1972coronet

Not to dampen your spirits , Obsessive ; there's more to performing a 'properly-converted' 1967 Dart than meets they eye . The biggest pain would be the upholstery pattern and door panels ; and assuming that you could build your own grille (not that I'm doubting your abilities) , you'd also have to recreate the trunk embellishment (which is exclusive to 1967) ; the tail lights are easy . There are a host of little differences between the 1967-1968-1969 A-bodies . Which body style / model are you planning to replicate ?

I believe that the 'controversy' has more to do with the idea that a "1:1" 1980 Road Runner was built , and not so much the existance of the MPC kit . Thanks for posting a pic of the kit's box , Robert . I only posted a link to the one which I'd purchased .

Honestly , I'm employing a liberal application of the Road Runner nomenclature . The MPC kit isn't named as such , nor do its decals allude to the car being so much as an annual ! From what I understand , the 1980 Plymouth Volare brochure didn't even *mention* the availability of the R.R. ( "A57" ) package . It's too bad that Hamtramck Historical ends its info at the 1979 model year . I certainly recall seeing one 1980 Volare "A57" back when they were new ( I was age 10 when the '80's premiered ). It was Sable Brown Metallic or something like that and it had the aforementioned cast alloy wheels , in anodised gold . Here , for the sake of argument , here's a photo of a real 1980 Road Runner :

I recall reading an article in Mopar Action back in ca.1992 about that particular car , albeit with a different paint / colour scheme . Its class was I/SA or J/SA ...

You beat me to the punch here ! Indeed , the Demon's tail lamps / panel was supposed to be for the 1971 Duster 340 model specifically . Their shape was supposed to compliment the 1971 340 (and 'Twister') grille ; not sure if the regular , non-340 Duster was designated to receive the same tail lamps ...

Unfortunately , no . I haven't the equipment to take and upload pics ; I'm still living in the Dark Ages . However , I can share the images from the original ad ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEALED-Fuzz-Duster-1979-Vintage-MPC-1-25th-scale-Plymouth-/191161794459

I couldn't afford to buy a real , untouched MPC 1972 Charger annual , so I got the closest thing that I could : a glue bomb (not terribly so) , paint bomb (looks like one can of paint was used just on the interior bucket !) , builder . The price was right for this one year only model (and those one year only louvered doors !) , so I bit . One of its previous owners sanded-off the door handles and side markers ; the front and rear bumpers are from the 1971 annual ( "1971" on the license plates ; moulded in orange) ; the hood is off of a yellow-moulded version (1971 , again ?) and is sans cowl louvers . What's *odd* about this kit is that the body appears to be based-upon one of the NASCAR ( Buddy Baker , et al.) kits : - No front parking lamps - Stock Car-style fuel filler (plugged and filled by a previous owner) So , I'm seriously considering a bash of this kit with the new(er) AMT 1971 R/T Charger , with the biggest swap being the doors ; the hood is easily dealt with ; and , I can fashion my own 1972 & later side markers . Also ; included in the sale was the AMT 440 Magnum / TorqueFlite , topped-off with the 1965-1967 , 383 / 413 / 426W style air cleaner from the '72 Charger . My plan is to build a reasonablly-accurate 440 Six Pack replica . The "1:1" 440 Six Pack for 1972 was a virtual anomaly ; this is as close as I'll ever get to owning a 1-of-2 Charger !

I bought an MPC 1980 Road Runner (labelled as "Fuzz Duster") via eBay , and am pleased to report some great things about it ; to wit : - It can be built stock ( there was some conjecture about this , as the box art alludes to a customised-only version . Rest assured , 100% of the previous releases' factory stock parts are still included ! ) ; - The 1980-only grille (square head lights and Diplomat grate) is nicely done ; - The old standby 318 / 360 with its backup TorqueFlite is still there ; - Minimal flash . Of course , the stock tyres are still moulded in polystrene ... however , they are at least black in this iteration ! The 1980 Road Runner was relegated to an option package ("A57" , as were all 1976 & up "Road Runners" ) . The real downside was its "power"plant options : - Standard 225 Slant Six - 318 two barrel (four barrel in Calif Emissions guise) Naturally , Direct Connection sold performance upgrades (Edelbrock manifolds , Holley carbs , etc. , etc.) . That's how I'm planning to build my version !

I like how N.Y. has returned to a classy-style license plate design ! Not exactly the orange / blue gems of the 70's( ) but pretty close to perfection .

Out of principal . I have a penchant for Do it once , do it right , or don't do it at all that I've carried with me for my entire work life . I don't care much for the way business is conducted these days ; in particular, the auto parts business . There are just too many clean cut college boys , and they're all making decisions which negatively affect business . A friend used to ask me , "Why would you want to buy yourself a job ?!? With that much money , you wouldn't have to work again !" . It's not that I'm afraid of boredom ; I just don't wish to live a sedentry lifestyle .

For the sake of the conversation / thread , I am going to "choose" to win 'The Big One' ; the , let's say , five-hundred-million jackpot . I would continue to work ---but only for my-self . I've long held a disdain for corporatised thinking ; for generic , short-sighted business practises . It bothers me to the point of wanting to open my own auto parts store . I would stock only what parts / items actually sell , and not stupid BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH like the (nameless) organisation that I'm employed with (!!!). I would hire only those whose mindset is similar ; whose passion is to learn as well as teach . No 'college boys' . No pencil necks . No manicured hands . I wouldn't care if they lived in a cardboard box behind a shuttered store or if they lived in the 'best' part of town ; they'd be absolutely equal in my mind . Of course , I would have friends and associates to help keep me in-check ! Make sure that I don't become the very person(s) whom I cannot stand (greedy , illogical , cheap , and mean). Naturally , I would have to open business in another state , as California has the most business un-friendly environment in the entire U.S. (Texas sounds like a rather inviting state !). Certainly , I'd have my collection of 'toys' ( cars and other hobbies ) , and a nice Ranch-style home . I'd be helpful to those who've been there for me . I would also provide opportunities to those whom are experiencing difficult times ; employ them in some capacity . Most importantly , no one would be made aware of my windfall ! Only those who I can absolutely trust to keep a secret . I definitely wouldn't flash my wares , as I don't want / need the attention .

I much prefer their earlier sound : (1967) (1967 . Its working title , Massed Gadgets of Hercules / Celestial Voices became the title track to A Saucerful of Secrets ) (1967) (1969)

Sex Pistols take The Stooges I Wanna Be Your Dog (1969) to another level : Bauhaus do dark justice to David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust : Nine Inch Nails' sublime take on Joy Division's Dead Souls : http://youtu.be/R_JwU9j9f2s

Any updates on the release date of the Demon ???? All of that other nonsense can wait !

The Damned update The Stooges classic 1970 ( I Feel Alright ) : Here , The Damned perform their take on a classic Arthur Lee & Love song Alone Again Or :

Cabaret Voltaire perform their version of The Seeds No Escape :

Headrests weren't mandated until production starting on / before 01-01-1969 .

Dazed and Confused is , in my opinion , one of the best examples of a period correct film ever made . That Tuxedo Black '70 Chevelle was gorgeous ! The only 'flaw' that I recognised --and it a was scripted-dialogue flaw-- was the character's description of the car's "427 ... 11:1 pop-up pistons..." . Certainly , given the car's *age* in the year represented (1976 ) , a replacement Mark IV 427 would've been plausible ; however , it was most-likely an LS-6 , which had the "11:1 pop-up pistons". Looking forward to following your replica's construction

I'm in for those Pontiac G-bodies , too !! I agree with the need for a 1968 Coronet / Super Bee . ... and a 1983-1987 Cutlass . ... and a 1971 Road Runner / GTX .

1970 Valiant / Duster Trim refernece : http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/dealerships/1970ColorAndTrimPlymouth-05.shtml 1971 Valiant / Duster Trim reference : http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/dealerships/1971ColorAndTrimPlymouth-05.shtml There are obvious differences between the two model years ; even the interior door panels are different . I also forgot to mention that , the Rallye Wheels' centre cap's colour changed from 1970 - 1971 : 1970 = Light Argent Metallic (similar to Astrotone , but smooth) 1971 = Dark Argent ( similar to cast iron in colour ) I'd also like to plug Missing Link Resins new 1970 Plymouth 14" Deluxe Wheel Covers . They're NICE !

"OS/S" ... don't hear about that class too often ! "Optional Super / Stock" . Very cool !

Cosmetic Differences , 1970-1971 Duster : 1.) Upholstery patterns (including interior door panels) 2.) "Generic" grille 3.) Aforementioned 340 model's stripes 4.) "Flat" decklid (i.e. , no centre highpoint-crease) 1970-Specific Duster 340 Items : 1.) Carter AVS carb 2.) Non-assist disc brakes , standard 3.) Exhaust tips were turned-down (i.e. , no Bright Exhaust Tips) Converting / backdating the 1971 model to 1970 specs --and doing so *correctly*-- would be an undertaking . I wonder why MPC (or even AMT) didn't tool-up a 1970 Duster promo / kit ? One would think that Plymouth would want to promote its newest "Junior Supercar" !

Righty-o , Tim ! The early Electronic Lean Burn --only available with "49 state emissions"-- were sans the dreaded Catalytic Converter(s) ; however , "N95" ( California Emissions , 1970 ad seq. ) were stuck with all of the smog junk instead of the E.L.B. Further ; for 1975 , again in "49 state" guise , a catalyst-delete option was available for the 318-powered A-bodies ! In its stead , an A.I.R. Pump was employed . As another side note : Prior to 1976 , the California Highway Patrol was able to custom-order cam grinds for the B / RB engines in their Polara , Monaco , etc. , etc. fleets . That all changed when Jerry "The Bald Wizard : A.B. 109" Brown was *elected* as Cali's Gov. He mandated that even police cars had to meet civilian vehicle emissions standards ! It came to a boil in 1980 when the then-new 1980 St. Regis CHP fleet arrived , complete with the wheezer 122 hp 318 four barrel powerhouse ! The dreadful , shameful cars even made headlines in the newspapers : "New CHP cars won't get to 100 mph !" (to paraphrase) . But , alas , "49 state" cars were available with the "E58" 360 ... the same engine which didn't meet Cali's ridiculously-stringent emissions standards . Some things never change ; Brown is back , and screwing us up even more-so than he did from 1975-1983 !!

"What's in a name?" MPC did produce a 1975 Road Runner as part of their annuals , which was the Road Runner's final year on the B-Body platform . As far as I know , MPC didn't even tool-up a 1976 Volare (nor its brother , the Aspen) ; however , MPC did produce two versions of its 1977 Volare ; an early-release under the Volare banner , with a mid-year "revision" under the Road Runner nomenclature . Again for 1978-1979 , Road Runner annuals were produced ; however , by 1980 --the F-body's last year-- a custom-only Volare was produced ( "Fuzz Duster" , moulded in black ) . As a side note ; the 1975 model R.R. was the last model to carry the R.R.'s v.i.n. RM23 . By 1976 , the R.R. was relegated to package status , carrying only a sales code , and sharing its v.i.n. with the Volare ( either NL or HL ) . Biggest engine available was a decent-for-its-day "E57" , 190 hp 360 two barrel ... ... but , the Duster (and Dart Sport) were available with the "E58" , 220hp 360 ! The real deal was the true dual exhaust , sans catalytic converters ! So , build away ! The 'generic' big block in the kit is "correct" , as the 400-4Bbl was the top engine choice . It was , however , backed only by an automatic , not the manual trans that the kit's engine has behind it .

Kevin , those wheel covers are great !! Thanks again !