Ace-Garageguy

I understand that it doesn't appeal to everyone. My particular fascination with it comes from having seen it at a show soon after it was built...when it blew me away, having seen it in the mags previously...and later getting a first-issue kit of the thing as a gift. I was a follower of Barris at the time, and read everything I could get my greasy little hands on about his work. Say what you will about Barris, but over the years he did build some great looking stuff (and some real awful stuff too, of course), and contributed a whole helluva lot to the knowledge base of car-building hobbyists with all his in-depth tech articles in the real-car mags.

Could you possibly post photos of those boxings? If the entire Kart is in those kits, I'd like to get my hands on a few more "builders". I have a couple first-issue kits, and several of the '29 Ford kits where parts of the Kart are modified (fender unit missing louvers, for example), but if I can get complete, original Karts in other kits, I can save my virgin originals (for what I don't know).

You are correct. Even with 200,000 miles on them, many newer cars...if they've been very well maintained...are significantly cleaner-running than older carbureted cars. But the vast majority of old cars are only used for special occasions anyway, and contribute very little...almost nothing whatsoever...to air pollution. Unfortunately, some misguided power-mad all-controlling jurisdictions are trying to outlaw old cars on public roads, and there are even some fine folks pushing for legislation that would force MANDATORY SCRAPPING of vehicles that don't conform to present day emissions and "safety" standards. I fondly remember when this was a free country.

My state does a pretty good job with emissions inspections, at least from a rationality standpoint. Rationality is becoming a rare commodity. Anything older than 25 years is exempt, and geezers older than 65 who drive their cars less than 5000 miles a year are also exempt. It is getting harder to find the stations that can handle pre-OBD II vehicles, but there's only one more year to go before they're all exempt anyway.

I'm pretty sure the full original-tool Ala Kart double kit was only re-run once by AMT, so there was about a 30 year span (before the internet allowed model collectors to easily connect) when the AMT kits were hard to find. I imagine that was the justification for re-popping it in resin. What's also kinda surprising is that the kit was entirely re-tooled for the 2002 release. That's a lot of money to spend considering most of the original tooling still exists, and most of the Ala Kart parts were included in the old AMT '29 Ford roadster kit (issued many times over the years).

I'll have to check. But I did happen to see on a build thread here that the Revell '66 GTO contains the exact same POS engine as the '64. EDIT: From what I can tell from another thread here, it appears that the '69 is also. EDIT 2: Yup. The '69 is the same. Yuck. The big giveaway is the distributor drive coming through the intake manifold like a smallblock Chebby. That's completely wrong for a Pontiac, and there are a slew of other inaccuracies...kinda big ones if you're at all familiar with the real engines.

No pix, but every day I chip away a little at the mods I'm doing on several long term builds. All small things, usually requiring overnight drying before I can move on, so having several projects going at this time works out. One fer-instance: the engine in the Monogram 1/24 '64 GTO is appallingly bad, but the decent 1/25 engines I have just look way too small in the engine bay. The block needed to be lengthened and reshaped at the rear, the oil filter setup entirely reworked, holes repaired from removing the blobular starter and oil filter, heads cut down and reshaped, intake manifold significantly reworked, etc. etc. etc. And this is another build that started out to be "relatively simple".

I can empathize. I've been having anger management issues, significantly over-reacting to normal stressors. These are difficult times, what with loads of conflicting info out there, ineffective and ignorant "leadership", media intent on stirring things up, and widespread civil unrest. I can only suggest meditation. It's worked for me in the past, on multiple occasions. We CAN take control of our emotions, but it takes a conscious effort. I was skeptical decades ago, but after looking into it with an open mind, I found a way that works for me and doesn't make me feel like a mindlessly chanting brain-dead hippy. I use a form of Zen. EDIT: Neither Zen nor Buddhism are religions. Buddhism is a philosophy of living, recognizing the inter-connectedness of everything, and having the "Golden Rule" as its central idea. EDIT 2: Here's a brief overview: https://mindworks.org/blog/what-is-zen-meditation-benefits-techniques/

There's a lot you can do with a real-car spray gun that would be not so easy with an airbrush. This heavily modded Challenger One body was shot with 2K urethane primer using a conventional full-size HVLP gun.

Hardcover too. Guess it's better than burning them.

I'm 98.7777235% sure it's a resin repop of the original AMT Ala Kart kit issued in the early 1960s (1962?) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Very-Rare-T-amp-T-Resin-Models-Barris-034-Ala-Kart-034-Resin-Kit-Mint-Boxed-/353119134000?nma=true&si=eq5COFb%2FQTLhLM4FjtC64DbX1XY%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 It is NOT the same as the 2002 completely retooled kit, which shares absolutely nothing with the original kit.

"Who Would Ship A Kit Without Packing It In A Box???" Never underestimate the incompetence of stupidity, or the carelessness of greed. Since I learned this, I'm not a lot happier, but I'm less surprised by sheer idiocy.

https://hartspartsresin.com/

Just goes to show that one man's concept of "awesome" is another man's idea of dog vomit. The Aurora though, as awful as it is, is not Saunders' design. It was originally built in '57 as a "safety car" prototype, and found and restored by Saunders.

Sorry my post ruined your day. I have no idea how the repetition occurred, as I checked my post post-posting, as I always do for typos, and only saw one copy of the photo. I have since rectified the situation.

I believe you can still edit them out. I just took out the extra originals.

As others have advised, eBay has a resolution procedure to make this right. You can even upload photos to prove your point. Poor packing is clearly to blame there, so go through the available channels. I've had a few models arrive damaged, and I got at least a significant partial refund on every one...including one 1/8 scale Pocher that was pretty expensive.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED. I LOOKED AT THE POST POST-POSTING. THE PHOTO WAS NOT REPEATED. I HAVE EDITED THE REPETITION OUT.

Not as ambitious, but every bit as well designed and thought out...

Infinitely adjustable and fully automatic with its own programmable microprocessor...self cleaning too:

Only thing it's missing...

Just got in the engineless version of the Gunze "high tech" Ferrari 250 GTO, for about the same price as the all-plastic versions go for now. For those who don't know, Gunze did three versions of the 250 GTO: 1) a "high tech" version with an engine, chassis, and various parts in diecast material, with nice PE wheels and other bits, and a plastic body with opening hood; 2) the same kit with no engine and a non-opening hood, and 3) an all plastic kit with the open-hood body, but no engine, and reduced parts count. I had the all-plastic version, and wanted an additional kit to do another American V8-powered hot rod. The only plastic ones available right now seem to be in Japan, but I found the mid-level no-engine kit Stateside for about the same money. Though the bodies in these Gunze kits have some inaccuracies, I prefer the lines and proportions of the Gunze version to any of the other renditions...other than those oddly squared-off and too large rear wheel openings...a relatively easy fix.

The automotive equivalent of Windows 10.

Friendamine's '96 Miata he bought new and has maintained meticulously since was hit while parked by a brain-dead texting beeyotch a few days back. Car's still drivable, needs a fender, bumper cover, a little work on the hood, a headlamp assembly, and maybe a light pull on a rail. Natcherly, it's gone to "economic total" and they don't want to pay him diddly for the car. I'm going to look at it tomorrow prior to getting in a pizzing match with the other party's insurer to pump the payout as high as we can and still keep the thing. Shame he wasn't insured under one of the stated-value/10,000 mile/year policies available now from special-interest insurers.

The engine in your photo is a very special Roush 427 based on the Windsor smallblock (289-302-351W-etc) design. https://www.roushperformance.com/engines/427-r.html It is NOT an FE-based engine, as were the production 427 Ford engines (the engine represented by the Revell parts-pack kit). The big visual tipoff to identify most FE-based engines is the fact that the outer edge of the intake manifold forms the sealing rail for the upper edge of the valve covers. This smallblock manifold (below) is similar to what's in your photo: