How about someone making a correct interior for the AMT '66 Wildcat?

[Motor City]

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• Location:Michigan
• Full Name:Jim Skelly

 

 

With all of the talented resin casters out there, why hasn't someone come out with an interior that has the correct seat and door panel pattern, thin-shell bucket seats and dashboard?  The '65 interior that comes in the kit is not even close.  I realize there wouldn't be the demand for this that say a '63 Grand Prix or '67 GS or something else never done by the model companies would have, but this was one of the best looking cars of that decade.

[Casey]

On 1/4/2020 at 8:41 AM, Motor City said:

• With all of the talented resin casters out there, why hasn't someone come out with an interior that has the correct seat and door panel pattern, thin-shell bucket seats and dashboard?  The '65 interior that comes in the kit is not even close.  I realize there wouldn't be the demand for this that say a '63 Grand Prix or '67 GS or something else never done by the model companies would have, but this was one of the best looking cars of that decade.

A few points.

1. Just because someone is skilled at molding and casting parts, doesn't mean they are also a highly skilled modeler.
2. You answered your own question, by stating there wouldn't be much demand for what you want.
3. Re-read #2

Think about this for a minute. How much time would need to be invested to master the correct parts? Let's say ten (10) hours, just to have a nice, even number. After ten hours of work creating the master parts and ensuring they are ready for casting, add in the material costs and the time it takes to create all the two-part molds. Then, you make multiple interior sets and get them ready to be sold. What will the price be? How many people will be willing to pay $15(?) for a correct set of interior parts for a 54 year old old annual kit which they waited to buy at their local box craft store with a 40% off coupon?

Even if you focus on the passionate builder who does want a correct interior and is willing to open up their wallet to pay for it, how many are you going to sell? Five sets? Ten? I can't honestly see more than fifteen people ever wanting such a set of parts, but let's say 25 people ultimately end up purchasing the set (at $15/set), so you've made $375 profit on the parts alone, before you deduct your expenses and time. Ten hours of mastering work, and another ten hours for production, and you've made $18.75/hour back for your investment.

This is why nobody has done it, and why nobody is ever likely to do it.

[StevenGuthmiller]

This is very more than likely one of those circumstances where if you want it, you're going to have to make it yourself.

It probably wouldn't be terribly difficult to modify the existing interior yourself with some parts swapping and creative scratch building with some Evergreen stock.

I have actually come to enjoy these sorts of modifications.

If I had the time, the interest in the subject, and the casting know how, I might just do it for the fun of it!

 

 

 

Steve

[Motor City]

Steven,

Thanks for the suggestion of using Evergreen sheet styrene.  I would have thought with all of the "phantom" kits done of cars that never existed (Modelhaus), and highly customized bodies (Jimmy Flintstone), someone would have done this already because it is one of the best styled cars of that decade.