tim boyd

I believe the LongNose Mustang was inspired in part by this car that won the Car Model Magazine 1967 All American Funny Car Contest. This model was very influential in the model car world at the time. Its appearance fits the timeline for the development of the AMT longnose kit very nicely. In the aforementioned book I included several photos of the kit including one of it in the 1/10th scale wood master form. One picture that I received from John Mueller for the book, but did not end up using, shows Gene Winfield, who was running AMT's 1/1 scale shop in Phoenix at the time, lifting the body on the 1/10h scale wood master. TB

Those with a further interest in the original AMT kit may want to check out more on the subject in the book on Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits.....TB.

Daniel....any time I see a drag racing themed project frame set up on a piece of balsa wood with pins, I get really excited! Very inspiring work, and great that you are sharing it with us step by step. Also, I've always viewed that AMT Piranha kit as having, in total, one of the most detailed and accurate early Hemi engines in a 1/25th scale box, especially when considering that the tool itself is now 55 (!) years old. Glad to see you have found worthwhile engine parts there, as well as in the Miss Deal kit. Excellent progress and best wished bringing this one home. TIM

Looking really, really good Ron! Bes wishes on the final assembly....TIM

DING DING DING on the person I visited, but no on the guesses. The proposed kit topic was far more esoteric (in my view, and I suspect Dennis would agree) than even those you list above. Good guesses, though, Paul. Best...TB

That guy was me, and yes, you recalled it correctly re the faux re-boxing during the Racing Champions/Learning Curve era of the '66 AMT kit as the MPC 1969. I believe I also noted (without looking it up again) that the AMT 'cuda kit was actually a dead-nuts replica of the Tom McEwen 1965 'cuda match race car (other than the switch to the '66 body), not the real Hemi Under Glass. Best....TIM

Thanks to all for looking at this one, and for the comments above. Cheers.....Tim

Yeah!!!! TB

Hi Chris. It was first released around 1966 as a "statement" by the AMT team of their kit design abilities. This was in the context of Monogram's 1/8th scale kit series, etc,. that had been released over the prior couple of years. I've heard no indications it was to be the first of series of 1/12th scale kits., though. The kit was extremely complex, with many working features. The box art was a highlight of kit IMHO. I recieved one as a birthday at age 12 (IIRC); one look at the extensive assembly manual and I thought "no way". I still think that today. Those that attempted it reportedly found it to be a frustrating build. It was reissued once (possibly more) in the 1980's/90's by AMT Ertl, after some supposed efforts to address the assembly issues. I don't believe it sold particularly well during either production run. I expect that the tooling still exists, but I doubt we will see another production run any time soon. I featured the original version of this kit in my "Classic Kits" series in Scale Auto. It was one of the earlier columns, probably in the early 2010's if you have a library of that mag title, it might be worth looking up for a bit more background on the kit. Hope that helps a bit....TIM

John...thanks for the reminder....I couldn't recall the displacement for sure. It's a 331 to the best of my understanding....TIM .

Based on what i have been told, It sounds like Atlantis does not want to break out old Parts Pack engine parts that later migrated to a full kit offering. Accordingly, I was a little surprised to hear the Early Hemi was going to be in this kit. I don't have one myself yet, but the Caddy engine sounds like a more likely outcome. BTW, that Caddy engine is really nicely done on its own, but for the ultimate, use the Monogram '59 Caddy engine block and basics with the chrome and hot rod parts from the Parts Pack. BTW that Hemi, currently in the Miss Deal tool, is unique among kit offerings in that it is the earlier 1950's version of the Hemi, with a smaller displacement and extended block behind the main engine block casting. Best...TB

Chris....it is so off the wall I wasn't even aware the real car existed....which is probably why the kit never progressed beyond the blueprint layout stage....TB

What Chuck said. Corvette and Mustang with stand-alone full detail engine componentry too, pretty please. TB

I just found two images of the engine for the 1966 Monaco 500 Hemi Fastback car, before it was installed in the body....note the factory paint overspray on the exhaust manifolds and the battery negative ground cable attached to the engine....as well as the factory-correct routing of the fuel lines. And...as installed in the engine compartment.... Thanks again for your interest and your comments.....TIM

Just wow...today I visited with a very long time (45 years...) friend and very well-known model car builder and historian, who had recently relocated within a few hours of where I live. He showed me something I had never seen or heard of until now...a blueprint of a one=page exploded view concept blueprint for an addition to AMT's Trophy Series kit lineup that apparently never made it beyond this point of development. I tried to take some pictures of the blueprint but it was far from optimal conditions for photography. That, and my present project moving my business office means it will be a few days before I am able to download the photos and see if/how they turned out. Under any circumstance, though I will post more details and possibly a few images as a separate (new) topic in this part of the forum. Best....TIM

Keith....mine was Medium Red Glow metallic with a black vinyl roof and the medium red velour...what was yours? TB

Yep Tim....I plead guilty. Yours' and Paul's project have some really cool parallels and contrasts. Can't wait to see them both take shape. TIM

Most excellent, Steve. I think I have those very colors (from MCW) in my paint stash. Pristine, neat, and very inspiring, I have to say. , Best...TIM

Guys...given the interest some of you have expressed in my prior Chrysler 1960's C-Body models, I am going to go ahead and post the last two in my built model collection The first is this Jo-Han 1963 Chrysler 300 restoration. I started this in the very early 1980's from a store-bought buildup that, if I am remembering correctly, was originally painted fluorescent pink. I took photos of the restoration process, and it eventually became an article published in (IIRC) SAE in the early 1990's. . It was built box stock except for the AMT mags from an "I don't recall" 1AMT annual kit (perhaps their original 1970 Monte Carlo annual kit?). They were paired with the Revell tC3 Corvette and Shelby Cobra road racer kits Goodyear bigs'n'biggers (eventually found in many of Revell's street rod kits). They were mounted in the chassis' "lowered" axle holes for a nice/moderate ground hugging stance. . At the time it was near-impossible to get era-correct specific paint colors, so I painted in with a 1980 Chrysler Cordoba off-white paired with a flat burgundy/maroon interior. Bare-Meal Foil was employed as well. Ever since I was a kid I've always liked the 1963 Chrysler design. It was, admittedly, a bit of an odd duck at the time. However, this one should be credited to Exner, not Engel, as the latter was not on the job long enough to have designed this one from scratch given all his other higher priority work (like fixing the '63 Plymouth and Dodge B-bodies to the extent possible given the late date.) More recent auto historians, or at least some of them, have also taken this view. Anyway, here's the model.... Thanks for checking this out....TIM

Thanks for the added insights here, Chris. Really interesting! I have a Metalflake kit somewhere, guess I need to drag i out and check out the changes. As for your build thread, my kit had a broken windshield very similar to yours, too. Did you ever finish your own project? Best....TIM

Heh Alan....thanks for the comment. I know Dave, wherever he might be these days, would be pleased to hear that he is still inspiring modelers with his works of automotive art....Best....TIM

Paul....not sure how I missed this thread up to now, but I will be following it with great interest from this point forward. Great concept, and I really like your idea of starting with an old military boat model rather than working from scratch which is pretty much my take after looking at a few Dumas boat kits i bought a few years back. Also, very interested in your Power Wagon as that is a topic I would have sure liked to have seen as a model kit. Also of interest, another one of the top-end builders who posts on this forum from time to time has just embarked on a very impressive big boat/trailer/tow vehicle project. I won't name him as he has given me no indication, he wants to go public just yet, but his ideas are very creative and i think his project would be a great compliment and comparison to yours if it takes off. Best wishes for your project and congrats on your progress to date! TIM

Ron...I've been checking that one out and really like what you've done.....but thanks for the heads-up. I was thinking that there had been a gap in your building and was very excited to know you are back at it! TIM

Thanks for posting, Steve. I remember seeing this one elsewhere recently and being very impressed. Chopped top, really tasty fadeaways, and really nicely done! TIM

Thanks all for the comments. Glad you liked the color I do agree that the color worked surprisingly well given the body design and ornamentation back in the day. Having watched paint color trends over the years in my 1/1 scale career, I think I can say with a great deal of certainty that a color like Dubonnet Metallic, if offered in today's marketplace, would be Dead on Arrival. Kinda sad, but true...TIM