Fabrux

Thanks, Dan! I'll update the original post.

Aha, that makes more sense! So, with the Pumpin' Iron release you could actually build the 79 LRE version, hmm.

The only clutch I've had to replace was in a 96 F-150. It had around 200000km on it but I'm pretty sure it had been replaced before. As was mentioned before, the 97 Escort has a hydraulic clutch so be sure to check the master and slave cylinders as well as the line between them for leaks.

At this point I'd settle for the Warlock. Would love to see if the 79-80 cab is a separate tooling or not.

The full-width 8' bed returned in 1981 as a pulling truck called Thunders Truck (see what they did there?). The bed was stripped of trim to match the cab, which was the same as the LRE however the kit curiously included the 79-80 grille. The bulge hood from the original annuals was modified with holes to allow headers to exit straight up. The engine also was modified to add a blower. Molded in black. MPC #1-0442 The final offering of this tooling associated with MPC was first issued in 1984 in the middle of the monster truck craze. This version is an almost carbon copy of the Thunders Truck but with monster truck suspension and wheels. Molded in red and first issued under MPC #1-0451. Re-issued again in 1988 by Ertl, the box art was unchanged other than to note that Ertl stock number 5344 replaces MPC stock numbrer 1-0451. AMT later reissued the kit multiple times in 1994, 2005, and 2006, all as the Li'l Red Express and seemingly forgetting that other versions of the tooling exist. This version is the same as the original MPC LRE and Pumpin' Iron releases only molded in the typical AMT grey plastic. Stock numbers 5459, 38248, 31938.

Also in late 1976 a separate, non-annual version was released as an Off-Road Camper. This issue includes the dirt bike and an odd partial-length camper/sleeper arrangement. The Adventurer SE badge on the front fenders was replaced with Power Wagon 100. MPC #1-0412 The seemingly final edition of the annual kits for this series was for the 1978 model year. Addition from the 1977 issue include wood stake box sides and a front roll pan. MPC#1-7809 At some point in 1977, the tooling was modified to include a 6' step side bed. The bed is an entirely new piece as is the shorter chassis pan. The cab was also stripped of any molding or emblems. The first version with the step side bed was released in 1977 as the Warlock. Buildable only as the box art truck, this kit was the first inclusion of the generic MPC 5-lug wagon wheels. Molded in black. MPC #1-0417 The existence of this next kit suggests that there may have been plans for a 1979 annual, but I can not seem to find any references to one. The biggest re-tooling for this kit occurred at this time to update it to the 1979 body style which included modifying the cowl, a new hood, and a new grille. Aside from the model year changes, this kit includes the same options as the previous Warlock. Molded in orange. MPC #1-0418 Curiously, the next issue of this kit from 1979 returns to the previous 77-78 body style, depicting the 1:1 special edition Li'l Red Express truck. The 2WD suspension returned and the kit included new 5-lug slotted mags and exhaust stacks. Molded in red. MPC #1-0427 For 1980 the tooling of the Li'l Red Express was re-issued with the body of the 79-80 body style, this time in grey/silver plastic and new decals naming the truck Pumpin' Iron. Original 77-78 grille and hood were also included. MPC #1-0432

Time for another installment in kit history. These kits are a bit more familiar to me so I hope I've done this chronicle justice. Also, being from the 70s information and pictures of these kits are easier to find as there are more of them left around. As you may or may not be aware these kits started as a series of annuals produced by MPC. As far as dating of the kit release goes, I have found box pictures showing a copyright date of both the year depicted and the previous year for most of the issues. For simplicity's sake I have chosen to list the year depicted as the year issued. The first kit issued with this tooling's long run was the Baja Brute, which was actually the 1972 annual although not labelled as such. The truck depicted is a regular cab, 8' full width box trimmed as an Adventurer SE. The engine is a cobbled together Chrysler B/RB V-8 that lasted throughout the tooling's run. Options with this kit included both 2WD and 4WD suspension with stock wheel covers and 4WD 8-lug wheels, a stock hood and a bulged center hood, off-road race equipment, and service station attendant equipment. The kit has a the grille used for 72-73 and is molded in white. MPC #1-0458 Next up was the 1973 Dodge Pickup annual. This was a straight re-issue of the Baja Brute, swapping the service station attendant building option with an emergency attendant option. The kit has the grille used for 72-73 and is molded in white. MPC #1-7309 Moving on to 1974, the kit was re-issued with changes appropriate to the full size truck, which was mostly limited to the grille. This same grill was used until 1976. To keep the kit interesting to buyers of the 1973 issue, this version had many of the same options including a choice of either 2WD or 4WD and associated wheels, both hoods as before, service station equipment and a dirt bike. This kit is also molded in white. MPC #1-7409 The 1975 issue is almost the same as the previous 1974 issue, however the service station equipment was swapped out for the race equipment from the 1973 issue. MPC #1-7509 In the year of the US's bicentennial, the changes were limited to the omission of optional truck equipment and inclusion of a second dirt bike. There also appears to be two boxes for this issue: one with '76 in the upper left corner and the other has 'NEW' in the same location. MPC #1-7609 Late 1976-1977 was a big year for this tooling and saw a lot of kits issued. The body trim was re-tooled to reflect the 1:1 trim changes: the body side moulding was moved from above the wheel well flares to below them, a new trim line added just below the cab window along the entire body and bed, the Adventurer SE badge moved from behind the rear wheel well to between the front wheel well and the door, the tailgate relief panel was re-shaped and lost the 'Dodge' badge, and the new-for-77 grille. All subsequent re-issues would include either 4WD or 2WD suspension rather than the option to build one or the other. The first kit on store shelves was the 1977 annual with the ubiquitous dirk bike and off-road racer equipment. The bulge hood was also omitted. MPC #1-7709

I couldn't find any pictures of a 72 annual, thus I wasn't sure about its release. I figured that the Bandit may have come first simply due to the box art, but I've also noticed that monster truck kits tend to be a modification of previous release rather than the other way around.

The 80s strike again!

Whoa, that's....hmm. So close, yet so different!

What always gets me is seeing an ad for a 67-72 Suburban, "rare three door model". They're not rare, all of them were three doors!

Now THAT's a decal package I would love to use.

I think its "only" $150.

In thinking back, I may have figured this out. I sent an email off to Lindberg informing them that I bought a kit with three of one tire and one of another. They said they were going to send replacement tires but because the tires they sent are different than what is in the kit I have, I didn't recognize them at first...

I apologize if this shouldn't be posted here, but I'm slightly confused about an item I just received in the mail today. I checked my mail box and there was a padded envelope in there, addressed to me, with a return address of JK Manufacturing in Kalkaska, MI. The customs slip is signed by BL Peterson on 1-16-13. The contents are are a set of Goodyear slicks. I have no idea why I received these! I don't remember requesting/trading with anyone for these...which doesn't say much in itself. I'm wondering if these were sent by someone on here that I've dealt with before and were sent to me in error? If these are meant for someone else I'll gladly send them along.

Aha, some of the mysteries start to be explained. I have one of the Sierra Grandes, a GMC Jimmy, GMC step side, and Chevy long bed step side. The Chevy and GMC cabs are almost identical with some minor differences in how the bed meets the cab. The Sierra Grande came with the grille from the 69 Blazer for some odd reason (it was in a parts lot along with the Jimmy). With the two GMC pickups I can build the Sierra Grande but the Jimmy's body is really warped. Given how hard they are to find I'm going to try straightening it...

Dan, I'm going to quote that over in my history thread; thanks!

I'm not sure if this kit shares the same tooling, but I thought I would include it for completeness sake. In 1998 AMT released a metal body kit of a 1969 Blazer. This kit also has different wheels and tires than the usual Blazer kits which suggests a separate tooling.

AMT modified the tooling to the new-for-71 grill and bumper changes and stuck with this depiction throughout future releases. The first version released was the Boondocker Blazer as kit T200. Next up was the Crew Chief Blazer, an issue that is dear to my field engineer heart. This is kit T340. After Ertl bought AMT in 1983, they joined the monster truck cage and reissued the Blazer as Thunderbolt One, kit 6609. The later release Chevy Bandit appears to be a straight reissue of Thunderbolt One with stock suspension. Kit 6614. Kit 6931 saw a depiction of Thunderbolt II, back to monster trucks. Finally, in 2006 Model King was able to convince AMT to reissue the Blazer in stock form not seen since before the Ertl takeover.

Sometime in the 70s AMT issued the GMC pickup as a 6' step side version. This required a shorter chassis pan and the fenders are better proportioned compared to the later MPC issue. After many requests from model fans everywhere, AMT re-issued this kit again in 1990. Completely separate from the pickup line, AMT independently tooled up an all-new Blazer/Jimmy combo that sported a separate frame and suspension. It seems as though two separate bodies were tooled for the GMC Jimmy and the Chevrolet Blazer as both versions seem to have been issued at the same time. The first Blazer depicts a 69-70 style truck and is again released by AMT in a desert theme. This is kit T336. Two Jimmy versions were also released: the Jimbo 4x4 drag racer and the Bushwacker off-roaded with trail bike. These are kits T213 and T248 respectively. The box art grille for these trucks suggests a 69-70 version. I found a picture of the Bushwacker with the bottom of the box proclaiming 25th anniversary special kits. If this is the 25th anniversary of AMT, this would put this issue in 1973.

After their acquisition of MPC, AMT/Ertl dusted off the tooling again and re-issued the kit in 1995 using the 8' fleetside bed that MPC seemed to have either lost or forgotten about. Issued again in 1998 with a picture of an actual truck on the box: A straight reissue of this same kit was offered again in 2004. Finally, the tooling was re-issued again with the addition of modern large diameter rims. Seemingly independant of MPC, AMT developed the GMC tooling and released this kit a few times. I have been unable to find dates for these, but the grille suggests a 71-72 pickup. Following in the desert theme, a race version with an open cab was released for 1971. Instructions showed where to cut the roof off to build the box art vehicle. This kit was also issued for 1972 with the addition of '72 on the box. A separate version of the tooling was issued with a normal cab box art truck, again in the desert.

This version of the tooling was also used to release the MPC Open Road Camper, a popular recreational vehicle at the time. The tooling was modified for the final time to reflect the changes to the full-size trucks for 1971. So far I have been unable to find annuals for 1971 and 1972, but MPC did release the Racer's Wedge for 1971. The kit included two chassis pans: one for the regular truck and one for the racer's wedge that was lengthened and included a rear tag axle. It seems that at this juncture the tooling remained with MPC, who made good use of it and released several pickups over the years until their eventual purchase by AMT/Ertl. In 1974, the tooling was modified to produce an 8' stepside bed. This is an odd configuration and even the fenders weren't proportioned correctly: the fender is too short from the wheel well forward. The first offering included a Yamaha dirt bike. Released again in 1979 as Rolling Thunder, this version was modified to follow the big rig craze of the time and included a sleeper, stacks, and lots of chrome goodies. Finally in 1982 the tooling was sold again, this time called Heavy Pedal. None of the Rolling Thunder extras made it to this release. At some point between 1971-1980s MPC dug out the old tow truck pieces and reissued the tooling as part of the Dukes of Hazzard line of themed kits.

Gather 'round, kids, for another tale from your local kit historian. Well, I try to be one, anyway. I must confess, I don't have as much experience with these kits as I do with my previous kit history installments so I know for sure I'm missing some details or have some information wrong. For that, I hope that the vast knowledge base we have here can help fill in the blanks. To date, there have been four separate, but related, toolings of this style of truck (for those of you who didn't know already, Action Line is 67-72). It seems AMT and MPC shared the tooling for the Chevrolet pickups, using the chassis plate from AMT's Ford and Chevrolet annuals from 61-63. AMT also tooled a GMC pickup as well as a completely new Blazer/Jimmy set when those trucks came on the market for 1969. Near as I can figure, AMT and MPC were competitors at the time, but auto manufacturers tended to alternate suppliers for promos every year. Perhaps AMT and MPC struck a deal to share the tooling or, after AMT developed the tooling for the 1967 pickup GM demanded it as they paid for it and loaned it to whomever was supplying the promos that year (total conjecture; someone please clear this up!). First kit on the market was the AMT 1967 Chevrolet pickup annual. As with previous annuals, the truck was a long box, with the option to build a stock truck, custom truck, and a tow truck. For 1968, MPC released the same tooling however the same modifications to the full size trucks were made to the model. This was released under the product code MPC868. By 1969, it seems as though both AMT and MPC were releasing kits. The basic truck body was updated to the new-for-69 grille. The MPC version was changed to a fire truck and the AMT version was a stock pickup with the camper shell previously seen on the 61-63 annuals. Once again, in 1970 both AMT and MPC released versions of the tooling. AMT started with a desert theme that it would continue to use for the next few years while MPC had racing theme.

Turns out the Revell Ford Six Wheeler pickup isn't alone; check this bad boy out! The engine is supposedly a 350 turbo diesel; would be interesting to crack it open and find out! Unfortunately, this is one of pj-toys' offerings...

Actually the two toolings are separate. There's the GMC tooling and the Chev tooling and both have been issued in various forms. The GMC was originally released as the Sierra Grande 8' wide side and then modified to make the 6' step side. They may have borrowed the fenders from the Chev tooling, which had both an 8' wide side and step side bed. I don't believe the Chev was ever released as a 6' step side, although don't quote me on that. And, actually, I believe it was AMT had the GMC and MPC had the Chev. When AMT bought MPC they had both trucks.