tim boyd

I respectfully disagree with you on this. Neither one is perfect, but for a hot rod application, I much prefer the new kit execution. And there are 1/1 ''30 A 5W's out there with the roof configuration that is in the kit, albeit that roof is not correct to the original as you correctly note....TIM

X2!!! Way to go....TIM

Jim....here's a link to the text for a story I did for "World of Rods" magazine on the "Top 50 Hot Rod Kits of the Last 50 years". Explanation for Top 50 Hot Rod Kits of Last 50 Years album | Funman1712 | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy. I picked the best kits from each decade as finalist, and then at the end picked one best kit from each decade, and the overall winners (spoiler alert....a tie.) Supporting rationale included. Scroll through the pages to see the specific info... The list dates from 2006 so it needs to be updated for the last 15 years - and if forced to choose, I would knock out the Monogram 1940 Ford Convertible kit to make room for the Revell Model A Five Window Coupe hot rod kit in the overall "Top 5". Contrary views welcome... TIM

I finally pulled my kit out yesterday for a look. The non-plated styrene parts were sealed and didn't want to break that seal, but I was able to see that the seat unit included engraved upholstery panels that extended into the canopy area on either side of the driver, instead of stopping at the upper frame rail as on most AA/FD rails. I don't have a picture of the 1/1, but my conjecture is that the roll bar would have been partially concealed by the upholstery, thereby explaining why there was not a roll bar part in the kit itself. The applicable parts are shown in the instructions if someone wants to post those images.... Plus, as Mark said, MPC didn't always sweat the details on their drag racing kits.... Still, I am very much looking forward to this reissue, warts and all! Cheers...TIM

Major update - at a very recent IPMS event Revell had a new product display that included a poster showing an updated execution of their 1930 Model A Five Window Hot Rod Coupe kit. It showed an all-new box art top with an illustration rather than a picture of the built model, and also showed an all-new decal sheet with several scallop designs and black/white checkered firewall treatments for both the highboy and channeled build versions. The box art also showed the Buick Nailhead engines replacing the SBC's in the first kit issue, as was expected. The last time I had checked with my Revell contact,- about three months ago - I was told there was not a specific production date yet for the kit reissue. Upon hearing the above news, I again rec-ontacted my source and was advised that the poster box art illustration and new decal sheets are indeed legit, and that the kit reissue is expected to run sometime later this year, possibly as early as late summer (but I would expect somewhat later in the year). Needless to say, this is great news for all of us hot rod model builders, as this kit is easily among the top 5 hot rod kits ever released (at least it is in my opinion), and the very short production run of the first issue prevented many, if not most, interested hobbyists from buying the kit at that time. If I hear any further updates, including a firm production date, I will advise here. Best regards....TIM PS _ I did not post any images as I do not have the copyright permission for those images. But you should be able to find them on the web easily enough, including a thread on lack of Revelll new kit news iin the "modle car kits" section of this forum....TB

Got me....you are correct! Will correct my post right away....thanks Kerry for the reminder. One interesting factoid about that 6x2 setup...the original concept drawings for the kit, as designed by John Mueller, showed three vinyl balance tubes running from the right side to the left side intake manifolds under the carbs, just like you see on some 1/1 scale versions of this intake setup. Those were pipped somewhere between concept and final tooling, but this detail was indicative of the care that went into designing the Nailhead engine for the modern Revell Model A tooling.... Cheers...TIM

No....the blower is exclusive to the SBC engine tooling/sprues, so it is in the second release of the '29A Roadster. The second release of the '30A Coupe, as depicted above, is supposed to be the Buick Nailhead with (corrected) 6-2 barrel carb and fuel injection induction setups. The fuel injection should include the separately molded fuel block and fuel lines running to each of the injectors - a pretty cool piece of kit engineering/detail. You will still be able to swap engines between the two kits, so the blown SBC from the '29A Roadster second issue can go in the new '30A Coupe second issue without further mods.... TIM

What James said. Decals are also updated per the images posted above. Other than those engine and decal sheet changes, should be identical to the original release.....TIM

IMPORTANT UPDATE - I've been told by a trusted source that the '30A box art is legit. It was just shown at an IPMS event by a representative for Revell. Firm release date unknown....participants at the show were told possibly mid-summer, personally I would plan for sometime later. Will let you know if/when I hear a firm release date. TIM <

Boy Chuck....that Panther Pink Charger R/T just sings! Way to go....TIM

Most interesting. When I last checked about three months ago, there was no definitive info on a reissue of the '30A Coupe kit. I'm checking with sources there to see if this has changed. The fresh box art above is certainly a very promising sign - either that or an exceptionally well done fake! TIM

And I'll dig out my kit and see.....TIM

Kit....thanks for the additional background on the KR logo and your building alliance with Rodney. What a cool, cool legacy you guys are leaving for the hobby.... And it is more gratifying than one could possibly imagine to hear that I have contributed that kind of influence to the world of model car hobbyists. Kudos to you and Rodney for building on that yourselves.... All the very best....TIM

Couple of fresh pictures with a load of - what could be more appropriate for a 1970's tribute - Beer Kegs. These are from the Monogram Beer Wagon kit. The bed rail across the back is a press fit so I can leave in it place, or remove it, depending on the scene. Thanks for looking....TIM

Alan.....One of the most popular events these days at the GoodGuys shows here in the States are the "AutoCross" driving events. Even to the point where they now have 7 or 8 different classes of competition, and a national circuit of regional qualifiers leading to an annual runoff in Phoenix in November....TIM

Guys....other than badging, the 1971 GTX and Satellite Sebring Plus bucket seats and interior door panels were identical. The GTX used the round rallye gauges instrument panel as standard equipment, however. The earlier picture brochure orange/black interior image posted above was the Road Runner interior, which was not as plush as the GTX interior. Having said that, I am not even remotely expert on the cars in that TV series, and as we've learned since, often those cars were modified to various degrees from factory stock. However, the dark TV picture/image showing the driver's side door panel is likely the GTX/Satellite Sebring Plus door panel, not the Road Runner. Good luck with the project....sounds like a cool idea! TIM

PIcked up my copy of "Building Muscle Cars, Restomods, and Pro Touring" from Pasteiner's in B'Ham, Michigan, today. We can now toss all the prior speculation aside. Here's the actual story: * 98 pages of full color, only ads are on inside front cover and back cover. Other than three pages (table of contents and introductions), the rest is pure car and truck modeling. * Content is all-new; no reprints or updates of prior SA articles * Contributors include Claude Thibodeau, Marcos Cruz, Bob Downie, Mark Jones, Jeff Bloomhuff, Tom Valenta, and myself * Price is $13.99 and it is to appear on newsstands until July 26 of this year. Out of deference to our website hosts I will not list the contents or any further details; if it sounds interesting, recommend you check it out at your favorite hobby store or book seller. TIM

As Alan says, and as covered in my book, the MPC Galloping Ghost kit was a spinoff of the original MPC Ramchargers kit. The contents of most of the two kits were identical except for the body panels and livery. Also as covered in the book, MPC played fast and loose with drag racing replica kits and liveries. That including using last year's drag racing lettering/paint schemes on their decal sheets and (occasionally) box art for their following year's annual kits. Most kit buyers didn't catch on back in the day but us drag racing rock dogs knew many MPC Drag Racing kits were incorrect to various degrees. TIM

For as long as there have been NNLs, photographers (err....that would include me) have been taking pictures of the models there and then (oops, that would be me again) submitting then them to published sources without expressly asking permission from the builder. The same thing occurs countless times each year at 1/1scale automotive events. However, in such instances, if the photo appeared in an article that did not directly involve covering that specific event, I always tried (and continue to try when possible) to add a sentence such as "Steve's superb replica stock model was photographed at the NNL South"...or in this instance, it would have read "was submitted as an entry in the ACME Virtual Southern Nationals...)." ********* On a related subject, I have long admired Replica Stock model building, and if you have read any of Steve's build threads, you can't help but conclude Steve is setting new levels of innovation and build quality/accuracy in the realm of replicas stock models. His recognition in printed magazines is long overdue, and welcomed by myself and (reading this thread) many others in the model car hobby. Way to go, Steve? TIM

Yes, and development work is underway on an all-new 1971 Boss 351 it at this time. My guess (entirely my own supposition, no insider info here) would be it will hit the market some time next year. At least one additional variant is also likely to appear somewhat later....TIM

Bill....I did Z the frame at the back....basically via a sheet styrene extension to each of the frame rails. As for the engine....it was a modern-day Ford banger, from the Tamiya Super Seven kit of the mid 1980's....hey, fuel economy was a big thing with rod builders back then. Not my cup of tea (Ford V8's for me), but semi-relevant for the time....also looked pretty cool, or so I thought....Best....TIM

This was my adaptation of the Revell Buttera series frame/suspension et al to the Revell 1929 Roadster Pickup body/fenders....its a natural once you handle the wheelbase extension....TIM

John....some really, really fine workmanship on display here....congrats! TIM

Thank you Gerald...TIM

Thanks for the kind words, Kit. Over the years I have had a number of modelers approach me and ask about a book that reprints all those Street Rodder Modeler's Corner columns. Before Covid hit, I had conducted very preliminary, exploratory talks with two publishers who have used my work in the past....one was interested in talking further. The Covid debacle pretty much took the interested publisher out of the picture, and I have yet to figure out the intellectual property issues (the original intellectual property owner, McMullen-Yee Publishing, went through at least five or six subsequent ownership changes and now to my understanding is basically a video company that also publishes three mags; yet apparently has a reputation with some publishers as being extremely difficult to deal with on these types of issues). Nevertheless, I have been re-reading the entire Modeler's Corner column catalog (just over 200 monthly issues) and noting my favorites (which quickly became a three page list in small writing, and not done yet). As for the Scale Auto work, that one is pretty easy for anyone that has the two history of Scale Auto CD;s that recap most of the history of that mag. You can do an author search and punch up the article titles, and easily go from there (though the most recent 5 year CD is not as easily searchable IIRC). Not to mention I and other authors have also done many articles on hot rod modeling for Model Cars over the history of this title. In some ways these might be the more relevant articles for hot rod model builders. All this is getting around to the thought that maybe your idea - which I think you are suggesting - would be a topic list of relevant hot rod model car articles from the history of the hobby that could be run here as a continuing (bookmarked?) feature. Many projects on the plate here but let me add that idea to the list and let it percolate a bit. TIM PS -to all readers of this thread, there is a new article on "extreme Z'ing" Model A chassis - and all the other changes you have to make to a model when doing this - in the May 2021 issue of Fine Scale which is available now. Might be worth a look if the topic interests you...between that and Kit's new cover story article in the latest issue of Model Cars....hot rod modelers should have plenty of fresh reading material and kitbashing inspiration! TB