Chuck Most

Love this one.

Love this. Suicide-door Connies were the height of "modern" American luxury.

Love it, love it, love it! Was NOT expecting to see that engine in it! I have a '67 T-Bird to restore one of these days, but mine isn't a kit- it's the promo with the built-in Philco AM radio.

Thanks guys! That's aluminum mesh screen from Chesapeake Model Designs.

Thanks guys! Just finished another one with a V8 swap and another done as a drag car... and I'm thinking of doing one more as a mild period custom, though a buddy is trying to convince me to start with the S600 version just to mix it up a little.

Thanks guys! The stock version of this kit has the correct (and fascinatingly weird) chain drive that the street version would have had, this one started as the racing version, which has a slick little solid axle/trailing arm/coilover setup, which I retained for this model. Not sure how that little axle would hold up behind a 5.0, but I'll just pretend it's a narrowed 8.8" under there. I had to cut out a crossmember and move the firewall back to fit the V8. I also did a little filing to the inner fenders but in hindsight I'm not convinced that was necessary. Yeah, the wheels wouldn't turn like that 1:1 unless you had air springs, but I figured "It's a model and it's not like it'll ever have to make a turn." As far as the intake clearing the hood... well, looks can be deceiving. Before I cut the hole the hood would float above the opening at the cowl by about twice the thickness of the hood itself. Right on both counts. The headers come out right about where the occupant's heels would have rested on the floor. The beginning of the side pipes line up with the ends of the headers. Hood clearance is one reason why the air filter is angled to the rear- and also because the factory Honda hood has some ventilation slots there anyway. Solid rod bent to a 90 degree angle. Once everything was glued, the ends were drilled out.

This started out with a Tamiya Honda S800, an AMT Parts Pack 392 Hemi, and several other doodads from other kits, along with a few trinkets from the parts box. I have no idea what class such an animal would race in, or if it would even pass NHRA muster, but it looks decent enough on the shelf and that's all I'm worried about.

I figured if the Shelby Formula of a Ford V8 in a small British sports car worked pretty well, it might work equally well in a small Japanese car. I'd originally planned to do it as a period-correct "what-if", but eventually decided on an up-to-date style in a similar spirit. To that end, I started with the Tamiya Honda S800 Racing version, installed an engine from the Revell '90 Mustang drag car, wheels from the Revell '50 Ford F-1 with Toyo tires from one of the tuner kits, and converted the dash to LHD. I also added a mesh grille and added a hood scoop to clear the Edelbrock plenum. The car is painted Testors Bronze because I wanted it to look nice but not overly flashy. The side pipes were made from plastic rod in two diameters.

Do you know for a fact that it was from a truck? Might be from an industrial application. That's an oddball pattern for an 8-bolt truck axle for sure.

This is the AMT Beetle Bus, converted into a pickup and repowered with a turbo Corvair flat six.The bed is littered with VW cast-offs and eventually it will be pulling a trailer with a rundown-looking buggy project.

The truck itself is done- eventually it will be pulling a trailer loaded with an abandoned dune-buggy project.

This is a mostly box stock buildup of the Tamiya kit. Mostly. There are two versions of this kit, I started with the stock version, but added the carbs and air cleaner from the racing version, wired the engine, and used the smooth baby Moon hub caps from an AMT '57 Ford Fairlane, it's out-of-box. Other than the gap at the back edge of the optional hard top, and the fact that the Honda metal transfer letters for the trunk lid absolutely refused to stick (that could be due to the fact it's a 22 year old kit) it's a pretty nice little kit. Freshly finished and there's already dust in the interior...

I'll be keeping an eye on this one- this is a kit I'd love to see AMT reissue sometime soon! The yellow one of yours is my all-time favorite finished example of this kit. After seeing that one I set aside a set of those wheels for a Scirocco I may get around to building some day.

Yep, they're aftermarket or modified Type 4 caps. Not at all uncommon. I'm not surprised finding a simple base model factory photo was difficult to find- Ford wanted you to buy the high-trim, high-option model. I think all the photos of base 4x4s in "Ford Trucks Since 1905" show them with full wheel covers or no wheel coverings at all, but I'll have to check. But- the picture proves that Type 4 hubcaps with the cutout do exist in real life, and thus are 100% correct unless you want to build the truck as "showroom". They look good that way and I don't blame you for wanting to use them. Wasn't going to say anything about the battery, but somebody mentioned it ... I can live with that. I wouldn't want a '70-vintage battery in 2017, and I'm not the kind of guy who'd shell out the money for a reproduction battery. I'm guessing the guy who's truck Moebius used for reference felt the same way. I think most people would be OK slapping an Autolite decal on the kit battery and calling it good. I'm guessing the aftermarket guys who cater to '60's drag subjects might have something more appropriate for a period-style battery, or you could rework what's there.

Love it! I'd have to echo that my only gripe would be with the pavement-friendly tires, but as has been pointed out, many alternatives are available. Although going by factory photos, tires like what Moebius uses seemed to have been the standard, with all-terrains being an option. Love the color you chose for it, combined with the subtle dechroming! Gives the truck a classy look but isn't "in your face". We all know the story on the hubcaps Moebius used so I won't go over all of that again, but I'll add this. The "Type 4" hubcaps were never offered from the factory with a cutout for the 4WD hubs. 4x4s ordered with these hubcaps came with the caps on the rear wheels only. But many people did (and do) cut out the centers of these caps for hub clearance, and I want to say that there was an aftermarket knock-off version that was sold with an open center to clear a 4WD hub, but such a cap was never factory issue. So... it wouldn't be factory-stock if you're hung up on that, but it wouldn't be unrealistic either.

Always had mixed feelings about this kit, but your rendition is looking pretty good so far. I don't think I've ever seen anybody do this one in white. Forgot that AMT used the '92-style non-airbag steering wheel for about a year too long- I think they finally updated it with the '95 long bed F-150 annual kit.

Not a convertible guy myself, but I have to totally agree with you on this one.

Thanks guys! I just hope it won't take five years to get the Corvair-powered one done...

Thanks guys! The finish was obtained with the good old salt technique and some sanding. I also used the end of a toothpick to add some random scratches. The "smudge" on the driver's side door is just that- a smudge from my thumb left there from me gently nudging the cab back onto the paint stand... I liked how it looked so I didn't fix it.

I'll have to see if I can get a pic of the defect I'm talking about- it seems fairly common to this kit. The only flaw I can think of is that the most recent reissue is mislabeled- The 1995 reissue (2wd drive with aftermarket Flareside bed) is labeled as a '77 on the instruction sheet, but the grille-mounted turn signals date it to '78 or later. About the bed on this version and the Bush Baby.... yes, it technically isn't factory, but neither was the Styleside (wide) bed. The Courier was shipped to the US without a bed, and a bed built in the US by Sheller-Globe (if I remember correctly) was installed on the trucks after they'd arrived here. But, several aftermarket firms did offer step side beds for them, and the AMT resembles what appears to be a less-commonly chosen version. Many had fenders that looked like GM units. The trucks were shipped here that way to get around the good old "Chicken Tax", an archaic and idiotic law still in use today. The Subaru Brat had those weird rear-facing seats in the bed for the same purpose. Same story for the 4x4 variant- the Courier was never offered as a 4x4 from the factory, but a number of aftermarket firms would build you one. I'd say it's been more than long enough since this one's been reissued. I'd love to see Round 2 bring it back, preferably with the Styleside bed. Or, maybe throw in the Flareside bed and 4x4 components as options?

It does have the plate, and the stripes are printed on a black background.

I've built/bought about a dozen of these over the years- it seems like the driver's side lower corner of the windshield opening is always short-shot. Not a big deal to fix but something to look out for. It might take a little work to get the bed lined up with the cab, but overall the fit is surprisingly good for a late '70's AMT kit.

Love it.

I bought both of these kits back when the kit was reissued (five years ago or so?), had them both pretty much mocked up within a month... then they both gathered dust until just a few days ago, when they were finished within a few hours of one another. One is done as a rat rod, severely lowered and with a chopped top that was textured by stretching a piece of cloth over the still-tacky primer, followed by a few very thin coats of black. The "spine" was Z'd at the rear to lower the rear of the car, while the front axle was flipped upside-down and backwards to lower the front and push the front tires further forward. There are seats from a Roth Beatnik Bandit II and a chain steering wheel but they're a bit hard to see under the heavily chopped roof. The second one is a post-apocalyptic battle cruiser with a pair of forward guns from a Stuka bomber, a 50 caliber rifle, and dual rear tires for some reason. I may add some dirt and a few doodads to this one later. Both models feature the kit-supplied Beetle engine- I have another one in the works which will be Corvair powered and done as more of a nice, showy car. It, too, was started back when these two were... who knows when it'll get done?

I remember one around here years ago that was a similar color, you couldn't tell it was two-tone until you got up close. Always thought it was a cool look.