tim boyd

Del....I bought mine from the Autoworld (subsidiary of Round 2) website about three weeks ago and they were on my doorstep three days later. Good luck....worth the effort to search it out. TIM

John....an outstanding and very tasetful build. Where did you get the decals? The injected Hemi is a nice change from the usual blowers, and the car number placque in front of the injectors is the kind of added detail that I find appealing. You've just reminded me why the MPC Bantam Blast is one of my all time favorite drag racing kits. TIM

Wayne....agree with you on both counts. The tank appears to be part of a dual oil filter system, although if you look at the "filters" they appear too long and too small iin diameter to be typical automotive filters. Then there's the regular Mopar 426 Hemi oli filter, which appears to me to be turned verticle on the front cover (which of course comes from the original Wynnscharger kit), so the Young American may have 3 oil filters in total! Your frame dimensions sound right on the money, and like you I loved those combo rail frame and body shots above! TIM

Jesse....yeah, it's the piece in the far right hand upper corner of this picture posted by Waye a few days ago. The new, big fuel tank is at the bottom center of thsi photo (two pieces next to each other). Best regards...TIM

In checking the version of this tool with the Fiat Altered body, it appears to me to be the identical to what I remember of the Wynnscharger chassis, except for the added rear airfoil, Fiat body and wheelie bars. But what is doubly interesting is that in addition to the oiling system (?) parts referenced in the above posts, the Young American has an entirely different plated fuel tank, much more square in shape, and it sets much rearward in the frame vs. the Wynnscharger/Fiat Altered version. But the Young Ameircan still has what is similar too, if not the same as, the far forward Wynnscharger fuel tank as well, maybe reconfigured as forward chassis wieghts (this Young American version of the kit is also missing the forward of front axle weights of the Wynnshcarger kit. Another difference is that the Wynncharger version has a center idler arm for the front tie rods, whereas the Young American has a more typical left spindle connection for the steering drag link. Bottom line, the chrome trees of the two kits (Wynnscharger/Fiat Altered and Young American) have more than just a couple of differences. Plus there are the differences in the Cosmic Charger kit, which is pretty heavily modified vs. these two. Don't you love this hobby and the intracacies we find when we start to investigate stuff like this? TIM

Daddy...I'm looking right now at the (empty) box art and let me assure us all, it reads "Don Garlits' Wynnsharger" and it is the same kit as the Young American, except for the decals and the parts described above. The kit # is 729-200 and it was released in late 1970 IIRC. When I get time, I will try to post the instructions page that shows what I think are the new parts vs. the Wynnscharger. In the meantime, you can see the tank part of the assembly in the far upper right hand corner of the chrome tree frame in the kit contents slides posted above. Best regards...TIM

Those of you familiar with the original MPC Wynnshcarger...the new Young American has what appears to be a dry sump oiling system with dual oil filter that I do not recall from my original Wynnscharger kit from 1970. Does anyone have access to both the new Young Amierican and an original Wynnshcarger to see if the new parts are also in the original Gartits kit? l Best regards all...TIM

Neil....greetings! Where did you hear this rumor? It's a new one on me (not that I necessarily know all the rumors)....but I thought Round 2/AMT had declared they were not goign to do private label reissues.

Very, very sharp! TIM

The pages are not consecutively numbered but I would guess the 1/24th and 1/25th scale book is 350 to 400 pages. The section on just AMT and its various successors is 97 pages. (!) The second book with other scales is somewhat smaller in page count. Hope that helps. TIM

Yes...that would be Bill Coulter and Bob Shelton. All domestic manufacturer model car kits are covered. Very occassionally I look up a kit and find that it is not listed, but maybe only once every 25 times. It's extraordinarily comprehensive. Most kits even include the year each kit issue was released/introduced. TIM

These are the most comprehensive model kit guides I have ever seen and they contain an impressive and nearly complete listing of every AMT kit ever offered. HIghly recommended. TIM

OK....found them. This was built from the MPC 1971 Challenger annual kit....before the JoHan Sox and Martin kit was issued. Had to strip the interior bare (note the battery on the rear seat riser,,,bet that was legal back then (not!)). Entire front suspension was scratchbuilt and the rear suspension was mostly from the AMT Ohio George '33 Willys, along with the front and rear wheels. Scratchbuilt hood scoop. Note the brushed chrome paint trim. Decals were from the 1970 MPC Challeger annual kit. Let's see....41 years and counting and still waiting for an engine.... Thanks for looking...TIm http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/tim-boyds-124th--12/boyd-drag-racing-do/boyd-drag-racing-do/

Roger....I am really enjoying watching this project come together. Stance, engine, wheels and tires, all looking really good and love those blue tinted headlamps. I'm going to try to go find some pictures of a '71 Challenger Pro-Stock I partially completed back in the day...(err....that would be sometime in 1971) and post them here. I got essentially everything completed but the engine....this was just before the JoHan S&M kit was introduced. The build was partily inspired by the "Angry Man" Maverick article by Hank Borger in Car Model magazine back then.... TIM

Yes...the distributor on Ford Y-Blocks angles toward the passenger side of the engine compartment.....TIM

I got mine today as well, and yes you are definitely going to want to check it out. I started by '62 Vette Gasser about three weeks ago and it is about 75% done. Definitely not a clone of the two in Hot Rod, but braodly similar in flavor. Another highlight of this issue was Thom Taylor's article on the Ashley Web Roadster built by her father Dan Webb. I know Dan and Thom both pretty well, and watched that roadster come together in Dan's shop, so the article was a very interesting read on a number of levels. TB

Cliff....terrific theme/concept and build. Congratulations! TIM

Update from the "Nothing is easy when it comes to kitbashing" department: When I added the 1/4 window/backlight piece from the AMT '62 Corvette to the roof from the same kit, and placed it on the Revell '62 Corvette body, I found that the quarter windows are recessed too far inward to line up withthe Revell cockpit, which is wider in width than the AMT '62 Corvette. So,....onto trying the up roof from some of the other C1 Corvette kits....or else I can cut away the quarter windows and move them outward while still being recessed slightly from the exterior roof panel (which would give a more realistic appearance anyway). If none of that works, then onto one of the "up" convertible tops from C1 kits various....TIM

*************** I tried the AMT '62 Corvette roof last weekend on my Revell '62 Corvette GASSER project and it fits perfectly, just as described by Duntov. Haven't check out how it fits with the quarter windows added, that's a project for this weekend! TIm

The Rider's on Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor was the original store in the chain. Both Chuck Helppie and I knew the co-owners very well - we ran model contests for them for several years after they bought it out in the early 1970's from the original Mrs. Rider. From what I understand, the two remaining stores are in Flint (West on Corunna road off I75) and the Grand Rapids store. Both are doing well. TIM \\\\\\\\\\\\\

Corey...that's a shame. Years ago there was a terrific Riders Hobby Shop on the south side of Kazoo.....do you ever go up to the Riders that is still on 28th St SE in GR? TIM

Same three green bars here and no response, probably occurs 25% of the time I try to post....TIM

Wayne...thanks for the review, like you I've been waiting many years (decades, almost four of them!) for this reissue. John G. at Round 2 said that they were able to get some fresh photography for the box art; without pulling out my old empty box, it does look like a slightly different picture on the box top in Wayne's post. I ordered mine from Round 2 yesterday, hopefully it will be arriving sometime late this week. **************** For anyonewho is not familiar with this kit, the original replicated what was in effect Don Garlits' last evolution of his Front Engine dragster series, and MPC introduced it in 1970 IIRC. It was reissued only once in this form, around 1973, wearing the "Young American" livery reproduced with this new Round 2 kit offering. The engine and frame were reused once more for a Fiat-bodied competition coupe from MPC in the mid 1970's. Since then, it's been on hiatus, all these years. Just in case anyone is wondering, the kit shares nothing with the earlier MPC "Ramchargers" kit, other than the tall drag slicks. Best regards....TIM

****************** I just got my kits at Nankin Hobby in Farmington Hills today. Turns out the Hood Pull pictured above is part #105 on the chrome parts tree, which is present in the kit but omitted from the parts listing on the instruction sheet. Even more interesting are the parts directly above the hood pull on the close-up of the parts tree above, which are parts #21 and #22, which make up a Paxton blower assembly to my eyes. They are are also omitted from the parts listing on the instruction sheet. These are also included in the first issue kit parts tree, so in addition to the stock four barrel and dual four barrel options, the first issue kit also includes at least a portion of the Paxton blower assembly. Pretty cool! TIM

Casey...this is the third time I've tried to respond to your note....\\\\\\\\\\\ Let's see if I can make it stick this time. I don't recall the mold parting oine being as exagerated as the one in your photo. It was even all the way across., and very, very light in totality. I bought my kit the first day it officially went on sale. I had to have the guys at Nankin Mills Hobby go back in the storeroom to fish it out - it wasn't even on the shelves yet. So presumably it would be relatively early in the kit's production run. Best regards and again, sorry for the delay in responding, I tired first yesterday just after you posted. TIM