Chuck Most

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...

If somebody doesn't do it, I will.

You're already ahead of the game, then.

No, I think that first pic is where insurance payout checks come from.

I realize now I didn't point out the Hydramatic I used was the one included in the Cadillac parts pack. Why jump into the spare parts box if you don't need to? I've seen them in resin, I have a cast metal one somewhere (RB Motion, maybe?) but they're super-easy to find in kits. The Revell '49 Merc I mentioned (coupe and woody) have the Cadillac engine with a Hydramatic already attached. The Revell parts pack caddy includes one, and IIRC so does the AMT parts pack Pontiac engine- and that one's molded separately from the engine block. I believe the Custom version of the Revell '50 Olds has one as well (the 2-in-1 kit had a manual). Easiest way to get one, though, would just be to use the one from the Cadillac. If you go with the Chevy, you could back it up with a Powerglide. I think the AMT '53 Corvette had a decent one, molded separately from the engine. There are some of those in resin. Of course, the easiest way to to it would be to use whatever transmission came behind the engine you plan to use.. do a little digging around and you might already have all you need to make it work. But if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, like Bill mentioned, you can mate anything to pretty much anything. On the subject of adapters, here's a link to some transmission adapters for Hudson engines. Kind of the opposite of what you're planning (these are for putting a modern trans behind a Hudson engine), but maybe it'll give you a few ideas. http://www.wilcap.com/hudson.html

I've actually built two Hornets with the Parts Pack Cadillac engine- both had GM Hydramatic transmissions backing them up. Which is just fine... the GM Hydramatic was actually offered as an option in the Step Down Hudsons. That being said, I see no reason why you couldn't stay with the stock trans- somebody somewhere has probably done it 1:1. You will need to modify and/or replace the existing transmission crossmember, or move it backward- I just moved the crossmember back on both of mine. You may need to trim the battery tray a tad to avoid possible clearance issues with the left valve cover when installing the body- once the battery is in place this modification likely won't be visible. For the Cadillac engine, I'd suggest using the shorter headers provided in the kit. You could probably also adapt the stock Cadillac manifolds from the Revell '49 Mercury if you have a set kicking around. I can't speak for using the Chevy engine, but I've swapped Cadillac, Pontiac, Mopar, and even an AMC V8 into these kits, and the basic steps are pretty much identical, no matter who made the V8 going in. You'll need to trim down the mounting pins for the engine- the one on the front suspension crossmember and the one molded to the top of the steering idler. I used the four-carb manifold on one, and one of the rear carbs was almost touching the firewall, but that's because I didn't mount the engine as far forward as I should have.

Telemarketers? Take a few lessons from the master... Here's one that would be very handy around Christmastime... And the greatest act of trolling a telemarketer in history... Nobody will ever be as good at messing with telemarketers as Mr. Mabe, but you can still have some fun with it.

I love it! I'm a Ford guy, but I've owned a couple of these, and for my money, they're about the best car GM managed to squeeze out in the '80's. Assuming you avoided the diesel... Well... you're belief is on the right track. The amber turn signal lens came for '84. That year, there was no "base" Delta 88- they were all Royales, or Royale Broughams. As far as I'm aware, all Deltas came with amber taillight lenses from '84 on- they even carried the theme over to the front-drive version.

I believe AMT/Ertl did with their '62 Catalina. That may have been on the custom version only, though, but I seem to recall that kit having a clear wheel.

Try to find an AMT/Ertl reissue of the '72 GMC- it was a short stepside. You'd need to use the Chevy tailgate, but the GMC has the right bed and chassis (assuming you want to to a short bed stepside). It was last issued in the early '90's and was later retooled into the '72 Chevy long bed.

I like it already.

This is beyond stupid, but it still made me laugh. 'long ducks'