CorvairJim

As I was looking at the pictures of this model, I kept asking myself, "How'd he do that"? You say thefre's a lot you think you can improve on, but I sure don't see anything. You absolutely NAILED the look of an old, forgotten 1/4 mile warrior, but in a whimsical way considering all the little "Gotchas" in the decals. (One question: Who is John Thomas? )

I like all the little details you're adding to this one, Nick: The C.B. radio, radar detector and extra gauges especially. The Pontiac "Arrowhead" on the back window is right in line with the song too - It looks like something Sammy would have on HIS Trans Am! The jacked-up rear suspension looks like it will have the perfect "Bad Boy Attitude" for the car in the song. The lettering on the tires is better than any I've done in the past. Keep up the good work. (I just wish my '64 "Little Old Lady" Dodge were so far along! )

This Xavante looks downright COOL! I'm diggin' those freestanding headlights. I've never seen one of these either, but then I've never Gurgeled in Brazil...

Your truck's big block Chevy motivation is the only way to go! I don't think this old guy's original Ford engine would have been up to it's "Get out of my way" mission...

All I can say is that those seven guys listed above either are much more knowlegable about these obscure foreign cars than I am, or they have WAY too mch time on thir hands!

I have one of these in the box and I'm planning on building it as my second entry in my own CBP: "The Cars Of Rock 'n' Roll And Country Music". It will represent the car from Bruce's "Jungleland" - "Barefoot girl on the hood of a Dodge". I've always envisioned that car as a mid-to-late high school hot rodded '70 Super Bee in Plum Crazy, jacked up in back, with side pipes and "Big 'n' Littles" on Cragar S/S rims. (Shameless promotion: See the CBP in the forums to learn more about it and enter - The more the merrier! )

Great build! Interesting way to build it, as a body-on-frame RestoMod. I say this because the factory painted the body before it went onto the chassis. This looks like a fantastic kit and I NEED to get my hands on one to help me complete my set of 1966 Chevys. Of course I already have several Corvairs built, but I also have the Lindberg SS396 Chevelle coupe, Revellogrm Chevelle wagon and El Camino, AMT Nova SS, and a restored AMT Corvette coupe annual. I have a beat glue bomb '66 Impala annual in the to-do box but this kit is so superior to that one that this is the way to go for now. Now to find a pickup and a van...

I'm into station wagons, having grown up seeing the world pass by from the rear-facing 3rd seat of a succession of full-size Chevy wagons, including a 427-powered '69 Kingswood Estate and a Police-spec '77 Impala. This model is very impressive, especially with all the work that went into the interior. I love these '59-60 Chevys in every body style - Bat-Wing Chevys FOREVER!

People: If you're on the fence whether or not to go to this show - DO IT! I've been there several years and enjoyed it thoroughly every time. Sad to say, I already have a commitment for this Sunday, so I can't be there this year. Hopefully I'll find out further ahead of time next year what day it's on and be able to schedule around it.

Doggone it! I was hoping the SSS XII show in Gilbertsville was two weeks later than it is. It's about the only show I make it to every year (being only about 15 miles from home for me), but I have something scheduled for this Sunday already. My wife will be out of town on the 25th, so that would have been perfect for me! oh well, there's always next year...

I was going to point this out, but you beat me to it. The Chevy LS6 was about the only more powerful engine out there in the 1970's

I thought this model looked kind of familiar! I took a picture of it at a model show in Gilbertsville, PA about two years ago. I was impressed by it back then and I still am.

I'm going with REAL on this one.

You could probably use a chassis from an AMT '67 or '70 Impala or the often-reissued '65 Pontiac for the '67 Bonneville, although the Bonny might have a slightly longer wheelbase. Compare the one from your '65 G.P. to make sure. Thoise kits would probably also have a windshield you could use but I'm not certain about that. (They are all G.M. B-Bodies.) Pontiac V-8's are pretty much interchangable since, as I recall,they used the same basic block ever since the 50's through when they went to "Corporate" engines like Olds or Chevy. The interior might pose a proiblem, but if "Close Enough" is close enough, the '65 Poncho or '67 Impala would probably work out OK. I remember building that Monogram Deusenberg as a kid. It was one of the standouts of my collection at the time. I'll be following all three of these builds!

After tonight you have a reason to build one based on the C.O.T. kit, since the kid won at Bristol - 2nd win to go with a 2nd and 3rd in the last four races. The kid is on FIRE! I've liked him ever since he drove for Dale Jr. in the Nationwide series. He's a competitor from the old school! (And I'm a Chevy fan! )

Everybody's welcome in the build, Dave. The more the merrier! Consider yourself down for one "Chartreuse Microbus"... I was thinking about one of these as a second entry, if I ever get my first one finished, that is!

That's not hard to do. Almost every car made over the past 30 years is uglier than a '61 Corvair, and many of the ones before then too. The Mystery Car is, well, I'm not going to drop any hints about it's age by saying if it's newer or older than 30 years!

Charlie, that was truly awful... and I'm ticked off that I didn't think of it first!

For a vintage look, you could try the Cragars on the front and open steelies on the back.

I know it for dead certain! P.M. sent. (Hint guys: It's NOT a Corvair! )

Thanks for the advice, Charlie. I'll keep those things in mind, but for the moment I just don't feel like committing to such an in-depth project. By and large, station wagons seem to have been overlooked by the kit manufacturers. There have been the usual 1955-6-7 Nomads, the 1959 and '60 Chevy wagon annuals as well as an early Chevy II wagon, the often-reissued AMT '65 Chevelle and it's Revellogram '66 counterpart, the AMT Pinto "Cruisin' Wagon", and the Jo-Han '60 Plymouth and Olds F-85. I think it might have been Hubley had a '61 Ford Country Squire at one time long ago as well. That's all I can think of offhand. Not only do I want to replicate my '73 Laguna, but I once had a '70 Chevelle Greenbrier that was slated for a full SS-look conversion before my wife talked me into selling it to her brother. I have a '61 Corvair Lakewood wagon resin kit, but the thing is going to take a ton of reworking to make it into a presentable model of the one I once had.

I have had some cars in the past that were unique in their own ways. Cars like an ex-police unmarked 1976 Buick LeSabre Custom 4-door hardtop and a 1973 Chevelle Laguna wagon that ran 13's in the 1/4. I was wondering if anyone out there would know if anything close was ever available in resin. A transkit for the LeSabre based on the AMT '76 Caprice would work just fine, for instance, and any '73-'77 GM A-body wagon would be adaptable using a modified AMT '73 NASCAR Laguna nosepiece. I can adapt a Monogram '77 Monte Carlo snap interior as the basis for the wagon's interior, and as far as I know the Jo-Han Cutlass woould work for a chassis donor. Any thoughts or input wouild be appreciated...

I bet those zombies are pretty ripe too!

Everybody has cars they'd like to see kitted. This isn't one off them for me. On the other hand, factory show cars in general are a specialized sort of thing so some guys are seriously into them while others (like myself) see those kits as being nothing more than sources for parts like wheels, tires, engines, and interior pieces once they hit the closeout table. Before someone tools up for something like this, I'd like to see plenty of production cars done. (How about a '64 Corvair Monza Spyder? )

that does it! I gotta get me one of these! Who made the body?