ChrisPflug

This thread does show how far Revell has come as far as product improvement from the 90s up- Anyone familiar with their offerings through the 80s (like this kit) would have much lower expectations I still remember trying to build a the 70s lavender "Low Rider" edition '57 with non toxic "Sniff- Proof" brand cement as an 8 year old back in the day

Have been meaning to look into "reshaping" a PE '69 Dart grille to the '75-'76 MPC shell- parking lights and center "bar" and mesh look like they might work in scale- use the "peak" of the '75-'76 to reshape but just make "flatter" in the parking light area

The jack and handle are going to get annoying rattling around loose as well Late now but Missing Link offers a nice set of the '69 and up hubcaps

Maybe some "lazyness" on the part of the OP in not doing some research on the forum?

If he's looking for the Dart Sport- the "Duster" kit is just that (Dart Sport)- it started life as an MPC promo and annual kit for the 75-76 models, was released later as "Smokey the Convoy Chaser" and in the 80s as a "Duster street machine" - both of these versions were again reissued fairly recently with the "'75 Duster hardtop" being the newest and most available Being a '75-'76 the grille is different than the '73-'74, the rear panel in the kit features the bright trim common on later cars and the big rubber bumper guards of the earlier models would have to be fabricated. The basic body and interior would be correct although I don't believe the included "Padded" steering wheel was available in '73. "Stock" engine is the mediocre small looking small block as found in MPC Dusters through the 70s with an optional Hemi- no stock wheels in the later releases either Not aware of anyone doing a Swinger hardtop- I suppose a blend of the '75-'76 front fenders and a combination of one of the rear engine Hemi wheelstander kits ("Hemi Hunter", "LA Dart") and a Revell '69 would work with some bodywork skills.

I've finished builds that had been started as long as 10 years previously- no big deal to set one aside when the excitement fades

Since these weren't factory built cars there is no "correct" color scheme other unless you're replicating a specific car Big teams were building these cars originally from a "body in white" rather than stripping down and rebuilding a new car, all engine parts were "over the counter" and different combos of factory and aftermarket parts were used by different teams The lower "stock" classes still would have been based on blueprinted street cars but by '71 a 'cuda with a Hemi would have been factored into being non competitive (hence the beginnings of Pro Stock)

Personally I'm partial to older annuals as starting points- it even seems as if there a quite a few newer "engineered" kits that have great detailled chassis and engine but just seem to miss the overall "feel" of the 1:1 Worst starting points were probably the RC2 issues of the old kits they were cranking out with no budget for repairs or updates for the low-bid Wally World "checkered box" releases- really a shame because just prior to that we were getting some really nice brand new stuff from AMT

Great colors with a great starting point Always wish they would have made a "Supreme" roofed promo- seems like they'd want to promote the upscale car rather than mid range 73-77 GM A bodies were prime daily drivers back in my high school days in the late 80s- lots of misspent youth spent in a Cutlass Supreme, Malibu Classic, or Regal

Missed it the first time around as well but caught it doing an "Oldsmobile" search here- should have commented then but noticed it was an older thread Beautiful car and I appreciate seeing harder to find stuff getting built rather the same new release kits

"Challenging" kits versus "modern engineered and highly detailed" kits are kind of like a blank canvas and supplies versus a paint-by-number

Neither- the kit is of an S351 Saleen Speedster so has a supercharged 351 Windsor (close enough for a scale 302 though)

Of course with some scratchbuilding skills the crudity of the MPC might actually lend itself to a Joe Dirt build...... Rest assured, the 1:1 Dirt Daytona didn't destroy a pristine high dollar rarity- it was built from a base 318 Charger that had already been customized with a big block swap and Plum Crazy paint The second- gen Charger was a sales hit with around a quarter million examples built- not even the DOH made a significant dent compared to natural attrition LOL

Actually the Superbird used the tweaked Coronet fenders Daytona fenders were unique but similar to the '70 Charger

And Schlep!

Red X on the second pic I'm sure a few very wrong ideas are now floating around.....

Got some more project fodder- was interested in the MPC Challenger body and JoHan 442 and ended up with this lot for an $8.88 eBay bid- came with a bag of parts as well- mostly custom Mustang stuff Nothing complete but- MPC 72-74 Challenger- decent body JoHan 70 442 missing bumper, engine, and wheels AMT 69 Hurst Olds broken body but usable chassis AMT 68 Shelby GT500- already have a boxful of these but a possible rear quarter "patch panel" donor for: AMT 68 Mustang original issue but "customized" rear wheel wells AMT 67 Mustang original issue- similar shape MPC Charger- busted up body

Now that I've broken down and have been coughing up the bucks for 'cuda and Challenger MPC annuals there's bound to be an upcoming new release

Got a few more MPC Mopar project cars- 70 and 71 cudas and 73 Challenger

The fact we're seeing terms like "power" and "styling" referring to the old Darts just goes to show how far the current perception of the name has come from the actual product offered in the 60s and 70s Aside from a handful of GTS and Swinger 340 models- the vast majority were ultra- conservatively styled low powered cheap transportation, something your grandma would drive to church. If they can use the name on a more exciting product and find success good for them

Glad they waited and released a full detail modern kit ala the 58-59- was afraid we would get another of their diecast based plastic kits Would have liked to have seen an opening trunk - especially on a kit of "the last Vette with a trunk"

"V" was the code for a 440 six pack Plenty installed on non- orginal applications The AMT Duster 340 has a nice set of carbs, the 69 GTX/ 70 Super Bee a decent intake

Enos had a Chevy Nova- with Edelbrock headers

Actually have the first three seasons on DVD (more for nostalgic reasons- when the show first came out and I was 8 years old it was the greatest ) so have done some "research" Can't get as passionate about the show as the regular crowd on these threads - but most of the cars seem to show '69 side markers in the earlier episodes With literally hundreds of General Lee's being cobbled together from whatever used beaters could be scrounged up it's always seemed a bit ridiculous to build a "correct" Lee- details like missing console top plates, radios, and steering wheel horn pads would be more correct Just trying to offer helpful advice on the differences between Revell kits out there- if the OP doesn't want marker lights maybe someone else thinking of a Lee build following the thread does

So you want to go through the trouble of adding '69 side markers? Sounds a bit strange..... The MPC 80-82 Corvettes, the AMT 69 Riviera and Ford Courier, and late reissue of the MPC 75 Dart Sport "Duster" all have better Vector mags than the ones supplied in the MPC General Lee kit