Casey

I doubt that'll ever happen. They seem to have no trouble selling out the full run of kits each time it's reissued.

Having to buy each of those 25 colors alone would be prohibitive for most people, I would think.

After looking at many, many early AMC V8 pictures, it was time to start modifying the Cadillac engine block. I added some material (well, the long walls of a 1x1x3 LEGO brick, to be exact) to the bottom of the block, the added a thin strips of styrene vertically on both sides to create the block skirts. I sliced of what remained of the molded in timing cover, sanded front block faces flat, then rummaged through my engine parts bin to see what I had available in terms of oil pans. The JO-HAN late AMC V8 oil pan wasn't great, and I ruined the Cadillac oil pan sanding the front corners too aggressively, so I found an AMT '70 Monte Carlo BBC oil pan which was just right. I removed the molded on oil filter, filled a gap on the pan's lip, and installed it. I dug through the FE-series(?) engine parts from the AMT '67 Mercury Comet and found nicely detailed timing cover with a bottom edge which seals against the oil pan (like the AMC V8's), and also a nice water pump, too, which I plan to use. After some block prep the timing cover was plastic welded into position. I think I'm going to use the Cadillac's water crossover/bypass, as it looks close to the AMC V8's. Here's that piece, and the water pump: Timing cover installed on the block: The engine so far: I need to add some engine mount brackets and freeze plug details, as well as engine block ridges on which the front and rear edges of the valley pan rest. The distributor hole will need to be relocated, and a new valley pan formed, as the Cadillac V8's valley pan is quite different.

Great bargain at the Waukesha, WI show yesterday. I was able to get this sealed Ertl International Transtar Eagle II with a little help from Ulysses and Abe: Picked up a Revell '93 Civic Coupe, MPC Sod Buster and a parts '88 Turbo T-bird and Midget racer trailer, too.

Thanks, Mark, I think that might be it. I think that car had those two little radiators, so it could very well be a coolant pipe. One more to ask about, and I'm pretty sure this is from an AMT '62 ('63?) Chevy II kit, but not sure if any other AMT kits include a Chevy inline six.

I don't think so, especially considering the time involved to create it. Even for "just" a body, it seems like a very good value for a rare, obscure subject that nobody is likely to ever make again.

Sorry, no Tornado six for this one. Maybe if I build another (or a Cherokee) I would go that route, but I wanted to use an early AMC V-8 on this project. I have seen what you suggested done though...somewhere...by someone... http://offroadmodels.proboards.com/thread/1599/1980-jeep-j10

I don't think there were many around when they were new. They didn't seem nearly as popular as Monte Carlo SSs, which are still common (for a 25+ year old vehicle) to see, even around here in Wisconsin-- I saw one on Wednesday, in fact. The last '83-4 T-bird I saw was this one in June, and it was probably only the second one I have seen in the last 15 years...the other was in a salvage yard. Try checking out some T-bird forums, as I'm sure a member would be happy to get a quick measurement or five for you.

Thank you, Steve.

Revell '68 Charger (and I'm going to assume '69 R/T, too) windshield has too much curve at the base of the windshield at the edges, so that doesn't work, either.

Not really sure what will happen to be honest. I stumbled these, turned the O.D. down a bit to fit the 1/12 Shelby's tires, and that was it. I just liked the look and the ease of fit, so we'll see where it goes. It does appear they are styled after the new Honda NSX's wheels, though: The 1/12 Camaro's tires are totally different from the Shelby's, so not nearly as easy as fitting a wheel to the Shelby's all-the-same-diameter tires in my experience. It's a shame the Camaro's tire don't hold their shape, either.

Thanks, Steve. If you have a chance to test fit, please post what you find out. How well is the windshield supposed to fit the body shell? I have this windshield/rear window piece with "1969" and "GTX - 1" cast into the runners, but it's a bit narrow at the base of the windshield and doesn't quite reach the sides of the rear window opening....plus I think only JO-HAN released a '69 GTX until Ertl's late '80s version, too: The rear locating holes are a bit off, too, so not a good match.

http://www.banovsky.com/archive/chrysler-kit-car http://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar-forum/threads/the-chrysler-kit-car.24172/page-3 IIRC there were slight variations on the Kit Cars, based upon which body they were be used with, but looking at some real cars and pictures of the real parts should get you close.

Does anybody have experience test fitting clear "glass" parts from a modern/current (say, MPC '70 Coronet or the AMT '68/9 Mopar B-bodies) into an original 1/25 MPC '68 (and probably '69) Coronet body shell?

More like this?: I will remove that center mounting flange from the backside to free up some of the negative space between the spokes, which will also thin down the thickness/depth of the spokes, but they do fit nicely in the 1/12 Revell Shelby GT500's tires. I will need to add a bit of material to the backside to allow them to work with the kit's inner wheel halves.

I lengthened the cab floor so it now reaches the rear cab wall, and added some longitudinal ribs which will be sandwiched between the frame rails and cab floor. I also added four braces which extend outward from the ribs to the rocker panels, on top of which I will add the cab mount braces/brackets: I filled in a bit of the rear cab wall's bottom edge and opened up the driveshaft notch to match the cab floor's tunnel, so there should be plenty of clearance now. I decided to use a Dana 20 transfer case, which will move the rear driveshaft back inline with the engine/trans centerline, rather than being offset to the right side: The inner rear cab wall will be mostly hidden by the bench seat, but I still need something to help locate the door panels and support the dashboard, so that's where I'm starting on the interior, with door and kick panels to follow:

I just picked up a few T2M hex rivet sets from an eBay seller in China, so they are still out there, but it would be a good idea to plan ahead and stock up now.

Must've been refreshed some time after the New Coke debacle in 1985, as the "Coca-Cola Classic" name didn't exist until then. Looks like the side "doors" are a darker color, too. I'm curious to see which "Pad printed rear tires" Round2 is going to include, as the original (then) lo-pro "Indy" style tires are very consistent with what was considered cutting edge back then.

Ah, that's good. I hope this pans out and sales are good, because I really like this idea and production method.

Picked up an old Aqua Rod kit and some bodies for my monster truck diorama:

This looks good so far, Robert. How are you planning to address/fix/clean up the zig-zag edges of the header panel above the headlights and in other areas? Are you planning to have this produced straight from the files, or are you planning to finish all of the pieces so they are smooth (well, at least the body panels) before moving on to final production? Maybe you are leaving that work up to the end user?

Tommy, I have used that color in the past and the color shown in the first image you posted is accurate, at least on my screen and according to my memory. The color is a light metallic green, not a yellow, so I would agree the name on the label is a bit misleading. That said, I think it's one of the better options (along with Dark Bronze Metallic) for an early '70s vehicle.

Love it, and agreed on just the right amount of weathering. What did you use (looks like green wrapped wire?) to simulate the weld beads at the various joints?