Fabrux

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.

Hm. Guess I'll have to do some searching. I plan to make the engine a little less ridiculous as well. Maybe just ONE blower...

Are there aftermarket decals anywhere to build an alternate version of the Radical J-2000 Pontiac Pro/Street? I want to build something a little less showy and more competition oriented.

A quirk of modelling in 1:25 scale also means that whatever you measure on the model in millimeters equates to inches on the real item. As an engineer, the mixing of measuring systems irks me to no end but this is too convenient to ignore.

Didn't that just get reissued as the Police Interceptor?

D'oh! I knew that. Dax Shepard is the guy in this movie. Dak Phoenix is a scifi artist...

I actually found this site while searching for 1961+ Edsel designs. I absolutely love Edsels and want to try and build some "what ifs" of if the line continued. First up is a 60-61 Edsel Comet.

^Hey, my CAT work boots are the best I've had so far...

The 67 Continental in Hit and Run is actually the star's (Dak Phoenix) own car. He's a big car buff and did a lot of the driving work himself.

The Street Customs moniker is equally translated oddly: Speciaux de ville (City Specials)

I stumbled upon this website today and it has lots of inspirational artwork. I may attempt a few of these! http://www.whatifcars.com/index1.php

The Monogram F-250/350 kit is one of the best Ford pickups available in scale, second only to the Revell and Lindberg tenth generation F-150 offerings. The Revell Bronco has to be the most atrocious seventh generation rendition ever. The basic tooling was originally an F-350 dually and as such the front suspension is a leaf-sprung TTB setup. No underhood detail at all, either. The box art you show was one of the earlier releases and as such might be somewhat pricy. A lot of these older kits are offered by sellers almost constantly that ridiculously inflate the prices. The most recent release of the Revell Bronco that I'm aware of was the Yamaha F-1 Boat set. You can get the whole set for substantially cheaper than the one you have pictured. The set was also reboxed by Revell of Germany so you might be able to find that one easier. If you're interested in building an accurate seventh gen Bronco, however, your best bet is to find the MPC/AMT kit, most recently put out as an "iHobby exclusive": red/white truck on a blue background. The older MPC kits tend to be warped and brittle, but it has beautiful suspension and better underhood detail than the Revell and Monogram kits. The Monogram Bronco is 1:24 and in scale with their F-250, however underhood and suspension detail is severely lacking.

Now you just need some giant propellers for cargo!

I thought this might be helpful for someone. Full album here

That'd be the one.