Monty

AMT was capable of far better chassis detailing when they chose to be. Consider their '58 Chevy Impala with its poseable front wheels, multi-piece front and rear suspensions & separate exhaust. Basically everything their '63 'Vette is missing, yet both kits were designed within years of each other. MPC released their '64 'Vette with a far better chassis, so I'll always wonder why AMT skimped on everything in the '63.

Outstanding work! Hope to see more from you soon.

Over the last 30 years or so I've built two of them. I used the middle pin hole for the stock ride height and was satisfied with the result. If you absolutely need to verify the ride height, you could assemble the front and rear suspension components with white glue, set the tires on their respective pins/axles, then put the interior bucket and chassis into the body.

I couldn't help but notice a red wire from the distributor to the fill cap on the valve cover. What is that meant to depict?

The C3 Corvettes had a leather color called Oxblood, which seems to be fairly close to the shade you're looking for. They may be a little pricey but a number of companies offer actual interior dyes in spray can. Less expensive options: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Krylon-ColorMaster-Spray-Paint/17211059 You may also want to check out Rust-oleum Merlot Red and Colonial Red If you want to stick with hobby paints, Humbrol offers their Crimson in a spray can. IIRC, you can get it in either enamel or acrylic. Here's a start. https://modelmerchants.com/shop/humbrol-20-crimson-gloss-acrylic-spray-paint-150-ml-ad6020/

I noticed the torque tube as well and wondered if Johan just reused the Marlin chassis. From what I've read, the V8 engines in most/all Johan AMC kits are a previous generation old (think Y-block in a Mustang) so they're not accurate either. I've seen many builders replace them with the engine from the AMT Matador stock cars 'cuz they're dirt cheap and have a more correct appearance.

Bill, interesting project you'e got going on here. I hope your search for nicely molded u-joints goes better than mine. I like to build the MPC C3 Corvettes ('68-'82) but their half-shafts aren't the best I've ever seen. I created a post in the Resin section asking if any casters offered nice u-joints, but never got an answer. You may want to see if someone has an old Accurate Miniatures Corvette they're parting out, as the half-shafts may have the kind of detail you're looking for.

I'm curious if anyone has tried adapting the front frame/suspension from the AMT '65 Galaxie to the Cougar chassis.

Me too. All of these builds turned out well, but I was especially drawn to the truck and the 'Vette with the luggage rack. Would you mind telling us which exact paints you used on those bodies?

I originally posted this back in May and it soon became obvious that I was not the only one experiencing this problem. I'm curious why it still hasn't been addressed.

Would you mind telling me the mfr & part number for the blue paint you used on the engine?

I'm hoping to find some better than average u-joints, but I haven't come across any so far.

Would you mind posting the Testors/MM part number for Dark Crimson? I didn't see a listing for it, and from what I see of yours, it'd make a great interior color.

I'm not sure I understand your post, especially the part where you mentioned that you'd thought about scrapping it. Why would you have a problem with what looks like a beast of a motor in a well-detailed engine bay? I'm not the biggest fan of the '67 GTXs, but the wheels you chose, the cleanliness of assembly, and for me, the color and application of paint really sell it. If you happen to recall which exact paint you used on this, I'd like to know.

I don't think they're out there, but I wish they were. I'd love to replicate my first car, which, with the exception of the folding sun roof, is a dead-nuts-on copy of this car:

Not the greatest range in colors, but some of them look spectacular to me, particularly Ruby Red.

When I first saw the pic, I checked my favorite paint reference site to see what colors Ford offered for 1970. Obviously Grabber Orange was an option, but I was never a big fan of any of the Grabber colors, so I kept looking until I came across Bright Gold. (http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?year=1970&manuf=Ford) I then did a Google search on Bright Gold '70 Mustangs, and this was one of the first I found. Here's one from the Barrett Jackson auction site also listed as Bright Gold metallic. I've always felt this shade looked far better than the standard "gold" paints the auto industry was using at the time.

Yeah, I keep getting phishing bait from "Amazon" letting me know that "my order has been canceled." Here's the deal: I haven't ordered from Amazon in over a year. What's sad is they're persistent and Outlook's blocking system is fairly ineffective.

I've been interested in these for some time but didn't find them to be as practical as ballpoints. OTOH, there's a certain look to a letter written with a fountain pen that makes it stand out a little more. I started with some lesser, low dollar pens (Parker Vector etc) but didn't like them. I eventually went bucks-up for a Cross Townsend Medalist, which is my favorite so far. Unfortunately, because I rarely have occasion to write letters etc anymore, I probably won't be buying any more pens.

The original '55 Badman had a set on the back, but the offset was much deeper than those shown in the picture. I've heard Monogram made a minor change to the rear wheel molds some time ago, and I'm not sure what those front wheels are called.

I've heard that gamers like these (acrylic?) paints for detailing, but I came across a pic of some of the paints and was intrigued, as I'm always in search of new hues.

Very nice work, Randy. Any issues with the kit that a 1st time builder should know about?

To the best of my knoledge, the '70 Mustang in the background is painted Bright Gold. Does anyone know of any close matches for this shade in hobby enamels or acrylics? I think Testors Inca Gold is similar, but IIRC, it has some fairly big flakes, which I don't want.

IIRC, Revell offered the '90-'92 Cougars in 1/25 scale. From what I've seen, they're not all that expensive and might provide a better "stock" chassis for the Mk VII Lincoln.