64Comet404

I remember stopping at Auto World during a family trip back in the mid-1980s, and buying a couple of sets of those plates. I remember getting the just-reissued AMT/Ertl 1956 Ford, as well as a selection of Auto World's sponsor decal sheets. I still have those license plate sheets in the decal box, but I wish I had the foresight to pick up even more of the sponsor sheets.

There aren't many cars that I have owned that I couldn't replace easily, because the majority of them were just daily drivers. The only one I sold, and would like back, is my 1973 Ford Mustang. It was a 2 door notchback, green with a silver stripe, black vinyl interior, 351C 4 barrel/4 speed, 3.91:1 rear. My Dad picked it up for me back in 1988 with only 32,000 miles on the clock. It was a great car for a 17 year old kid to drive in the summer, mainly due to the lesson in economics it provided (Summer Job - Fuel Consumption = Nearly Always Broke). Even then, it was a great car to cruise around town. We stored it at our cottage for the winter months, and somebody (sure we knew who did it, but couldn't prove it) stole the rims and tires off it. Dad sold it the following spring for a good profit, even with the non factory wheels. There are a few cars that I looked at buying, but didn't pull the trigger. When I looked back, it seemed I always let the more exciting car go. 1967 Dodge Coronet 500 Hardtop: 318 poly/automatic, light bronze with a black roof. It had a bit of visible rust on the inner fenders so I passed. Bought a 1980 Malibu 6 cylinder coupe, which turned out to have a lot of hidden rust in the quarters. 1984 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe: silver/black with a stickshift. Not a bad car, but was leery about the turbo, due to my sister's experience driving a Renault Fuego Turbo. Bought a 1986 Mazda 323 5 door instead. 1985 Pontiac Fiero SE: red/gray, V6/ 5 speed, fully loaded. The worst clutch I have ever driven. Bought a 1988 Mada 323 3 door (one of the most durable cars I owned). 1994 Nissan 240SX/1995 Acura Integra/1995 BMW 318ti hatchback: Each one would have been a great driver, but the insurance was a bit high on the 240 and Integra, and the BMW didn't have the features. Bought a 1995 Honda Accord coupe (reliable, but it had the words "HIT ME" written into its' DNA: by the time I sold it six years later, the roof and driver's door were the only original panels on the car). 1965 Pontiac Strato Chief: 4 door, 6 cylinder/manual. Only $600, but i was worried about fuel mileage, and driving across Ontario during winter with a rear-drive car. Bought a 1985 Ford Tempo, which got even worse mileage than the Pontiac would have. 2014 Volkswagen Golf TDI wagon: wanted to buy one, but the consumer books warned of possible problems with the injection system and the automatic transmission (I wanted a stick, but the dealers were sold out). Bought a 2014 Ford Focus instead, and got to experience the joys of automatic transmission issues without the injection problems... I also had the loan of a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible for a couple of weeks. Black/red with a 352/automatic, it was a great cruiser, but Dad wouldn't sell it to me. I can't blame him, either, because as nice as it was, it would have turned into a complete money pit.

The Comets did tend to sit high, especially with fresh leaf springs in the rear. When I bought both my 1:1 Comets, they rode very low in the back, but a spring change mad them sit up. This look doesn't last long though, unless you add some extra leaves; my Caliente still rides high after nearly 30 years, while my wagon, which had new springs made to the original spec, has regained its backwards rake after only 5 years.

The inner fenders from the Trumpeter Falcon or Monogram Mustang are also useful for rotating the battery location 90 degrees to the proper location. When I first picked up the Moebius kit, I knew something was off in this area, but I didn't catch the battery until I looked at my references.

The best way I have found to cleanly remove these whitewalls is with Tamiya lacquer thinner. I tried to remove a whitewall with nail polish remover, and it smeared the white over the sidewall without removing it. Hope this helps.

I have had a few kits where the tires have rotted on me. I have had a Revell Mercedes truck kit and a Tamiya 1/6 motorcycle in which the rubber had actually re-liquified in the packaging (not bad on the bike, where the tires were still in the vacuformed packaging, but on the truck, the rubber was all over the parts bags). I also have a 1/12 Tamiya Porsche, where the original tires are so sticky, I can't leave them in the box without pieces of the cardboard adhering to the tires.

The only stock 1/32 Lindberg/Pyro kits which came with engines, apart from the Classic Car series, are the 1932 and 1934 Plymouths. Matchbox kits generally have full engine detail. Airfix kits are a mixed bag for engines, with the MGB, TR4, Triumph Herald, and Ford Escort being available fairly readily. Good luck with the building.

When I researched info for my build (still not started), I found all my info and pics on Google. Good luck on the build!

A really purposeful looking rally car. A 240RS was running at Goodwood this year, so there are probably some really good videos and pics on-line by now.

The engine on the right is the correct choice for the 432. This model used the DOHC six cylinder engine, from the Skyline GT-R lineup IIRC, as a model spec'd for racing use. Stock colour choices were the box art orange, or a bright lime green, both with the flat black hood.

The telephone was part of the original Get Smart kit, which the Tiger was created from, and would fit between the seats. The only other pieces from the spy version are the hinged panels and the lifting mechanism for the hood-mounted machine gun.

What source will you be using for the wheels? I'm starting to collect the pieces needed to build this car, but need to find a set of Keystones which will fit without many mods.

There was also a '55 Chev Bel Air convertible available in this series. I'm fairly certain it was only issued once, back before the Lesney takeover.

There is currently a 4-pack of these cars (excluding the T-Bone Stake) on eBay. While I would love to complete my collection of these trucks, i won't be doing it at auction prices.

The story of Ford Canada is close, but not exact to your father-in-law's description. Ford of Canada is controlled by Ford Motor Company, but the control is not 100%. Ford of Canada had its own stock offerings on the Canadian exchanges, and when Henry Ford bought back all the stock in FoMoCo after World War One, he didn't buy the Canadian stock. Ford Canada, therefore, had a level of autonomy which didn't exist with GM and Chrysler Canada. Even today, IIRC, there is 3 or 4 percent of Ford Canada stock which is not controlled by Ford Corporate. Because of this situation, Ford controlled Ford England, Ford Werke (Germany), and others, while Ford Canada controlled Ford Australia and some of the other territories. The Canadian models were used to give Lincoln-Mercury dealers a less expensive line to sell (Meteor), a distinct truck line for Mercury, and give Ford dealers a more upscale line for extra profit (Monarch). End of history lesson... ;D

Modelhaus is casting a kit to transform the '58 into a '57 Belvedere. I don't know if the bow in the body has been fixed on the casting, but there is something about the side trim and grille on the '57 which made me want to place an order.

The Fujimi kit looks great, and fits together nicely. The only area which I will be changing on mine are the wire wheels; the ones in the kit are toy-like in comparison to the wheels in the Revell Germany (originally Protar) kit.

Can't wait to see this kit come out, as well as any variations that may be planned by Moebius. If you can see your way to tooling up a '64 in the future, Dave, I wouldn't object (Hint, Hint...)

It all depends on which classic-era kits you are interested in. The 1930s Fords, Chevs, and Plymouths, aren't too bad, though they are curbside (with the exception of the Plymouth, which has an engine), and have no chrome. The luxury cars and brass-era cars are nicely detailed, have plated parts and engine detail. IIRC, the only kit which wasn't that great, appearance-wise, was the 1952 Chevrolet.

What windshield frame did you use for the '66 300, Ron? I have one with the same issue, and haven't found a replacement yet.

The Rolls Royce was first issued back in the late 60's as part of Monogram's classic car series, while the Model A was first issued as a 6 in 1 kit back in the early 60's, with all the rod and custom stuff deleted years ago (along with the Cabriolet option). I can't remember any issues with the Rolls, but the roof on the Coupe can be a bit fiddly to glue; using CA and liquid glue would help.

If you want to go a bit more old school for superbikes, MPC had a Honda CB750 chopper in their old Monte Carlo kits. Not as exciting as a new suberbike engine, but probably a bit more racy looking than stock.

The S600 is a very nice looking kit, and Tamiya has made the appropriate revisions. One nice feature, not mentioned on the instructions, is the inclusion of the raised soft top, in additon to the hardtop and the boot.