1972coronet Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 I recently followed a Jo-Han Mercury Comet on eBay ; and , I noticed that it was a 2-in-1 , which I've never seen before ! I'm aware of the Maverick 2-in-1 kit , but wasn't aware of its Mercury counterpart . Is this a rare kit ? Was it a mid-year tooling change ( think : MPC 1971 Duster and 1971 Demon 340 --- the latter being a c.Spring 1971 intro ) ? From the photos , I was able to ascertain : - Stock inline six engine / manual trans - Stock wheel covers - Moulded-in bench seat (front and rear ) - Plastic Good Year wrinkle-wall slicks - Cragar S/S wheels - BOSS 429 in Pro Stock livery - Chassis has moulded-on single exhaust Did anyone here win the bid ? I'd love to build a stock 1971 Mercury Comet ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64Comet404 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 It's pretty rare, I've never seen one in person before. Even the stock Maverick is pretty uncommon to find at swap meets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Very short production run. Probably done after the stock/funny car Maverick kit (the first kit in the Maverick/Comet group) but before the Comet funny car "annual" and definitely before the Pro Stock variations. The Comet kit had Maverick wheel covers. The Comet promo model did have correct wheel covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 Cool info @marc ---- stands to reason that the first-run would be a rare piece , especially considering that it's a mid-late-year intro . I'd read-through that thread @Casey ; very informative ! I may as well let the cat out of the bag here : I'm the proud owner of said 1971 Comet ( ? ) ! Been wanting one for better than 30 years , and since I had the funds --- I gave $83.00 for it ---- I'd figured , Why not ? I'm planning a stock build (okay , maybe aftermarket wheels and maybe tyres ) some day . The awesome BOSS 429 will either end up in another project or be up for trade here . It's nice to have a Jo-Han kits that's not covered with flash ! Thanks to everyone whom participated . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gman Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 That sounds like a good score. While I have seen later issue JoHan Comet and Maverick pro stock kits on vendors tables at swap meets, they don't include most of the factory stock pieces, and were priced considerably higher than you paid for the eBay listing. Worth it? It would be to me, as I have loved the subject matter ever since seeing "Day 2" warmed up Mavericks and Comets roaming the streets. Looking forward to a build thread in the WIP section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 I once test drove a '74 4dr Maverick that was white, with a light tan interior. On the front fenders were 5.0 badges. They were lying! Under the hood was very "warmed up" 351 Windsor. That little ride impressed me! Couldn't come to terms with the dealer, so I left it with him! Since that day, I've wanted to build a close replica with either a stock Maverick, or Comet kit. I just haven't been able to justify the cost, yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 3 hours ago, gman said: That sounds like a good score. While I have seen later issue JoHan Comet and Maverick pro stock kits on vendors tables at swap meets, they don't include most of the factory stock pieces, and were priced considerably higher than you paid for the eBay listing. Worth it? It would be to me, as I have loved the subject matter ever since seeing "Day 2" warmed up Mavericks and Comets roaming the streets. Looking forward to a build thread in the WIP section I set my 'max bid' at $100.00 and figured , If I get it , I get . I'm not going to lay-out any more than a 'note . After reading the thread (posted here by Casey) , and after further investigation , I'm surprised that I got it so relatively-cheap . It's not 100% complete ; no decals , which don't matter to me anyhow as they'd be as old as me , and just about as worthless . One of the slicks has its halves glued-together (properly at least) , which , again , is no big deal . Tattered-but-together box ( again , no biggie ... I'm planning to build it , not put it on a shelf for archeologists to find it in the year 3,000 . For having grown up in a city with a few Ford dealerships (and a couple of Lincoln-Mercury dealerships) around , I honestly don't recall having seeing any modified Mavericks or Comets around --- not even Show Pipes ( functioning side-exit exhaust has long been illegal in California due to Noise Pollution Laws... not that that stopped anybody ! ) . I remember quite a few LUV pickups , Vega's , Monza's , Pinto's , and Couriers around , in addition to the usual Chevelle's , Camaro's , Firebirds , Chargers , Darts , Dusters , Mustangs , etc. , etc. , ...and a number of AMC's . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 2 hours ago, Bucky said: I once test drove a '74 4dr Maverick that was white, with a light tan interior. On the front fenders were 5.0 badges. They were lying! Under the hood was very "warmed up" 351 Windsor. That little ride impressed me! Couldn't come to terms with the dealer, so I left it with him! Since that day, I've wanted to build a close replica with either a stock Maverick, or Comet kit. I just haven't been able to justify the cost, yet. A four door with a 351-W ? Seems to me like someone was influenced by the Gapp & Rousch Tijuana Taxi Pro Stock ! That happens to be one of my all-time favourite Pro Stock cars ---- a scale replica of that car would be sweet ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 The car I drove looked like a regular, every day type grocery getter. Ran like a Mach I Mustang, though! Ultimate sleeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuces ll Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) Dad bought one new in Spring of '72 from North Bros. Ford... And it looked just like this one... Edited July 18, 2020 by Deuces ll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gman Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 7 hours ago, 1972coronet said: I set my 'max bid' at $100.00 and figured , If I get it , I get . I'm not going to lay-out any more than a 'note . After reading the thread (posted here by Casey) , and after further investigation , I'm surprised that I got it so relatively-cheap . It's not 100% complete ; no decals , which don't matter to me anyhow as they'd be as old as me , and just about as worthless . One of the slicks has its halves glued-together (properly at least) , which , again , is no big deal . Tattered-but-together box ( again , no biggie ... I'm planning to build it , not put it on a shelf for archeologists to find it in the year 3,000 . For having grown up in a city with a few Ford dealerships (and a couple of Lincoln-Mercury dealerships) around , I honestly don't recall having seeing any modified Mavericks or Comets around --- not even Show Pipes ( functioning side-exit exhaust has long been illegal in California due to Noise Pollution Laws... not that that stopped anybody ! ) . I remember quite a few LUV pickups , Vega's , Monza's , Pinto's , and Couriers around , in addition to the usual Chevelle's , Camaro's , Firebirds , Chargers , Darts , Dusters , Mustangs , etc. , etc. , ...and a number of AMC's . Regional differences I guess. Around here, it was not uncommon to see a V8 Maverick or Comet warmed up, running aftermarket wheels, maybe some custom paint. Sometimes all the mods amounted to restored bodywork and kept all of the big changes under the hood. A healthy small block Ford could really move one of these cars. I still see the odd one- I came across a clean Maverick Grabber parked on a suburban side street wearing a for sale sign a couple of years ago, that only needed some TLC and minor rust repair to be really sharp. If I had an extra parking spot, the $2900 asking price and maybe another $2000-3000 to drop into it, would have turned into a really sharp ride...less common than the usual "muscle cars" with comparable performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 A member of our local antique car club owns a very sharp red Maverick Grabber. I'm not sure what engine is in it. They bought it a couple years ago from the original owner. If I had seen it first.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuces ll Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Dad's car had the 302... I think it was rated at a real wimpy 144 ponies... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 21 hours ago, 1972coronet said: I may as well let the cat out of the bag here : I'm the proud owner of said 1971 Comet ( ? ) ! Been wanting one for better than 30 years , and since I had the funds --- I gave $83.00 for it ---- I'd figured , Why not ? I never saw it, can you post a pic of the box and contents for reference? I'd like to see what an original stock Comet kit looks like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Around here, Mavericks rusted quickly (like nearly everything else!). In 1986, I bought a '74 coupe with 27,000 miles and lots of structural rust and rot. The interior was like new. The engine and transmission live on, in my '62 Fairlane. The powertrain now has more miles on it in the Fairlane than it racked up in the Maverick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) I purchased this built up Mercury Comet that provides all the stock trim and stock interior. I've not seen another body like this. The striped body with a thin coat of primer. Edited July 18, 2020 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 2 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said: I never saw it, can you post a pic of the box and contents for reference? I'd like to see what an original stock Comet kit looks like. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercury-Comet-Pro-Stocker-Jo-Han-C-112-200-Model-Car-Unassembled-Open-Box/363039877368?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 43 minutes ago, afx said: purchased this built up Mercury Comet that provides all the stock trim and stock interior. I've not seen another body like this. @afx , Thanks much for sharing those photos . I linked the listing of the one which I'd purchased . This is possibly the most fun and unique kit in my collection ; a definite favourite . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gman Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 One great thing about many of the old JoHan kits- they really nailed the body lines and proportions. This Comet is a good example of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 24 minutes ago, gman said: One great thing about many of the old JoHan kits- they really nailed the body lines and proportions. This Comet is a good example of that. Absolutely . Heck , even their promo-esque chassis have more detail than the same MPC or AMT kits of the era ( *cough* correct brake master cylinder *cough* ) . If there was only one thing I could change , it would be the moulded-on exhaust (never a good thing) . That items must've disappeared with the stock build option , as all of the subsequent Pro Stock (et alia) iterations are sans exhaust ( I won't mention the moulded-on differential... ) . I'm looking forward to gettin' down & dirty with this bad boy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 There's a seller on eBay (acmerezincasting) replicating the correct wheel covers for this kit; none in stock now. They were also used on base model Cougars at the time. Might as well post the auction photos here for future reference: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 If that's the only Comet kit that has the gold Mr. Gasket decals, I have it. I think I may have substituted the Maverick P/S chassis and interior when I built it when it came out, and it's got that flat hood scoop on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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