Monty

Tom, this may be your best work yet. The WIP was interesting, and the final result is spectacular. Well done!

Thanks, Mike! Looks like I need an imagination tune-up!

Gosh, Mr Wizard, I wish I woulda thought of that. I've been digging through the listings for hours, but even some of the better boards seem to have issues, so I thought the Borg people on the board might have some insights.

Thanks, Roger. I may resort back to that if I end up only doing two colors. Would you mind posting your other two ideas? I think my confusion stems from trying to integrate the three colors into a design I like.

Here's where I'm at: the interior, engine, interior & chassis are mostly complete, but I can't just paint the body one color (especially blue) and call it done. It is strictly a street machine, but the paint will be the biggest indicator of that. I'd like to shoot this thing in white with blue & light gray accents, but these body lines don't really lend themselves to any easy designs (at last that I can see).

I'm looking to upgrade my desktop's computer but have no idea who makes quality products & who doesn't. Here are the main features I'm looking for: 1) Regular QWERTY-style keyboard w/ bright backlit keys. Needs to be highly visible in low or no light. 2) For now, I'm going to stick with a wired keyboard (plugs into USB port) 3) I'd like to keep the cost around $40.00 - the "gamer" keyboards are roughly double that, but I'm not a gamer & might be able to do without some of the extras they have on theirs, I'd appreciate getting recommendations and links from people who actually own & use the keyboards they're suggesting that I buy.

Tom, you're doing some spectacular work on this kit, but the raised lettering behind the gas tank (and possibly out in front of it) need to be sanded off so they don't detract from all the effort you've put into this.

Len, at one time (early '70s) AMT included these in the '70 Impala kit as the street/strip option, but unlike the MPC versions with their flat spokes, AMT's had more of a crowned center like these. http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=127171&stc=1&d=1373818307 From what I've seen, the ones in the AMT kit are technically closer to the 1:1 design, but that specific kit might be hard to find (subsequent releases have had other wheels), and I don't recall seeing them in any other AMT kit. Monogram issued their version of the Spyder in a couple kits as well if you're looking for these in 1/24.

Beautiful car, gorgeous color combo, killer interior. Very nice work! Any chance we could see some engine & chassis shots? Was the interior piping done with small gauge wire? If so, how did you attach it without marring the paint on the seat? Hope we'll see more from you soon!

As spectacular as Sean's build is, I'm guessing he declined to show the engine because JoHan never got up to speed on AMC engines and continued issuing last generation engines in their kits*. (Imagine a classic Mustang with a Y-block). As another poster has pointed out, this chassis still has a torque tube! Sean, you did a spectacular job on that car and you should be proud of it. Given their rarity, I can only hope someone else (Moebius?) will take a chance and tool up a more accurate version so we can all have a shot at building one someday. *according to "AMC experts" on a number of boards.

As beautiful as the rest of that car is, I couldn't help but notice Yuri's use of a slightly off white (parchment?) color for the seats and a purer white for the convertible top. It's details like this that make his models look so realistic. And now, like usual, I have a question for Yuri. What did you do to make the headlights look that way?

Very sharp build with some nice detailing. Any chance you'll tell us what paint you used on the body? It's gorgeous.

#19 or #20?

It's GM Corporate engine blue. Testors/Model Masters offers it in enamel under Ford/GM engine blue #2727. My '80's engine looked pretty much like this: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRfu5a3EK0mLU3R8HBTyIEOkIeL5v-4MlloL4ENhroAP3EgAEkP

If you've used the tool and it didn't help, you must've gotten one of the rare (in my experience anyway) bad ones. If there's a HobbyTown near you, you should be able to get another tin for under $2.00.

I'm not aware of any recent formula change, but I do know that Humbrol paints need to be stirred occasionally. This is what you need: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRbUP4kvR-2t5H-n7HpyX5RTtlZsKxEDizb6czNz7SmYp8S25VcHQ This one's only about $12.00 at your local hobby shop and it's leagues better than the cheap one Micro-Mark sells. IMNSHO, anyone who uses jar/tin/bottle paints should have this tool.

Robin, I gave up shopping for the MPC kit because I wouldn't pay the going rate ($100.00 - $150.00) for an unbuilt kit. I just checked ebay and promos are going for over $100.00! In addition to the points Casey made, the Monogram kit has a much better engine and chassis, and while it's saddled with that mold-everything-together engine bay, a good modeler can detail paint them as separate pieces, whereas the MPC kit is kind of sparse under the hood. If this site doesn't have a How-to-add-fender-flares tutorial, I'd bet you could find a YouTube video that would explain it. Please post pics of your work as you go. This sounds like a neat project.

If you're still thinking of shooting it the color depicted on the box art, Model Masters Pontiac Engine Blue or Boyd's Ice Blue Pearl would be fairly close.

I wish one of our casters offered that air cleaner assembly.

I've always liked the '66-early '70s Toronados, so I love it when a talented builder does this kind of work on one of the old JoHans. My compliments on your color choices, paintwork, foiling and photography.

MPC paired their big & little 5-slots up on a lot of cars. Here's a souce for those that you may not have thought of: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MPC-32-FORD-SWITCHERS-SEDAN-PHAETON-olde-issue-many-versions-possible-/191119382032?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2c7f9a5610 If you can't find them anywhere else, this kit has the 5-slots you want. Here's that same set in resin made by a member of this board and a great guy to deal with. If you don't mind spraying some Alclad or sending the wheels off to be plated, this might be the way to go: http://scenesunlimited.homestead.com/Wheels.html (Look under Ansen/Fenton) Lastly, if you just have to have those ugly four-slot wheels, he offers them in white resin as well. (Look under Drag Racing) HTH

I've been nuts about these cars since I first discovered them decades ago. Despite the fact that they never made it into production, they showed what AMC could do with limited funds and a lot of creativity. I'll continue to hold out hope that someone like Moebius will take these on as full-detail kits (maybe they should consult with you) but in the meantime, your project will provide fascinating reading for fans of this car.

That particlular kit is probably from the '80s based on its Centerline wheels. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQvp_DnMoS6XhGyhN7sLqj3Bc3CeGAzIi2MRdPNnJRlpPpVAN_j MPC had a couple other '67 'Vettes (The Streaker & The Night Stalker) but neither had the wheels you're asking about. I assume MPC did a '67 annual, but I can't find anything on one. I brought up the AMT wheels because I've never seen any MPC wheels with 4 kidney bean-type holes. Let's see if Mark B will check in again. He's got an encyclopedic knowledge of this stuff.

Well, now I'm curious. My info came from an article about George Toteff (MPC founder) by one of the hobby's better-informed writers.* He said Toteff wanted MPC's first kit (the '64 'Vette) to be leagues above anything the competition had in terms of detail - hence the metal coil springs. I can't seem to find anything definitive about the MPC '64, but I did find this about the Mako Shark they released in 1966: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MPC-Corvette-Mako-Shark-Plastic-Model-Car-Kit-Vintage-1-25-500-200-/151161081074 Kit #500-200 issued in 1966. Original kit included: hinged roof opens, independent rear axle, authentic treaded vinyl Indy tires, head rests, optional rear window (clear or louvered), full front end swings open, working front end suspension (with actual metal springs), one-piece hollow tires, front wheels turn, 25-piece transport trailer (with operating hinged loading ramp), disc brakes, retractable rear bumper and 427 engine. MPC didn't seem to update these chassis very often, which might explain why the metal springs were stil in the '74-ish kits. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-MPC-Model-Corvette-Kit-1-7506-Corvette-Looks-Complete-/331160378052 While they look neat when done correctly, I'm guessing I wasn't the only young builder who thought the metal springs made assembling the front suspension much more of a PITA than necessary. * The name escapes me at the moment, but he's recognized as an authority on model history.

The MPC '64 Vette is a pretty rare kit, but I believe the best way to tell it from the AMT kit is to look at the chassis. The MPC chassis is fairly detailed and IIRC had actual metal coil springs as part of the front suspension, whereas the AMT '63 kit was stuck with a 2-wire-axle promo-type chassis with pretty much everything molded in. I've never seen an actual AMT '64 Corvette chassis, but it's highly unlikely that they retooled it much, if at all. If you don't mind an educated guess from someone who's been in the hobby for over 40 years, the 4 hole kidney bean wheels are most likely from an AMT kit. The small divots you describe are also on many of their 5-slot wheels; I'm told it's a molding issue. For a while there, they were sticking them in everything from street rods to Corvettes. I hated the look of those 4 slot wheels (to this day I've never seen a 1:1 car with them on it) and I never bought any of the kits that had them. I hope something I wrote will prove helpful in identifying what you have.