tim boyd

I think that at least some of you are familiar with my series of entries and winners in the 1970-72 series of the MPC National Customizing Contest that ran from 1969-1979. While my winning entries those early years were all funny cars (and later on from 1975-79, customs and street rods), I started but failed to complete several other non-funny car drag racing themed cars for the 1970 and 71 series. These are two of them... #10 - 1970 Dodge Challenger AA/G. This one combined the body of a 1970 MPC Challenger Annual Kit with much of the chassis of the second MPC Mustang Malco Gasser kit, the 1969 Mustang version, that I won at the fall 1969 MPC Flint Michigan contest as a prize for my first-place senior win there. The front end was changed to a one-piece lift-off design, while the Hemi was based on the MPC Challenger kit engine block. The project was probably 1/3rd finished and remained that way until I dug it out and completed the project during 1987-88 when I lived in Atlanta. The paint is Testors Candy Blue over Gold, and you can see I simulated blue anodizing on some of the engine parts with that same Candy Blue over silver finished with Dull Cote. #11 - 1971 Dodge Challenger Pro-Stock. Like many of you old timers (me included), I was inspired by Hank Borger's "Angry Man" 1970 Maverick Pro-Stock project featured on the cover of Car Model magazine that year. I used my original issue 1971 MPC Challenger annual kit to begin a similar project, planned to compete in the 2nd half of the 1971 MPC Contest series. I got as far as bashing the hood scoop, adding hand-made rear spoilers, painted the body Testors Gloss Black, while doing scratchbuilt /kitbashed front and rear suspensions, respectively, and adding the "Plum Crazy' side graphics from the decal sheet in that earlier MPC 1970 Challenger kit used as the basis of #10 above. Just about then, the new tunnel ram intakes, Holley 4500s, and dual plug rocker covers debuted in 1/1 scale, and I didn't have the time or spirit to go after scratching those. Then a few months later, the Jo-Han Sox and Martin 'cuda kit came out, pretty much making my project hopelessly dated. I buttoned up the still engineless model and put it in the display case, where it remained for the next 53 (!) years until I dug it out just about a year ago with intentions to build the engine and finish the car. I did get it done, but it turned out to be a lot more complicated than I planned. You may read about this project update in one of the model mags over the next year, so I am showing pix here of the project in its 1971-2024 form, prior to the update. Here are a few pix of both projects; if you want to see the full details, check out my "Drag Racing Door Slammers" and "Gassers" albums at this link of my fotki site and here as well . Thanks in advance for looking! TIM

Missed this one when you first posted it, Steve. Really sharp and very creative. And glad you found my old kit review to be of value. Very best...TIM

Bill...glad to have helped out...Cheers...TIM

Just spoke to Norm a couple of days ago. To date he has not received any orders for these wheels. If you are seriously considering a project that might include them or want to have a set in your kit parts inventory "just in case", I recommend you send him an order. Just my 2 cents...TB

Smile...I've had several including a new S650 like you I dare anyone to stand next to one idling with the four-stage exhaust set to sport or track (i.e. very loud or extremely loud) and not break out into a grin. Not to mention once someone gets into the passenger, or even better, driver's seat and pulls away from the curb. Lame and boring? Ummm, sorry, don't think so. TB

To Justin's point, this is an original issue 100% box stock build of the Grant King kit, which was the first of the series to be released c.1976....

Thanks, James, for weighing in with your knowledge on this subject. Sure hope you are right! Cheers....TIM

You can, and I will join you. I am not too familiar with Revell Germany's "Easy Click" system kits, but unless someone here knows better (and I'm sure you do), I thought the easy click kits are all curbsides. So my presumption is that this one will be too. If so, this is really disappointing on several levels. It tells us that there are not enough modelers out there, at least in Revell Germany's view, who care about full detail model kits, that it becomes a questionable business decision to make the investment for a full detail kit. After all, they would say, the Asian kitmakers get away without full detail engines and compartments and those kits sell ok, why should we go the extra mile? Second, so much of the thrill of the S650 Mustang is central to the engine and the way it affects the entire driving experience, one that you want to recreate in scale with the full under hood building experience. Third, as Revell Germany is doing this as a snap kit, it makes a full detail S650 kit from one of the other manufacturers much less likely. (I was told, sometime back, that Round 2 was seriously considering a full detail S550 but killed it when the Revell toy version was announced). I understand and acknowledge that many of you disagree with my view that some model subjects deserve a full detail engine, full stop. You are entitled to your point of view, as I am to mine. I guess I hold out some hope that Revell Germany, who has made some pretty killer kit decisions and kit executions as of late, will either find a way to include the engine bits in the easy click format for this Mustang GT, or else will follow down the road with a full detail kit of the GT, DarkHorse, or GTD. Or wouldn't it be ironic if one of the Asians, like Tamiya, one-upped Revell with a truly full detail S650 kit (and by full detail, I mean a separate, stand alone, fully detailed engine and transmission assembly, NOT a 2D visual representation of same)? Rant over. But I don't feel any better. TB (PS - I have also been told that part of the issue with full detail kits these days is that the auto manufacturers are not able to or are unwilling to provide the underhood digital data in a usable form to the kitmakers. That means that kitmakers must research these details separately on their own, which adds time and expense to the project, and is one of the reasons that there is now typically a 2 or more year delay between when a new 1/1 scale product debuts and when we finally see a scale replica. This too, is unfortunate on many terms.

My firs car was a 1969 Chrysler Town and Country...it was my dad's car; he had bought it on the spur of the moment as his factory ordered 1965 Dodge Custom 880 wagon had an engine problem and was right on the verge of going over the 50k warranty mileage limit. He was determined to get Mopar to fix the engine before the warranty expired, which did eventually happen. I had just turned driving age and got my license in April, 1970. Once the Custom 880 was running right again, he returned to driving that car, which then let me take over the T&C when it was less than a year old (I was the oldest child, and my mom did not drive). It was F8 Dark Jade Metallic, a 383 2bbl with the 3 in 1 reclining passenger seat and a fully carpeted cargo compartment. It was a great car to have in high school...so many stories. It was eventually traded in on a new 1973 Silver Frost Metallic "Space Duster" 340 which was my first new car. Dad's T&C was just like this one from Bring a Trailer other than the F8 paint. TB

Oooooo.....ahhhh......sweet! TB

Hi al... Just a quick single image of the beginning of a planned Model A project built in a post WW-II hot rod format. Future Plans include a body derived from the Round 2 "Mod Rod" kit, a banger four from the new ICM '30 Ford Phaeton kit, and the following wheels and tires. The wheels are from Norm Veber at Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland; they are rebops of a perfectly molded original issue part from the AMT Trophy Series '36 Ford kit. As we've discussed on the Forum here in the past, most of those wheels in the early AMT 1936 Ford kits were molded with flaws in the holes along the outside of the rim, and AMT soon changed the tool to mold these holes filled. I found a rare perfect wheel from the parts box collection of the late Chuck Helppie (1977 MPC National Champion and co-founder of the NNL movement) and I sent it to Norm for his lineup, and they are now available for order from him. Here's what they look like properly painted and detailed... Thanks for looking...TIM

Chris...really well done. Thx for sharing...TIM

All....been away from this thread for a while and returned today to see a whole bunch of really great work from all of you. It is really inspiring to see each of you face your build challenges and you stretch for creativity and realism and eventually prevail. For my 2 cents, I would encourage all to persist and bring your projects to completion, even those that aren't turning out quite the way you envisioned. An imperfect but completed model project is always better - at least to me - than a pile of partially completed arts sitting in a box never to see the light of day again. In all, what a great body of work! Big congratulations to you all! TIM l

Sure hope you're right about that, Ken! Cheers....TIM

Luc,,,yes it was a how-to, I think it appeared around 2010 to 2012 or so. The actual kit debut, which was thought to be just around the corner at the time the article ran in the mag, was delayed and didn't come to market until well after the article ran....TB

Yes, great kitbashing props. Here's a Gasser-flavored build of a test shot of the coupe version....TB

Actually, depending on the particular color, those old Testors cans did some pretty amazing work. Along the way (I'm thinking around 1990 or so), some of the formulas became far less user friendlly. I am presuming (without confirmation) this was the result of EPA regulations on what was considered to be harmful substances in the paint). And regardless of the year, those Testors Candy Colors were notorious for delivering inconsistent results (some very good, others very not good!) The original Testors spray Gloss Black? Good enough, amazingly, to deliver a Best of Show winning paint at a 1970s Regional MPC Contest and a top ten award in the 1979 MPC National Championship. Post-1990....my experience is that this color was extremely troublesome. Anyone else experience this? TB

To expand on Casey's comments, the fit on many of the major assemblies due to the tabs, slots, and alignment features, is so precise that they could be assembled without glue and stay in place. Having recently built the newly tooled kit alongside the original 1963 annual kit, the differences and improvements in the assembly process really are stunning. TB

Also...there is a build of the 1988 and later version of the '69 'cuda in the current issue of Model Cars magazine. That article also includes a fairly detailed history of his kit tool, tracing its origins as the the AMT 1965 Barracuda annual kit all the way to the latest Round 2 MPC 1969 'cuda reissue from 2024. Those following this thread might want to check that out. TB

The latest 1/25th scale Revell AAR kit, along with the AMT/Ertl 1971 Duster 340, are your best sources for the 340 engine you want. I have read that some feel the AMT/Erl engine is a tad undersized, but I have never noted that. This is the Revell AAR based 340, kitbashed (IIRC) with a Fireball carb. The body on this model was also tweaked in several ways to present a more accurate representation of the 1/1 scale, in this case, a 1970 'cuda B5 Bllue with the 340 4 bbl. engine. IIRC, those body mods were covered in the "Muscle Cars, Pro Touring, and Resto Mods" one-off magazine from Kalmbach back in 2020...I'm pretty sure they still have copies at their website. This is the Revel 1/25th AAR built box stock, with much less extensive mods to the Revell body that are more easily accomplished by less skilled builders.... Finally, this is a representation of the E58 360 Wedge that was in my own factory ordered 1/1 1974 Road Runner. (The 340 and 360 E58 (Hi-Po) looked the same from the outside except for paint colors, pie pan graphic, and a revised air cleaner snorkel). This kitbash was also in the aforementioned Kalmbach one-off magazine special. Note that this engine also includes the factory cruise control (yes, I ordered that on my 1/1). Note that on this one the bypass from the thermostat to the water pump was left unpainted, while those were painted engine color on the other two models. I've seen 340/E58 360 restorations both ways. Alas, I don't recall which my own E58 was done. Also of note, most E58s in 1974 had orange air cleaners, while a few, including mine, were black. My car was a very early build (ordered early October 1973 and delivered to me early December 1973), so perhaps the color change took place later in the model year, but I don't believe that has ever been confirmed. /// You can see more of all three of these cars at the following links: Mopar A & E Body Portfolio album | Funman1712 | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy. Mopar B-Body Portfolio album | Funman1712 | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy. Hope that helps a bit....TB

This one has been in the works for some time now; glad to hear it is now official from Erik. In addition to very big kudos due to Erik and the Mobius team, others include the Gary Schmidt estate (especially Gary's widow Linda, so I have been told by others), Matt from Spotlight Hobbies if I am remembering correctly and possibly/probably others as well. My understanding (primarily from third parties) is that there were a lot of moving parts on this one, and it is a credit to all involved that the tooling has been secured and will be produced again. Sure hope we make it worth their efforts when the kits become available again. Yeah! tB

Tom that is one impressive piece of work. That image showing what's under the tilt cab shows tremendous detailing efforts, too. Very, very nice! TIM

I hate to take the bait here, but I can't help myself. I defy anyone to take a ride, or better yet, drive a 2024-25 S650 Mustang GT manual and then say that it is boring. In fact, it is the complete antithesis of boring. Now I realize this comment may apply more to Mustangs as subject for model kits, and while the evidence would suggest most modelers like and buy Mustang kits, each and every one is entitled to their own perspective on this topic.... Cheers...TB

That is some very sharp work. Big congrats! TB

Thanks to all who looked at this post, and especially to those that went to the photo album at the link in the first post above to read the details and ideas. I hope you all find challenge and enjoyment from trying out these techniques and always feel free to share the results here at the MCM Forum! Cheers....tim