iBorg

This is amazing work.......so what are you going to do when Round2 announces it in October for March release?

Only one flat? I'd say it looks killer but maybe dead would be more correct. Seriously this really represents the subject well.

If you really want to model it, swap it for a kit or a promo that's less pristine. Its only original ounce.

Actually looks sorta like a VW kit car trying to look like a Corvette. Maybe that's the solution. Mount it on a dune buggy chassis.

If you admit to liking it, visit your health provider. If its sealed keep it that way. Its only sealed once (well.......we know that isn't ALWAYS true), and keeping it sealed keeps it contained. The best part of that kit has to be the box art.

Just stumbled upon this build. Really glad I did. This is a great project. Your WIPs are making it very easy to follow. This is truly a great how-to to build a Trans-Am classic.

This is a kit that is maligned by many for the engine looking wrong. The scoop you used seems to remedy all of those concerns. Your build perfectly captures the feel of a 1963 dragster.

Killer idea. Looks well executed. I love the wood at the top of the windows.

I've got to get one of these. Nicely built and the added details do a lot for it.

I agree with accepting some inaccuracies. I accept that. The frame is off, AMT reused the old Ivo frame. Its far from accurate for a Buttera frame. I'm okay with that, but by golly.....they tooled up an all new body. Get the body near right! Built from the box, I doubt the driver could see out of it. The blower would also hid below the deck work. I'm okay modifying a kit.....I can't remember reading directions.....but please get something near right. They designed a new body......why, oh why couldn't they got it closer? I swear they used the Hot Wheels die cast as a model.

I echo many of the thoughts shard. I never met Ed although we had numerous pm messages at one time. We shared the love of road racing in the 60's. Ed was talented. His talents went beyond his builds but he was talented in sharing so many of us could be better builders. He's one of many builders that I have come to look forward to seeing their work, their advice. I trust he was a good man in person. He was a good man here. Please convey to his wife my condolences.

Very nice kit. The also did an Olds Aurora. Well cast, the included decals were top notch. Nice to have them back in production.

This brings back so many memories of the one car I loved the most. Lost it in a house fire that started in the garage. I really need to find this kit. Without a doubt those front seats were some of the most comfortable I've ever been in. Darn fast car to with simply a larger exhaust. Some day I need to replace her.

Thanks for the clamp picture. I see a purchase coming up. In looking at this, it seems to also be called a peg clamp, universal work holder or a watch holder's clamp. Some are designed to be hand held and others have a stand. Which have you found to be most helpful?

Another model that all I can say about it is WOW. That magneto is 1/25? Way out of my league or imagination. You mentioned a jewelers adjustable bending jig. Could you show a picture of it? Thanks, Mike

Wow....... Just wow. What kind of load are you going to fire that thing up on?

Johan did some things right and some things so-so. I always felt their chassis was toy like but that was through the eyes of someone not in their intended market. The engines and bodies were exceptional. Their interiors were really hit or miss. Until Revell did their funny car series, the Challenger and Mustang/Pinto were the high water marks of funny cars. Their Pro Stock kits I think surpassed MPC's. Of course the only decent pro stock from AMT was a repackaging of the Johan Maverick.

Mark......looks great. Why couldn't AMT approach your accuracy?

So I looked at merging it with the 1/24 Mongoose dragster. Frankly there's so much off in so many directions in this kit, I'm thinking this is best for the decals and a scratch build I don't have the energy for. I really wanted this to one of those kits that proved AMT kits were world class. That given a head to head match up, AMT could equal Revell and rival Tamiya. They give us so few new kits, when they do, they should know the bar is set pretty high. While some may say that's not fair that this is a reissue, I'd argue that the major component of this kit, the body is new. To screw it up as badly as they have is simply inexcusable. I've wanted to build this car since I was in high school. I idolized this car. I was ecstatic when it was announced. I ordered it in March for an August release. Now I'm disappointed I blew $30 on a kit that I have little use for.

Let me correct myself. Both MPC's and Revell's bodies of this era look dainty, I always felt Monograms were a bit oversized. I always attributed this to their kits being 1/24 vs. 1/25. I've had other AMT kits of this era such as the two Ivo kits. While the overall shape of this kit is nice, the size is huge. I'm not even sure if its 1/24 or even larger. With that increase in size, it is definitely too short of a wheel base as well as all the other kit pieces being undersized. I've thought of correcting it and if the Monogram 1/24 kit doesn't match up well, it will be up on the shelf to collect dust. After so much excitement, I'm terribly disappointed.

I can relate to this. four years ago I was able to locate a collection of Jo-Han kits (1931 Cadillacs, Pinto and Mustang Funny cars plus a Rambler pro street) from several states away. Not the Jo-Hans I really wanted but still shrink wrapped kits. The thing I was most thrilled in was they arrived in two Jo-Han shipping boxes. I was more thrilled in those cardboard boxes with blue ink than the kits inside. Its funny the little things that pull our trigger.

There's a statement in this thread (I'm not disputing) that the actual car has a 220 wheelbase. I finally got mine this week and hope to have some fun with it in the next day or so. The wheelbase issue bothered me. Looking at the actual kit, the front axle is molded as one piece to part of the frame. When these two pieces are joined, I calculate a length for the wheelbase as 8.728 inches. Using a scale calculator ( http://webpages.charter.net/sinkwich/sdventure/html/sd_scalecalc2.htm ), I get a wheelbase of 218.2 inches. Even if I'm off a little, the kit wheelbase is off no more than three or five inches. While twenty inches off would be a deal breaker for me, I'm not going to quibble over two inched in 1/25 scale. I guess I need to surrender my rivet counting license.

Here's the box....

The question is when does it go from model building to artwork? I think this post answers that.

If you find the resin 417, can you post pictures of it?