Fat Brian

Yeah, they're tampo printed.

The new release of the AMT 77 Pinto with the green car on the box has 4 Goodyear Rally GT tires in the new small hollow tires. Do any kits have the next size bigger tires with the same branding on them? I'm building an 80s car so the usual Polyglas and Wide Oval markings wouldn't be quite in the correct time-line.

Yes, it's a terrible shame that Nissan truck isn't in a more common scale.

The Boyd kits were done specifically for Testors but I have no idea who originally cut the molds. If I can find my original Smoothster box there might be some clues on it.

After a few hours in the pond you can usually peel the paint off the primer in big chunks, then you just let it soak for a few hours to remove the primer and you're back to a bare body.

The 37/38 Fords are based on the original Smoothster tooling that was done for Testors as part of their deal Boyd Coddington in the 90s. I guess they wanted 1/24 because so many of their other borrowed kits are in that scale. I don't know how Lindberg ended up with the tooling though.

Another thing I find helpful is to use a primer underneath Tamiya paint that can be easily stripped. That way you don't even have to to attack the paint directly.

I really want the Monogram kit but the only one on the 'bay right now is overpriced. I have a later boxing of the Revell kit and yes, it's a piece.

Thanks, that's better than l expected.

There are a few kits out there with really deep pans for Ford FE engines.

You've already got me interested in loser malaise era kits, I can't afford to get into brass era cars too.

I'm looking for a set of stock 79-82 or so Mustang Cobra decals in 1/25 scale. Do any of the aftermarket decal folks offer a set like this? I know the first Monogram fox body kit had them and as much as I want that kit it's spendy.

This is the current packaging for Future.

Wasn't it just the Mercury sleeper that was the parts pack? The original mail in sleeper was something different I believe.

When I mainly used Testor's enamels I didn't prime, the paint layer was thick enough on its own. Finding Duplicolor white primer changed my entire painting process. Now I use it on all my bodies because it's thin enough to not hide detail and it strips easily so I can paint with Tamiya or Duplicolor automotive paints and not ruin the body if it doesn't turn out the first time. I typically don't prime anything that's getting a flat finish though, it doesn't seem necessary to me.

The day cab version has been reissued recently so shouldn't be hard to find. The mail in sleeper is much harder to find but there are other options for sleepers if you want one.

They're very different, early bumper vs later bumper, 2 bar grille vs 3 bar grille, 8v-71 Detroit vs 350 Cummins, little window cab vs 1100 series big window cab, there might be more but I'm not certain.

Mating the Revell guts to the MPC body is proving tougher than I first thought. The wheelbase of the Revell kit is about 1/8" too long in the rear. In an attempt to move the rear axle forward I tubbed the rear but the wheels I had intended to use are so big I can't get the front as low as I want it. I'm going to put this chassis in another drag Mustang kit and pull out another fresh chassis and try again. I also picked out some smaller wheels.

You might need to test a few different things. I would probably start with rubbing alcohol, the good high test stuff if you can find it. As long as the coating is smooth I don't always bother removing it.

Do you need it to be stock or are some modern mounting points okay?

The best way to see what a kit is going for is to look at the sold listing on eBay, it looks like sold items go for between $75-$125 or so. Unfortunately the value of your kit has taken a hit since it was finally reissued a few years ago.

I made this with the Revell 68 Beetle kit. I sanded the fenders way back, took out the running board, and it has a slight lift. It's about 1/8" in the front and closer to 1/4" in the rear.

I like it, but I can't imagine trying to drive something so short with that much power.

If I can finish half a dozen builds a year I could clear the stash in 75 to 100 years if I didn't buy another kit during that time. I think I'm fighting a losing battle.

You can do anything you want with it as long as it's from your birth year. The fewer restrictions the better for something like this.