pack rat

Yes, I did...on the Round2 built-ups. Sorry, I didn't really explain on my original post...I've done a bunch of box-art and display kits for them including the two General Lees.

Hugger Orange is non-metallic. I briefly considered Hemi Orange but just didn't think it looked right compared to any General Lee photos.

The built-up pictured on the top of the Round2 1/16 GL box, and the 1/25 built-up on the website were painted Testors Model Master "Huggar" Orange lacquer over Tamiya white primer. I did alot of research when building the 1/25 version. Apparently they used several shades of orange through the show's run, including Hugger Orange which I felt had the "right" look .

It was actually an MPC kit. In MPC's early days some of their kits were marketed in AMT boxes. The Wild Dream, King T, Car Craft Dream Rod, '28 Model A sedan and '65 Dodge Coronet are the ones I'm aware of. The Wild Dream and King T were initially packaged together in an AMT double kit, then later issued in MPC boxes seperately as "Wilhelm's Wonder" and "Tognotti's T". The MPC/AMT Ice Cream Truck contains the remains of the Wild Dream.

The only flaw I can recall when building the kit was installing the dash-mounted tach properly. Ertl's instructions show the tach being mounted in the centre of the dash which is incorrect. It should be mounted on the left side of the gauge hood. I managed to squeeze the tach in it's proper place on the box-art car (barely visible in the photos) but it's a tight squeeze due to the thickness of the vent window "glass".

As it comes out of the box the body is correct for a 442 with optional two-tone paint..given the popularity of vinyl tops during this era a two-tone car would be pretty rare. I researched the availabilty of two-tone paint on '66 442's when I built the box-art kit, and I believe the roof was available in black or white...my memory might be failing me on that point though. I also learned that Ertl had corrected the front bumper at some point...the earliest release had an incorrect front bumper without the w-30 scoops.

They won't be molded in color...the Escalade, 300, '71 Charger, '66 442 are molded in white, and I presume the GTX will be as well.

Round2 has modified the decal sheet...the hood decal has been modified for a better fit and the sheet now includes black inserts for the hash marks on the doors.

Yes they did. If I have a kit in my stash it's alot easier to keep up with the schedule if test shots haven't arrived yet from China.

It isn't a 2 in 1, it's the stock-only version. The decal sheet is modified...the black hood graphic has been re-shaped for a better fit and the sheet now includes the black hash marks on the doors...plus a few bonus drag class markings.

I have one already...it was given to me to replace my own kit I built for the box-art.

You'll get your wish..it's molded in white

The little booklet included with the kit (to the left in the photo) has lots of reference pics in it

I've stripped a few kits from that era painted with (I think) AMT lacquers. A good soak in brake fluid was the only thing that worked for me.

The actual color of Arnie's car was '61 Pontiac Bristol Blue

[ I do have to give Mike W. props for making that old war horse look as good as it does on the new box. When I built it in 1995 for the Chevrolet Classics set, it was kind of a PITA to build.

A bad build night is when you slather Micro-Set onto the decals of your just-finished build and suddenly discover you grabbed the decal film bottle by mistake, and the kit isn't even yours....it's supposed to be delivered the next day for box-art photographs and the decals are a gooey mess. If anyone notices that the decklid stripes on the Round 2 Z/28 don't look quite right, now you know why. (black Bare Metal and Gunze pinstripe tape to the rescue!)

Agreed....there are a ton of MPC Chargers out there in various forms on modeler's shelves already, and a decent '69 Charger kit is available courtesy of Revell/Monogram. If I had to make a choice between pouring alot of money into this kit or restoring the Meyers Manx it's a no-brainer. And for the record...Round 2 did spend a little money cleaning up the GL. I saw the first test shots they received-the body in the box is a noticable improvement.

The bottom left bumper is the custom Buick piece. The kit had clear back-up lenses that attached to the rectangular thingies at the outer edges. I have no idea where the other two pieces are from.

Definitely AMT-'75 or '76

The Daytona nose fit is no different than the earlier releases. I had never built one before and thought it would be a real pain based on the horror stories I've heard. It went together better than I expected, but it's definetely not an "attach the nose and you're done" deal. I used stretched sprue and Ambroid Pro Weld for most of the body work, with just a little putty to smooth out the step along the top of the fender extentions. Sorry-no pics..I wish I had taken some but that build was a rush-job that I completed in one week in my spare time.

None of the kits are "All New AMT Tooling", nor does Round 2 represent them as such. The only major change to the GL body is the corrected rear window...otherwise the tool has been cleaned up a little. (I've seen before/after test shots) IIRC the F&F body was used...I don't have an F&F body for comparison. The rear window molding is a little thicker and less delicate that the original MPC annual body, and there are engraved panel lines running from the bottom corners of the rear window to the top corners of the decklid opening-something the annuals didn't have.

The decal sheet is new. The "General Lee" lettering and the flag are slightly smaller than they were in the Ertl release. The blue portion of the flag is much darker and the lettering is printed in the same blue over white shadowing-looks much better now.

They're all re-issues. I built the Daytona and the GTO box-art kits for Round 2, and I'm currently working on a General Lee. The GL's roofline has been corrected. (finally)