pack rat

An update on my earlier post re the "Five-Dollar Duster"; two gluebombs combined into one presentable kit ......you've seen the "before", now the "after". Everything went as planned except the use of the new-tool '71 Duster decals; due to the differences in body dimensions (the new version is larger). I could make them fit, but I'm not sure I want to go to the trouble, so for now it's a stripe-delete car. If nothing else, it's a good excuse to revive a fun thread, and maybe encourage some to rescue those junkers. Couldn't resist a bonus A-body group shot (the orange '70 Duster is a former glue-bomb '71 too)

I remember being laughed at when I started scooping up Johan stuff back in the 90's; including USA Oldies I consider this one my best score:

Yep....you have to look for the deals. If you sit down in front of a computer screen and type "Johan" in any search, get ready to dig deep. I could provide lots of examples, but this is my favorite; A '60 Fury hardtop....modified for an opening hood (expertly, requiring no additional work). A complete chrome tree from a wagon, meaning I'll have to modify the rear bumper (easy), otherwise it's all there except the windshield (again..easy). In a clean original box.....at an NNL......twenty bucks. If I could only find a similar deal on a '60 Olds....

Something CAN be done with it. Note....I did this after picking the kit up real cheap at my LHS. I was kicking myself for making such an idiotic purchase, so I just had to do it. No, I wouldn't recommend this insane project to anyone else.

Just a cautionary note.....the (incomplete) tooling existing in China (as stated by Tom Carter) does not automatically translate into "rumored to come back" as stated above. There are a lot of obstacles to overcome before a usable kit pops out.

Really nice model. The story behind it makes it special. I see some nice classics in the background of your pic.....is that the Mormon Meteor I see back there?

That Mako Shark looks like a tough one....those things are fiddly right out of the box

AMEN, brother! And think of the money we save.....what would I pay for an MPC '72 Duster kit nowadays?......and if I mess up the paint or whatever on this one. no big deal. Wish I had more "before" pics of some of the trash I've restored.

Here's a glue-bomb project currently on the bench; I acquired a box of "attic find" kits a few years ago that contained the remains of a California Flash '72 Duster. A stock '72 Duster would be a nice addition to the collection, but this one was missing a stock hood, front seats, and grille/headlight assembly, along with the obvious missing bits as pictured. Looking at a vendors pile of junk/bagged kits at a meet later on, I found a real sad-looking '71 Duster, complete but missing a hood and wheels (wonder if he painted it with enamel or lacquer??) Here's my engine/chassis assembly, rear bumper and grille assembly. From the parts stash....a poorly brush-painted hood, wheels, tires, a set of '70 Charger buckets (surprisingly similar to '72 Duster buckets), and finally....a set of stripes from a new-tool '71 Duster kit (haven't tested them for proper fit on the MPC body though) When it's all done, I'll have a presentable '72 Duster 340 on the shelf for an investment of about five bucks before factoring in paint, supplies etc.

As much as I enjoy the glue-bomb thread, I don't think this one qualifies. This kit was neatly built by an adult builder/collector that came complete with the original box, decals, unused parts etc. Calling it a glue-bomb would be an insult to the original builder. If it's glue-bombs you want....I'll post some pics over there shortly of what's on my bench right now..

That's some beautiful detailing!

Dusting the shelves again and took some new pics of one I finished a few years ago. A Johan 61 Plymouth Fury I purchased as a built-up and restored. Not a glue bomb; it was cleanly built by an adult. The only issue was discovered after I stripped it; the body had been broken into two or three pieces and repaired. I just had to putty and smooth out some of the repaired cracks before priming-no biggie.

Thanks for the compliments, guys. Might as well contribute my three latest additions to the "restorable builtups" pile, including an MPC '77 Camaro (maybe a future Z/28). Yes....some day I'll see if I can get that Ranchero running across the kitchen floor.

Have you considered seeking out a Hasagawa '66 Cad for parts? The front end fits a '65 like a glove, and the rear just needs minor mods to fit. Not perfect, but better than a Johan ambulance, and probably easier to obtain (anything with the Johan name connected to it is $$$). If you can improve the look of an AMT '74-77 Camaro front end, I would like to see how you do it....those things look like they ran into a brick wall. Anyone wanting to build a '74-77 Camaro should seek out the MPC kit . The MPC '74 pictured came with the wrong engine (big block) and I believe the wrong wheels (Z/28), but the common-as-dirt AMT '72 Nova has all the correct parts you need. And yes....I'm kinda still on-topic; that '74 is a former glue bomb...wish I had "before" pics.

I'm hoping you've got the front and rear chrome for the Caddy......I can already see it lowered wearing a set of Riviera wires. If not....don't we all miss Modelhaus? That Camaro is pure '70's....slap a set of sidepipes on it, cut some speaker holes in the rear package shelf (for your Led Zeppelin) and you're on your way!

Look again....those front fenders are actually the stock REAR fenders (?). I agree; it really has that farm truck look; if it had the proper front fender/nose section it would be a no-brainer.

Yup...that's a bad one. Here's my submission:

Looks like the remains of a Falcon promo. Once in awhile you see one that is sooo bad you can't imagine doing anything with it....that's one of 'em

I don't think any hobby paint out there comes close to the Gulf colors right out of the can or bottle. However...if you have an airbrush, the blue on this one is roughly 1 part Tamiya TS-23 blue to 10 parts TS-26 white over white primer. I started with decanted TS-26 and started tinting it with TS-23 until it looked close based on Googled Heritage GT pics. I haven't seen the box for this kit yet, but I believe there are pics of a built-up on it somewhere; if so this is the kit they used.

Yup. I'm a member of the Scale Survivors and Box Art group, among others.

It's do-able Ron....go for it. A tip re the hood..if you have a 67/68 annual hood in your stash, it's the very same part used on the Mach 1

Some MPC/Canada info: When George Toteff left AMT to start MPC , he opened (or was involved in opening) a tool & die shop in Windsor, Ontario to produce the tooling for MPC kits, as well as do work for others; this was noted in Terry Jessee's (excellent!) book Hot Rod Model Kits. I don't know if any actual production kits were produced in Canada, but the tooling certainly was. In the early days of MPC, kits purchased in Canada were ink-stamped indicating French instructions were included, and there was also a sticker on the box indicating the kit was a Craft Master product (well-known for their puzzles/games at the time). Upon opening the box, French AND English instruction sheets were found, both labeled as being produced by Craft Master in Strathroy, Ontario. Following the above logic, the kit pictured below would have been tooled in Canada, the box (and the kit?) probably produced in Mount Clemens (note the Made and Litho in USA label), then the kit/box was shipped to Canada to be packaged with appropriate bilingual markings. Long before reading Terry's book, I heard stories about the tool and die shop in Windsor, mainly involving guys dumpster-diving after hours in search of test shots. I've seen a few test shots around here over the years that allegedly came from the Windsor facility, but not just MPC stuff. I've seen 80's-90's-era Revell-Monogram and AMT-Ertl as well. My favorite though was an AMT '70 Torino test shot that was allegedly found above a false ceiling after the business closed. Coincidentally, a relative of mine in the Windsor area met a retired gentleman about 10-12 years ago who knew he was into model cars. He introduced himself as having owned a tool and die shop in Windsor that did model car work until it closed. We visited him briefly and he told us he would have us visit again when he cleaned out his (recently flooded) basement as it was full of stuff from his model-tool-producing days. Unfortunately, that day never came. He did, however visit my relative a few weeks later, and gave him a couple of MPC promos including an assembled 74-ish Firebird test shot....he pointed out the interior to him and stated "I remember doing that upholstery". The above doesn't shed much light on the original question above, but it's interesting nonetheless. If anyone has more knowledge on the subject, feel free to add/correct the above.

Thanks The roof scoop is just that...a scoop. It's the scoop from the kit; later issues of the kit call it a hood scoop, but in the original issue it was meant to go right where you see it. I didn't want o/s mirrors; disturbs the smooth look (it's a showboat after all) , and they would have fallen off a dozen times by now. The license plate?.....I thought of that too late when I did the bodywork. I should have cut a shadow-box style mount into the trunklid.

Yes it is

Dusting off some old kits and decided to take some fresh pics of an old favorite. Years ago, after looking through some vintage Rod & Custom mags, and inspired by customs like the Alexander Brothers' Golden Indian, I dug up an old '58 Impala that I had built as a 1/4 miler and decided to do my own 60's-style radical custom. Just some scrap plastic, a whole bunch of putty, (I had to repair the hogged-out rear wheel openings as well) and parts from at least a dozen kits in there somewhere-all vintage (I believe the newest parts are the '67 Camaro custom bucket seats). The only thing that takes it out of the 60's is the Bare Metal foil. The paint is good old Testors sapphire blue (my first airbrush paint job ever). It's strictly a shelf model; it rides on an old wire-axle annual chassis and is powered by an early-60's AMT Pontiac 389 with no wiring, plumbing etc. It looks better in the pics than it does in person; the paint is so-so, some of the bodywork has distorted with age, and if I did it over again I would try to come up with a better front end treatment, and a less-severe top chop (I took a little too much off of the A-pillars). I had a lot of fun with it though......enough that I decided to paint a Revell Harley as a companion piece.