Chris V

Has anyone dealt with Keith Marks recently - or know if he has gone out of business?

I recently ordered several decal sheets directly from Rays Kits in Netherlands. The communication with Ray himself was great and the order was swiftly processed. I was pleasantly surprised that the 1970 Plymouth Superbird sheet (there's two separate sheets in a set) almost includes enough graphics to do two cars with a bunch of accessory decals to spare. Since the delivery issues discussed in this thread have been traced to the stateside retailer, perhaps the original topic starter @Joe Lange could edit the title of the first post, so people don't get the wrong impression?

Gravity Colors also has a range of finely textured interior colors that might give you the desired finish as well.

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I was absolutely stoked to see the announcement of a full-detail 1964 Mercury Comet, as I had already gathered parts and decals for a replica of Jack Chrisman's Infamous "Sachs & Sons" Comet, expecting to build it from AMT's old Craftsman kit. A dedicated Pro Touring version is wonderful news! I can't wait to see how well the new '64 Comets lend themselves to kitbashing with the current '65 Comet kits.

For those seeking an even nicer compass cutter, I can strongly recommend DSPIAE's premium version!

Atlantis Models did acquire the sixties' Revell '55 kit and has already announced that it will be reissued. No release date yet, though.

The recent discussion of the MPC "Super Charger" kit has given me a strong urge to build the "Phantom" Dodge Charger Sedan Delivery option from the 1973/74 annual kit. Does anyone happen to have a spare roof extension, rear window and interior tub extension from either of the kits?

Yes; The frame horns have two oblong slots to seat the front bumper brackets. It's such a shame when people put tons of effort into building a beautiful fenderless rod and forget to attend to the "voids".

Oh, and if you do build it fenderless/bumperless, remember to fill in the bumper bracket slots on the front frame horns. Most people forget…

The crest makes me think: “Lincoln”, the tire: “AMT 1959-60 Annual”

Unfortunately no - The Lincoln Y-block is rare in itself and to the best of my knowledge it has never been kitted with the early style valve covers. Ironically the closest thing you'll find is the engine in AMT's ancient "Customizing Boat Kit", which features a hot-rodded Lincoln Y-block with the 1955-56 Continental style valve covers. The kit dates back to around 1959/60 so the engine is quite crude by todays standards, but it's a nice variation for engine-swapping the old AMT "Trophy Series" kits. A somewhat similar set of valve covers can be found in, AMT's 1925 Ford Model T Roadster, but the engine is a strange hybrid of Y-block and big block.

These wheels were missing from the seventies thru 00's reissues of the kit, but were re-tooled when Round2 took over and reissued the Avanti. They have since been included in Round2 reissues of the AMT AC Cobra 289 and in the AMT parts pack PP021 "Custom Caps and Wheels".

It depends on which version: The Stock version has a 3-spd manual, the Custom has a Hydramatic automatic.

I'm fairly sure that Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland Co. used to offer a set of E&J Headlights in resin. I don't know if they're still available, though. A Shapeways Marketplace store (I think it was Maple Leaf Modelworks @Spex84?) used to offer them as well, but Shapeways is currently undergoing a number of changes following their bankruptcy last year.

On a side note, this appears to be an ever so slightly modified re-cast of the front axle assembly from Monogram’s “Blue Beetle” 1929 Ford Roadster Pickup and Original issue 1930 Ford Woodie.

Tamiya offers some (admittedly) pricey but spectacular short HSS drill bits for use in pin vises. They're sold separately in sizes down to 0.2 mm. The great advantage of these drill bits is that the drill-part itself is relatively short compared to other bits (approximately 3 mm) making them less fragile. Another excellent option is Proxxon (Essentially a high-end Dremel tool). I keep a large selection of their HSS drills and milling bits handy at all times.

They do: The wide whitewall tire is named "196" and the narrow Whitewall is named "197". These Firestone Supreme tires appeared in AMT-kits in the early/mid sixties, and have been issued with various pad-printed whitewall options since Round2 took over. The whitewall style (wide/narrow) differs, but sources include Round2-reissues of AMT's 1955 Chevrolet Cameo, 1960 Ford Starliner 2'n 1 (not the current custom-only issue), 1962 Buick Electra, 1965 Ford Galaxie XL, and 1966 Ford Galaxie XL.

Interesting... They look suspiciously like the front tires from MPC's 1:20 McLaren Mk8D CanAm

Just to clarify: There's a world of difference between polyurethane resin used for casting and the resin used for 3D-printing. It is NOT the same thing! If you leave a cast (polyurethane) resin part in isopropyl alcohol (or brake fluid for that matter) it will soften the resin beyond use. 3D printers use an entirely different kind of resin with different chemical/physical properties. In general 3D printed parts can be cleaned/stripped with isopropyl alcohol, but some types are more vulnerable to chemicals than others.

I hare to be a buzzkill, but without an authoritative list of Round2’s current tooling inventory available this thread was bound to spiral out of control. Many of the kits requested in this thread are annuals which underwent numerous alterations and thus cannot be reissued without considerable investments in new tooling. Others have previously been confirmed to be either damaged, lost or scrapped, and finally some of the AMC kits were literally rebadged Jo-Han kits which AMT never owned the tooling for. For obvious reasons Round2 isn’t going to disclose a comprehensive list of their current tooling inventory or planned projects - We’ll just have to see what the future brings…

Isopropyl alcohol can seriously damage/soften some types of cast resin. I'd strongly discourage this as a way of cleaning the parts.

I've noticed that Mr. Color Leveling Thinner is frequently brought up in discussion threads regarding paint and airbrushing. I was quite surprised to discover that it seemingly works as a universal thinner for not only various brands but various types of paint (Acrylic, Enamels and Lacquers), so I figured I'd create this easy to find thread for people to share their experiences with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. Please share which paints you've confirmed to be compatible/incompatible with the thinner and your preferred mixing ratios for airbrushing.

AMT's 1949 and '50 Fords have a different, more detailed, style of engine assemblies compared to the "interchangeable" Trophy Series engines with the distinct mounting tabs molded into the engine block. In addition to the engines above, the following are designed in the same style, and can be adapted to fit the kits: AMT Customizing Boat Kit - Lincoln Y-block (The engine does not have a transmission, but the transmission and bellhousing from the '34 Ford Pickup "Thunderbird" engine lines up perfectly with the block) AMT 1953 Studebaker Starliner - Chrysler "Fire Power" 392 Hemi Furthermore it can debated if the Hemi engines in AMT's "Double Dragster", the recently retooled '63 Nova Wagon, and the "Boss Nova" Wagon belong to the same "family" of AMT engines. If I remember correctly, the "Boss Nova" was created by combining parts from the original '63 Nova Wagon with the Hemi display-engine from the '61 Buick Wagon.

Over the years I have purchased more model kits from Steve than from any other vendor. He was a genuinely good guy, and will be missed. Rest in peace Steve!