ChrisPflug

Found a decent looking '72 Charger at a reasonable "Buy it Now" today

Selling or listed for?

They've been selling regularly for $40-$50 on ebay for the past few months

Thank Wal-Mart in part, and the $5 "checkered box specials" for sullying AMT's reputation- they went from concentrating on modern, highly detailed and engineered new releases to bringing out whatever tooling was usable with no budget for needed repairs and maintenance to provide quantity at a dictated price point They did sell the later, nicer kits cheap as well but they seemed to get buried under the barrage of reissues that already needed help since the 80s

I have a feeling the Javelin will re-appear not long after this auction ends Of course if I was the person with the "Buy it Now" listing for the same item I could see using a bogus or "extra" account to run a different auction into the hundreds of dollars and get free advertising all over the web...... Being a bit sarcastic myself- think the intent of the Wal Mart comment might not have been meant to be taken literally

original auction didn't seem too extreme - I think many weren't sure what was being laughed at.......

Heck- I've even been crazy enough every once in a while to pay more than "normal" price for an item I wanted at the moment just encuraging those nutty sellers.............

Nice workmanship on a truly horrible looking kit

Got a few MPC annual GM F-bodies as well Camaros- '72 RS/SS396, '72 RS/ SS 396, 70 SS 'full bumper", another '72, '73 RS Z28 Firebirds: 2- '73s, '76, '75

You see the same kits with unrealistic prices listed for literally years continuously- also quite a few good deals out there- not sure anything "crazy" or even particularly interesting

Normally 1 ton truck brakes are more than adaquate for most off road use- the most "off camber" usage is normally done at low speeds with a big tire with a tall sidewall aired down to almost flat allowing for the tire to flex and "grab" obstacles. Mud rigs rely on tall tires, stiff suspension, and lots of power to go in a straight line. Sand usually works better with a combination of flotation and a soft tire. Racing on anything other than a smooth course depends on the tire as a big part of the "cushion" For a truck with a lift kit that never leaves the pavement a lower profile tire probably works well

1970 Dodge Challenger "The Sheriff" funny car- probably will end up as a stock build though

Same diameter wheels with taller tires seem a much better idea for any kind of actual off road use- let the extra sidewall work for you (the opposite of a car set up for handling where a short, stiff sidewall helps will high speed cornering)

Many of the horsepower ratings from "the good old days" were a bit optimistic as well- a few exceptions, but the "mid range" muscle options really weren't much Many muscle engines of the 60s made less power than a healthy modern V6

Just trying to be helpful- I've only run across a few original big block '76s and they've all had orange engines- saw a wagon, convertible, and hardtops, so likely to havecome from different assebly planta as well Caprice had full wheel covers standard- kind of resembling the ones in the MPC kit- the Landau should have full wheel covers but the style that was optional on that years Impala with the center section color keyed to the body. Wire wheel covers were also offered. Not sure if a factory option for all years, but the "truck rally" wheels were not uncommon on real world vehicles

Bigger brakes and lower profile tires can make for a safer, better performing vehicle- obviously there is a point at which the "real"benefits are eclipsed by appearance considerations.Any reduction in unsprung weight has a greatly magnified affect as far as performance and handling as well. The diameter of many of these large wheel/ super low profille tire combos isn't too far off from a 70's factory station wagon combo with some 15 inch JR78 whitewalls

The color of Chevy engines changed from orange to the corporate light blue at the beginning of the 1977 model year (some early '77s might still be orange but a '76 would definitely not be blue) A '77 model year vehicle may have been built in 1976 with a blue engine but not a '76 model car (not to mention that no '77 model pass cars would have been offered with a big block) The relatively lightweight '65-'70 chassis is also quite a bit different in detail than the super beefy underpinnings of the massive '71-'76 cars

Hopefully the manufacturers learned from the last go-around and it doesn't happen.......

That hood is available in plastic with the "other" version of the Monogram kit (was the "Street Machine" back in the 80s and has been reissued several times- came with SST style custom wheels, the power bulge rather than Shaker hood, a roll bar and an AAR style spoiler rather than the wing) These kits are fairly common now but there seemed to be a "dry spell" a few years back making these hoods a commonly available item from several resin casters. Check eBay and you can usually always find a resin hood for around $4.50 (Missing Link?) or a complete kit for the same or less than a new one

On a side note- the LAST Plymouth 440+6 would be Mopar Larry's '72 Road Runner (one of my future projects)

Here's the Phantasm '71- black with Cragars (but a two scoop hood - been over 20 years since I saw the movie but it seems there were close up shots of incorrecrt "hemicuda" emblems added to the hood)

The "old style" chassis and interior can be detailed and made to look just as good as the new stuff- its just a lot less work to use the newer stuff On another note- eBay can be a good source for donor chassis and parts- usually can find kits a slot car guy has robbed of the body for much less- I recently got a new issue Revell '55 hardtop kit less body, glass, and chrome trim for ten bucks or so shipped- perfect for use as a donor kit

Old cars are neat, but great improvements have been made in vehicles in "recent times"- having had several 60s era daily drivers (actual daily drivers- not just for fun cars) in the not-so-distant past for the most part "classics" are a less than enjoyable experience even when operating properly. Have you driven a '63 Fury through any kind of mountains with 10 inch drums all around? Anything with a Powerglide lately? In the 70s things got even worse with cars getting heavier and less powerful. I had a 74 Mark IV- whopping 194 horsepower from 460 cubic inches. In Michigan these things become even harder to drive when the snow flies and during the annual January 20 below "cold snap" carburetors become almost non functional. Like them or not, the average, bland 4 cylinder new car will have more power, outhandle, and out brake the "muscle" versions of earlier. Maybe not the style- but much better transportation. As far accidents- cars are easily replaced- I'd rather have one fold up around me and absorb that energy than, say a '56 Buick, where after an accident the car is pretty much intact and they can just hose you off the dash and sell it someone else afterwards

If there were no other versions of the kit available it wouldn't be an issue-anyone who wanted to build the car would easily overcome the "obstacle" ( I know I'm not the only one who got the Revell '77 Monte when it first came out and put "normal" wheels and tires on it having no interest in a low rider) Those with unbuilt "stock version" kits in their stash and wanting to build replica stock probably weren't likely to be buying more just because of a re-release (without significant added or changed parts) anyways I'd venture most claiming the lack of stock tires being a deal breaker had no intentions of actually buying a new kit anyways

For those of us without a local source for model kits and are ordering online anyways whether a kit is a recent or current release usually isn't much of an issue- often an earlier release can even be had for less than the latest. Have a few Revell 56 Del Rays and Nomads but have never really found them "hard to get" in any form. With the push towards the holiday displays and such I can see some reasoning for the "custom only"- while it may actually cost money to block off stock parts on a tree omitting tires that research had shown the targeted customers didn't want anyways. With this subject it seems that most modelers interested in a replica stock build have already had this kit since its original release anyways No problem having different parts in different releases- just do some research here if you're looking for specific parts in a kit Getting two or more kits for a build has always been a plus for me anyways