Chuck Most

That's the solid Dana 44- it's broken down so you can build it as a driver or passenger's side drop. The '95-96 F-150 was never offered from the factory with a solid front axle.

I've been digging into these little bikes... and thanks again to everyone who helped point me in the right direction... and it appears that the "Roadster" here might actually be a Goat. Everything I've been able to find states that the Roadster had a headlight and taillight, while the Goat did not. And to further muddy the waters, the Goat was also sold under the Ram name. Anyway, I think I've got more than enough info to do something with this thing.

Nice! Makes me want to tear into the police version I have.

Bingo.

Is it on his site? I know he makes a solid-axle Dana axle and some radius arms, but I've never seen a TTB setup from Calnaga.

Great stuff, guys.

I once asked my great uncle why he got an aftermarket bumper for his '68 when he bought it new. He said for about a third of the cost of what Ford would have charged for their factory bumper, he could go to Tractor Supply and get a better-quality step bumper. That bumper outlasted three trucks, and it's been ages since I've seen an unrestored Bump with a factory rear fender that wasn't mangled or rusted out... so he must have been onto something with that line of thinking.

On the subject of rear bumpers... keep in mind that they still weren't standard equipment back then. Of course there was a factory Ford rear bumper available as an option (I want to say it came standard with the Ranger XLT trim but don't quote me on that), but quite a few of these trucks had (and still have) aftermarket bumpers. Even in cases where the pickup came with a rear bumper, a lot of guys would replace the dainty factory piece with a heavier-duty step bumper. Basically, that means pretty much anything could be considered "correct" if you don't like either the chrome Ford bumper or the plain step bumper.

I can vouch for Fireball, though I believe all the tires he sells are BF Goodrich. They are very nicely done, though, and should fit pretty much all the Revell/Monogram truck wheels.

I'm more and more convinced it's a Rupp, especially after seeing this (while doing an online image search for 1969 Rupp Roadster. Looks like there was a similar 1:1 model to the Roadster called a "Goat' as well.

Yeah- that one looks way closer to the mark- especially the wheels! I thought the wheels in the kit bike were just a lazy attempt at spokes, but they actually do look like the wheels on the one you posted. Thanks for the info guys.

As far as that bumper goes... could be nothing more than an honest mistake. Remember when the box art for the Revell '50 Olds stated printed whitewalls, but the kit only came with decals for the tires? Revell did offer replacement printed wide whitewall tires, thus "making an honest man" of the box art. Sure, that was Revell, but I'm sure Moebius will take care of you if you want the chrome bumper.

The issue has more to do with the monster kits than sci-fi, but since Moebius is well-known for both subjects, I'm still in the habit of lumping them together. It has more to do with the monster kits, though. The policy has to do with HL not wanting Moebius products in the store because of their monster kits. It involves the family who owns HL and their personal beliefs, which I'm not touching with a 10 foot pole. Moebius has mentioned it on their Facebook page a couple of times- it was a point of great frustration for them. Personally, I don't see the problem- I've got a couple grand worth of Moebius merchandise, and I've never set foot in a Hobby Lobby store. I can't be the only one. I also don't see why HL would just not stock the monster kits and stock only the auto and/or sci-fi kits if they take objection to them, but forgive me if I side with Moebius on this one. Bottom line is, Moebius has tried to get into HL, and HL says no. I don't expect that to change unless there's a regime change at HL... and since (as far as I know) they've been family-owned since the beginning, I'm not expecting that to happen, either. And since this thread is about an HL sale, and not their business practices... ... that's all I have to say about that.

As far as the oily smell and any paint adhesion problems, I've not nothing. Granted, the yellow/white pickup was a test shot. But the gray beater I built later was an early production kit, and I had no issues with that. I do tend to clean the parts before primer and paint, so that may be a factor. Can't say I ever really took a good strong whiff of either one, though. I'll check out the kits I should have in my hands later this week. The surface texture is no worse on these than on the '54 Hudsons... again, it isn't a problem unless you really love the color of the gray plastic and don't want to paint it. A little primer and wet sanding and it's not there anymore. And since any modeler worth his salt is going to be priming and wet sanding anyway... much ado about nothing on that matter. I seriously don't get why people gush over a polished, glossy raw plastic body when all they're going to do is sand, prime, and paint it anyway. I've got no problem with the headlight housings- other than the fact there's no cut line or any type of engraved line, so it's easy to go a little too far if you paint them freehand, as I did. I'd like to see how those would look when painted by someone with a nice, thin brush and a much steadier hand than mine. In other words... if you look at my '71 again the headlight bezels may look bigger just because I think I painted more of the surface area around the headlights black than I needed to.

Never going to happen. Moebius has tried getting their products into HL, but due to HL's idiotic policy regarding sci-fi and monster kits, Moebius kits are a no-go.

Looks like I need to scrape together a little cash.

^So, something like this, then?

More years than months- April 2013. As far as I know, nobody has picked up the product line.

Force 440... Monaco 2-door... whatever it was called when it had the dirt bike.

I'm just WAITING for the day I get such a call from a telemarketer... I only hope my session is 10% as epic.

Just wondering- is the mini bike included in the MPC Dodge Monaco 2-door based on an actual bike, or just a generic "Yep, that's a mini-bike, alright" sort of thing? I'll have to admit ignorance on being able to ID any type of mini bike, but I'm pretty sure somebody on here would be more knowledgeable about it.

Well, judging from the way the thread title started out, I was assuming it was something to do with pirates...

This slightly shabby but well maintained Valueliner was out and doing its thing yesterday Also...