pack rat

A stock-ish build up of a rare kit. Hard to find, and $$$ if you find one, but at the end of the day a so-so kit. The highlight of this kit is the early F/C chassis which is included in this and a few other Johan kits of the era. As impressive as the box-art rendering is, it's too bad the Grant Rebel FC was actually based on a '68 body. Oh well. I decided to build a "stock" version. Even though the body is beautifully engraved and proportionally bang-on, there are a couple of impossible-to remove sink marks on the right side. I added some lower rear quarter trim and wheel-lip moldings that should be there but aren't. The stock chassis is a '66 Marlin piece lengthened by about 1/8 inch. Likewise, the engine is an early 60's-era (327?) V8, not the 290/343 that belongs in a '69. The stock interior is correct for the model year, too bad it's a totally inaccurate 3-piece assembly lifted from the '69 Ambassador! (nice dash engraving though) The magnums I borrowed from a '69 Road Runner look good but weren't available on the 1:1 car. The kit-supplied wheels are the common turbine-style ones found in many Johan kits of the era....can't recall seeing similar wheels on a 1:1 AMC car, but they sure look similar to '66/67 Plymouth Fury hubcaps. The box calls out a custom version....a plain-looking hidden-headlight grille, a pair of racing-style O/S mirrors, and plain clear red taillights. Paint is an attempt to replicate Bittersweet Orange using rattle cans as the airbrush was down for repair. Maybe it's not 100% accurate, but it looks OK on the shelf.

I've never looked into it, but I wonder if the more recent Revell '67 might have some usable pieces that will fit the old AMT kit.

The SS script isn't correct for either year. The '67 SS had the grilles you see on my built-up (I tried foil-copying those from a set of valve covers...yes, they're sloppy)

The production kits are molded in black; the white one in my pic is a test shot.

That is basically what they did; made a few changes to the '67 kit and called it a day. It's easier to add a few details to build a '67 than to try and attempt a '68. I did that a few years ago. Not my best effort, but better than what I started with. Note the lack of windshield wipers on the "68" too.

What you have there is the "for 68" Camaro body. That's the way they came out of the box due to MPC having the promo contract in '68 (a subject that has been covered numerous times). Basically a '67 kit that isn't accurate for either model year.

FYI-The size and proportions of this kit match the AMT annuals pretty much bang-on I have a '66 annual with plans to build the custom pickup version. It looks surprisingly easy to adapt the leftover stock pieces to the 4dr body. Looking at the fit of the various pieces, the toughest part of a conversion would be foil copying the very faint Imperial badging on the annual body. Re the difference between the rear decklids on the two bodies shown, note the different model years; the '66 decklid was recontoured on the 1:1, and the '66 annual matches the GH body.

To my eyes the promo-based MPC annual is still the best '70 Challenger replica. Even though it has some shortcomings It has the right look. Among more readily-available kits the AMT would be my preference. The Revell diecast-base version looks toy-like to me, and the Monogram T/A is off proportion-wise. The blue car pictured is an MPC curbside based on a funny car body (identical to the kit but without a separate hood). The wheels and front bumper are AMT pieces. The orange AMT kit has a lower vinyl top molding added below the rear window/sail panel; a detail AMT omitted due to the convertible/hardtop kit variations, a modification that should be made if using the vinyl top. The wheels are from an MPC 70-71 Mopar annual. Yes, there are no R/T badges...it's an "A66" 340, not an R/T (MPC 340 underhood from a Duster). The white Vanishing Point kit shows another option; glue the vinyl roof on and remove the vinyl texture. This was much easier than it looks.

I assume it's OK to post this...a partially-assembled early test shot.

The top wheel cover is a custom piece found in the AMT '63 Lincoln and '64 Mercury (maybe others). Possibly supposed to represent a Caddy piece. I believe the lower cover is from a Johan '62 Chrysler.

I just peeled the goo from a can of Testors lacquer this morning and used it; worked fine. It's not the first time I've used a leaker. It doesn't hurt to try and salvage a paint job or two out of a can before tossing it.

Link Wray is finally in. I'm good

Back when the Sock It To Me Vette was reissued I recall talking to John G re the Judge T-Bird. He liked the idea of a Judge reissue but at that time the drag parts and the SOHC motor were MIA. That was quite a few years ago....back then a '63 Ford pickup reissue was all but impossible. Here's hoping.

On the bench right now (they're meant to be built). Not my absolute rarest piece, but one I was happy to pick up relatively cheap a few years ago.

My first kit sitting under the Christmas tree in '62; a first issue AMT '57 T-bird Junior Trophy kit.

If you're working on the Round2 issue with the gold car on the box, this is a detail pic of the spindle before the wheels were mounted.

C is a 62 Tempest front E is a 60 Edsel rear

Assuming you're talking 60's-era, I've seen slightly different shades of blue 1:1 examples. Some could be re-paints in a "close enough" shade, who knows? TS-15 is the closest match to the original paint on my '67 289.

Here is an original annual; back-up lights but no GT exhaust pieces. The back-up lights could be confused for exhaust tips but for their location on the valance panel. Interesting that the instructions neglect the installation of the back-up lights. The identical parts are in the Street Freak altered wheelbase kit from the 70's, and I assume they would be in the subsequent reissues as well.

IF you can find it, Testors #2945 is pretty close to Tahoe Turquoise. None of the Testors Model Master lacquers are a very good match. I've never seen the Extreme Lacquer turquoise; from what I've seen online it appears to be a metallic version of Model Master Tropical Turquoise (as seen on the AMT Round2 '57 Chev box from 2009)

Ah yes...forgot about the '58/59 Imperial. I've seen '58 Corvette promos on the 'net...tough call as to their similarity to the SMP/AMT kits, some details very similar, some not.

Being based on the '59 annual kit with a few updates for the '60 model year, this is the oldest surviving AMT kit.....a cool way to commemorate that would be a retro box based on the original '60 annual box design. .

The MPC '68 Camaro is an old favorite of mine. The kit's only glaring flaw that I can recall is the incorrect '67-style taillights; there may be other issues I've forgotten about or didn't notice. It's interesting to compare the MPC '68 and the AMT '67; they're strangely similar. Not as close as the Barracuda and Chevy pickups, but close enough to make you wonder... The pictured kit has had the taillights dummied-up to look more correct and wears modified MPC Corvette rally wheels. The kit wheels are chrome-plated one-piece steel wheels with dog-dishes, unusual for annuals back then.,,,and a feature shared with the AMT '67, coincidentally. A reissue would be nice, but there are plenty of 1st-gen Camaro kits out there already.

My latest completion. Nothing remarkable about it, but it's one of those oldies you don't see too often (although Tim Boyd posted a nice custom recently). No doubt the fact that AMT converted this one into the ubiquitous Shelby GT500 in mid-68 contributes to it's rarity. As with almost every AMT '68 annual it's missing a few little details if built stock. I added the chrome rocker moldings and substituted MPC '69 Mach 1 wheels for the incorrect '67-style wheels included in the kit. I intended to use a set of white C-stripes from a Revell '68, but there is just enough difference in the shape of the side coves to mess up the fit on the AMT body. I may fabricate the front fender GT badges that AMT missed in the future. Paint is Testors Royal Blue lacquer....kinda-sorta similar to the '76 Ford dark blue metallic my own '67 Mustang was painted many years ago.