Mr. Metallic

I do miss the 40% coupon. and they're getting less of my money now. It's nice to have the 40% off every other week, but most of the time over the last 8-10 years when i didn't get a kit I would almost always walk out with something else, especially their very nice display cases. Last few years (even before Covid) their turnover of kits has been very slow. I think whoever is doing the buying is asleep at the wheel because there have been lots of releases that never hit their shelves (even if you factor in their desire to mostly offer kits with higher name recognition so they can market to the impulse buyers and people just looking for gifts for others)

The back end is quite nice, but they lost me with the front. Can't say what I would do to improve it myself. Maybe higher, more outboard placement of the headlamps and a lower, wider, shorter grille?

Besides the odd engine parts breakdown, the Bonneville convertible is a highly under-rated kit. The body is very nice, especially all the delicately molded separate side trim. I didn't attempt the photoetch hood hinges, but they sure look like they'd be really nice. The suspension was really well done too. The engine out of the Novas is pretty well done. I adapted it to my 65 malibu custom I agree with most, for the price the commanded at the time, coupled with the inaccuracies kinda doomed them. The ones I have purchased (except the Bonne convertible) were all purchased at deep discounts from people looking to unload them. If you can look past (or fix) their issues, they are nice kits.

This is a screen shot of the above quote. Since khart is apparently no longer a member here his original post is scrubbed, but Larry's response still contains it. Anyway, I want to say, upon further research, R/M didn't simply "graft a three window greenhouse onto the roadster body" The 3 window body they attempted to create to fit the existing roadster kit appears to be all new tooling. Obviously, the roof is different, but all the body lines on the sides of the body are different, the door lines are different, molded in door handles and the opening of the passenger compartment is longer (as it should be). And there are lots of telltale indicators on the underside of the body as well. So, simply hacking the roof off wouldn't give you the same old roadster body as is implied. For anyone just joining this thread, remember this kit was done BEFORE the release of the all new tooling 32 Ford series Revell started in the late 90's. Brand nomenclature was confusing back around that time, with the parent company mixing and matching brand names.

Nicely done. As a big JB fan I've wanted to get my hands on the MPC kit for awhile. However, starting with the Hasegawa kit may be a better option detail and availability wise. Your excellent conversion work proves that it can be done.

Very nice color combo and execution. I don't recall anyone else having the part issues you called out in your bench session posts with the new version of the kit with the SBC, but I'll have to keep them in mind. Thanks for sharing

Ace, I think it's time for this one to hit the bench again.

The 49er was really manufactured to be a cheap toy with 2 levels of entertainment. One, a puzzle for kids to put together, and then to play with. Note the really robust design of the front spokes and the heavy duty pin used to attach it to the axle. It's meant to be played with. The rest of the tooling is highly simplified, with the engine block, supercharger, scoop, oil pan and "trans" all molded as 2 halves. And the roll bar just connects to the body, there is no frame under the "skin". That being said, the unique parts presented here are opportunities for a really cool build, at many different levels of detail (depending on how aggressive the builder wants to get) I have two glue bombs of these, and I fully intend to do something cool with them, while still picking up at least one of the new Atlantis versions as a blank slate. I'm sure a RRR version would be outstanding By the way, love your Mooneyes build. For me it's the standard that any other should be compared to as far as cleanliness of the build and highlighting the potential that kit has.

Wow, there's a whole lot of misinformation flying around here right now. Hope people take the time to read ALL the posts in this thread to eventually get to the correct info.

Can we move on from the box art debate now? It's just going around in circles. Now, with regards to what is in the box. When Atlantis first started production (within the last couple years) it was stated they were holding off on automotive subjects because they had issues with producing "rubber" tires. Is this true? And if so, was it because they didn't have the (what I'm assuming is) specialized molding equipment for rubber? Or did they not have the tire molds? With the new Green elephant funny car, didn't they have to create new tire molds? The reason I ask all this is, I'd love to have the old Revell drag tires readily available(especially since the old formula Revell used would "eat" the plastic wheels over time). I just wonder what we're going to get for rubber in this box.

For your first heavy body mods you're doing quite well. You're learning as you go, but yes, trying to do as much with plastic with minimal filler is the way to go. The one part filler you are using may shrink, so be sure to give it ample time to do so before proceeding to paint. In the future I would try using two part filler. Bondo does offer some if you want to stick with that, i use a brand called Dolphin Glaze (I know, weird name) that i bought on eBay For filling minor scratches and imperfections I would use Tamiya grey or white filler. It is very fine and fills those small scratches very well, but they do shrink a little so apply very small amounts. I'm a big Futurama fan, so you sucked me in with the title. Kool build!

That didn't buy them. They're having a special run produced by Atlantis, who does own the tooling.

Glad to see you brought this one all the way to the finish line. Great color choice, and the wheel/tire package is perfect. As always you signature "Milberry strip" on the windshield is the finishing touch Thanks again on the tip for using the Revell 64-66 chevy frame under these AMT and MPC 68-72 Chevy/GMC kits. I have a couple planned that will end up better off after learning about the ease of this swap.

Love it. Especially love the notched gas tank to fit around the QC and the wheel/tire package

You know i love this thing Dave. Glad you brought it to another forum so i can drool on it ?

@NitroMarty, you gotta share yours

I stand corrected. As always you are the bastion of essential kit history. (hope that doesn't come of as facetious, because it is meant honestly) However, that doesn't change the fact that it really would have been nice for them to offer some sort of suspension parts pack to flesh out the offerings. Fingers crossed it's planned for the future.

Yeah, really wish they had released the Dragster Speed Equipment pack which has all the suspension components as well. I know many of us have parts boxes and kit stash to steal from, but I would have bought several of the dragster speed equipment packs by themselves, they have such great period parts. We know that pack exists because it's being used for the upcoming Mooneyes kit.

this will get you started. Best option is to call or email them to get a new catalog. https://public.fotki.com/crstan/replican-and-miniat/

That is crazy cool. You really pulled off the look.

This is coming along really nicely. I have mocked up those same wheels along side 32 fords so many times because I love that wheel/tire package, but could never make them look right. They look great on yours though, i wonder if the extended wheelbase has something to do with it?

Using those ferrules was a great way to further detail the seats. There is a bunch of them, how did you cut them down? Did you make a jig so they're all the same length?

This long straight piece of trim would probably benefit from the masking tape technique. Take a piece of masking tape and run it along where the trim is (not covering the trim , but opposite it in the "negative space". Then apply your foil over the trim and tape. Use the edge of the tape as the guide for your knife instead of trying to follow the trim itself. Peel the tape away and it should leave your foiled trim in place.

Is this grille available for purchase?

Nicely done conversion work. I had to look pretty hard inside the bed to figure out where you did your cuts.