tim boyd

This is a completion of a model project idea I've been carrying around in my mind for about 45 years now, for a scale replica of a mildly updated Ford 1963 F100 Unibody pickup. It was started several years before the newly tooled Round 2 version of the 1963 F100 became available, though I was able to use a few parts from the new kit (grille, bumpers, hub caps) during the final completion of the project. The rest of the parts (chassis/suspension/engine/floorboard) came from the "Bumpside" series of Moebius kits, which also enabled a change in the front suspension to the later "Twin I Beam" design. The buildup details of the project can be found in the current (May/June 2025) issue of the other model magazine that covers all genres of scale kits. You can check out the details there (but only after you view the "New Build 1 of 2" project in the current Model Cars magazine Issue #226 please and read more about that one in the "Model Cars" section of the Under Glass Forum heading). In the magazine article, there was only room for one photo of the completed model so shown below are some other views/outtake images of the project. Thanks for checking this out, and happy to answer any questions you have. Best....TIM The next two photos show the nearly completed project next to a box stock build of the Round2 newly tooled 1963 F100 kit... ******

For those that do not read Model Cars magazine, here are some photos of a recently completed fairly major kitbash project. It was inspired by the discovery of a very, very cool set of tall/n/taller post-WWI racing tires in an old Heller Talbot Lago Grand Prix racer kit, as well as a fairly similar 1/1 scale build featured in Rod and Custom magazine before it stopped publishing. I started with the Round 2 AMT "mod rod" reissue of a few year ago of most (but not quite all) of the original c.1962 AMT Ala-Kart/'29 Model A Roadster Trophy Series Double Kit. Much of the engine came from the Navarro Flathead in the Revell 1948 Ford Chopped Custom Coupe with headers from VCG Resins by Reese. The front and rear suspension are from the new Moebius Keeler's Kustom Model T and Fiat Altered kits. The paint is a matte finish aerosol from the Tamiya TS paint catalog. The complete buildup with more info on the overall inspiration for the project as well is in the current Model Cars Magazine Issue #226. ***** For those that have seen the magazine issue, below are some of the unused/cutting room floor images from the article submission (MCM Art Director Tim K. had already devoted eight pages of the mag to the subject so there just wasn't room in the mag for any more images of the finished model). ***** Hope you like it...or....more importantly, that you might be inspired to try one of your own along somewhat similar lines... Happy to have answer any questions you might have...TIM PS - will be posting images of the new build #2 in the Pickups section of Under Glass... BTW I fixed the white resin inside the exhaust headers visible in the images below....many of the photos here are of the car before its last-minute refinements for the final MCM photo session.... *****

Very, very tasty, Phil. Needless to say, this is exactly my kind of model building....Best....TIM

I did a "Classic kits" column in the all-genre model magazine a year or so ago, about the Accurate Miniatures McLaren. It included a summary of assembly critiques from several respected modelers and some of the inside story on the kit development from one of the Accurate Miniatures principals. Might be worth searching out for those deeply interested in the kit... TB

The only two 1/24th-1/25th kits with fully accurate showroom stock 351 Clevelands are the Revell 1970 Mustang Mach 1 from about 15 years ago, and the new Revell 1971 Boss 351 Mustang kits. The others listed above worked as 351 Cleveland stand-ins (to varying degrees) until we finally got the fully accurate representations in these two kits listed here. Good luck with your project! TIM

As one who has long called out the kit on these subjects, the 1971 Charger R/T was not available with the split bench seat as provided in the AMT-Ertl kit. It is theoretically possible that someone might have been able to get one on a special-order basis, but it was not a regular production option. The exterior rearview mirror in the AMT-Ertl kit was standard equipment spec for a 1971 Charger R/T, so the kit represented the way a car that year could be ordered. But the dual sport racing mirrors, either in plated chrome form or with matching body color paint, was the way the vast majority of 1971 Charger R/Ts were spec'd (either by the ordering dealer or by a retail customer order) and delivered. Hope that clarifies the topic....TIM

What James said. For the record, I strongly pushed Revell to scan for the 'cuda project, including providing them with specific scanning sources (and costs) used in the 1/1 scale industry, but their view at the time was that they could not afford the costs of scanning, and especially the costs of taking the scanned data and converting it into a usable file for a model kit tool. This was around 2005 or so, and since then, scanning and processing costs have come down and a new leadership team is in charge at Revell. All I can say is to thank you know who that they did the scanning and processed the data for the '71 Mustang tool (just so we are clear, my understanding is that the Revell team and contractor stateside were involved in that project, along with the Revell team in Germany). I have no insider knowledge on the Jag tool so I cannot comment one way or the other on the kit tooling development for that project. TIM

About 20% of the kit parts content is different than the showroom stock/derby kit version. Don't have time to watch the video to see what he said, but as just three examples, this kit has a wood engraved pickup bed floor, mini-tubs, and an electric fan on the radiator ...TB

Big, big smile! Sure understand when you said you had fun with this build. Way to go Walter! TIM

Wow....really well done Dennis! I have long planned a build of the '74 cy '65 Belvy Super Stock, but like you, have found conflicting info on things such as the four-bar vs. non-four bar rear suspension. Kudos for going your own way. TB

Very, very cool! Great job too on the "marbled" look on the cockpit side panels...TB

Bill....interested in seeing this one progress when you have the time! I did one nearly three decades (!) ago....removed the cab back seat reinforcement rib....used (I think) the AMT '34 Ford pickup bed with the side moldings filed off (to reset the bed to the shorter '32 Ford frame from the Revell hot rod series), etc, etc. Good luck with yours...TB

Very, very cool! TB

Ran across this thread again while looking for Dennis' latest projects....certainly among the finest '27T Turtledeck models I've ever seen. Well worth another look, guys. And kudos to DL for doing the right thing vis-a-vis selling it to help give his wife a wedding and a new home. Big picture priorities well sorted here. TB

Update - upon very close inspection (body now out of the clear plastic baggy) I see just a hint of sink marks on both B-pillars. Comparing it to the original 1988 issue, it is about 15% of the size of the original sink marks; in reality, just about undetectable. If you paint the engraved vinyl roof with a flat/matte finish to the paint (as you should) I doubt anyone would notice it on a built model this time. That's what I plan to do....will report back when done. Best...TB

Yes...it's fixed, along with the frame which no longer has a slight warpage as did the original (at least my originals). This is a really good kit. Hope the new box art and decal livery draws more attention to it and more builders get to enjoy putting it together....TB

Fascinating....been going through my entire volume of the recently discontinued Hemmings Classic Cars, and found a letter to the Editor in one issue responding to an article in a prior issue on the Astro 1. The writer, who said he was a former GM designer on the project, conveyed that the Astro 1 was originally designed for a company in "Midland, Texas"....[err that would be Chaparral Race Cars, right?]...to be entered in the 24 hours of LeMans and powered by a DOHC (IIRC) racing version of the Corvair boxer six. The program was eventually cancelled, and according to the writer, the [Chaparral] white car was repainted red, relieved of its experimental engine, and placed on the auto show circuit. As past auto industry rumors go, that's a pretty juicy one...TB

Tom,...I have a set (unfortunately, only one) but I cannot recall exactly where I got them. I think it was probably the gentleman in western Canada who did decal sets for many of the famous late 1960s to early 1970s drag racing subjects. Would sure like t get a second set in case the first ones do not go on correctly....so looking forward to hearing your STS response TB ps - nice progress on your build, too!

What Brian said. I also mentioned a '27T turtledeck for the Channeled chassis in the kit to my colleagues at Revell but that was prior to the bankruptcy and new owners. Doubt there would be much appetite for that today...TB

Glad to see Round 2 pursuing their product plan - the longnose has been part of their plan for some time now. Bob, my impression was that the LongNose was a very popular kit, at least based on what i saw at the MPC Contests back in the day. I remember looking across the entry tables at 1000+ entries at the 1970 Detroit Autorama MPC Contest and seeing multiples and multiples of three kits = the Monogram BadMan, the AMT Manx Dune Buggy, and that LongNose Mustang. Of course, my memories may not be 100% accurate these days! TB

Hi Claude....like you I had a 1/1 Turbo Coupe...a 1984 with the bright gold clearcoat color I actually got pushed into production (also the silverish blue c/c that year), along with both an '87 and '88 TC. I consider the '83.5 and '84 TC to be a modern classic...and the start of a Ford Motor Company run on the industry that lasted through the rest of the 80s and turned much of the automotive market upside down, particularly so at GM. Anyway, also like you I have pondered a 1/25th pro-touring type TC based on the Monogram Pro Stock, but as usual you've gone way beyond I or most of the rest of us had in mind for such a project. Lovin' it and kudos from this corner....TB

Tom....cool! Bring it on whenever you are ready...cheers...TB

I too have long wanted to build the "revell" livery version of this car and have been building a reference file for several years. The Revell livery car was a different car than the original 1965 A990 based car that Butch ran in the mid 1960s. This car was specifically built by Ron Butler to campaign in the Super Stock ranks during the 1974 season because the NHRA had essentialy decreed that the prior season's Hemi Darts and Dusters could no longer competitively run in Pro Stock. So Mother Mopar boycotted the Pro Stock world in 1974 and several o their drivers campaigned Super Stock instead. This car supposedly had every trick in the book and was "the most feared car in Super Stock Eliminator" according to quotes attributed to the long loved and lost Super Stock and Drag illustrated mag. Some of the references I have seen suggested that it had a four bar rear that year (unclear whether that had leaf springs too or not), one source even suggested the top was slightly chopped and leaned forward with the windshield leaned backward, along with the front end being slightly narrowed widthwise ( I take those latter suggestions with a very big degree of skepticism). Some also suggest the axles were moved ever so slightly frontward and/or even rearward. Whatever, it was a very successful car that year. However, what also intrigues me is the Revell livery. It was there for a reason. You can find what I believe that reason was in my book "Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits" or alternatively, in one of Hank Borger's very last columns in Car Model magazine after it was taken over by Tonto Publishing. I remain amazed that this info is not more widely known in the model kit drag racing community...TIM PS Tom - did you finish your model and if so, is it posted in the under-glass section. Would sure like to check it out! TB

Believe it or not, actually my Mustang GT convertible was a kitbash of the original Revell 2005 Mustang GT full detail kit. The how-to appeared in Scale Auto around 2008. It was an exact copy of my 1/1 at the time other than the wheels/tires from the Revell F150 Harley kit. Revell's curbside Mustang GT convertible came out around 2010 or so...and I never did a project on that kit....jTB

Pete,,,,I might have met Dave Carlock in the mid-late 1970s when I was doing contract work for AMT, but not sure. I do recall he was a well respected member of the AMT team. Sorry I can't contribute more here....TB