Chris V

I would strongly recommend stripping the previous primer to avoid excessively thick layer buildup and prevent possible paint compatibility issues.

The Nailhead valve covers and exhaust headers are from the original issue of the ‘40. Sadly they were later replaced with finned valve covers and some blobtacular exhaust manifolds which somewhat lined up wit the molded-in exhaust system.

Jimmy Flintstone offers a ‘51 body with separate bumpers and “bullet”: ‘51 Studebaker

Tamiya makes a special paint remover similar to the old Testors “Easy Lift Off”: You brush it on, leave it to work for 5-10 minutes, brush to release the dissolved paint, wipe off with a paper towel, and repeat if necessary. Once all of the paint is gone and the paint remover been thoroughly wiped off, you clean the model with dishwashing detergent and rinse off with water. It even removes some of the most stubborn other types of paint, that brake fluid and lye-based degreasers/cleaning products can’t.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not arguing against a Bulletnose Studebaker - Just stating that there are many other more obvious choices with broader appeal in that subject matter segment . And with no preexisting Disney ties I have a hard time imagining that Round2 will pony up the cash to acquire the licensing for the Muppets franchise just to sell a single kit…

At risk of sounding negative that’s not very likely to happen - for the exact same reason we haven’t seen a 1948 Tucker commercially kitted (aside from exclusive small volume aftermarket kits): Though the cars themselves are iconic, the appeal of the subject matter is simply too narrow. There’s virtually no potential for alternate versions to increase return on the tooling investment. No significant body style variations, commercial applications, modification-, movie- or racing history. Unlike the ‘50 Oldsmobile (which was based on a Racing Champions coin bank modified with parts from AMT’s 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air) no images of an actual model was used, when the box art for the “upcoming” Studebaker kit was announced in the early 00’s. To this day I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed, that development of an actual model kit had progressed beyond the preliminary box art design to gauge the customer demand.

Yes: The Street Machine is based on the same tooling but can’t be built stock. It does however come with a Big Block/Automatic transmission and some beautifully detailed Cragar “Street Star” Wheels. In my humble opinion the “Mueller Era” ‘57 Bel Air Street Machine would have been far more appealing with the wheel/tire combo from the Corvette Street Machine.

What you have is the Revell “Highway Pioneers” 1:32 Scale 1932 Ford Roadster. It is one of Revell’s earliest car models and dates back to 1954:

The ARII Challenger is essentially a seventies’ toy. There’s no point in trying to detail it further. Despite being advertised as 1:24 scale just about nothing from the ex. Monogram 1:24 1970 Challenger T/A kit will fit without extensive modification. Your best bet is to find a decent MPC 1972 Dodge Challenger rebuilder, and detail it with parts sourced from AMT’s 1970 R/T and Revell’s 1970 ‘Cuda.

You'll find there are about as many opinions as people to respond: Essentially it's mostly a matter of personal preferences. It's important to remember that the larger makes have been around for many decades, and thus their tooling archives reflect the technical advancements and changing consumer preferences throughout history. Furthermore there's no definitive correlation between the age of the tooling and quality of the model: Some models dating back to the early sixties are amazingly enjoyable to build and feature an impressive level of detail, while others are crude and toylike with the added risk of worn or damaged tooling. However, even newly tooled kits can be somewhat simplified and suffer from poorly fitting parts and accuracy issues, bodywork proportions being one of the most commonly noted issues. As a glutton for punishment I sometimes opt to base my builds on kits known to have certain issues or shortcomings - just to prove a point that they can in fact be built into nice models.

My vote is for the following: - The finned 2- and 3- carb fuel distribution blocks - The Halibrand QC conversion with Model A rear crossmember and leaf spring for Revell's line of '32 Fords (perhaps as a double set like the conversion for Revell's new Model A kits) - The Olds Rocket and Ford Y-Block Hop-Up kits (the separate items were beautiful but disproportionally expensive due to Shapeways' pricing structure)

But it has… 3DScale Parts offers the rollbar, header and steering wheel package for the “Big Drag”. The biggest issue seems to be chrome plating the 3D printed items.

No they don’t… I snagged the 5W as soon as it was confirmed that it is in fact molded in white 😜 Just like Bill @Ace-Garageguy and several other responders I like to build traditional Hot Rods with an old timey flavor: I found that by lopping the front frame horns off of an AMT ‘32 Phaeton/Vicky Chassis and cutting the front frame off of an AMT ‘32 5W/Roadster just behind the crossmember, you can graft the framerail pieces together with the Phaeton/Vicky chassis to achieve a more accurately proportioned ‘32 Chassis. This can then be further enhanced by adding the caractherisic upswept sidewall stamping detail and a rear crossmember and spring from AMT’s ‘29 Model A Roadster. I’m not too concerned about the funky body proportions of AMT’s ‘32 Fords, though: Since the frames are already slightly narrowed at the at the rear, they’re ideal for a Model A body-swap - Which is exactly what I’m planning!

Though the car has obviously been extensively modified, I just have to point out that this is not a 1971 Barracuda/'Cuda but a 1972-74 model - the most obvious giveaways being the square side marker lights (The 1970-71 models had countersunk oblong lenses) and the squarish headlight surrounds (The 1971 models had dual headlights as a one year only design feature). It appears to have been fitted with modern aftermarket heads. As @Mark stated above, the real experimental DOHC "Doomsday Machine" supposedly never ran under its own power. Nice and clean build!

I think the last reissue of the AMT 1932 5-Window Coupé was around 2010. It may have something to do with Revell's release of their newly tooled 5 Window Coupé in 2011. To the best of my knowledge the AMT 1932 Roadster was last reissued as part of the "Pro Shop"-series back in 1998. There's no disputing that Revell's series of '32 Fords are miles ahead of the outdated early sixties tooling from AMT. Despite their shortcomings the old AMT kits have a certain nostalgic appeal, and are surprisingly enjoyable to build - especially since they offer the same degree of parts-interchangeability as the modern Revell kits. On previous occasions I've argued, that the entire series of AMT 32 kits could be revitalized simply by adding classic hot rod tires and a small "universal" sprue with a few carefully selected upgrades including: a better looking dropped front axle, a dropped headlight bar, 1939 Ford/1950 Pontiac taillights, and perhaps a set of finned heads/dual carb intake for the flathead.

Fireball Modelworks does - Worth every penny!

It was indeed a dark time under the previous-ownership, before Round2 took over and turned things around. I think, the worst case I've ever seen was the "Buyers Choice" reissue of MPC's 1969 Dodge Charger 500, issued around the millennium: The box art car had obviously been kitbashed from parts from AMT's 1969 Plymouth GTX and wheels of unknown origin.

Thanks - that gave me exactly the information I was looking for! My mistake not checking Ebay-listings before asking...

On a side note: If you want to build it as a '40 you may want to grab one of Drag City Castings resin '40 Ford Deluxe Hoods while they're still available. Over the years part the molds for both the 1940 Coupé and 1939-40 Sedan have become very worn, most notably the hoods for both kits. Drag City Casting made a mold from the hood from a mint first-issue kit with the side detail intact - A vast improvement over most the hoods included in most reissues since the seventies. Like most other kits, the tooling for the Sedan kit was also modified over the years. At some point the original plated headers for the optional Oldsmobile engine were replaced with some ill-fitting new headers, which appear to have been sourced from an early 1970's AMT Chevrolet Camaro kit. However in AMT's 1928 Ford Sedan you'll find an extra set of headers for the optional Chrysler engine, that bear a striking resemblance to the headers originally included in the 1939/40 Sedan, and thus are a drop-in fit for the Oldsmobile engine.

Back in the late 00's "Dirtrack Racecars" commissioned AMT to do a series of "Jalopy" themed kits from their range of 1932 Ford tooling. The kits were criticized for their misleading boxart featuring extensively rebuilt models with numerous parts not included in the kit. However I was wondering if anyone can tell me, if this particular version of the 5-Window Coupé is molded in grey or white styrene? (It might sound utterly ridiculous, but the plastic color is actually important for a vintage themed kitbash-project I'm currently contemplating)

The rear axle is a somewhat simplified 1957-64 Oldsmobile/Pontiac unit. The best source by far is AMT’s 1962 Pontiac Catalina.

They’re literally the same kit. The body is only completely right for building a 1940 as the windshield wipers are located at the bottom of the windshield frame (the ‘39 had the wipers mounted above the windshield)

Essentially yes - The model started out as a quite accurate replica of "Ohio George" Montgomery's famous Willys gasser as it was run in the 1967 season. Some minor adjustments have been done to the tooling over the years, but apart from the main body and glass, the Coupé and Sedan Delivery kits are identical.

Has the oversized grille script issue from the first production run been permanently addressed?

Though somewhat similar in appearance there’s actuallya number of subtle differences between those engines: Just like the ‘39 Chevies (Coupé and Sedan Delivery), there’s two different versions of the ‘66 Malibu engine: The “red” version with Slot Mags has a nicely detailed blower, whereas all other issues with Centerline style wheels have a dual tunnel-ram intake.