pack rat

Looking at the pics of my 59 has me salivating to build/restore a '60.......too bad I haven't scored one yet.

Found some more. Thanks to John at Round2 for including the convertible boot in the recent Corvair reissue. Pics are showing up out of order but I think you can distinguish between the "befores" and "afters".

Love this thread. I wish I had more "before" pics of some of mine

That was the plan all along. When word got out that they were had a '71 Demon in the works it was assumed by many that they were just going to reissue the MPC kit, Round2 never mentioned an MPC '71 Demon reissue.

Don't know how rare it is, but the AMT '70 Mustang has been on my hit-list for years

I would add the MPC 70 and 71 Cyclones, the 71 Demon, and the Johan 69 Rebel

Everything piece of chrome you see on this build was installed using two part epoxy-no pins. If you mess up and get some on the paint (as I did with the driver's mirror) it can be buffed away with no damage (I use lacquers, with a clear coat...not sure about enamels). I found a small smear of dried epoxy on this one hours after it was completed and removed it using Novus #2. I'm about to pack it up and ship it 350 miles out of the country; I've been doing it this way for awhile and I'm not aware of any loose pieces (yet).

All of the tooling you mention still exists, although some of the older ones are getting tired. The '57 Chev in particular is still alive, but barely.

Yes, definitely go with the Spiderman kit. It has the wheels you need along with a few other optional parts. The pic shows the optional wheels, bumpers, mirrors and exhaust bits. There are optional seats as well, and possibly a few other parts that I can't recall.

False; it will use the hardtop body.

When originally tooled by MPC the bike represented a 68-71 Yamaha DT-1 250 Enduro with the lights removed and a motocross-style high front fender. The exact year could be determined by whatever color you chose to paint it (68-white, 69-metallic gold, 70-metallic red, 71-metallic orange). As reissued by Round2 the the same tooling is being used but there is no reference to any manufacturer (the joys of licensing). No manufacturer nameplates will appear on the bike. Below are pics of a '68 DT-1, an MPC DT-1 from a Dodge pickup with lights added from the scrap box, and a Suzuki T400 from the same pickup (unfortunately the Suzuki is not being reissued).

It will contain two identical bikes.

Two identical bikes; no Suzuki (the Suzuki was the one with the "snowflake" wheels)

Due to licensing concerns, Round2 doesn't mention a manufacturer......but it sure looks like a 1968 to 1971 Yamaha DT-1 250 Enduro.

Some info from John re the upcoming dirt bike parts pack: http://www.collectormodel.com/#sthash.wbffMGce.dpbs

No kidding! The folks who don't like the '66 Mustang would really howl when opening a '58 annual.

I got the image from a friend....the above posts should answer your questions.

Yes....Playcraft. They also did the '59 Lincoln, another tool that was later reissued by AMT. Another "lost tool" rumor....anyone remember hearing about an AMT Chev Pickup promo tool that reappeared in the '90's in someone else's possession? IIRC it was a '66, and there were rumors of a reissue from someone (not AMT).

A stock version is listed on the box, along with a pic of a full-fendered Mod Rod.

Your answer....direct from John; You can indeed build it full fendered..

A little backstory from John Greczula: http://www.collectormodel.com/#sthash.qwPmM8YM.dpbs

Part of the story as I remember hearing it; Some time in the mid-70's AMT sent the tool out for repair to a toll and die shop. In the interim their financial problems led up to the Lesney/Matchbox purchase, and in the resulting upheaval the tool was either forgotten, or the shop wasn't paid, so the shop kept the tool. I don't recall where I heard this, and I don't think I ever heard the other half of the story (how Lindberg got the tool). Perhaps someone who was closer to the action can fill in the blanks.

Yes, it's a photo of the model.....retouched? Not that I can see. It's just the old '34 pickup with the PE parts and new decals added. Like Bill said; this is one of those kits you use as a jumping-off point for something a little more creative. As a stand-alone kit, it certainly has it's limitations.

The (simplified) chassis will be re-issued just as MPC originally issued it in the 70's/80's

The USA-1 kit contains the same aluminum wheels as the Retro Deluxe kit, Round2 used a photo of a 1:1 Vette with stock wheel covers on the pre-production box art, hence the confusion. The re-tooled wheel covers in the Prestige kits are OK, but the original AMT pieces are much nicer to my eye.