Fuzz Duster - Round 2 serves it up LAME!

[CapSat 6]

Thanks Brian and Scott! 

[Faust]

Yeah, that was a great description. T-tops are a very 70's kind of thing.

As for Muscle Cars, I know a lot of people say if it has a big V8 it's a muscle car. Not to me, but then again I'd say the '73 SD-455 T/A is a Muscle Car, as is a 427 Vette, but the T/A is a Pony Car and the Vette is a Sports Car. 

Regardless, I think it's safe to say that under NO circumstances are Volare Dusters muscle cars, at least not stock ones! Interesting about how to wake up a LB engine, though. Could be useful later! 

[MrObsessive]

Well, when I first knew what a car was (early '60's) I was surrounded by fins and chrome. I didn't really pay attention to what was happening to cars until about '73 or so when I was in Junior High School. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew something about the automotive landscape was changing. Some of it might have to do with the fuel crisis which hit later that year, but I noticed that the appearance of new cars was changing. Of course, most '50's cars were off the road, but a lot of the mid/later '60's stuff were still roaming the roads. Things were definitely changing come 1973 however.

Gone were new convertibles 'cept for the big full sizers, GM had intro'd "Colonnade" styling on their mid-sizers which were an unreasonable facsimile to a true hardtop with roll down rear quarter windows. The cars had gotten definitely slower as I can remember my Dad complaining about that as he was looking for a new car at the time. Yeah, things were not the same as they were a few years earlier, and it wouldn't be till the FWD cars started showing up in the early '80's when the auto industry IMO was TRULY in the dark ages.

I was disappointed by the "Road Runner" when it was re-intro'd by Chrysler based on the Volare, as I still had fresh memories of what a Road Runner was SUPPOSED to be, at least what I can remember when they were new as a kid.

I never bought the original kit, and while it's nice that guys are enthusiastic about its return, I just can't get past that I was never really crazy about the 1:1. Now if they're going to go '70's with some new kits, here are just a few I'd LOVE to someday see on the store shelves..........

1976-77 Olds Cutlass Supreme (Scott mentioned that one and it was our Driver's Ed car)
1977-79 T-Bird (Starsky and Hutch's Torino holds out some hope for that one)
1977-79 Lincoln Mark V (see above)
1971-72 Buick Riviera

I've gotten a bit off topic, but since we're talking about Malaise era cars, these were part of that era, but at least they represented some class unlike that which followed later which was about as bland as they came-----for the most part.

Adam, that was a good review, and while I'm not a big fan of this car, your write-up on it does it some justice, and certainly would pique anyone's interest if they were thinking about buying this one.

Edited September 26, 2016 by MrObsessive
Grammar!

[Faust]

Hey Bill!

It's funny, because when I was young, I was surrounded by the big '70s boats and "personal luxury" yachts (and the odd Street Van, and many a rusting T/A, of course). I know the feeling you had, because around '83 I started to notice there were these weird foreign cars (Honda? Datsun? The heck?) that were starting to replace the dying Vegas, Monzas, Astras, Pintos and Mavericks. I still remember when I guy in our neighbourhood got the first Tempo we'd ever seen. It was like an alien space ship. All the kids just looked at it and were awed. Yeah, a Tempo, I know... Thing is, the shape, style, trim... it was all so radically different.

I can definitely see how you wouldn't be a fan of the real car, and please understand that I'm not either. However, I find the Malaise Era fascinating because we got so many "everyday" car kits from then, and it's awesome for me to a.) build the cars I remember as a kid and b.) get to rag on them for being such BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH.

I would buy everything on that list of yorus, except the Lincoln. I'd rather have a '77 Cougar, myself. My uncle had one, and my brother does today as his classic car. They were EVERYWHERE, and now his is, I believe, the only one in our city of 350,000. I don't know why there's never been a kit of one; I mean, the real things sold like hotcakes!

77 Olds though, I'm sooo there. 

[ZIL 111V]

Talking about foreign imports...& imports fighter of the malaise era,  remember getting this over spoiled odity from mpc, back in 1982,  hope round2 will seriously consider a reissues 

Volare/Aspen, not a fan either & surely one of the best examples of US malaise car era especially the disguised Road Runners & R/Ts versions,... pure jokes! 

[Faust]

Oh man, that's awesome! 

I have the Silver Bullet Omni, and hit has those pieces in it, I think. If not, I know my Shelby Charger does; You can customize your "new" Shelby Charger to look like last year's Omni! How good is that!

Those "super" Omnis and Monzas are awesome. Good on you, MPC!

[Daddyfink]

  On 9/26/2016 at 1:35 PM, ZIL 111V said:

Talking about foreign imports...& imports fighter of the malaise era,  remember getting this over spoiled odity from mpc, back in 1982,  hope round2 will seriously consider a reissues 

Volare/Aspen, not a fan either & surely one of the best examples of US malaise car era especially the disguised Road Runners & R/Ts versions,... pure jokes! 

I have that thing! That will make a great bookend to the Volare!! 

[randyc]

  On 9/23/2016 at 1:18 AM, Faust said:

Oh man, Alan is going to go all out, eh? Nice! Those wheels will look great with it. As for that Nova, I am SO IN! It will HAVE to be light metallic blue. They were ALL light metallic blue when I was growing up. Weill, that or beige. 

As for beige, man, Randy, that's a lot of hate on the Volare. I can totally see why you'd want an earlier version. My brother has the promo of the '78, and yeah, those are really quite nice-looking cars. Your "may as well" description pretty much sums up his IDEAL version of this kit. He loves ultra-base cars (since no one preserves them, but they are usually the rank-and-file that were on the streets - gotta preserve what was real), and would kill for a good slant-six engine!

Me, I love that it's a last-year, square-headlight lame-o Volare. To me, those sum up the total hopelessness and futility of driving enthusiasts and even the automakers in general. It really is like they weren't even trying. Well, I guess they weren't...  I like to do my cars of the Malaise Era up as the "almost cool" cars they were trying to be, just because it's that much sadder. Let's face it, an '80 Road Runner fits well with the "sporty" X-11 notchback and EXP I already have in my collection, right? 

On that note, I found a beautiful black and red example online, and I must say, time has been kind. In immaculate shape and eye-catching colours, this car  can almost pass for cool now. It couldn't do that in 1980, could it? 

Glad everyone was able to enjoy the review. Sometimes, I wonder if I make them too long, but I get passionate, and I have to let my inspiration run its course. Glad you guys take the time to read them. It really keeps me motivated!

Perfectly stated "total hopelessness and futility" - Love it.  

There are some slant sixes out there.  I have a Lindberg Dodge 330 with the slant 6.  I bought the kit just for the engine.  Haven't decided what the lucky (or unlucky) recipient will be.  Maybe this would be the kit?  Make it a base model with the 6 and an auto or 3 spd.  Need some Malaise wheel covers.  Maybe 3 and a steelie...  I still have an X11 in the stash somewhere...  never could really decide what terrible color would suit it best...I do get your motivation of preserving the era.  

Reviews are great - I look forward to them all and spent way too much time perusing your site last week.

Randy

[Faust]

Oh, nice! I'm glad to know there are some good Slant 6's out there. I personally also love the horribly smog-choked 8's, just because they're so weak. I mean, my dad's '89 Escort put out 90 hp, and some of the Malaise 8's were getting into that territory. So sad...

My brother would definitely agree on the wheel covers. There needs to be a movement towards getting more wheel covers and even wheels for these "loveable(?) losers". I know my brother used the wheel covers off of some late '60s AMT Ford for his 70, and I think he said that the Christine wheels are just about dead ringers for Pacer stock wheel covers; he and I both have the AMT Pacer wagon, but mine will be the lame-o cruising version, he wants, of course, to do a base or at least wood-grained example of a stock one.

Glad you like the site, man!

I was just at a show this weekend, and I can tell you I got a few new things that will likely tickle your funny bone when I get around to writing them. MPC is just the best, man...

[pack rat]

  On 9/26/2016 at 8:16 PM, Faust said:

I was just at a show this weekend, and I can tell you I got a few new things that will likely tickle your funny bone when I get around to writing them. MPC is just the best, man...

Slightly off-topic here.....I was at the same show, Adam.  Your Gold Rush van inspired a couple of us to discuss digging out the gaudiest-looking old MPC kit we have and going to town on it.  

Keep up the good work!   

[unclescott58]

I don't mind the lame 70's cars. Front engine, rear drive is what every car was when I was kid. The Volkswagen Rabbit was the car I first remember that started changing it all. Transverse engine and front wheel drive. Though the Honda Civic may have beaten the Rabbit with that setup. The Dasher, Rabbit, and Scirocco were heresy to me. I loved the rear engine air cooled cars. Water cooling and front wheel drive? In a Volkswagen? Quickly other cars started to follow. The Omni and Horizon. Citation, Phoenix, Omega, and Skylark. Then the K-cars and soon after that their Minivan spinoff. And then GM put it's full-size cars on a transverse engine, front wheel drive platform! The world was turning upside down on me. I understood why it was happening. But, I didn't like it.

Volares and Aspens were junk. I know, I owned one brand new. But, I could still relate to them. They had slant sixes, just like the 1960 Valiant. Up to that point most cars came with a straight six as the base engine. And V8s as an option. That was the world I knew and liked. The 80's cars came with 4-cylinders, V6s, and Turbos. And they didn't seem to work any better than the cars they replaced. True the Rabbit was better than Beetle in many ways, but the rest were debatable.

I think the K-car and GMs look alike B-body cars of 1992 finally did me in. No style or performance. They were pretty good and well designed cars, but they just weren't right for some reason.

So I like Volare Road Runners and Aspen R/Ts. They were not the muscle cars they were ten years before. But, at least they were still in there fighting. Their K-car replacements had no sporty version. Life, car wise, was now bland and boring. And small. I liked big cars. Hardtops. Convertibles. Now everything was down-sized and a sedan. Even Mustangs had doors with window frames. It just wasn't right. And as far I concerned it still isn't. Today's cars are best running, longest lasting, and more economical then they were in the 50's, 60's, or 70's. They do their job well. But most have become Toyota Corolla clones with no soul. At least the Volare had a soul. A personality. It may not have been a good one. But, at least it was there.

[Faust]

  On 9/26/2016 at 8:46 PM, pack rat said:

Slightly off-topic here.....I was at the same show, Adam.  Your Gold Rush van inspired a couple of us to discuss digging out the gaudiest-looking old MPC kit we have and going to town on it.  

Keep up the good work!   

Hey Mike!

Hope you liked the show. I think it went off pretty well, actually.  It was fun to see some great kits on the table, and I always like getting a few of my oddballs out and about! The good thing is that there is no shortage of gaudy MPC kits. They really were the kings of that kind of thing!

As for what you're saying, Scott: I hear ya. I just always feel bad for the last "sporty" cars. I definitely get what you mean about cars with engines mounted the wrong way, and using too few cylinders. We had nothing but V8s at my house until 1991, when my dad's '76 Torino finally died. Then it was an '89 Escort until 2002, and then a Protege 5. The P5 is decent (we've rustprooved the hell out of it) trash hauler and fun to drive, for sure, but it IS a go cart... I drove the old '85 Marquis until 2006, when I needed to get a new car, and went with the Mazda 3. It was too small, and I had to beat it too hard to get anything out of it. It was decent, but again, didn't really have a soul.

The good news for me was the Australians still had a soul, and I managed to get a 2009 G8 GT. Going back to a 6L V8 reardrive was an enlightenment. Never again will I deal with front wheelers. 

There's something charming about the last of the "decal" muscle cars, though. They're so much pretending and fail, but they did mean well. You have to respect the intent, even if the result wasn't great. Funny thing is, seeing one now, they actually look kinda neat. They're a product of their times, and that's why I love kits of them from that time (at least originally). I don't think I'd care for a brand new, awesome Tamiya of a Volare - I'd rather have one that was born back in the day!

[Motor City]

Customized vans started to become popular as the muscle car era was dying off.  You know, shag carpeting inside (including on the walls and ceiling), garish paint jobs, custom wheels, flares, and a pop-up sinroof - errr. sunroof.  Then you could order a FACTORY custom van (remember the Pinto Cruising Wagon, and various full-sized vans).  These were, and are, lame.  I would have preferred spending the money tooling some Rancheros, Cougars, Thunderbirds, Regals, etc.  Hopefully we'll eventually see some of the popular cars from the '70s.  If not, pimping out a van is the next best thing!     

[unclescott58]

Another cool and lame car from the same time period as Volare Road Runner. The 1978 and '79 Oldsmobile 442, base a the fastback Cutlass Salon. When is last time you saw one of those?

[Faust]

  On 9/28/2016 at 3:05 AM, unclescott58 said:

Another cool and lame car from the same time period as Volare Road Runner. The 1978 and '79 Oldsmobile 442, base a the fastback Cutlass Salon. When is last time you saw one of those?

There was one at a car show in St. Thomas just last year, I think! 

You're right, though. Those are terribly lame... I really wanted to buy it, but it wasn't for sale!

[lordairgtar]

  On 9/24/2016 at 3:32 AM, CapSat 6 said:

 Chargers became Cordobas (or Charger SE's- the kind everybody seems to have forgotten). The Big 3 didn't necessarily tell their public what to buy- it was the result of "outside market forces". The Córdoba might have single-handedly saved Chrysler back in the '70's.

 or the Dodge Magnum which was clearly the best looking of the Dodge versions. At my weekly cruise night I DJ, a couple have both a 'doba and a Charger Daytona, matching cars almost. He drives the "doba and she drives the 'tona.

[1972coronet]

The made-in-Mexico F-bodies were pretty cool : no smog equipment and high-perf 318 V8 , and the Super Bee package ! 

The 1979 US model could be had with a 200 hp 360,  with dual exhaust (2-into-1-into-2 , actually ; an artifact of the offset fuel tank ) . Not bad for '79 !

[unclescott58]

Talking about "lame cars," another one I'd like to see Round 2 bring back is MPC's ('76 or '77) Mustang II Cobra II. I know the car was considered heresy by true Cobra fans. But, I've always thought it was cool from the very first time I saw it.

[randyc]

yes I would like to see that one too.  Was the original annual kit turned into the pro stock version or was that a separate offering?  It was reissued a few years back wasn't it?  

May not be possible if the original tooling was overly modified?

 

[MoparLover]

Great review!  A comment about my experiences with the 1:1 and the kit Volare:

The 1:1: I grew up in the malaise era as well, picking up thrashed out Cudas and Chargers while dissing the new junk coming out of Detroit.  As a gas station mechanic, I disliked Volares and their million miles of (usually leaking) vacuum lines keeping their emissions clean. Then, one day, I found a 76 Volare station wagon, factory equipped with a 318 V8 and an overdrive 4 speed stick. I picked it up to use as a snow car to keep my 70 Cuda out of harms way when the roads got slick. The addition of a 340 cam, ft and rear sway bars off a St. Regis hwy patrol car, and a set of T/A radial 60s really woke the Volare up.  I was really impressed, it drove one heck of a lot better than the muscle era Chargers and Roadrunners I was used to. Of course, its self biodegrading body was a problem, and eventually it died in the line of duty when a 74 Dart rear-ended me on the snow.  In a poof of brown rust dust, pretty much every seam in the back half of the body opened up, and its days were over.  That was almost 30 years ago, the overdrive gearbox lives on today in my 70 Cuda when I want to do some serious highway cruising. But it was a good car.

The kit.  Like the 1:1, its whole concept is a typical of the era. But bashing the concept is like bashing the Flock of Seagulls.  The early '80s pretty much stunk. But, once you start looking at it, its one of the better engineered MPC kits I've made.  I remember as a kid pretty much all my early 1970s MPC annual kits' chassis fell off when you picked them up by the roof. I've been spoiled by new tooling, but for era correct MPC its fit and accuracy are pretty darn good.  The custom parts are a joke, and I kinda think Round 2 included them as a reminder of what a nasty era in which the kit was designed. The custom tires, however are my favorite hot rod setup and my stash was getting thin.  The kit is about half done, its getting built as an '80s boulevard bruiser using the 440+6 and Weld wheels from the MPC 71 Roadrunner reissue.

So, in a nutshell, while both the real car and the Round 2 kit may offend at first site, they both really have a heart of gold and I'm glad I bought both. That said, I'd love to see someone build the kit recreating the entire emissions vacuum line setup for the Evap system, the EGR system, the NOx system, the TCS system....etc ad-nauseam.

Edited October 8, 2016 by MoparLover
Clarification

[Tom Geiger]

Adam, here's a Volare with a six!  The engine came from the Lindberg Dodge or Plymouth.  I added as much smog era plumbing as I could. 

[Chuck Most]

Going the straight six route with mine as well- I used the engine from the MPC Deora. Yes, I know the alternator is on the wrong side for this application, but this is a junkyard beater, and I've seen stranger things done to old cars than having the alternator flip-flopped! And this is just a personal thing, but having the alternator on the opposite side of the battery and starter never made much sense to me anyway. 

[MoparLover]

  On 10/8/2016 at 4:32 AM, Tom Geiger said:

Adam, here's a Volare with a six!  The engine came from the Lindberg Dodge or Plymouth.  I added as much smog era plumbing as I could. 

Tom, that's bringing back a LOT of bad memories for me!  Awesome job on the build and the emission plumbing. That's pretty much what most Volares looked like by the time they were a year old.

[Faust]

Man, that looks awesome! So much smog work and performance choking hosery makes me cry! 

I do remember a lot of those cars looking like that in the early '80s myself, so I'd say you're right on! 

[Can-Con]

Well,, while we're doing Volare engine shots, here's a shot of my '77. 

You can still do a lot with those cars[and the model]