Monty

This build is remarkable for so many things, including the stance, paint and overall detailing, not to mention your use of appropriate Johan and Revell parts to achieve these results. Nicely done. If I could make one small suggestion, I'd recommend that you cut the side stripes where they cross the door lines. I'm guessing it could still be done easily with a decal solution and a sharp #11 blade. Just a thought.

I've asked the kit historians on a number of boards, and they all say it's the same model, including decals, in both of those boxes. The box art with the red car is shown with a custom racing front end cover, while I built mine using the kit's '70 Mach One grille etc.

It wasn't a custom Mustang or Ford styling exercise replica. It was a stock wheelbase '70 Mustang funny car with a Logghe chassis and a blown big block (427?) Ford engine. To the best of my knowledge it wasn't meant to depict any of the 1:1 funny cars of the time a la most of Revell's f/c kits, but it seemed to be a decent kit to build and display.

This has been a holy grail of mine since I built one as a kid in the '70s. Even with the advent of Ebay, I haven't been able to find one at a price I can justify paying. Most of the time this kit goes for well over $140.00, which means I won't be getting one unless I win the lottery or something.

Nice work, Al! What paint did you use on this one?

I've got the AMT '65 and '69 Rivieras in the on-deck circle, but I detest the promo-like chassis they come with, so I'm curious what else could be used while still maintaining some semblance of accuracy. Options I'm considering: 1) Has anyone tried using the chassis from the '90s-issue '66 Riviera under either one of these? 2) One of our members, David G, built an incredibly nicely detailed X-style chassis for his '60 Impala. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/114936-revell-1960-chevy-july-16-update/?do=findComment&comment=1665365 I don't know jack about these X-style chassis; could this be a reasonable replacement for the AMT junk? Any pics and descriptions of chassis transplants for these Rivieras would be appreciated.

I'm curious about the tires. Did you use sidewall decals?

I'll see that and raise you one

Anybody got pics of their AMT '68 Shelby Mustang(s) that they'd like to post to show what all can be done with this kit despite its limitations? With the talent on this board, none of the "issues" listed should be difficult to overcome.

Like Mark, I thought they could've done better with the chassis. If memory serves, it doesn't have true poseable steering, although it wouldn't have taken a whole lot more effort on their part to get there. Depending on your abilities, you could modify their setup by finding a way to attach a tie rod etc. If not, the stubs and mounting points can be glued to simulate steered wheels. Seems like anything other than a skinny stock tire will protrude out past the wheel wells (front and back), and while that might've been a good "street look" back in the day, it doesn't look as realistic in 1/25 scale. Also, I'm not convinced the "stock" wheels in this kit are correct for a '68 Shelby Mustang. AMT's '66 Mustang coupe has a set of wheels that have the appearance of '68 Shelby Mustang wheels, but they lack the scale depth that the 1:1 units had, and are a mediocre substitute at best. There used to be an aftermarket wheel and tire combo you could buy that looked right, but the supply seems to have dried up. Lastly, at the risk of crossing over into nitpicking territory, the headlights need to be replaced with something better. AMT's engraving looks like a rush job and, if installed without modifying the pin/hole setup, the "lenses" will be skewed. Here's an example of the headlight issue (not my build)

I always follow his builds because he points out any corrections he felt were necessary to make, and he usually summarizes how he went about it. He's also known for being very precise when it comes to replicating the shades and hues of everything on the car, which is very helpful if you're building, or planning to build, the same kit. When you nail all the little details like he does, the result should be something special.

That red looks spectacular, and I love the fact that you pulled it off using one of those 1/4 oz jars of Testors paint reduced with lacquer thinner. Can't wait to see what else you've got planned for your build.

I'm going to be watching this closely to see what all has to be done to make one of these go together nicely. I've got a couple of them started, but as you said, it'll take some diligence to get good results. It's been a while since I last looked, but it seemed like reference pics were kinda scarce last time I had one of these on the bench.

On behalf of all future builders of this kit, thanks for pointing out the sway bar error as well as listing a way to correct it. Couple questions: 1) Can you elaborate on what paints and/or stains you used to achieve all those shades on the exhaust? 2) Whose acrylics did you use for the interior, and if you don't mind me asking, why acrylics as opposed to enamels? As always, I enjoy watching your projects come to life, and this looks to be another knockout.

I assume you're working with a Johan kit, so if you're interested in being totally accurate, you may want to consider sourcing an engine from another kit. Johan never changed up to the newer-style engines in their AMC kits, which made them look a little iffy (Imagine building a '70 Mustang with a Y-block) especially to AMC aficionados. I've heard AMT's Bobby Allison stock car and one of the Monogram Jeeps have the basics for a more correct-looking engine, and the stock car should be available cheap. Best of luck on your project.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you on this. Neither of those shades comes close to AMC engine blue, which is closer to a light teal. As for the OP, it looks like someone found some info a paint shop could use to mix it, but that may require you to buy a quart, at a minimum. (Shop policies vary) An alternative solution, if you have an airbrush, would be to check the nail polish aisle. You should have no trouble matching this shade. You'll probably have to reduce it with lacquer thinner, so you should use an appropriate primer on the engine before painting.

If I had only read what colors you'd be using on the body and roof, I'd have my doubts as to whether it would turn out well, but after seeing your pictures, I'd say you went from thinking outside the box to knocking it out of the park. From what you've shown us so far, you've done some very nice work on this build. Based on that, I have no doubt it'll be spectacular when you get it finished.

It's commonly known that AMT did a poor job on the '69 Chevelle kit's tail lights. I've heard that Modelhaus has clear red replacement lenses, as well as front and rear bumpers that may have been based on the promo kit. Are any of these Modelhaus parts (bumpers and tail light lenses) better than what's in the kit?

Put another dollar in the jukebox baby. Whoops! Apologies to Joan Jett.

Joseph, it's always exciting to see new product releases from you, especially when they address a major oversight (IMO) on the original mfr's part: From what I've seen, the Revell S&H kit builds up reasonably well, but the "mags" look like stamped steel wheels, and they're all the same size. OTOH, if these new 5-slot wheels are anything like the other 5-slots you offer, they'll not only have the correct "window" depth, they'll give modelers the option of wider rear wheels and narrower fronts, allowing them to replicate the S&H car more accurately. This "look" also carries over to most of the street rods and street machines from back in the '60s to... who knows when. For those of you upgrading to Joseph's wheels, I'd recommend checking out his tires, too. He's got some nice, wide radials that'll keep you from making the mistake of putting bias-ply tires on a mid-'70s car.

As far as paint,assembly and BMF scripts go, you did a great job. The color really suits the car well, too. Did those tires come in that kit? I have one or two variants of this kit, and they still had the old Polyglas GTs. If they aren't AMT tires, where'd you get them?

As has been said, this kit can be used as a great source of restoration or replacement parts for MPC's C3 ('68-'82) Corvettes. With some aftermarket items or a few pieces sourced from more recent kits, the big block is a serviceable engine. The chassis is one of MPC's better efforts, and features poseable front wheels. MPC also made some subtle changes to the chassis over the years (mostly hard line placement) so keep that in mind if you're a detail purist. At least it's not the quasi-promo kind of chassis MPC stuck under so many other kits. The IRS is also decent for it's age, and features separate half-shafts. Maybe the best part (for me anyway) is MPC's version of the Chevy factory alloy wheel. IMNSHO, their most accurate version of this wheel was included in the '73-'77 Corvette kits, while the '78-'82s got an inferior version that had non-open slots and a poorly designed outer rim that looked small and was harder to fit into the kit tires. Lastly, for some reason, MPC did not include a master cylinder/brake booster when they tooled up this kit. The coupes have them, but most of mine have needed a lot of file work to get the halves to align properly.

Wild Bill's is about the best hobby shop for car models in DFW. I'd advise you to search Youtube for a video or two about the shop so you're not surprised by the stacks you'll encounter. Be aware that the shelves can be up to three kits deep, and I've seen the top shelves staked six kits high. Years ago, some diligent searching on my part resulted in some nice treasures. No promises, of course, but who knows what you'll find. They have P/E, aftermarket tires and etc, but you need to ask to see them, as they're usually kept in a separate closet. Hope you enjoy yourself.

I've got a factory-stock post -'75 car that will require whitewall radial tires. Does such a thing exist in 1/25 scale? I'm not interested in bias ply whitewalls, so please confine your replies to sources for radial tires.

I'm guessing Cowboy Rich is referring to the US version of the show, which, IMNSHO, is a horrible imitation of the original. When I first heard Adam Ferrara was going to be part of the show, I assumed he was there to provide comic relief. Unfortunately, his role, summed up by the show as "the wrecker", seems to be limited to finding a way to destroy old cars, many of which looked to be in very good shape. Tanner Faust is a talented driver who would win almost every driving contest if not for the grade school shenanigans the producers use to make things "fair'', and I know I'm not the only one who can't take more than 5 minutes of the bearded chimp at one time. That said, I'm not sure how much enthusiasm I can muster for the recently-revamped UK version either. It'd be hard to match the chemistry that Clarkson, Hammond and May had, and the producers will really need to be on their game to come up with scenarios that aren't pale imitations of ideas that've already been done.