Pete L. Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) Folks, I recently purchased this 1969 Dodge Charger body, at first glance seems to be an MPC product of year ago. But I don't recognize this particular body as one that I've ever seen before, for one the hood is molded in. Secondly, the posts for the glass inserts are noticeably shorter than the ones I've seen in the past. I questioned several Chrysler gurus and kit kings and no one can recall the kit that included this particular Charger, any thoughts ? Pete L. Edited January 24, 2016 by Pete L.
Mark Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 What you have is a body from an MPC funny car kit...since it's a '69, the kit it came from would have been the Mr. Norm car.Most funny car kits back then used stock bodies, with all the trim and panel lines. MPC was getting another use of the body tooling, which is the most costly part of most kits.
ChrisBcritter Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 Hmm. Wonder if you could build a pseudo-promo out of this?
gtx6970 Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) Yep, its either an original MPC 1969 Charger promo body...or a body for the Mr Norm funnycar kit. ( its the exact same body ) " Hmm. Wonder if you could build a pseudo-promo out of this?" -------- Yes, you can use the interior and chassis from the Dukes kit. The one exception to this,,,,, on a true dealership Promotional , there are 2 molded in stands to attach the chassis in the front to with screws exactly like the rear, The Mr Norm body only has the 2 rear stands .So if there are no signs of a the stands modeled to the bottom of the hood its Mr Norm body Edited January 24, 2016 by gtx6970
disabled modeler Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 Looks pretty much like the one i am trying to restore other than for the color its molded in...and condition...LOL...
Harry P. Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 Most funny car kits back then used stock bodies, with all the trim and panel lines.Funny cars (tubular chassis, blown Hemi, flip-up one-piece fiberglass body) never used stock bodies. And the direct "ancestors" of funny cars didn't, either. Chrisman's Comet from 1964? used a fiberglass body, and the Dodge and Plymouth altered wheelbase cars used acid-dipped steel bodies with fiberglass doors, hood, and trunk. Nothing stock about that. It's true that funny cars used to look like the car they were "supposed" to be until the mid to late '70s, when the bodies started to move away from stock looking and got more and more distorted due to aerodynamic needs... to the point where today's funny cars look nothing like the cars their bodies are supposed to represent.
gbdolfans Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 What you have is a body from an MPC funny car kit...since it's a '69, the kit it came from would have been the Mr. Norm car.Most funny car kits back then used stock bodies, with all the trim and panel lines. MPC was getting another use of the body tooling, which is the most costly part of most kits.Harry,I think he meant the model used the stock bodies,not the 1:1 cars.
Harry P. Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 Harry,I think he meant the model used the stock bodies,not the 1:1 cars. Could be.
kenb Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 " funny car kits back then used stock bodies, with all the trim and panel lines". What he said, kits. I think he was referring to the model kits as well. Ken
Harry P. Posted January 23, 2016 Posted January 23, 2016 " funny car kits back then used stock bodies, with all the trim and panel lines". What he said, kits. I think he was referring to the model kits as well. KenYep, my mistake. I totally missed the "kits" part.
FordRodnKustom Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Any chance this could be vintage slot car body? Those two screw posts got me thinkin'.
Mark Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 I did mean funny car model kits...the manufacturers (MPC in particular) seemed to want to get two uses out of those body tools every year (besides the promo models). That's why you got 1/25 scale Dodge Coronet and '70-'71 Mercury Cyclone funny cars, when no such things existed in the real world. Every so often they'd do something unique (like the '67-'68 Cougar or '69-'70 Dart funnies) but for the most part they'd drop a promo model on one of a handful of chassis they had. MPC did that again in the Seventies with the pro stock kits. Had those been 100% new and separate from the stock kits, they'd have been more accurate (no windshield wiper detail on the bodies, for example).
Mark Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Any chance this could be vintage slot car body? Those two screw posts got me thinkin'.MPC was out of the slot car business after '67 or so.
Mark Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Funny cars (tubular chassis, blown Hemi, flip-up one-piece fiberglass body) never used stock bodies. And the direct "ancestors" of funny cars didn't, either. Chrisman's Comet from 1964? used a fiberglass body, and the Dodge and Plymouth altered wheelbase cars used acid-dipped steel bodies with fiberglass doors, hood, and trunk. Nothing stock about that. It's true that funny cars used to look like the car they were "supposed" to be until the mid to late '70s, when the bodies started to move away from stock looking and got more and more distorted due to aerodynamic needs... to the point where today's funny cars look nothing like the cars their bodies are supposed to represent.Chrisman's '64 Comet started out as a stock, steel body car, as did the '64 Dodge S/FX Chargers. The Comet was later updated to a '65 and still exists, as does one of the Chargers. Many of the early fiberglass bodies had panel line detail, as the molds were made from showroom stock cars. To prep the car for the mold-making, they'd pull the scripts and lettering off (easy; it's often held on with "barrel clips") and either cram clay into the panel gaps and put a heavy coat of wax on the car, or put a layer of Saran Wrap over the whole car spanning all of the panel gaps. Then they'd lay on a couple of layers of 'glass and resin, in such a way that the mold could be pulled off in several sections. Some of them did have stock trim (Mickey Thompson's three '69 Mustangs had door handles, stock grilles, and other stock trim pieces for example).
Pete L. Posted January 24, 2016 Author Posted January 24, 2016 Fellas, Looks like the MPC Mr. Norm's Charger is it ! I just perused epay and guess what ...this pic matchs the underbody of my photo. Thanks for everyone's input !!!
Jon Haigwood Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Not to jump this post but I am looking for a 69 Charger 500 body donor. I am not sure if the funny car body would work (probably not) but was wondering if the Slot car body would work ?
Mark Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Not to jump this post but I am looking for a 69 Charger 500 body donor. I am not sure if the funny car body would work (probably not) but was wondering if the Slot car body would work ?I'm not clear on what you want to do...if you have a Charger 500 kit and need a replacement body, you can get one from any of a number of kits. Besides another 500 kit, an AMT/MPC stock Charger Daytona will have the exact same body. General Lee kits other than the current Round 2 kits will also have that same body. (Round 2 kits, both their issue of the glue kit as well as the new snap kit) have the tunnelled rear window. If you have nothing at all to start with and want to build a 500, you might want to start with a Revell '69 Daytona (for the flush rear glass) and one of their regular '69 Chargers (for the front clip). How you combine the two is up to you, but you'd need to have both the non-Daytona front fenders and the Daytona flush rear window on one body. I'm not sure which hood you'd need, and you're still without the flush exposed-headlamp grille (a repurposed '68 Coronet piece). I think Modelhaus casts the 500 grille/bumper from the MPC/Ertl kit.
Jon Haigwood Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 What I have is a AMT Daytona Charger kit minus the body, nose and wing (may have been used as a slot car body back in the day). The rest of the kit is there including a 500 grille. My plan is to build a 500 from the kit rather than using it for parts. The 69 Charger 500 was designed for NASCAR use and like the Daytona has the smooth rear window. What I am trying to locate is a body with that window. I could buy another Daytona kit but that would not be using my kit I have now. Most other 69 Daytona kits including the DOH have the "tunnel" rear window which is not correct for the 500. There have been some Funny Car and Slot car bodies on Ebay with the correct back window and I was curious if they would work with the AMT Daytona kit.
Mark Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 General Lee kits produced prior to 2008 have bodies with the 500/Daytona rear window. It's incorrect for the General, but that's what was in those kits.
Jon Haigwood Posted January 24, 2016 Posted January 24, 2016 Thanks good to know. That gives me more possibility's. To bad a there seems to be no resin cast 500 bodies on the market.
Deathgoblin Posted January 25, 2016 Posted January 25, 2016 General Lee kits produced prior to 2008 have bodies with the 500/Daytona rear window. It's incorrect for the General, but that's what was in those kits.What about the newer snap together kit? Does it have the 500/Daytona window as well?
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