1972coronet

Something about a silk purse and a sow's ear going on here . You must inhabit the patience of a brain surgeon ! These 70's Firebird-T/A kits from MPC have tooling that's as old as me ( e.g. , half-century old ! ) , starting with the 1970 annual and finishing with the c.1981 annual ---- that's A LOT of runs ! Last time I attempted to build one of these worn-out piles was the Bronze Anniversary ( or whatever the 1979 iteration was called ) back in 1980 , and it was a poor-fitting lump o' junk back then . I salvaged its tyres and the Spyders wheels , and the rest of it became firecracker fodder . Keep on keepin' on with your example . Great colour choices ; fantastic body work ; nice save on the windscreen .

IMO , Round2 reached two target audiences with this : 1.) Casual / Beginner builders 2.) Seasoned builders who'll add the 'missing' items The correct 1966 & earlier brake master cylinder can be found in the Revell 1966 El Camino and / or 1966 Chevelle Wagon (there's two of them in each kit ; one with vacuum booster , one sans booster) . I'd imagine that the 1966 L79 Nova (from 1988 , ad seq. ) would be the de facto source for the remaining 'absent' boiler room parts (radiator , etc.) . At least the price-point reflects these 'missing' items .

I had a little fun last night with a couple of photo editing / meme-generating programs ; I made this album cover and title spoof . I placed images of my cats over the images of Chris Hillman , Roger Mc Guinn , and Michael Clarke , and modified the title of the album :

I love that there are so many "health-conscious" people around --- fill-in-the-blank diets ; yoga ; jogging ; gym sessions ; no-tobacco-but-marijuana's-okay-as-is-alcoholism--- yet , they have some Jetsons gadgets (multiples , all connected ) to do simple tasks and reminders . All that this does is feed , fuel , and create a society of lazy , absent-minded sheep . I won't mention the name of a particular proponent-come-potential- provocateur individual / organisation whose nomenclature is borrowed from a region of forest in South America .

Nice , clean execution ! Those flames alone are fantastic ! I love the wire wheels , wrapped in VR50 tyres --- very tasteful ! Super work on that boiler room , too ! One of the finest examples of the '67-'72 'C' that I've ever seen .

Sorry to learn of your loss of your animal companion . I can sympathise with that for sure !

I hope so , too . I'd be a crazy cat lady if I could ! Haha . Ron Asheton ( Stooges , Ron Asheton's New Order ) was a feline fancier . Not only do I enjoy Ron's guitar (and bass) playing , but I admire him for being a lover of our animal superiors . Here's some recent photos of Tao ( a/k/a , "Tao Potatoe" , a/k/a , "Love Bug" ) . The Egyptian Mau bloodlines are becoming more obvious with age ( "Gooseberry Green" eye colour -- a Mau-specific shade-- ; his "Tail Talking" [ folklore has it that the Mau used its tail to lure snakes so that the cat could kill them before the snakes could enter the cat's guardian's home ] ; his "Hand Talking" ; and his 'sharp' Mau cry and vocalisations ) .

Any updates on this bad boy ? It's been two months ( 25/10/2020 ) since your last posting...

I'm inclined to agree --- great looking Dirt Track car ! Otherwise , easily thee ugliest tyres I've ever seen . I'd take the terrible two-piece tyres from 70's AMT and Revell kits over them any day ( haha ) !

That engine work is off the hook ! Brings back MANY fond memories ; that kit , and the 1985 IROC Camaro ----- just fun and wonderful kits . The tyres alone are amazing ; excellent execution of those VR50 Gatorbacks . My paternal grandmother bought that 1/8 scale kit (and a grip of Testors paints) for me for Christmas 1984 . You could have knocked me over with a feather ! It was a super expensive kit ( I believe that she gave $50 for it in 1984 dollars [ !! ] , having purchased it at Hinshaw's Department Store [ a high-end store in Whittier , Ca. ] ) . I couldn't wait to tear-into it ! Unfortunately , the 1987 Whittier Earthquake destroyed it . I'd love to give it another go... my 50 year old eyes would welcome a large-scale kit ! I'm just concerned about buying one from eBay , and having it shipped in skin-flint packaging . But , I digress... Keep up the GREAT work !

I , too , would love to see that Model A ( Model B ? It has the 4 cylinder... ) sedan and pickup kit return (again , new custom-version tyres , PLEASE ) . I'm not particularly into , say , pre-1946 vehicles (there are exceptions , of course) , but I do dig on that 3-in-1 '29 Woodie / Pickup kit something awful . Should the Hot Curl figure make a return , that would be icing on the cake ! (but , a surfer with a gut ? None too many of those around --- at least that I've encountered in my 50 years of living in the 'Surf Capital') .

ALL of those horrid AMT Goodyear Rally GT's tyres need to die a swift death ! Soooooo many 70's and 80's AMT kits were saddled with those "Blah-Blah-Blah" tyres ---- and now , the 1/16 Scale AMT '55 Chevy , '57 Chevy , '56 [?] Thunderbird , and , I'm sure , '55 and '57 Nomad kits have those "Blah..." tyres for the custom build versions ! ARRRGGGG ! Toss the tooling for those tyres into the Sea of China or the East River or the Flint River or where-ever , PLEASE ! They should never see the light-of-day again !

What a handsome boy ! It's amazing how quickly they grow within the first few months ; like , virtual overnight growth spurts ! Too bad that he left (hopefully it was on his own volition) . Thank you for helping him along during a vital time in his growth ❤️ .

Announced-then-cancelled some 7 or 8 years ago ; can't recall as to why it was aborted . The AMT 1971 Duster 340 isn't without its faults ( wipers are Palmer-esque ; glass is a poor-fit , etc. ) , but could be reworked into a Demon .

I'm hoping that someone will make a hardtop for this bad boy . Certainly , a 4 door body can't be far behind --- the B09 sedan !

Ah ! Got it . I just didn't want to see a killer body included with that ancient-as-is chassis / suspension . Axle-through-engine-block , indeed . I'd rather see a promo / curb-side style deal , just like the '63 Chevy II Wagon is setup .

I really like the OHC 6 that's in these kits ( or was that a 1969-only offering in the kit ? ) . I have the c.1978 issue of the '69 Firebird White Lightening ( ? ) , which can be built close-to-stock (includes both the Pontiac V8 and the OHC 6 ; custom wheels & tyres only ) . I'm not too excited at the proposal of an MPC 1968-1969 GTO , as that tooling-basis is so long-in-the-tooth and needs so much work that it's not worth the efforts , IMO .

Definitely the 1971 Road Runner (MPC) . Add the 1972 front bumper / grille and rear bumper / tail lamps , and both bonnets (with new Air Grabber underside and air cleaner base -- something lacking on the original kit) ; ditch those 80's custom wheels from the 1987 reissue (or at least tool a new set of period-correct custom wheels -- Ansen Sprint , for example) , and ; expand the decal sheet . The AMT 1971 Charger could use a freshening , too . Tool some bucket seats (the bench seat is incorrect for an R/T Charger) ; include a non-A/C belt & pulleys setup ; a Six Pack induction ; both exhaust systems ( the turn-down 'N97' and the 'Bazooka Tips' setups) , and ; period-correct custom wheels and tyres . I'm still wondering what-ever happened to the botched 1971 Demon 340 backdate from ~8 years ago...

Outstanding ! Great work on the 283 conversion , and on that upholstery !

HA ! It's the Sunrunner 1978 annual [ MPC Econoline Van ] . I couldn't recall its nomenclature back on 19/09/2020... That kit also has the sliding door as a separate piece . Its only "downside" is that the 'teardrop' window is cast-open , necessitating its inclusion or plugged via sheet styrene .

Man alive , that GY8 looks GREAT ! I also like the de facto 'N97' Noise Reduction Package exhaust ( California models ) . Not sure if that was AMT's idea , or if it was a goof (the Street Machine version has the exhaust with the "Bazooka Tips" , in addition to the Ramcharger bonnet ) . Now that I've got a set of the 1971 Plymouth Deluxe Wheel Covers , I'm going to start work on my 1971 Road Runner --- it's going to be painted GY3 Curious Yellow .

I , too , would love to see the MPC version of the Econoline reissued . Aside from the full-interior you've noted , the MPC kit also has steel wheels / hubcaps vs. the (excellent) AMT van's deluxe wheel covers . There's definitely room for both kits on the shelf .

I like the 1971-1973 Mustang . My only complaint --not alone in this-- is that visibility is virtually non-existent out of the backlight of the Sportroof model . A friend of mine had a '72 Mach 1 with the 351-C / FMX / 3.50 gear . It would really get-on ! It was quicker slightly than my '70 Ranchero GT (also with the 351-C / FMX / 3.50 gear , but it was a 2 Bbl engine ) , but that's likely due to : 1.) I had to "grannie" my Rancho off-the-line due to traction 'issues' ( usually I'd start-off in 2nd ; then down to 1st once I knew the tyres would bite ; then back-through the gears in rapid succession ) 2.) The Mustang had a 4 barrel (pretty certain is was an Autolite , but I don't remember exactly ) That Mach 1 was a lot of fun , in spite of its tendency to overheat ( which we remedied via a correct thermostat [ no t-stat at first -- a typical move ] and the correct-pressure rad cap [ had a 7 lb. cap ! No flow ! ] )

Thanks much ! I , too , love the Colonnade A-bodies of 1973-1977 , especially the Oldsmobile design . Oh , but to be able to go back to the mid-late 70's when the kit-version of the Cutlass (and others) were plentiful --- I always bought 'em at Alpha Beta markets ( around $ 2.00 back then for these ; $3.25 for glue kits ) . None of them survived my childhood (haha) as I'd take 'em apart , repaint 'em , ad nauseam until they broke .

@afx , Thank you for posting the product image . Wonderful time for the hobby , isn't it !