Art Anderson

In the case of those early 1930's cars, such as the '32 Ford 3-window coupe, the "swept-back" angled A-pillar made hinging the door from the front very impractical, as to have the door open outward in a straight, level fashion necessarily meant a lower hinge that would have SERIOUSLY intruded into the interior, at the worst possible spot--right next to the driver's left foot. "Suicide" rear doors on a 4dr sedan stemmed in large part from the era of wooden-framed automobile body shells (virtually all automobile bodies, from the beginning into the early-mid 1930's were of "composite" construction, being essentially a wooden structure, covered on their exterior by pressed/stamped sheet metal (either steel or aluminum), the science of both fatigue-resistant sheet metal and welding techniques which had yet to arrive in the industry. The coming of all steel, welded body structures by 1933-35 for mass-production cars eliminated almost all of the potential weakness of a B-pillar in reliably holding the weight of an opened door hinged to it. Hinging rear doors from the necessarily slender, wood-core "B pillar" (A-pillar being at the windshield, B-pillar in the the middle of the body side, and the C-pillar being at the rear--either at or near the back of the rear seat) presented problems with weakness in that primarily roof supporting pillar in closed cars, and a relatively unsupported short pillar on open bodies (such as a phaeton or touring car (very critical as car bodies got larger, and doors--particularly on closed bodies--grew heavier. Additionally, most production cars, save for the very largest, most luxurious makes) still seated their rear passengers literally above the rear axle, meaning that the rear wheels/fenders had to intrude into the door openings for access to the rear seat. Making this rear door "suicide-style" made for easier entry and egress for back seat passengers (one of last uses of "suicide" rear doors was on the 1961-66 Lincoln Continental!). With the almost universal adoption of "full envelope" car bodies by 1949, which also saw sedan bodies on longer chassis which moved the rear axle farther back and BEHIND the rear seat allowed for larger rear doors, eliminating any need for hinging those rear doors to the C-pillar. This eliminated one of the primary markets for 2-door sedans which were once preferred by families with small childred--no rear doors which a child could accidentally open while the car was moving--having the air grab that door and pulling a child outside of the moving car. Art Art

IIRC, that "almost clone"'40 Ford Coupe" originated as a Palmer kit. Art For years, the "epicenter" of model kit tooling for major model kit manufacturers in the Midwest was a group of small toolmaking shops in Windsor, Ontario. AMT, MPC and even Monogram used them. When I was doing box-art and trade show display builtups for AMT and Lesney AMT (1975-December 1980) that was the case, and lead to a very interesting situation there at the very end: I was sent, by Lesney-AMT, a set of test shots, of a 1981 Camaro kit, which kit also had components to do a Firebird. Lesney wanted the parts built up into a Turbo Trans-Am, complete with those "Turbine" style wheels having large center hubcaus for that smooth look. I as able to replicate those for the company, built up the car, and prepared to deliver it to the American Airlines Express Freight Office at O'Hare International Airport as part of my then-monthly trip to Western Springs IL for the November 1980 meeting of Lake Michigan Model Car Club (of which I was a member for several years (commuting there from Lafayette IN monthly). As the model was for the '81 HIAA Trade Show, I was to send it to Lesney's New Jersey headquarters. At the meeting, I quietly, and privately showed my builtup to the late Jack Willer (then a wood-pattern maker for Monogram). Jack's surprise was ineresting--he told me quietly that what I had was a MONOGRAM test shot--and that somehow, Lesney-AMT's people from Warren MI must have gotten it from the same tool shop where Monogram was then having tooling cut. He swore secrecy on the model, as I did at the time (even though it was to be unveiled in January at HIAA in Houston TX. Buried in some carton in my Lock n Store, I still have the unused Camaro parts from that kit. There were a handful of injection-molding tool shops in Windsor back then, owned ostensibly by a group of siblings/cousins from the same family, doing toolmaking for not only model companies, but also for the auto industry. (Keeping it "all in the family"?) Art

The question I was replying to regarded LIndberg's 1934 ROADSTER pickup, not the closed cab (which is the AMT tooling). Lindberg tooled up that roadster pickup, on their own, back in the 1960's, and is a totally different animal than the AMT kit.

NO, it's not even related to the AMT '34 Ford pickup tooling. That's a model that Lindberg themselves tooled up. Art

I've never even head that "story" before. Art

Steve, most likely due to the fact that Model A Fords were being restored, and interest in getting them perfectly accurate in their restorations sparked the rise of paint suppliers mixing to as close to the actual colors as possible--beginning in the late 1950's. However, interest in 1930's era mass-production cars as collectible restoration subjects did not have nearly that sort of popularity until the mid-late 1970's. Art

For essentially the same reason that Franklin Mint did (before they closed their doors completely). Interest in, and sale of, such high end diecast models as they were producing began a serious decline with the events of 9/11. Art

I suspect "urban rumor".

Yup!

Auto Color Library ( http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/aclchip.aspx?image=1932-Ford-pg01.jpg ) has the full paint color listing for Ford in 1932--unfortunately no color chips. However, bear in mind that car colors back then (regardless of what some "restorers" do today) were generally dark, with brighter colors being considerably muted. On all 1932 Fords, however, one standard paint scheme feature was still being used (carried over from Model A, that being black fenders, running boards, and the frame (which on a Deuce is exposed between the body sill and running board, in lieu of a separate sheet metal "splash apron". Other than that, pretty much all body styles were one color over all, with pin striping highlighting the raised belt line moldings painted in a complimenting color, the "recessed" reveals around the side and rear windows on Deluxe models being painted another complimenting color. Firewalls were body color. The underside of the pressed steel floors were raw primer. All frames, supension, axles and torque tube were gloss black enamel. The V8 engine block and oil pan and transmissions were a glossy dark green enamel (but with all bolt heads in bright cadmium plating), with the V8 cylinder heads being raw cast aluminum, as was the intake manifold.. On the Model B 4-cylinder engine, the entire engine including the cylinder head was dark green, along with the transmission and intake manifold, with the carburetor being painted gloss black., with bright cadmium bolt heads Closed car interiors (with the exception of the "Business Coupe" (a body with a fabric top over bows much like the Cabriolet but non-folding) and the Deluxe Coupe (the 3-window coupe) were fabric--woven wool, in again, very muted colors, medium grey on some bodies, a rather muddy-looking dark tan on others--but not based on the body color as became the pattern by the middle 1950's. All open bodies (roadster, cabriolet, phaeton and B-400 Convertible Sedan) were upholstered in artificial leather, in dark brown. Every body style of '32 Ford was available as either a Model B (for people who were unsure about the new V8, or just preferred the Model B 4-cylinder--probably based on their satisfaction with the excellent Model A 4-banger), be they Standard, or Deluxe body styles or trim levels. The standard wheel color was black, but Red, Apple Green, and Tacoma Cream (a dark, rich cream color) were available at extra cost, pretty much with all body styles and body colors. (Whitewall tires were SELDOM seen on low-priced cars in the early 1930's, and then those tires had white sidewalls on BOTH sides of the tire. In the interior, instrument panels on closed cars were burled walnut colored steel panels, as were the interior window reveals and window sills, regardless of the upholstery or exterior colors. The swing-out windshield frames were painted black both inside and out. Steering wheels were a dull, almost pure black, hard rubber material. On open bodies, such as the roadster, Cabriolet, Phaeton and Convertible sedan, the instrument panels were body color. Steering columns were gloss black enamel. Open cars came equipped with folding tops that were a light buff in color. Every closed body '32 Ford was fitted with a fabric roof insert which was black vinyl (Ford called "Pyoxylin) impregnated for waterproofing. Hope this helps! Art

Actually Harry, AMT ceased to be a company with their 1981 bankruptcy--became simply a brand name when the tooling was bought by Ertl. Currently, the AMT, MPC, LIndberg and IMC brands & tooling are owned by Round2 Corporation out of South Bend, IN.

That tooling was sent out, to AMT's long-time tool shop in Windsor Ontario, probably sometime in 1978-79. It was last run by AMT Corporation in the spring of 1977 (AFIK), as I did the box art model for that release (the dark candy red street rod stake truck model on the boxtop, in early February of 1977--sprayed the cab, fenders, hood and grille shell a dark candy red in the unheated breezeway of my then newly purchased home). AMT Corporation was in pretty dire straits about that time--sales were way down for them (and for the other two heavily model car-dominated US plastic model companies (Revell--soon to be bought out by the French toymaker CEJI) and MPC--then a division of Fundimensions, a Cincinatti-based toy conglomerate), and in the spring of 1979, AMT was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy--rescued at the last minute by Lesney (think Matchbox Toys there) which had become primarily a US company, based in New Jersey. Lesney placed one of their own executives who was transplanted from the UK to Canada (he commuted daily across the Detroit River to Warren MI, where AMT relocated their product development offices--all their production having been moved to a factory owned by AMT Corporation in Baltimore. That move was done very quickly, and left AMT's tooling in considerable disarray, which condition probably still exists today. It was about this time frame that the '34 Ford pickup tooling was sent to Windsor for refurbishing, and it was somehow "forgotten", particularly after Lesney and Lesney AMT filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early April 1981, after an absolutely dismal last quarter of 1980 and almost NO sales of model kits in the first 3-months of 1981 (I got a phone call from Terry Sanson, the British-borne "Managing Director" of Lesney AMT the morning that the company lawyers went to court--telling me among other things, that the company had shipped just 6-thousand kits in the quarter January 1-March 31!). When the Ertl Company bought AMT in the summer of 1981, apparently nobody spent much time inventorying the sheet tons of kit tooling, simply looked at the inventory sheets, then moved all of it to Dyersville IA, where it remained until Round 2 bought the line (save for such tools which had been sent to China for production in the Ertl/RC2 years. My understand is, that George Toteff, who'd put together the buyout of the then-moribund Lindberg Company circa 1990, visited that Canadian tool company, and in the course of his visit, discovered, or was shown, the '34 Ford pickup tooling--he managed to buy it for the unpaid tool-repair bill plus storage. The only thing Toteff's company had to do was to tool up new tires for it (PVC model car kit tires are made in tooling completely separate from those molds used for polystyrene parts--hence the rather cool Armstrong Tires in the LIndberg version of this kit. Art

Not to mention that the 3-window coupe is wider by almost 6 inches across the seat--much more hip and shoulder room. Art

It might be wise to keep in mind that not only is this the latest in a fairly long line of reissues of this particular kit, but the original design of this Mustang Coupe kit goes all the way back to mid-1964, and in 1964, the expected market was primarily the 12-about 16yr old crowd--who all of course, have grown up since. If you are a modeler between the ages of say, 55-70, chances are that more than likely, you once had a much younger, less-experienced hands making such a model car kit far more suitable for you back then. Art

As in all things, be they real estate, 1:1 cars, artwork, or model car kits--in the end the value of each is simply that which a willing seller and a willing buyer come together on. Pretty simple concept, really. That said, whenever I've bought an old kit at a swap meet, a model car show, wherever, I've decided that it's worth the agreed-on price to me, and that's what matters. (I've walked away from more kits at shows over the last 40 years than I can count--but I still am comfortable realizing that with most any plastic model car kit, at minimum there were 10's of thousands molded up (in some cases, hundred's of thousands of them over the years) so no matter the kit I am looking at, mulling over, there likely will be a "next time". Art

Tins?

Luc, American "Sprint Cars" have evolved only slowly over the past nearly 50 years--the basic chassis layout changing truly very little. Bodywork, of course, is a good bit different than in say, the 1960's, becoming much simpler, and more aerodynamic. Engines, while based on production V8 engines (at least in their basic design) haven't really changed all that much--most of that is internal. Suspension systems of today would still be recognized by sprint car drivers and their mechanics from 1966 with the exception that no longer would they see a transverse leaf spring up front, as some 1960's sprint cars (and their larger USAC Championship Dirt Car "Big Brothers" might have had. The biggest evolution has been, of course, in wheels and tires, just as it has been with wheels and tires in Formula 1, Indianapolis Cars, and even in all forms of high-level motorsports. Revell's sprint car kits are very much straight reissues of the series that Monogram tooled and produced back in 1996-97, though. Art

Trouble is, the "coloring" used for polystyrene, particularly red, isn't so much a pigment as it is a dye, and as such it can (and often will!) bleed through lighter colored paints. That was even a problem years ago with the old AMT lacquers--paint white over their red, it turned pink. Why dyes? Very simple: The old colored pigments in the paints we used years ago are, for the most part, no longer permitted in any paints, save for the oil and acrylic paints used in fine artwork. For decades, many of those colors (anything yellow or red in particular) used heavy metals (such as lead, cadmium and barium) to give strength and color-fastness to the paint--those have been banned from consumer-market paints for nearly 40 yrs now. They have been replaced by synthetic dyes that can bleed through lighter colors, particularly succeeding coats of lacquers which have, to at least some degree, solvents that actually penetrate the previous layers (coats) of paint. Art

Also, If you have a major college or university near you (best ones likely are public institutions for this), they often have "surplus & salvage" outlet, where they sell off unused furniture, often office furniture (Purdue does, where I work). I've seen some pretty decent desk chairs go through that one. Also, there are lumbar support cushions out there as well. Art

"Lye" is a common English name for the chemical "Sodium Hydroxide" (also sometimes called "Caustic Soda" here in the US) Art

To further advise on this: RTV Rubber does, in my extensive experience, tell the story of the surface of whatever master is being used to create the mold, even better than a camera does! By all means, strip all plating, even the "wet look" gloss coating that gets used before the plating is done--you will be surprised at what all that stuff hides in the way of surface details. At the same time, get rid of all mold parting lines, as those just interfere with what otherwise could be a great casting. When using putties and primers on bodies to be used in resin casting, take the time to polish that out to as nice a shine as possible--the better you do that the nicer the casting! Art Anderson

They have a website. Art

Both MCW and Scale Finishes can mix this color for you. Art

A window screen won't be strong enough to hold a dryer vent. You can, however, get a sheet of plywood, cut to the size of the window opening, figure out how to secure it in your "dormer-style window" (ask your Dad to help you with that), so that it can be removed when not painting. When you want to paint, simply crank the window open, insert that panel with your vent hose in it, make sure it's secure, and spray away! (Be sure to use a filter at the inside end of that hose if your spray booth doesn't already have one, to keep overspray "dust" from dirtying up the window glass, of course!) Art

In now nearly 45 yrs of using BMF on model cars (yes, the product's been around since 1971 or so!), I have never put a clear coat over the foil, which I have used on factory stock model cars, models of Indy cars (of which I built nearly 100 over about 15 yrs or so) and even used BMF to replicate factory-new aircraft in natural metal finishes. And, I have never experienced any wear and tear with the foil, save for a couple of display resin cars that got a LOT of handling over the years, and even that was easily repaired.