AMT Surf Woody

[alan barton]

Look what I got!

 

This model was built my my late great mate, Gary Ritchie, I would guess at least thirty years ago, probably more.  He loved show rods and had most of them in his collection.  He would have built this in the South Island of New Zealand before he moved to Western Australia in the nineties.

Just over twelve months ago his widow contacted me and asked me to arrange the dispersal of his models - he had nearly 200 built kits.  It took over twelve months to find them all homes but I wanted to be sure that they went into collections where they belonged.  He was a prolific builder and built pretty much anything with two or four wheels so it was a case of getting the Mustangs to the Mustang guy, the Porsches to the Porsche guy, the Corvettes to the Corvette guy, and a lot of the rods to me (which will be a constant memory of his friendship). I guess about twenty guys around Perth ended up with a part of his life time collection

Anyhow, here is his surf van.  I suspect he changed out the wheels and tyres and he definitely moulded the body halves together, dispensing with the flip up body idea. It has two buckets inside for seats. I have no idea if the oval rear windows were originally tinted or if Gary tinted them himself.  It is a real survivor and I hope it will answer some of your questions.  

And might I say, another reason not to get rid of old threads!

 

Cheers

Alan

[OldNYJim]

Oh wow, I've never seen one of these in the plastic!  Amazing!  Thanks for sharing, Alan!

[Mike999]

A fun article about the "My Mother The Car" kit, from a real fan.  The one part I like in that kit is the separate trunk.  Though along with much of the rest, it doesn't look quite...right.

"My mom says I was, and am the only  fan of this show."

http://jayveejayaresjunk.blogspot.com/2012/11/amts-1928-porter-from-my-mother-car.html

 

Edited April 5, 2018 by Mike999
omit

[paul alflen]

ALAN BARTON, I BELIEVE THIS IS THE DENNY MCLAIN HORSE HIDE HAULER BY AMT. HE WAS A PITCHER FOR THE DETROIT TIGERS BASEBALL TEAM. AFTER HE WON 31 GAMES  IN 1968 EVERYONE JUMPED ON HIS BAND WAGON. THE BUCKET-TYPE BUCKET SEATS WERE MADE ON THE MODEL ,BECAUSE HE ONCE THREW A BUCKET OF WATER AT THE SPORTSWRITERS AFTER A BASEBALL GAME DURING AN INTERVIEW. IT WAS MOSTLY A JUNK KIT BUT HAD GOOD STREET ROD STUFF IN IT . I THINK IT CAME OUT IN 1968 OR 1969.  ONE TIME ONLY KIT. IS IT BASED ON THE SURF ROD?? TIM BOYD OR ART ANDERSON CAN YOU VERIFY THIS STORY?? 

[stavanzer]

It was the Horse Hide Hauler first in 1969, and then released later in 1969 as the Surf 'N Van. After that is has never been seen again.

http://www.showrods.com/showrod_pages/horse_hide.html

http://www.showrods.com/showrod_pages/surf_n_van.html

 

Be great to see Round2 dust this one off, and re-issue it.  Looks like it re-uses the Surf Woody's frame and engine, but without a side by side look at the parts, it is hard to tell. It would not surprise me if the chassis at least was re-used. That was a major tooling project on the Woody, and I can see trying to get all the mileage out of the tool that they can.  Looking at the pics of the Built Kit, it looks no worse than many other Showrods of the day. I'd happy to buy it & build it. 

Edit: Adding a link to a build thread of this kit at Showrods.com. Looks like the chassis IS the Surf Woody. That Gas Tank look familiar too.

http://coffincorner.proboards.com/thread/13706/surfn-van-horse-hide-hauler

 

 

Edited April 5, 2018 by alexis

[alan barton]

Looking at the instructions and the built model at Showrods.com, I'm now inclined to think Gary did use the original wheels and tyres on his model. Thanks for the info about the Horse Hide Hauler, Paul.  I was not aware of that model prior to this thread.  I never saw Gary display surfboards with this model so there is a good chance it is the Horse Hide Hauler.  Does anyone know if one had red tinted rear windows and the other had orange tint?

Cheers

Alan

[Casey]

I just received this kit in trade, and pics of the contents can be viewed here: http://modelkitreviews.proboards.com/thread/886/1-25-amt-surf-woody

As stated earlier in this topic, the dual stripe cheater slicks are quite nice, and IMHO, the best parts of this kit:

 

I didn't realize just how small and slim this car is, especially the body. I'm not impressed with the engine and details, but considering there are better options available, not a big deal. The cycle fenders for one of the optional versions will definitely be worth using elsewhere, too:

 

The color booklet is very nice, too, and great for reference when building the Surf Woody. Hopefully Round2 can dig deep and find the inserts for the Surf'N Van someday. That body is just funky enough to appeal to my eyes.

[wisdonm]

I've been wondering which motor it has. Usually you hear small block Ford or 289-302, but the SurFin Van clearly shows this engine to be a 351, which is harder to find. Need to check if it really has the taller deck height.

[tim boyd]

11 hours ago, wisdonm said:

I've been wondering which motor it has. Usually you hear small block Ford or 289-302, but the SurFin Van clearly shows this engine to be a 351, which is harder to find. Need to check if it really has the taller deck height.

This Surf Van uses the AMT Surf Woody kit chassis and engine. 

At the time the 1/1 scale Surf Woody was engineered and built by the Barris enterprise, which is generally considered to be the year 1964, there was no such thing as a 351 V8.  The model kit debuted in 1965.  Conversely, the 351 Windsor debuted in the 1969 model year; the 351 Cleveland for the 1970 model year. 

Therefore, the engine in the Surf Van kit with certainty was a 289, not a 351.  Without checking my library, I am still certain that magazine articles about the Surf Woody will verify the 289 engine usage.   Just wanna make sure we keep the facts straight.....:)  

TIM .   

[wisdonm]

I understand that all the 1:1 articles say it's a 289, but the Surf'n Van box says 351. Would AMT lie to us?

 

[tim boyd]

11 minutes ago, wisdonm said:

I understand that all the 1:1 articles say it's a 289, but the Surf'n Van box says 351. Would AMT lie to us?

 

The timeline engine and kit development timeline detailed above means....yes.....in this case the AMT Art Department got a little carried away in their side panel box art for the Surf Van kit.  Many on the AMT staff at the time were hardcore car nuts.  Accordingly, they were normally pretty good about accuracy of the kit features, but at times got a little carried away...….(probably with some "encouragement" from the Sales department)….this apparently was one of those times, as the kit's engine always was a 289.   TIM

[Mark]

All of the manufacturers fudge on engine descriptions.  The MPC Mustang kit engine ('66-'73) went from a 289 to a 302 to a Boss 302.  The AMT '71 Thunderbird has a "429" that's actually an FE-series engine (different animals altogether), and the late Seventies Ford pickup has a "460" that's really a 360 (another FE).  And that's not getting into what engine should be in what car: in MPC's world for example, you could still get a Hemi Challenger in 1974...

[Dave Darby]

43 minutes ago, Mark said:

All of the manufacturers fudge on engine descriptions.  The MPC Mustang kit engine ('66-'73) went from a 289 to a 302 to a Boss 302.  The AMT '71 Thunderbird has a "429" that's actually an FE-series engine (different animals altogether), and the late Seventies Ford pickup has a "460" that's really a 360 (another FE).  And that's not getting into what engine should be in what car: in MPC's world for example, you could still get a Hemi Challenger in 1974...

Yep, and we won't even get started on the small block "396" in the Monogram Bad Man. Or did I just do that again? LOL...

[tim boyd]

4 hours ago, Dave Darby said:

Yep, and we won't even get started on the small block "396" in the Monogram Bad Man. Or did I just do that again? LOL...

What Mark said.  Not to mention Dave's example!    TB 

[Chris in Berwyn]

I ran across this thread and thought I’d revive it. I picked up a Surf Woody for $9.99 at Ollies last year.  I liked the roadster look so built it that way.  

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, Chris in Berwyn said:

I ran across this thread and thought I’d revive it. I picked up a Surf Woody for $9.99 at Ollies last year.  I liked the roadster look so built it that way.  

Wow, that came out REALLY nice! I might have to put one of these things on my build list! Model on! 

[Misha]

That’s a beautiful build of a classic kit Chris! The paint scheme is a real knock out, the chassis shot is a showpiece in itself. Excellent execution creating a piece of eye-candy, thanks for sharing it.

Cheers Misha

 

 

 

[Richard Bartrop]

That has so many possibilities.

[carrucha]

On 1/18/2021 at 8:01 AM, Chris in Berwyn said:

I ran across this thread and thought I’d revive it. I picked up a Surf Woody for $9.99 at Ollies last year.  I liked the roadster look so built it that way.  

 

 

 

Cool build!  I really dig the paint job.

[Casey]

I received the recent-ish reissue in trade a year or so ago, and was surprised just how petite this car is. There are plenty of one-off custom parts, and some other things/sub-assemblies which could be kitbashed, but there's no a whole lot to this kit in terms of mass. The dual stripe slicks and tires are cool, and you get four slicks, so that's a nice bonus, too.

[Mr. Metallic]

On 3/31/2016 at 8:35 PM, Misha said:

Original drawing by Tom Daniels found on an auction site:

 

Misha, I know this is a long shot since this thread is 6 years old, but I have a feeling this pic is the artwork I'm looking for. I saw the Tom Daniels sketch of the original idea he had for the Surf Woody in an old magazine, but have been unable to find it again. I would like to build a version closer to his original sketch.

Anyone have any idea what magazine it was in? From what i remember it was a small sketch, about 4x4 inches. May have been part of a bigger article about building ideas like they used to do back then. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

35 minutes ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Misha, I know this is a long shot since this thread is 6 years old, but I have a feeling this pic is the artwork I'm looking for. I saw the Tom Daniels sketch of the original idea he had for the Surf Woody in an old magazine, but have been unable to find it again. I would like to build a version closer to his original sketch.

Anyone have any idea what magazine it was in? From what i remember it was a small sketch, about 4x4 inches. May have been part of a bigger article about building ideas like they used to do back then. 

This one??

[Misha]

That’s the sketch Bill, here is the link to the auction site…

https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/movie-tv-memorabilia/original-art/george-barris-surf-woody-design-sketch-a-classic-barris-design-the-surf-woody-was-a-worldwide-sensation-when-it-made-i-total-1/a/688-31238.s#

It was sold back in 2008, not sure of the winning bid. Seems like the illustration is missing from my original posting. Hope this helps Craig.

7 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

This one??

 

8 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Misha, I know this is a long shot since this thread is 6 years old, but I have a feeling this pic is the artwork I'm looking for. I saw the Tom Daniels sketch of the original idea he had for the Surf Woody in an old magazine, but have been unable to find it again. I would like to build a version closer to his original sketch.

Anyone have any idea what magazine it was in? From what i remember it was a small sketch, about 4x4 inches. May have been part of a bigger article about building ideas like they used to do back then. 

 

[Vince Nemanic]

The original Tom Daniel drawings were in a Rod 7 Custom Sketch Pad some time in 1964. I think it was two pages and one of the pics showed a GMC blower with top mounted injectors and dragster wire front wheels.

[PintoKING]

Here is a GOOD site about old car magazines (and kits too!)

But it is only about their covers and oftentimes their "index"

http://99wspeedshop.com.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/rodcustom.html

Edited January 22, 2022 by PintoKING