Chuck Most

But I don't want to build the 700 or 800 kits I have stashed! I want to build THIS one!!!! AND the upcoming AMT Manx dune buggy reissue...

I spoke to a buddy of mine today, who just so happens to be a recent ex-Chrysler tech, and he says all the ones he'd worked on didn't have the engine shroud, and some of them were fairly 'fresh', undergoing their first maintenance trip. His theroy is they're either left off at the factory, or removed when the cars are fitted out. But he did say he'd never seen one in place on a police unit in the three years he worked at the dealer after the police Charger was introduced.

FINALLY picked up a Monogram black widow! And finally picked up a couple of kits I've wanted for a long, long time... the Jo-Han Chrysler Turbine car, the MPC Indy Hall Of Fame three-pack (with the '63 Watson), as well as an Imag Beetle, '69 Corvair, '29 Model A, and a Gunze Sangyo '56 Beetle. I've been on a bit of a Beetle bender lately, I guess! Oh,and three of Big Jim's new '36 Hudson Terraplane grille shells!

Just said on the news they're telling residents of Maui and the big island on Hawaii to stay alert. FIngers crossed nothing will happen!

Clean and C-L-A-S-S-Y...

WOW. Very cool! Just a question... not sure what you're doing with the stepped back end, but I kind of like it. Is that what you're planning on doing on the actual model? This thing would look great with a '30's car hauler body on it, like the one on the Danbury Mint GMC diecast model.

Me in summertime splendor with a derelict Ford C-cab... Me in the winter wasteland in my kit crypt... Me with my Washburn Falcon... And me at age six...

I'd complain the gold bar I was given wasn't big (ie- valuable) enough! But yeah... I'd rather pay $35 (aboot the average take rate for a modern AMT semi tractor/heavy truck reissue) than ten times (or more) that amount for an earlier reissue with a nasty box and unusable decals.

I think I can make something of it... Last time I was at Dean's, he had this and the Chevy pickup with the Peterbilt-y front end from the same series. THAT one was gone the next time, but I still got the Bee!

If I recall, much of the Grand's dirty parts were similar to the regular Cherokee, and making the boxy Cherokee body probably wouldn't be too tough- I'd have a rough time converting the Grand dash to a standard Cherokee! Yeah, I think the kit makers missed the boat when they ignored this truck, and the Comanche pickup!

So have I! The beard, anyway. I was rockin' the 'Van Dyke' until recently...

I've heard two stories about the engine shrouds on the Charger cop cars- some of the local shop owners say they come without them from the factory, others say they're removed later at the request of the agency to expediate maintenance on the vehicles, though the amount of time saved in doing so would probably be negligible. Can't confirm or deny either one- all the Charger police cars I've seen up close and personal so far have been in the fleet for a while, and none had the shroud by the time I saw them.

Me back at my old place...

The Jeep J-10 is 1:25, but the CJ-7 (ex-Monogram) kit is 1:24.

THAT GUY!!!!

It's official... AMT boned it big time when they didn't release this as a plastic kit. Lovely work on this one!

Just wondering if there'd be any interest in a CRM based build off. I know there were two 'Custom Rodder' magazines, I'm refering to the one published by Primedia/Source Interlink and canceled about four years ago. The rules would be simple, the model would be a replica of or based upon a car featured in the mag, or based on a rendering from the Sketchpad articles.

Lindberg still has the sidewall lettering on their tires as well,and a few Revell and Monogram reissues still sport them, as do many reissued Japanese kits. I still don't think we know the full story on what's going on. My guess is that Hobbico just elected to smite the lettering from their tires to wash their hands of the whole licencing issue.

Love that paint job, reminds me of one of those huge lollipops!

L-O-V-E the Blue Max! Love seeing them built up this nicely, too.

A bit off topic, but does anyone remember that famous photo of Mark Martin holding a copy of the other mag from 1990 or therabouts?

I'd say go with the Tahoe kit, too. The 454 SS kit would work if you cut it down, but then you'd need to raid the '94-up grille from the '96 Dually kit. Cutting the Tahoe down into a Blazer shouldnt' be a tough job.

And not to be confused with Chrysler INDUSTRIAL Engine Red, which is not metallic as is 'Hemi Orange'.

What he said! As to what I got today, epic haul! Minicraft Rat Trap Pick 'Em Up (1:16 scale '31 Ford Model A closed cab) Lindberg Dodge Dakota Polar Lights Love Bug Galaxie '47 Chevy Sedan Monogram Ice T MRC Keystone Klassic/Goodyear Polyglas wheel/tire set Two Revell-o-Gram Caddilac V8 Parts Paks AMT annual '62 Tempest kit body Big ol' bag of spare parts, including an AMT Peterbilt cab

Man, gotta love it when it's about 18 years between the time a kit is announced and when it actually hits the shelves, huh? (Note, the preceding sentence had just a tinge of sarcasm in it. )