that if Revell's specifics on future release plans had been shared with me, I would not be authorized to share it here prior to Revell doing so. As for the other drag cars pictured here, I was pretty knowledgeable about the '70 Sox and Martin car per my comment above, but had conveniently forgotten about some of the other drag cars pictured here - very cool, guys - that Don Grotheer car is so cool! Obviously, these would be just as easy a kitbash using the new 'cuda kit. TIM

John....thanks a bunch for posting this info....I would have sworn that I have photography of a '70 'cuda convert in black with a red stripe, but going through my files, I do not. I am probably thinking of the same color combo on the Challenger, which was available. So you are correct, it WAS only available in black, at least at as of the beginning of the model year. I did find two cars with a white stripe - an In Violet 'cuda 340 Coupe with White Sport Tape Stripe, and a Lemon Twist Coupe with a white stripe - so this was probably a mid-year addition to tape stripe availability. It turns out that there IS documentation of the code V6X "Sport Tape Stripe" hidden away on the Hamtramck site...I found it a few days ago while doing research, so it may be a fresh addition there...it's in the '70 Plymouth section called "Vinyl Roofs and Tape Stripes" or something close to that...several pages in there is a page for Barracuda and Valiant, and it says "SPORT TAPE STRIPES" - Optional at extra cost, available on 'cuda models only (Black only)." And then in the charts below on the lower left it lists Code "4 - Black - V6X". I can't thank you enough for bringing it to my attention. I have already corrected my Fotki posting. Now, onto the mid-year "Strobe Stripe" option, in Black, Magenta (slightly lighter than Moulin Rouge), White, and (?) Ledger Green - some conflicting info on that last color! And yes, I did note a while back the Mod Top listing in both Mod Yellow and Mod Blue. I presume you saw the resto of the F8 Dark Green Metallic 'Hemi Cuda with the Mod Yellow interior a couple of years ago? I KNOW I stashed pictures of that somehere (I think it was featured in Mopar Collectors Guide?). Best...TIM

The interesting thing about the '70 Sox and Martin Pro Stock car was just how close to "stock" it really was....much less modified from the factory production car than the '71 Sox and Martin version was. I think it would be a pretty easy kitbash to take the decals from the JoHan '71 kit and combine them with the new Revell kit, a simple rollbar from Evergreen Sheet Styrene, and some other minor kitbashing, and come up with a pretty convincing model. There was a full photo feature in one of the muscle car mgazines a couple of years ago on the '70 car that would serve as a good guide...TB

Heh Jim! Yes, I am debating the color choice thing as well. I just checked the referenences...18 factory colors, 2 more at mid-year....all thsoe interior colors and combinations...three stripe colors...should a vinyl top be added....not to mention all the engine options....yow! I think my first one will be Vitamin C Orange with a black interior....but not entrely sure. By the way, I reset the photo size at Fotki yesterday so anyone looking for the pictures in a littlle bigger size should go back to the link above...makes a big difference (ooops...overstating the obvious?) . TIM

Judge...never a stupid question! In most cases Revell will send samples to the key magazines and media outlets, typically just a few weeks before a kit is introduced. But that's it in terms of advanced samples. In some specific cases with certain kits, Revell will approach a specific model builder/writer and give them an advance sample as well, with the understanding that they will do a full kit review and buildup and post the pictures online. You may have seen the Bill Coulter/Len Carsner reviews of the Hemi Dart kit and others here in the past...and over the years I have done about 4 of these as well - most recently with the Kurtis Midget kits. In this particular case, Revell approached me specifically and given my interest in the subject, and my involvement its development (as disclosed on my Fotki site), I said yes. Hope that explains it a little better. Should only be a few weeks before you can buy it as the store. I will be in line with you, buying more for myself! TIM . .

Revell has just sent out advance samples of the new Hemi 'cuda kit....here is my take on it. There are 22 pictures of the kit contents and a commentary at the link. Since this is an actual production kit, the full production run is underway and the kits should be in the stores pretty soon. Thanks for looking...TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/new-revell-70-hemi-/new-revell-70-hemi-/

Torgny, not to repeat what everyone else has said, but I can't help myself. That Chris Craft is SIMPLY SPECTACULAR! Great job! TIM

Thanks Kerry! TIM

...just completed a salon photography session on this model from a buildup article in Model Cars magazine circa 2001 or so. There are 16 more photos (including detail shots of the engine, suspension, chassis and interior) and and an explanation posted at http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/from-the-pages-of-y/from-the-pages-of-m/ Here are a few photos to show what's at the link... (I see that I definitely need to reposition the engine so that the oil pan is above the scrub line!) Thanks for looking! TIM