Casey

Hmmm, lots of clean up work ahead of you with all of that flash. Make sure you test fit the engine inside the engine compartment before you get too far., to ensure the timing belt cover clears the underside of the hood.

Here are some pics of a Buick 300 V8 for reference. Note the Nailhead-like appearance due to the top angle if the valve covers, and as @Mark mentioned, the front mounted distributor-- the biggest tell that this is a small block Buick:

Admittedly, I'm far from an expert on panel truck proportions, but the kits do seem a bit bloated in a few areas. On the plus side, the American Racing Torq Thrust wheels found in the '70s issue pickup versions (and the orange 1/24 Monogram '69 Camaro kit) are superb, and perfect for use on any other 1/24 kit on which you can fit the matching staggered Goodyear Rally GT tires.

Good to see the IMC-designed Armstrong tires are still included. They are one of the few '60s era light truck (-ish, not saying they are perfect) tires found in kits, though they'd probably be too small for a full size pickup. Regarding the excessive flash on many of the parts, this kit is an old Industro Motive Corporation (IMC, doubtful most under the age of 40 have even heard of it), and it has been run plenty of times, probably at least a dozen within the last twenty years. Not gonna go the "we should just be thankful it's still available!" route, but, it's a unique subject and still builds up fairly well, despite a few warts. As mentioned earlier in this topic, a Slant Six from one of the Lindberg '64 Mopars would really drive home the work truck-level vibe, especially with some era appropriate Ma Bell logos and stripes, and a toolbox or two in the bed.

The 1/25 Revell Cadillac Lowrider kit contains a nice Chevy-pattern TH400 with a separate, chrome plated pan. As mentioned above, for a 1/25 scale Buick-Olds-Pontiac pattern TH400, the Revell '72 Cutlass (and its newer variants) is the best choice IMHO.

You will need to separate the inner fender structure from the cab, but this should be what you need. PM me your shipping address if so, please:

Probably Harts Parts?: https://hartspartsresin.com/product-category/conversions/

They'd be yellow if they were from the '80s reissue @Keef showed above, or red if from the '72 MPC Roadrunner kit:

The other way around-- the 225 Buick V6 was based upon the '61-'63 215 design. The Buick 300 is very similar in appearance to the 215, but has a slightly taller deck height to match the longer stroke. The 3D printed 215 mentioned somewhere here would be close enough for most, provided that is what was actually used in the ZZR? There doesn't seem to be a reliable source regarding exactly which engines were used. I just didn't want anyone seeking out an original engine(s) and being disappointed once they see it in the flesh-- it's pretty bad.

I wouldn't look too hard for an original ZZR engine if you're looking...not terribly impressive:

Not to mention tooling up all new front skinnies and rear slicks, which are a HUGE upgrade over the old hollow Revell rear slicks. AND Atlantis offers the the tires separately. Very appreciative of that. 🙂 @Dave Van, did Atlantis have to create all-new clear parts for the 1/16 F/Cs, do you know? I recall an issue with the Vega windshield, but not if it was all-new or just needed a lot of repair and attention.

I doubt there will be anything but straight reissues of the Galaxie Limited kits. Moebius seems to have more than enough on their plate to keep them busy and financially stable for many years that they needn't invest in risky, oddball subjects and variants which appeal mostly to the lunatic fringe.

^^ The curve of the upper front door window frame looks off on the Best Model Car Parts version. There's something funky going on with the curvature of the roof there:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205195392459

Nicely done. Roger was a fan of the concrete photo backdrop, too. 😁

Very true, and hopefully before the inevitable Coca-Cola reissue. 😂 Regarding the funky camper shell, I would think there was some connection to Trail's End via someone who helped design this kit. Troy and Leelanau aren't that far apart, and whoever did the original box art specifically called out (and one might even argue, highlighted) Trail's End with that three-quarter rear view, but the details have probably been lost to time by now. Even a semi-thorough Google search turned up next to nothing about Trail's End the manufacturer. At any rate, if you are at all intereted in this kit, heed @tim boyd's earlier warning and pick one up now. While I suspect there will be a reissue of some sort, nothing is guaranteed, and IMHO, this kit is well worth the cost.

The decal sheet is...fine. I'm surprised Round2 didn't include some vintage service station/oil company logos for the push truck version-- Sinclair, Gulf, Texaco, Amoco, etc. would've been a nice inclusion here: No pics of the clear parts and whitewall tires, sorry.

Here's a look at the parts, in no particular order:

I'm a little late to this party, but I picked up this kit today and was very impressed with the contents. Not so much the parts count and specific parts, but rather the design and engineering of the kit as a whole. There are small, petite tabs and locating pins all over to ensure correct, positive alignment of parts, and the tolerances between parts is a beautiful thing to behold, especially with how the separate bed floor and interior tub mate to the body shell. Love to see this kind of attention to detail. ☺️ The "chassis"/floorpan is an excellent fit inside the body, shell, too: That is one loooooong body:

New tool Squarebody in 1/25 scale?!!! LONG overdue. Also explains why the "Street Custom" stepside version was recently run one more time, maybe. Round2 better get the 1/25 '75 Blazer kit back into production soon, too, to steal some of Revell's thunder: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/3726-amt-75-chevy-blazer/

Huge understatement regarding the Eagle ST tires. Despite being "only" 14" diameter, they work well with this kit, and also the 1/12 '57 Bel Air and '67 Corvette 427. That decal sheet is already very full, so they probably had to decide between white or black skunk stripes, while still including the upholstery decals, but remember, that is the European version. The U.S. version includes this decal sheet: Screenshot from HPIGuy's YT review, here: Gen X-ers will appreciate(?) the homage to one of Monogram's most ill-proportioned kits. 😂

Seems this would be a good choice, especially considering Atlantis released the U.S. Marines version of the Grand Am:

There was news regarding Round2 expanding there visibility at Michael's stores in the latest monthly Round2 video:

https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/112594-information-on-monograms-exotics-series/