Carmak

If you are looking for a level of detail that involves a better chassis I would start with a 60 Desoto re-issue so you get the opening hood. As Mark mentioned the 60 Desoto used a sub-frame style chassis. A marginally better Mopar sub-frame is in the MPC 65-66 Dodge B-body kits.

I have a built model display and an unbuilt kit storage solution that is also a display of sorts. For built kits I really like display cabinets to keep the models as dust free as possible.

Roadkill introduced a whole generation to the concept of working on old cars yourself and driving them. I have a son in his mid 20’s and Roadkill is probably the single biggest reason he got into cars. He has a whole group of friends into cars and Roadkill is the reason. I know the Roadkill guys will continue but there are other people out there to carry the torch and introduce the next generation to cars.

I am particularly impressed with the arc of the roofline. No wonky transitions just a nice gentle arc from the windshield to the rear window. Very nice!

Got these locally (Iowa City, IA) from a family friend of the original owner of these models. I got a large collection of built kit (58-63 era) from this same person last year. These had been misplaced until recently. MIB: AMT 64 Chevelle wagon, AMT 64 Elcamino and Monogram 55 BelAir (blue). Lightly started: AMT 64 Impala convertible, Monogram 55 BelAir (red) and Monogram 34 Ford (original issue). The rest are empty boxes for built kits I had gotten last year.

So happy to see the Barracuda and the 60 Chevy wagon! Thank you Steve!!

Super nice build. I thought HotWheels the moment I saw it. Great execution and very nice job repairing the taillight bezel and blending the custom front end!

Very nice full Kustom! Really like the Riv roof swap!

Hopefully Round2 continues its practice of opening all of the formerly blocked runners and the stock styled wheels (or possibly a set to deep dish slots) will return. We may also end up with some or all of the Python parts and some of the GT road race parts.

I will say that to my eye the AMT 66 Mustang 2+2 body looks better than the Monogram/Revell body (this kit was originally designed by Monogram and has been re-branded as a Revell).

To add to what Mark said: The 66 is a clone body of a promo-based kit originally designed in 65-66. It has a tub interior, metal axles, all suspension and exhaust molded to the chassis. The 67 was an all-new kit when designed in the 90's. It has a platform interior, detailed suspension and separate exhaust. If the plan is to kit-bash the chassis of the 67 under the 66 that could/should work. If doing this be aware the modern 67 kit tends to sit high in the front and the front track is a bit wide. I built one recently and spent a fair bit of time getting it to sit the way I wanted it to. The pics show my result. I intentionally did not cut down the tie rod to show how much I moved in the spindles.

I worked with Chris on the Chevelle history project. Both the AMT and MPC Chevelles are derived from promos, and both are still using the same tooling the same basic tooling from when first made (AMT 70 and MPC 71). It's nice to see the MPC Chevelle is coming back.

I completely agree with your tastes!! *The MPC full size Pontiacs were revised every year from 66-70. We have the end of the line 70. *The MPC 65-66 full size Dodges were heavily revised into a custom car. Probably gone *We have the 66 Wildcat (which still has the 65 dash in it) and the 66 Skylark was modified into a stock car which we still have. *We have the end of the line 65 Lincoln (would love to see a sedan version). The end of the line 69 is probably gone (I would be happy to be wrong). The 64 Cutlass was an interesting case as the tooling for everything except the stock body, bumpers and glass was intact. It was a great clone project as only a few components were needed to result in a complete kit. (I bought a ton of each version and I love building them)

Notice the cast wheels the aim sideways built into the rear bumper. Once he gets the front up, he locks one rear brake and gets that thing spinning.

One of my wife's co-workers builds Gundam and Warhammer. He modifies, kit bashes, fabricates, uses aftermarket components, paints, details and weathers his builds. The one I have seen is very impressive. He has a small group of friends that I believe are of similar skill level and they basically show each other their builds and no-one else. I mentioned a show in his area (he does not live in my area) and he has no interest in contests or shows. I am involved with the shows put on by three local IMPS chapters and I attended the IMPS national this summer and I agree with you Steve that Gundam looks to be underrepresented at "all scale model type" shows.

I love the use and finishing of the custom front and rear, color choice and application, stance and wheel/tire choice. BUT my favorite detail is the scribed lines for the filler panel between the rear seat and the trunk lid used for 60's T-bird and Lincoln convertibles. Nice

My son and his girlfriend cruising our 60 Buick. Works on them with me so he gets to enjoy them. So glad Haggerty revised their policies a few years ago to allow owners children with clean driving records to be added as covered drivers.

For 1/25 scale ANNUAL model kits tooled in the original golden era (1958-mid 70’s) we need to take a step back. The business model in this era was: * Auto manufacturer contract with model kit company to make promo cars. * Once promo contract was complete utilize portions of the promo mold (specifically the body) to make the annual model kit. The model companies didn’t pick the body style of the annual, the auto manufacturers did. There are exceptions like the Revel 62 Annuals which are not promo based, but they are exceptions.

Does anyone know what year this kit represents? I know they are all fairly similar but there are differences.

Over the 35 years I have been able to find most of my favorite cars. The Turbine Bronze 67 Plymouth took years to find. The 60 Buick is an unrestored survivor. My wife and I (more her than me) did a bare metal body on frame reso of the 57 Cadillac about 15 years ago. The 68 Coronet convertible was my father's car when I took it to prom in the 80's. It was rear ended and totaled in the late 80's and is now undergoing a full restoration. The 40 Ford is my wife's favorite car

I am so glad to hear there are other Dajiban fans here! I was chatting with Steve G. back in March of 2023 about the potential of a Dajiban version of the current Dodge van kit.

In general, I agree with Alan’s post about the rise of “modern” (mid 70’s and newer) collector cars” and the decline of pre-60’s cars. I would add some interesting observations: * From the 50’s to the mid 70’s there was a general belief that each year’s new car would be better than the year before (planned obsolescence) so it was uncommon to intentionally preserve a late model or new car. In the mid 70’s this belief flipped with the thinking that each new year’s new car would be worse than the year before. This caused some people to intentionally preserve late model and new cars. Although the beliefs about new cars being better or worse has become more nuanced the trend of intentionally preserving late model and new cars has grown and helped increase the pool of cars to collect. * My children are car aware and in their mid to upper 20’s. They do not have the problem with 4dr sedans and wagons that my generation (age in the 50’s-60’s) does. They often endearingly refer to 4dr sedans as “crew cabs”. Round2 – Young people like 4drs and wagons!! ? * The term “muscle car” means nothing. It has gone from a term to define a very specific class of car (the performance model or package of a mid-size car built from 64-72) to a descriptive like “sleek”, “flashy”, “muscle car”. I have seen everything from 50’s 4dr sedans to 80’s 307 powered Cutlass Supremes referred to as Muscle Cars. Auction houses are often guilty of lumping all sorts of cars into the Muscle Car category.

Were all of the 61-63 issues molded in the dark burgundy color?

Good box art grabs your attention and acts on emotions to invoke inspiration, imagination, nostalgia and more. As shown in this post, its “value” differs greatly from builder to builder. I am rarely persuaded or dissuaded by box art when I buy a modern model kit (I typically know what is inside before I buy), however I have a decent number of vintage boxes I have collected specifically for their box art. My wife makes a calendar for me each year with vintage box art on it.

It is great to hear the clone kits are doing good in the marketplace! It is possible that a larger than normal percentage of the initial clone kit sales were pre-order internet sales to the more "connected" model builder/collector. The current retro clone box art on most of the clone kits is aimed at the more connected model builder/collector. Once the connected model builder/collector market is saturated it is box art that sells kits. Additionally, the Walmart thing did not help the hobby shops. They fit the market for some clone kits before the hobby shops got them. I suspect we will start to see current clone kits in the future boxed in less authentic retro box art, themed box art (think "Dirty Donnie" or "Coke"), boxed with modern wheels/tires (current resto-mod style wheels) or some form of "easy builder" box art for the Craftsman clone kits.