Annual '65 Ford Fairlane 500 # 5165-150

[Timok1]

Can any one tell me how many versions of this kit there are? I know of the stocker and this one. Not a real exciting kit however I had a 1/1 . Screw bottom with some neat custom parts. 289 & 427 motors. Thanks for any info.

[sfhess]

There was a second issue of the annual kit in a larger box with different box art.  Not sure what year it came out.

[Snake45]

Wasn't this kit in the "South of the Border" series, too? Mark could probably confirm or deny--he's a wealth of information on old kits.

[Bob Ellis]

The second issue was in 1969/70 with the All American Eagle on the box.

[pack rat]

Pretty sure #5165 was only reissued once as #T310 (1968-69?)

After that came the Modified Stocker. 

[Mark]

The T-310 (from 1969, I think) is the only 3-in-1 reissue on the '65.  AMT reissued a bunch of '65 annual kits in that period.  Most were straight reissues but the Fairlane is tweaked a bit.  The annual had the puny compact car tires, the T-310 has Firestone Supreme whitewalls.  The wheel covers are retooled too (13" replaced by 14"; if you find a set of these you could use them on a more "mainline" '66 build). The custom wheels are different, and a couple of the custom parts are reworked a bit.

The reissues of the Modified Stocker has the tool "unblocked", putting in a bunch of parts that weren't in the first Mod Stocker issue.  I haven't looked at one in a while, but I think the custom front end parts are in there, as well as the whole 289 engine except for the air cleaner.

That said, the Modified Stocker series brought about the butchery of several great 3-in-1 annual kits, this being one of them.

[Timok1]

Thank you all. I'll be watching for that second issue. A wealth of model knowledge in this group.

[Mark]

Thank you all. I'll be watching for that second issue. A wealth of model knowledge in this group.

Good luck!  The T-310 is tougher than the annual, though back in the day it didn't sell.  I bought one of those on closeout AFTER the Modified Stocker was issued.  Same goes for the '65 Olds, another great kit that got hacked up.  I'd suspect that the Modified Stocker series consisted of kits that hadn't sold well in their most recent issue, and the MS was to be the last go-round for those before they hit the scrap pile.  Strangely, all of them still exist and have been reissued, except for the GTO which was restored to stock (albeit not too well).

 

[pack rat]

If you don't mind going the curbside route I think the beige promo is easier to find than the kits

[unclescott58]

I wonder if Round 2 could be able to restore all of those hideous Modfied Stockers back to their former glory. I know one or two of them have been reissued in recent years. So, Round 2 must still have the dies?

[Snake45]

I wonder if Round 2 could be able to restore all of those hideous Modfied Stockers back to their former glory. I know one or two of them have been reissued in recent years. So, Round 2 must still have the dies?

Oh haven't I had that thought many times over the years. But I don't think it would be economically feasible. In the case of the '66 Skylark, for example, not only was the body hideously mutilated, but also the interior, the chassis, the grille/headlights (and IIRC the taillights), and only two of the four stock Buick styled steel wheels are usable. I think in the era of CAD and CAM, it would literally be easier to engineer a new kit (or laser-scan and clone an unbuilt original) than to restore the original molds.

[pack rat]

I wonder if Round 2 could be able to restore all of those hideous Modfied Stockers back to their former glory. I know one or two of them have been reissued in recent years. So, Round 2 must still have the dies?

Yes, they have the tooling for all of the Modified Stockers if you include the "restored" GTO that Ertl tried (and failed) to return to it's former glory years ago.

Like Snake said, they're all just too far gone.  It would take way too much $$ to bring them back, and they wouldn't release a half-baked effort like the aforementioned GTO.

The only one I sometimes wonder about is the '65 Chevelle.  Back in the day AMT seemingly used the body from the Craftsman kit for the stocker (and the funny car as well) and tossed the rest.  Probably scrapped years ago, unfortunately. 

  

[Phirewriter]

Model King reissued the Chevelle a number of years ago, so it does exist in the modified stocker form.

[pack rat]

Model King reissued the Chevelle a number of years ago, so it does exist in the modified stocker form.

Yes, we know that.  

I was referring to the fact that most of the Modified Stockers were heavily butchered annuals,  The Chevelle, however only contained the body from the original annual (Craftsman) kit.  The rest of the original bits could exist somewhere, but I doubt it.         

[Snake45]

The only one I sometimes wonder about is the '65 Chevelle.  Back in the day AMT seemingly used the body from the Craftsman kit for the stocker (and the funny car as well) and tossed the rest.  Probably scrapped years ago, unfortunately. 

  

Heck, I'd love to have the funny car back, as it retained all the stock body trim. Slab in the lower quarter panels from a common Revell Z16* (from which you'd also pirate the interior and frame) and then drop in your favorite SBC and you'd have a lovely common '65 Chevelle SS.

*I've eyeball-engineered this as carefully as I can, and it looks like it would be a near drop-in fit.

[JTalmage]

This is one I would personally love to see come back in original form. My dad own's a '65 Fairlaine 500 Sports Coupe, with the original K code 289 hi-po 4spd.

[Mike999]

Some pics of a "customized" '65 Fairlane I snapped while working in Egypt a few years ago. Old American cars are highly prized in Egypt and most owners will not sell them for any amount of money.  

 

[Timok1]

 Very cool '65 pics. Mine was also a Sports Coupe. Was a 289 2v. CruiseOMatic. I changed it to  302 with a holley street dominator intake that was strangled by a stock converter in a FMX. Red with black interior. By the way I won the first issue  of the '65 Fairlane. Has a tire burn on the back glass but I can polish that out.

The stockers are ok but I don't think they should destroy the stock molds to make them. But I'm just a model or 2 a month buyer so!!

[ChrisBcritter]

Back in the '70s I bought an unbuilt '65 at one of the Old Town Escorts swap meets. Did a nice clean job building it - except for painting it light metallic blue with Dupli-Color lacquer. I sold or traded it to another builder a couple years afterward. So if someone out there owns a clean but thoroughly crazed builtup '65 Fairlane, you have my sincere apologies...

[stavanzer]

Not sure how old you are Tim, but those molds were most likely destroyed while you were in diapers. Those kits were just 'last years junk' to AMT at the time, and the Modified Stockers were a last ditch attempt to get more revenue out of what were at the time, useless tooling.

[oldcarfan]

I bought a promo version not too long ago to restore one of these days. It looks the same as the kit but with a plate that simulates the engine from below. Of course it had been played with so it's missing the A pillars and the chrome is scuffed.

[Snake45]

I bought a promo version not too long ago to restore one of these days. It looks the same as the kit but with a plate that simulates the engine from below. Of course it had been played with so it's missing the A pillars and the chrome is scuffed.

"Distressed" promos are a great, value-priced source of rare subjects. A promo's value drops with every deviation from perfect, so every scratch saves you $$$$. Not long ago I bought a very restorable '68 Barracuda promo for $35. If it had been perfect it would have been $150 or more, and I doubt I could have scored even a painted glue bomb for $35.

[Timok1]

I'm 64  but your likely right  long gone , I had some of the stockers. Buick Skylark and Chevelle  I think

[pack rat]

"Distressed" promos are a great, value-priced source of rare subjects. A promo's value drops with every deviation from perfect, so every scratch saves you $$$$. Not long ago I bought a very restorable '68 Barracuda promo for $35. If it had been perfect it would have been $150 or more, and I doubt I could have scored even a painted glue bomb for $35.

Yup.  I don't have a '65 Fairlane annual or the T310 reissue (yet), but this little beater cost me five bucks (the A pillar is missing on the passenger side). 

Edited July 2, 2016 by pack rat
pic added