tim boyd

The two kits I built all had this issue on the driver's side; the passenger side was much better. I chose to ignore it and the completed model looks good. I have advised Revell of this, by the way. TIM

In both the kits I built, the Shaker scoop was slightly too high when I lowered the hood onto the completed engine compartment/engine. I fixed that by shortening the tabs on the bottom of the Shaker hood but you could also "chop" the carbs for a similar result.

Several trusted sources in writing confirm that all nine colors became available on elastomeric rear bumpers effective with production starting 1/5/70 (up until then, only Rallye Red was available on elastomeric rear bumpers. This is not a well-known fact and occurred relatively later in the 1970 model production so it is not reflected in all the resources/references I checked (e.g. V2 of the Peter Sessler book). TIM

That looks really sharp - terrific that you put the work into duplicating the correct factory colors and all that chrome! TIM

The Bonediggers link didn't work for me (too bad, it was a great website) I remember hearing back in the day was that the 1/10th scale wood masters for the Garbage Truck body were under development just as AMT began a prolonged strike with the UAW who represented their Troy, Michigan work force. While the factory was shut down, the HVAC was shut down, and the wood master in the engineering department warped in the humid Michigan late spring weather. That combined with a less than stellar reception from the wholesale distribution channels served to kill the project. TIM

Me too, John! TIM

Mark...interesting info in your response about that AMT Porsche 911. When I was doing commissioned work for AMT in the mid 1970's, I saw the 1/10th scale wooden buck for the 911 sitting on top of a desk in either the Engineering or Art Dept. I vaguely remember an explanation of a cancelled project. Porsches at the time were of little interest to me so I didn't ask any further questions. In later years, I just presumed it was planned as a continuation of the Trophy Series lineup (300 SL, Avanti, Cobra et al), which would have put the intro sometime in 1966. but your quote above is the first definitive proof I've read that links it to that specific time period. I think my earliest AW catalog is 67 1/2 or '68, so I just probably missed the 'announcement' by a few months. Thanks..TIM

Guys...apologies to any of you who sent me PM's on 1/1 scale '70 'cuda specifications and build restrictions - just saw your messages today. I have now responded to all messages that were in the PM in-box, so hopefully you will see those responses now. Again, apologies for not getting back to you earlier. TIM

To all of you who sent me PM's on the 'cuda kit build - sorry for not responding, I just "discovered" your messages today. I have now responded to all PM's that were in the cue and hopefully you now have your answers. Thanks for your interest and best regards....TIM

Chuck - 1000% agree with you on this! BTW what type of '71 Charger did you have? For me, a '71 Charger SE/440 Magnum/Buckets and Console/Factory 15x7 Rallye Wheels/RWL Goodyear G60-15's, is still probably at the very top of my list of 1/1 scale holy grails!. TIM

Thanks Mike. Also, "Hot Rod V8's in the Feb, April and June 2007 issues....TIM

Casey.... As to question #1, yes I did this in quite a bit of detail when I first got my hands on the new Revell kit. I also compared all three bodies to some 1.1 scale photography I had shot specifically for this comparison, and also compared the three bodies to a couple of the Danbury Mint '70 'cuda diecasts. It was an interesting analysis....and as a result I no longer consider the MPC kit to be the single best 'cuda body. That honor (in my mind) now lies with the JoHan kit. The second surprise was the several areas where the new Revell kit was superior to both of the other kits, including the front door forward cutline as it nears and meets the A-pillar. The third surprise was that all three of the bodies don't fully capture the intricate combination of panel surfaces and sculpture in the tailamp cove area of the 1/1 scale car (the Revell body is probably the closest here, but it is not fully correct). My final conclusion was that if I was building a super-accurate 'cuda model now, I would actually start with the Revell body rather than the MPC or JoHan body, and work to accurize the body from there (e.g., reduce the width of the wheel flares, etc.) Regarding question #2, one of the differences between the MPC and Revell kits is that the Revell front header panel (that runs from the top of the grille to the front of the hood) is much more realistic in the Revell kit - the MPC body incorrectly foreshortens this panel. That means that the hood from the MPC kit might be too long for the Revell body (although you would think it would be easy to shorten it to fit). If I get a chance I will do the actual comparison and report back (unless someone else does it first!) Best regards...TIM

For those following the posts in this thread about 1/1 scale '70 'cuda specs and related topics, the Admin just relocated those posts to a 1/1 scale reference photos section thread on the '70 'cuda kit. Best regards....TIM

Being an L.A.-area lifetime resident , and having grownup none too far from the esoteric L.A. Plant , I'm going to build my 'Cuda as an L.A.-built , 440+6 / T-Flite model . But only after I build one out-of-box in order to get a feel for its assembly ***************** John - I think you have a very good idea to build the kit out of box the first time, before modifying it. I wouldn't call it difficult to assemble, but it is definitely a bit challenging. The second one I built went together much quicker (and better) after learning about the kit with the first build. Being a lifelong SE Michigan resident (excepting a number of cross country relocations with my career employer), I certainly understand your fascination with the LA Chrysler Plant, I owned a new '73 Duster 340 that was presumably build in one of Chrysler's Detroit area plants, and then a year later factory ordered a '74 Road Runner E58 360 hi-po which was built at the Windsor, Canada assembly plant, located less than an hour from where I am typing this right now! Best regards...TIM

Jens and John....yes we are getting slightly off topic here and it's my fault, but I think it demonstrates the level of accuracy we are striving to achieve with our Mopar models, be they the new Revell 'cuda kit or something else. That TBD Blue '72 Road Runner 440-6 sounds like a great model project. I'd hazard a guess it would have been either B3 Basin Street (Petty/Corporation) Blue for B5 True Blue Metallic. I'd do mine with B3! TIM

The Hall of Fame goes back to 1992....amongst the names inducted in the 1990's include Dave Shuklis, Budd Anderson, Don Emmons (in 1993), Oscar Koveleski, Phil Jenson, Herb Jackson, Bob Barnett, Bob Paeth, and George Toteff. I believe the earlier post listing those so recognized only went back to the year 2000? This list of honorees may add some context to how the nominations and awards were determined. Also, some of you may recall that there was a yearly ballot in Scale Auto magazine for readers to vote on the nominees for each year, although at some point in the last decade that process was discontinued. I do hope Mark is able to respond, as he has put a great deal of thought into his nomination and Hall of Fame process, and he is always looking for input on who should be considered for future awards. TB

Harry...the Hall of Fame is administered by Mark Gustavson and his Board who are responsibible for the GSL contest...I've forwarded this thread to him and hopefully he will respond and provide some answers to your questions. I know the answers exist, as Mark has thought through this very completely. All - Mark is always interested in getting nominations for the Hall of Fame...if you have some, you should send them to him directly. Best regards....TIM

Chris and John - thanks for the info on those '72 440 6 barrels....just way cool! TIM

Thanks Jens. Funny thing, I was thinking of those '72 Six Pack cars as I was going through my old issues of Mopar Muscle, Mopar Collectors Guide, Mopar Action, Mopar Enthusiast, MoPower, et al, looking for any Red Sport Tape Stripe '70 'cudas survivors or restorations by noted experts. I am not an expert on '72 Six Packs, but IIRC there have been just three documented factory builds; dodo you know offhand whether that is correct? And if so, were they all "GTX-badged" Road Runners, or was one a Rallye Charger? Thanks...TIM ,

Craig....recommend you let Revell know right away....TIM

Jens...according to the Govier code books, you are correct, the "Lime" stripe (nomenclature used in this source) is V4J, not V4G as in the post above. Regarding Sessler as an author, I have his books on Paint Codes, V8 Engine History, Mopars and other topics. As a generalization, I have found his accuracy to be substantially better than the normal standard for such books. Is he 100% correct? Very unlikely, no author is 100% correct. As far as his statement about B5 Air Grabbers, I've been around long enough to see time and time again where "I never saw that" finally ended up to be proven wrong when it comes to Mopars from the 1960's and early 1970's. Even a few times involving the most respected experts in this field. You are certainly justified in your view of this subject, but so am I. Maybe we agree to disagree this time? Cheers...TIM

Fantastic -- love these types of stories! Thanks...TIM

John ...cool...is the V4 was the Longitudinal Strope Stripe (don't have my code book with me downstairs)? If yes, there was a fourth color - black. What is really interesting is that there were 2-3 different names Plymouth used to describe the magenta and green stripes, depending on what document you were looking at. That Imperial story about redyed Mod Top material is wild, first I've heard of that. Can you imagine...the typical staid older corporate type (llocal Bank President, perhaps) who buys his '71 Imperial and then has the top fade into a Mod Top? Priceless! (BTW, I am a fan of the '69-'73 Imperial anyway, shame that you couldn't get it with a console when you ordered the bucket seats - that would be a too cool match!) More Mopar trivia - in 1970, when you ordered a Dart Custom 2-door hardtop (a very rare car to begin with - 95% of Dart Hardtops were the Swinger/Swinger 340 models that year) with optional bucket seats, Dodge added a "GT" nameplate, probably more leftovers from the '69 model year. (For those of you not familiar with Mopar history, the Dart GT and GTS were discontinued in 1970 with the arrival of the Challenger). I wonder how many Dart Custom "GT's were built that year? Maybe a few hundred at most? Still more Mopar Trivia - while special paint Mopars were on the decline starting in '71, there were at least a few 1973 Charger SE's built with the B9 Dark Blue Metallic that was otherwise a C-Body exclusive color that year. The paint was listed as Code "09" on the window label (again, for you non-Mopar types, Mopar data plates used "999" for special paint cars). I personally observed several of these at Pointe Dodge in Gross Point, Michigan, in Spring of 1973, these were also unique because they were the only '73-'74 Charger SE's I ever saw with the optional Halo Vinyl Roof (yes, it was a factory option for SE's). There was also at least one Dodge Coronet Crestwood wagon also painted the same color at the same dealership, and my Dad ended up buying it new and using it as his business/family car for the next four years. Oh...it also had the 400 Magnum, duals, and even the Tuff steering wheel, all from the factory. TB

One thing to keep in mind is (from what I recall back in the day) that the production run of '70 'cudas and Challengers was very front-loaded in the 1970 model year. This was due in part to deteriorating economic conditions during the year, the growing onslaught against muscle cars by the government and insurance industry, and not the least, some new and very innovative GM F-Body cars introduced in February, 1970 that completely rewrote the book on sports compact cars. What this means is that the second half of the model year for 'cudas and Challengers, roughly February to July, had less significantly less production volume than the first half, and this of course was also the period during which many of the new 'cuda and Challenger options became available. That's probably one reason why these cars are so rare or in some cases, essentially unknown. As I said, I've never personally seen a Blue Shaker, but then again, I've never seen a car equipped with any eight of the additional rear elastomeric bumper options that became available at mid year, either. Today I looked up (again) one of the sources I used on the Blue Shaker info, it is the "Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Car Red Book, Second Edition, by Peter C. Sessler, MBI Publishing, 2001." The specific reference to B5 Blue (along with Rallye Red, Oganisol Black, and Astrotone Silver) Shaker availability is on p. 47. As we all know, Mopar reference books vary in their accuracy, but I've found Peter C. Sessler as an author to generally have his act/accuracy together, whether he's writing about Mopars, Engines, Paint colors, or whatever. Still... More food for thought...TB

David...thanks, that is very interesting about the Richard Carpenter car. I recall reading about this car many years ago, and in fact I always thought that the red stripe was factory-correct, but when I started to research this subject a few weeks back, I went through all my books on Mopars, and the file of articles I've been keeping on '70'cudas. This file dates back to 1984, and has somewhere north of 30 color articles. There were a number of white stripe cars amongst the various articles and books, but none with the red stripe that I remembered. The fact that this Richard Carpenter car was ordered late in the model year would support the theory that white, and possibly (?) red stripes, were added before production of the '70 model year concluded. Within the last couple of hours, I checked my Galen Govier Mopar Sales Codes books, and it shows " V 6 * " as the '70 'cuda Sport Tape Stripe, where " * " is used to signify that the last digit is different depending on the color of the stripe. On some of other other tape stripe options, he later defines what the third digit is (in terms of color choices), but on the V6* this definition is missing from his listing. Maybe we are going to have to declare this as "non definitive" until someone (hopefully the Hamtramck Registry?) can come up with a copy of factory documentation clarifying when and what additional colors of the V6 Sport Tape Stripe were added during the year. Thanks everyone for your additional insights on this....TIM