AMT and MPC new releases for 2016

[MrObsessive]

I could go for the '73 Pinto Wagon! That was just before they started putting those terrible "battering ram" bumpers on the '74 and later cars. I'd do mine WITHOUT the fake wood grain though!

[Rob Hall]

I don't think the early wagons were kitted, though...only ones I know of are MPCs from '77 onward...

[MrObsessive]

I don't think the early wagons were kitted, though...only ones I know of are MPCs from '77 onward...

Hmmm......might be a typo, unless they backdated it somehow.

[Rob Hall]

Hmmm......might be a typo, unless they backdated it somehow.

The listing I saw ( a few pages back in this thread, posted by Mr Stock) said it was a '79...the '79-80 kits were pretty much identical except for the box art, I believe.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Rob Hall

[Mark]

There was no '80 wagon kit.  Only four wagons were issued ('77 in two different boxes, '78 annual, and "Pony" '79). The sedan ended with the '78 annual.

[Rob Hall]

There was no '80 wagon kit.  Only four wagons were issued ('77 in two different boxes, '78 annual, and "Pony" '79). The sedan ended with the '78 annual.

.I couldn't recall if MPC continued it to '80 or not...the 1:1 was still around in '80, marking time until the Escort came out.   I've got the '78 annual wagon kit, the '79 will be nice to have.

[Sledsel]

Yay Pinto wagon. I have a 74 wagon 1:1 project car. Not perfect, but it's a good starting point.

Russ

Have one here also.....

 

[charlie8575]

I'm looking forward to the Volare and the Sunbeam.

Is that Pinto able to be built as a stock car at all? I wonder how hard it would be to make it into a '73? My dad had a '73 Pinto Squire.

Charlie Larkin

[russosborne]

The front sheet metal (especially the very front, grille, headlights, etc) are significantly different. As are the bumpers. This is something I am going to have to deal with too if I want to make it into a 74 like my real car.

Although I could make it a model of the car as it sits, then I wouldn't have to worry about any front sheet metal at all.

Russ

[Rob Hall]

I'm looking forward to the Volare and the Sunbeam.

Is that Pinto able to be built as a stock car at all? I wonder how hard it would be to make it into a '73? My dad had a '73 Pinto Squire.

Charlie Larkin

The MPC Pinto wagon builds as a stock '79.

[charlie8575]

The MPC Pinto wagon builds as a stock '79.

Cool, I'll have to get one just because. 

Charlie Larkin

[Deathgoblin]

Looks to me like Round 2 is doing a bang-up job of going through their molds.    I'm definitely looking forward to the Pinto and the Sunbeam both. I'm still going to get a Volare and burn it in effigy.  I had one, and we hated each other as much as an owner and car possibly could.

[slusher]

The MPC Pinto wagon builds as a stock '79.

I want one then. I like stock Pintos and have never had a wagon kit....

[unclescott58]

I want one then. I like stock Pintos and have never had a wagon kit....

Me too.

[Snake45]

What MODEL year was the last time the Pinto wagon was reissued? I bought a restorable buildup out of a collection in the early '90s. Most of the other stuff I bought from that collection seemed to be common hobby-shop reissues from the mid/late '80s to early '90s (JoHan '63 and '64 Plymouths, '66 Marlin, stuff like that), not original annuals. So what was the alleged model year the last time this kit was around?

[Rob Hall]

What MODEL year was the last time the Pinto wagon was reissued? I bought a restorable buildup out of a collection in the early '90s. Most of the other stuff I bought from that collection seemed to be common hobby-shop reissues from the mid/late '80s to early '90s (JoHan '63 and '64 Plymouths, '66 Marlin, stuff like that), not original annuals. So what was the alleged model year the last time this kit was around?

 This will be the first reissue, never previously reissued since the 1979 annual.

 

 http://www.rocketfin.com/model_museum/images/ford_pinto.jpg 

Edited December 25, 2015 by Rob Hall

[Snake45]

I just dug it out and looked at it. No year on the license plates, but it does look "later," so I guess it's the '79. Odd--I didn't think there were any "originals" in the stuff I bought out of that collections, only (then) current or relatively recent reissues.

[Rob Hall]

I just dug it out and looked at it. No year on the license plates, but it does look "later," so I guess it's the '79. Odd--I didn't think there were any "originals" in the stuff I bought out of that collections, only (then) current or relatively recent reissues.

Rectangular headlights and the large grille are the giveaway...the '77-78 Pinto wagon kits had round headlights and a small grille.

[Snake45]

Rectangular headlights and the large grille are the giveaway...the '77-78 Pinto wagon kits had round headlights and a small grille.

Huh. I already put the thing away again but google-imaging all three years, I believe the one I have seems to be of the round-headlight 77 or 78 type.

[Jon Cole]

Seems I saw somewhere that a sandrail, or a dune buggy was going to be released. Had paddlewheel tires. Cannot seem to find anything on it. Is anything like this due out?

[Rob Hall]

Seems I saw somewhere that a sandrail, or a dune buggy was going to be released. Had paddlewheel tires. Cannot seem to find anything on it. Is anything like this due out?

The AMT Sand Dragon maybe..seems like it is out now..  http://www.modelroundup.com/product-p/amt-r2-scm026.htm

[Jon Cole]

The AMT Sand Dragon maybe..seems like it is out now..  http://www.modelroundup.com/product-p/amt-r2-scm026.htm

Thanks, Rob.

[Robberbaron]

The '77 Ventura was converted to the Nova. 

 

I've never heard that before - you sure about that Steve?  The reason I ask is that MPC also released a 1977 Nova kit in addition to the 1977 Ventura annual, so if they did modify the tool, they did the conversion quite quickly.

I realize there is some precedence for MPC modifying tooling to release two different versions in the same model year, because I believe they released both GTX and Roadrunner versions of the 1971 (?) annuals.  But this would have been much more work than just changing some trim and badges.

Front bumper, nose, grille, hood would be different, along with trim and badges, plus new wheels.  I would think the interior upholstery pattern and steering wheel would be totally different, too.  Not sure if the dash was different.  Also not sure if the Ventura kits had a Pontiac V8 or an SBC already, since I believe that by that time the 1:1 cars could be equipped with the Chevy engines, depending on how and where it was ordered.

I have a Squad Rod version of the Nova, but I've never been able to get one of the Venturas to compare them.  I didn't even know until about 10 years ago that they were produced.  Nowadays they are somewhat forgotten cars, so I got a kick out of the fact that they made them as annuals for three years.  I just assumed that MPC stopped after 1977 because they weren't selling well.

[tim boyd]

 

****The MPC Ventura kit in 1975 had a Pontiac engine, but the real 1/1 1975 Ventura (according to several reliable sources) had the Buick 350 small block engine, a much different engine and one that appears much different as well.  There was a reason for the MPC kit engine choice, but  I will disclose that at a future point in time.    It would be interesting to see how that MPC tool Pontiac engine changed (or not) during the evolution of that kit tool.      TIM 

[Mark]

The MPC Novas have Pontiac engines in them.  I just checked an MPC '78 Nova against a '77 Ventura; the bucket seat upholstery patterns are exactly the same.  MPC took a slow-selling Ventura and converted it to a Nova.