tim boyd

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

Looking at your pix again, the thought strikes me that it is not just your photographic and background treatments that make the wrecker look so real, it is the outcome of an excellent kit painted and assembled by one very, very talented model builder. Again, my congrats! TIM

Interesting thread. What most of the public does not understand is that much of the complexity in today's automobiles is driven by federal legislation, unelected bureaucrats (e.g. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), NGOs (non-governmental advocacy groups like the Insurance, the Environmental Lobby, occupant "safety" groups such as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) as well as advocacy even driven by individuals (e.g. the upcoming legislation that would require drunk driving ignition lock sensors on all new cars). Most of these are well-meaning on their own but add them all together and we are facing the resulting complexity issues that Bill mentions, as well as numerous knock-on effects. I could go on for miles on the detrimental impacts of this situation to the automotive driving public, but I will not bore you all here. But bottom line, rather than directly blaming only the automakers, we need to take a deeper. broader dive into what is causing these outcomes. Sigh....TB

This is really great news. The changes vs. the A/FX kit are more extensive than you might imagine. Moebius sent me a test shot a number of years ago that included a number of the B/FX parts and I was surprised at the differences. I'm sure Erik and the Moebius team will reveal the details appropriate, as they may (or probably) have changed or evolved to a vs. the original test shot status I observed. Yeah! TB

Justin and all....your comments above are also exactly what I hear from Jon and Melissa, owners of the Model Cave i Ypsilanti, Michigan, one of (if not the) top hobby stores in SE Michigan....TB

Peter....those are outstanding examples of what I am advocating here. The first two images of the wrecker....it looks completely real. Way to go, and thanks for posting these images...TIM

Interesting questions....I asked several of the same ones on another discussion board quite some time ago (maybe 20 years ago?) and soon rec'd a PM from someone i trusted, advising me not to pursue these questions in a public forum. And never found out any real info thereafter that I can recall now...TB t

One really interesting point that I don't believe has rec'd much comment one so for is the Model A "Banger" engine is this kit. it blows away any of the prior Model A/B engines in 1/24t/1/25th scale kits. And the hot rod banger parts in the two old school Revell Model As ('29 roadster/closed cab pickup and '31 Tudor/Woody/pseudo–Sedan Delivery) kits fit well enough to avoid any major bi-scale compatibility issues. I have a Banger hot rod under construction right now using the iCM engine....TB

Great discussion....I could probably comment on this subject for hours (including my time decades ago as a Ford zone rep allocating/selling wholesale to my dealers as referenced by Dan's experience) but i won't bore all of you with that. Thanks, Justin, for taking the time to compile and share this info with us, and the rest of you for your comments/reactions. Also good to see the Moebius '65 Nova Gasser so high on the list...IMHO one of the better, somewhat unsung kits of the last several years. Just fascinating...will be following this thread for sure. Cheers....TIM

Creating Scenic Backdrops That Make Your Model Cars and Trucks Look as Though They Are Real Today the subject for your consideration is setting up backdrops for model cars that you are photographing. I am not talking about dioramas, as those are permanent displays and involve a much greater degree of preparation and work. Instead, this is about arranging temporary settings behind the model you are photographing that make it look as though it is a real 1.1 scale car. Not only is this a fun and creative activity, but you may soon find that it can build a whole new level of enjoyment to our model car hobby. This is a story I've been wanting to share with modelers for decades now (see the image above showing folder of reference work I've been keeping on this subject over the years). I've approached every magazine Editor I've worked with for the last two decades about a feature story on this subject, and every single one has respectfully declined to run it. The general view I think could be summed up as a judgment that most model car magazine readers just aren't all that interested in an article about photographing their work in a semi-professional setting, and certainly not in a background that makes it look like a real car rather than a scale replica. In fairness to my Editorial colleagues, there was also some concern about the timeliness of the content, as some of the photographic scenes in the article date back as far as the 1980s. I trust these guys and accept their conclusion, but I also think that at least a few of you would still be interested in the subject and enjoy reading about it. So, I've posted the entire (unpublished) article at my Fotki site, and if the subject interests you I encourage you to check it out at this link. Use the "Roll View" feature to easily scroll through the images and read the photo captions/view the pix at your leisure (no password needed). Whether your resulting photography of model cars and trucks in a scenic background ends up as the lead image in a model magazine article (some of you may recognize the photo outtake below from an article in one of the early issues of Model Cars Magazine), or shared with your friends on your favorite social media site, or even just kept for your own personal use, I'm guessing you'll have a good deal of fun creating your own lifelike scenes - and isn't that what auto modeling is supposed to be about? Thanks for looking, and best wishes for a fantastic 2025 to you all and your families!

Last time I visited the Gilmore Museum near Kalamazoo, MI, there was an entire showroom setup for Model As, including extensive displays on factory color and trim selections (of which there were many). If you are building the ICM or Monogram Model A kit in factory stock form and live near or are traveling in SW Michigan, recommend you check it out....TB

Believe it or not, a 1967 Mustang notchback was under consideration as a possible all-new tool by one of the model companies about 8 or so years ago. Obviously, it never made the final cut. Do not know why for sure but probably related to financial considerations (money available for new tooling, headcount needed to deliver the total plan, etc., etc). TB

Seems to me like an unlikely candidate for a kit cloning. But with Round 2 these days, "never say never" seems to be the operative word. So.....my view would be ...."hold that thought...". As always, I guess, time will tell....TB

Lee....thanks very much for the outstanding and comprehensive kit history on the AMT 1/43rd Peterbilts. Like some of you, I was also unaware of the Heller reissues. For those who want even more on this series of kit, a few years ago I did a full-page article on the T-785 release in my "Classic Kits" column that appears on the back page of the general interest modeling magazine that sometimes includes model car/truck content in addition to military/planes/ships/sci-fi et al. The column included the "inside info" on how AMT decided to do the 1/43rd kits, as well as the details of the Holmes Twin Boom Wrecker which was in part a response by AMT to the widespread disappointment over their earlier 1/25th scale Peterbilt with a much-simplified wrecker body. Let me know if any of you need the specific issue info and I'll look it up. Thanks again, Lee. TIM

Hi Michael....it was featured on the cover of the August/September 2014 (#188) and October 2014 (#189) issues of Model Cars Magazine. The trailer was the Revell "Race Car Tranporter"k kit; the same trailer was also in a Combo Kit with the Old Monogram Chevy Van. I cut up sheet styrene and used some parts box pieces to make the side panels and tire carrier, patterned to match (but on a smaller size) the AMT LN kit transporter body. Details of the trailer are in part 2 of the article. Hope that helps...TIM

The Stranger Things Blazer, to my understanding, is complete and ready for distribution. Apparently, a sample has been provided to at least one source that does kit reviews (this info is not directly from Revell, just so we are clear, so take it as secondhand info rather than gospel....). TB

MW....I did a two-part How-To article here in Model Cars Mag on a Ford C-800 race car transporter and trailer kitbash about ten years ago. It was a mashup of the AMT C-800, AMT LN Transporter, aftermarket repo of the Ford factory C-series sleeper, and a Monogram Race Car Trailer. It turned out to be more complicated than I had envisioned, but I was pleased with the results. Here's a picture or two of the completed project. Let me know if you need me to look up the specific issues for the article in case you want to track the issues down as an assist for your project. And....good luck! Very best....TIM