AMT 1965 Mercury Parklane

[RDean58]

Just got this one

Box contents and instruction pictures at the link:  http://carmodelingcorner.com/KitReviews/AMT_1965_Mercury_Parklane.htm

[Snake45]

Very cool! I don't think I've ever SEEN one of those, much less one nicely built. 

[Casey]

Interesting that the rear seat is a separately molded piece, which was unexpected for me. I see there was a promo of the hardtop, but was there ever a companion convertible kit or promo?

[Mark]

No convertible, promo or kit.  '65 marked the start of AMT not trying to do every promotional as a kit...there were Bonneville and Olds 88 convertible promos, but not kits.  And the Mustang was done as a convertible with separate hardtop as opposed to individual kits for each body style.  Same for the GTO.  Both probably should have been issued as separate kits for each body style, they would probably have sold well enough to do that.

[ChrisBcritter]

Some sharp custom goodies here as well - especially the headlights and instrument cluster. Next time one gets parted on eBay I'll take a closer look.

Thanks for sharing it with us!

[sfhess]

There were 65 Mercury promos.  Most I have seen were molded in tan.

[keyser]

They did a gorgeous 65 Wildcat convertible promo too. Scarce. Light metallic blue on ones I’ve seen
I’ve got a great metallic turquoise blue 65 ht promo, but most are tan

Edited March 26, 2020 by keyser

[Snake45]

59 minutes ago, keyser said:

I’ve got a great metallic turquoise blue 65 ht promo

I have a Bonneville like that. 

[Casey]

8 hours ago, Mark said:

No convertible, promo or kit.  '65 marked the start of AMT not trying to do every promotional as a kit.

Thanks. After looking at the instruction sheet and seeing what the optional version entails, the separate rear seat makes more sense now.

[unclescott58]

Very cool. I'm surprised how different it is from the more commonly seen '66 Parklane. At the same time it makes sense. There were a lot more changes between the full size '65 and '66 Mercurys than one may first realize.

After seeing the kit. I'd look to add no to my collection. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

I picked up this "barn find" '65 Merc built kit several years ago.

It came with plenty of "patina".

 

I hope to get around to restoring it some day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Ron Hamilton]

35 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I picked up this "barn find" '65 Merc built kit several years ago.

It came with plenty of "patina".

 

I hope to get around to restoring it some day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

Very nice. Can I make a suggestion for the wheelcovers? I snagged a set of wire wheelcovers from the Trumpeter 64 Falcon. I'm using a set on my 65 Galaxie 500XL Convertible build. They look to be perfect 15 " wheelcovers for the car. Mercury used red centers and Ford used red-white-blue centers. And yes I have two to build. One new, and one to restore.

[Rodent]

As a car-obsessed teenager the late 70s, I worked at a Shell gas station. We had a "regular" customer that was a friend of the station owner. He drove a 65 Parklane Marauder that was probably Ocean Turquoise  and had a black vinyl top. He would drop by around 10 AM or so and leave the Merc for the day while he drank at the bar around 100 yards from the station. Sometimes he drove home, sometimes he got a free tow home from the owner because he couldn't walk, much less drive. Charged all his gas and service work. I assume he paid the bills. Just about every time I saw the car it had a new dent. Had a black interior and factory AC IIRC.

Guess if I ever found one of these kits I would choose Frank's color scheme for old times sake. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Rodent

[StevenGuthmiller]

17 minutes ago, Ron Hamilton said:

Very nice. Can I make a suggestion for the wheelcovers? I snagged a set of wire wheelcovers from the Trumpeter 64 Falcon. I'm using a set on my 65 Galaxie 500XL Convertible build. They look to be perfect 15 " wheelcovers for the car. Mercury used red centers and Ford used red-white-blue centers. And yes I have two to build. One new, and one to restore.

Thanks Ron, but I was lucky enough to pick up a set of stock wheel covers for this model some time after I got the kit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[moparfarmer]

11 minutes ago, Rodent said:

As a car-obsessed teenager the late 70s, I worked at a Shell gas station. We had a "regular" customer that was a friend of the station owner. He drove a 65 Parklane Marauder that was probably Ocean Turquoise  and had a black vinyl top. He would drop by around 10 AM or so and leave the Merc for the day while he drank at the bar around 100 yards from the station. Sometimes he drove home, sometimes he got a free tow home from the owner because he couldn't walk, much less drive. Charged all his gas and service work. I assume he paid the bills. Just about every time I saw the car it had a new dent. Had a black interior and factory AC IIRC.

Guess if I ever found one of these kits I would choose Frank's color scheme for old times sake. 

Had a girlfriend who's father had a company car of one of those..He was a beer salesman..It was a bright gold with a beige vinyl interior..Nice car, even got to drive it once and a while..Sure was a Yacht..Much bigger than my parents 66 Fury....

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

7 minutes ago, Rodent said:

As a car-obsessed teenager the late 70s, I worked at a Shell gas station. We had a "regular" customer that was a friend of the station owner. He drove a 65 Parklane that was probably Ocean Turquoise  and had a black vinyl top. He would drop by around 10 AM or so and leave the Merc for the day while he drank at the bar around 100 yards from the station. Sometimeshe drove home, sometimes he got a free tow home from the owner because he couldn't walk, much less drive. Charged all his gas and service work. I assume he paid the bills. Just about every time I saw the car it had a new dent. Had a black interior and factory AC IIRC.

Guess if I ever found one of these kits I would choose Frank's color scheme for old times sake. 

I too have a story about a '65 Mercury Park Lane.

 

Back in high school in the early 80s, one of my best friends bought a maroon '65 Park lane 2 door hard top from a gentleman who owned the local hardware store.

The car was immaculately cared for!

The white and black interior was like brand new, and the body didn't have a spot of rust or a single dent anywhere, although the paint was beginning to fade.

The 390 ran pretty well but was beginning to smoke.

The indication was that it needed a valve job.

I believe he paid about $250.00 for it!

 

Long story short, 3 days after he bought it, as he was leaving a party at a friends farm, he drove it off of a T in the gravel road at about 60 mph and took out about a dozen rows of corn, bending the frame and totaling it!

Needless to say, some of my friends were not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed! 

 

 

 

 

Steve 

[Motor City]

The '65 Mercury kit, along with the '65 Wildcat kit, had some of the best box art AMT ever did.  The '65 Impala SS kit also had a separate rear seat.  The Mercury promo was also available in black, red, teal, and maybe another color.  It's too bad AMT didn't make a '67 or '68 Marquis, '67 S-55, or '68 with the woodgrain on the sides.

Has anyone made a decent '67 or '68 big Merc in resin?

Edited March 26, 2020 by Motor City

[disabled modeler]

I have the 65 Mercury buildup needing parts and work and lucky enough to have a off white promo of it that is mint still...cool cars.

[espo]

Great looking Mercury kit plus the Barn Find. My Mercury story has to do with a customer who had a new '65. He was a customer in a station I worked at for a short time. He was a partner in a Dry Cleaning company close by. Every now and then he would come in for gas and be driving a different car for a few weeks. I never thought about it to much since I thought he would have other cars to drive. After a couple of these times I started to notice the while always looking clean the sides of the car started to look wavy to me. Then I noticed under the hood he had primer and body color overspray.  The sides started to show obvious signs of body filler and fresh paint. I never asked but this thing was getting repaired about ones a month.   

[Rodent]

10 hours ago, espo said:

Great looking Mercury kit plus the Barn Find. My Mercury story has to do with a customer who had a new '65. He was a customer in a station I worked at for a short time. He was a partner in a Dry Cleaning company close by. Every now and then he would come in for gas and be driving a different car for a few weeks. I never thought about it to much since I thought he would have other cars to drive. After a couple of these times I started to notice the while always looking clean the sides of the car started to look wavy to me. Then I noticed under the hood he had primer and body color overspray.  The sides started to show obvious signs of body filler and fresh paint. I never asked but this thing was getting repaired about ones a month.   

So, what are we all saying here? Seems like everyone we personally knew with a 65 Park Lane was a really bad driver and/or a drunk? The world needed more used 390s at the time, so that must have been the reason. 

[Motor City]

My aunt and uncle had a teal '65 Park Lane convertible that was on display at the New York World's Fair.  He was a Ford Public Relations employee and worked there during the fair.  It was a cool car and I got to drive it with the top down when I was a senior in high school. 

['70 Grande]

Not all 1:1 stories are about "rough" characters. The mom 3 houses down from mine had a '65 Park Lane convertible and two of the prettiest daughters in our school. As soon as the first 60+ degree temperature day came in the springtime, the daughters would insist mom drive them home from school with the top down... for the rest of my life I'll be able to clearly see in my mind those two gorgeous girls in the back seat with their long hair flying behind them on their way home from school!

[fomocomav]

Nice find, RDean58!  I finally found one a few months ago, almost like as nice as yours.  Just missing one tail light lens.  One of our high school custodians had one in light blue.  Drove her every nice day we had!