tim boyd

I built this trailer from a castoff original issue 1968 Coronet R./T kit trailer. Basically, just removed the fenders, cut down the side rails and added two motorcycle ramps....TB

Del....whenever you get around to building that Sanger flatbottom, I for one would love to see the result. Bet others here would too! Best...TB

40 years ago I completed this model. It was a redo of a trashed AMT 1968 Mustang GT annual kit originally belonging to my brother Robert. It combined parts of the AMT follow-up Shelby GT 500 kit, with 1/1 scale Ford Dealer Parts Counter Glamour Paint and graphics from the Monogram "Bad Actor" kit. The MotorWheel "Spyder" kits came from one of the period MPC kits, probably one of their 1957 or 1960 Corvette kits. The engine was a full detail 428 Cobra Jet. If you look closely you'll see I did a circa 1969 funny car body chop - shortened A-pillars and a roof tilted downward to match, and I opened the rear quarter panel scoops. I remember running this model in one of my columns in the old "Popular Cars" magazine (Street Rodder magazine's McMullen Publishing version of Car Craft magazine). It was paired with a similar model from Ohio modeler and NNL Nats #1 original participant Bob "Subtle Chop" Bost. Bob's model was a super clean modification of the AMT Mustang Mach 1 Concept Car kit. Plenty more pix at the link....(see pix #37 to #48). Thanks for looking....TIM

Just a quick note to thank everyone who read this thread and especially those who commented. Regrettably, there is a widely held view (including some past Editors of some of our model mags) that model car builders have little interest in the history of our hobby. I've always strongly disagreed with that observation. Apparently at least 1,200 of you here agree with me by viewing this thread instead of that "widely held view". And that leads me to suggest that if you have the time, and haven't seen this before, take a look at my picture tour of the International Model Car Builder's Museum..... Here's one image of the Oakland Roadster Show diorama on display there...Thanks again....TIM

Of course I am in no position to comment on the interests of car and model enthusiasts just about half my age, but my "car guy" gene tells me that a kit that builds (with relatively minor mods) something that looks this cool would pass the appeal test no matter what the age of the observer. ( Or not...!) TB PS. More pix here...

Several years ago I had recommended to Round 2 that they search out the tool and reissue this kit. I recall the feedback at time, being, of course, non-committal. In any case, sure happy to see it back. Still one of MPC's best-ever efforts IMHO. TB

That's sure what they look like to me...TB

Actually,, it would start with 'Fever"....but keep in mind, this is only a guess on my part. Could be wrong., too...just sayin'....TB l

Very, very cool! Thx for the pix, Steve! TB

I would expect a hardtop version to follow probably about 9-12 months after the convertible if past timing by Round 2 of derivative kits using the "cloning" method is any example. Later on, I expect you may even see a third version using this tooling set, based on the hardtop body, but that one could follow a year or two after the hardtop (my guess only). TB

Thanks all for your comments and feedback....TIM

To add even more confusion....just noticed that on the end cap of the Rayson Craft kit box, there is an additional illustration of the same #22 racing boat on the box top, but from a bird's eye rear 3/4 view....and.....the driver is on the Left, not the right as on the box top illustrated here by Roger. Also, I looked at the instruction sheet for the Rayson Craft kit. It shows assembling the steering wheel on the left for both the ski and drag versions. Further looked at the subsequent Hull Raiser kit instruction sheet, again, driver on the left (these parts are shared across both the kits). Finally, took a look at the 1963 Revell 1/25th "Show and Go Drag Boat" kit (the predecessor kit before minor revisions for the 1971 Hemi Hydro kit). All the box art illustrations and the instruction sheet shows the driver on the left. Mystery resolved? Not even close, but just more indications of the fascinating history of our hobby, I guess. Best...TB

Finally had a few minutes to look at my reference library on ski and drag boats. Piled together it is nearly a foot high and includes 1960's magazines, two books, and lots of eBay.com "for sale" ads. (Yeah, this is a real area of interest at the Boyd ranch). Looking through it quickly, bottom line is from the late 1950's to the mid 1960's most drag racing and virtually all ski boats had the driver on the left. By the mid 1960's most drag/racing boats were starting to to move the driver to the center of the hull. Ski boats remained on the left. Interestingly, every single Rayson Craft boat pictured, both ski and drag, were either left or center, mostly left. (Which raises the question of why the driver is on the right on the Rayson Craft kit box top). A good example of the driver on the left in a racing application is a Ford Industrial Engines and Power Units ad dated April 1964 showing the FE powered "Orange Bowl Regatta" race-winning Rayson Craft with the driver on the left and what appears to be strapped down gas tanks in what would be the passenger seat area. I suspect one could still find this ad on the web in just a few minutes... So based on the references in my library, it seems the switch to drivers mostly on the right must have taken place beyond the time represented by these AMT and Revell kits, perhaps starting in the early to mid 1970's? BTW, here's a couple of my racing boat builds with the driver in the center... Best....TB

John...here you go. Thanks for your interest....TB https://public.fotki.com/funman1712/from-the-pages-of-y/from-the-pages-of-s/from-the-pages-of-s-1/

In case you all missed it in my prior post on the NNL Motor City....posted at this link are a few additional photos of the '65 and '68 GTO projects (as well as other upcoming Round 2 projects) as photographed at the Motor City NNL a few weeks back...TIM

Duplicate post; sorry...TB

Danno....thx for the comments and questions. Those pods were called "sponsons" if I am remembering correctly. They were typically found on drag racing boats, but not the ski boats. The idea was that they would help the hull rise above the water and sort of "capture" air beneath to mostly eliminate the friction of the water and be able to go faster. Worked a trick until something got unstable underneath and then....look out. I'm sure there are those reading this thread who can provide more details and add to or correct the above explanation. As for how the boat equipped with the sponsons got off the trailer...good question....perhaps it was "floated" off the trailer as suggested above...or perhaps more likely, there might have been a dedicated trailer with features accommodating clearance for the sponsons that AMT omitted from their single kit trailer. Best...TIM

Coming together oh so nicely!!! TB

I've been slowly going through my built models and posting them at my fotki site. In doing so, I had forgotten the level of detail I'd invested in this project. It dates back from 1984 or 1985, just after Monogram released their NASCAR kits. It might even have been built from one of the test shots Monogram sent me, and I recall it being the subject of a column in Popular Cars magazine (a Car Craft mag from the publishers of Street Rodder). I don't believe it has even been seen in color outside of my house until now.... Highlights include the really neat blown Boss 429 from the Monogram "Vandal" and "Vanbulance" custom van kits and a graphic layout from a series of 1/144th scale airline decals that I bought from the legendary San Antonio Hobby Shop (IIRC) near San Jose, CA back in the day. A few minor adaptations for the street included head and taillamps and a license plate. At the time my 1/1 scale rides were a 1983 Heritage T-Bird with the TRX package, followed by a 1984 T-Bird Turbo Coupe. As there was never a factory stock kit of either of these, this model was the closet I could get there in scale. And to think now I built it nearly 40 years ago...how time flies. Thanks for looking...TIM

Hi Chris....that's the way the kit came. Interesting observation, now I need to dig out all my old magazines with drag and ski boat articles and see what the norm was back in the 60's when this kit was first engineered.....thanks for asking. TIM

No insider info here, but I would bet there are many other potential kit cloning ideas that would rank higher than a reboot of the 1963 Rayson Craft kit. Apparently boat kits in 1/25th have never been particularly strong sales subjects, which is why there have been so few original tools built, and so few reissues over the ensuing decades. Not that I wouldn't love to see the Rayson Craft kit come back some day, but sadly my guess is it would never happen.... Good news, if there is any on this one, is that you can piece toether a Rayson Craft model by buying a glue bomb and restoring it by using some of the parts that were shared with the Kindsvater kit that is being reissued now. That's exactly how I built both of these IIRC.... TB

AMT has created 2 1/2 boat tools...#1 - the original 1960 Trophy Series 3 in 1 with stock, custom, and race versions, which has been reissued a number of times, #2 - the 1963 Rayson Craft Trophy Series kit, which sadly has never been reissued, and #2 1/2 - the 1968 "Hull Raiser" which was a major modification/update of the Rayson Craft kit with an all-new Kindsvater boat hull and the engine converted from an FE to a SOHC V-8, with reduced build options vs. the Rayson Craft. This later version included reissues with a 1968 Firebird custom-only tow vehicle in 1968, the original Aqua Rod with the Chevy Van around 1975, the Model King reissue with the MPC 1970 Bonneville convertible tow vehicle around 2005, and this updated Aqua Rod reissue in 2023. If I m recalling correctly, all these AMT boat kits were illustrated and discussed in my boat kit article in Model Cars mag around 2005 or so....TB

Some interesting comments on the Aqua Rod kit.... * The new, second graphic treatment is derived from the original c. 1975 or so AMT kit catalog announcement illustration of the kit. That graphic treatment never made the very abbreviated decal sheet that actually appeared in the original Aqua Rod kit. I suggested they look at adding the catalog graphic treatment for the decal sheet for this reissue and they actually did it! Bravo to John G, Steve G. and the Round 2 team. * In an article on 1/25th scale drag and ski boars in Model Cars mag about 15 or so years ago, I revealed that the boat hull was a dead ringer for the 1/1 scale Kindsvater boat of the mid to late 1960's. But it was never referenced as such until this new kit release, which actually confirms the Kindsvater connection (see the side panel art in the December Round 2 video). (Prior kit releases did not specify the brand of the boat hull). * In preparing for this release, John G. had all the gates opened in the boat tool to see what if any of the original 1963 Rayson Craft Trophy Series kit content might still be present. Answer - virtually nothing except the parts that carried over for the 1968 "Hull Raiser" kit and its subsequent combo kit releases. Don't know about you guys, but I am sure looking forward to this one....TIM

Further to James' point, to the best of my knowledge, Dave Metzner himself builds the Moebius box art models. Dave is a really, really busy man with all the Moebius projects he is currently overseeing, of which some underway are not known to most of the hobby yet. I am sure he invests the best amount of available time to build his box art models in combination with all the other responsibilities and activities that account for his time. Think of it this way - would you rather see that molding painted in, or know that the same amount of time was being invested in bringing the next Moebius car or truck replica tool to the market a little quicker or with a little more refinement? In that context, I think we can forgive a lack of painting in a window molding. That's my view, but I acknowledge that others will see this differently, and that is fine, too. TB