Any Chance AMT Might Backdate The Dodge Van?

[Tabbysdaddy]

I would prefer it had an engine. 

[Oliver77]

While we are preferring, I would prefer another slant 6! /6. I owned a 74 with camping bed, paneling, carpet and 12 inch speakers facing up under the front seats!  Mother’s Worry indeed!

[crowe-t]

The current MPC Turtle Wax version of the Dodge van can be converted to a '94 - '03 version but will take some work.  The '94 - '97's were basically the same as the '79 - '93's.  They used the same dashboard and the engine was still in it's original location.  The front end, bumper, tail lights... were changed.  The '98 - '03 had the engine moved forward and have a different dashboard.  To convert the old kit to a '98 - '03 will take a bit more work.  

I've been considering doing this and I still might at some time in the future.

Edited September 4, 2024 by crowe-t

[stavanzer]

See the Dajiban comments on page three of this thread.

 

[Brian Austin]

On 9/4/2024 at 10:49 AM, crowe-t said:

The current MPC Turtle Wax version of the Dodge van can be converted to a '94 - '03 version but will take some work.  The '94 - '97's were basically the same as the '79 - '93's.  They used the same dashboard and the engine was still in it's original location.  The front end, bumper, tail lights... were changed.  The '98 - '03 had the engine moved forward and have a different dashboard.  To convert the old kit to a '98 - '03 will take a bit more work.  

I've been considering doing this and I still might at some time in the future.

Didn't the roof stamping change from time to time as well?

[Hondamatic]

16 minutes ago, Brian Austin said:

Didn't the roof stamping change from time to time as well?

Yes, they're different among the existing kits too

Edited September 6, 2024 by Hondamatic

[Hondamatic]

On 8/13/2022 at 6:25 AM, ClassicDarts said:

I'd be all for it!

 

It's a pretty tiny detail, but something they wouldn't have to change is the lower trim parts that are molded into the body.

On the 1:1's, they changed changed the design of them for '78 onward. On the MPC kits, even the '82 has the same lower trim as the first '71 Sportsman kit.

I noticed this quick after I two toned my 82 ?

[Radretireddad]

The ‘77 had a great mechanics work bench setup. I plan on swapping this interior out with the current Turtle Wax version to make this my west coast special. I’d love to have that original version back along with the rest of the missing interior parts. I’ve got to figure out the best way to open the side and rear doors on this so all the interior work doesn’t go into hiding when I put the body over it. A couple of really good era correct decal sheets that capture the artwork of the age would also be great.

Edited September 6, 2024 by Radretireddad

[Radretireddad]

Anyone interested in the police version or the even wackier twin engine drag version? Back in the day kids probably wouldn’t have thought twice about hacking one of these up to build the drag version but now it would be a crime to do that to a nice original kit.

[Hondamatic]

3 hours ago, Radretireddad said:

The ‘77 had a great mechanics work bench setup. I plan on swapping this interior out with the current Turtle Wax version to make this my west coast special. I’d love to have that original version back along with the rest of the missing interior parts. I’ve got to figure out the best way to open the side and rear doors on this so all the interior work doesn’t go into hiding when I put the body over it. A couple of really good era correct decal sheets that capture the artwork of the age would also be great.

I think the dash and the doghouse are different? I would use the clear roof to show off the interior. I'm considering doing an FBI surveillance van myself ?

[Luc Janssens]

Name the movie

[Luc Janssens]

https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/173711-any-chance-amt-might-backdate-the-dodge-van/?do=findComment&comment=2921626

 

 

Have one, on which the "original buyer" started to scribe the body to remove the back of the roof. I filled in the gaps some years ago, hopefully, the filler has hardened and didn't shrink too much LOL

Edited September 7, 2024 by Luc Janssens
Forgot to insert the quote I was responding to

[CapSat 6]

The twin engine drag parts for the Dodge vans came and went in different releases (they first appeared around 1972, left by ‘74, and came back once again for the ‘78 release). The workshop pieces I think only appeared around 1975. 

The optional pieces in many MPC kits of the era are probably separate portions of the tool that could be added back (if they can be found). 

If Round 2 could find those tool portions, it might be worthwhile for them to do a few releases based on those variants (mobile shop truck and drag truck), by combining them with the current (‘81 era) van. Those would be fun! 

As far as revising the tool back to mid-‘70’s spec: I would love to see that, but that might be dicey. ‘70’s vans are hot now (you see them come to bigger car shows pretty regularly now), and it seems like Round 2 and Revell sell them pretty well whenever they bring them back, but I am not privy to their actual sales statistics. I think the new release MPC Dodge vans sold pretty well overall, although personally, I found the Turtle Wax marketing a little weird. 

A business case might be made if Round 2 decides to tool up a 1978 spec Dodge based on the remaining ‘81 bones. A window van could be done and marketed as a Cannonball Run ambulance (MPC’s original was inaccurate, both because the model was a panel van while the movie / race van was a window van, and because they had used the ‘81 spec body with a terrible ‘78 style grille made for the kit). The real van was historic, as it really competed in the last Cannonball Run race, with a Dick Landy built 440, extra gas tanks, and other tricks. Brock Yates and Hal Needham ran it in the last Cannonball Run just like in the movie. I met Brock Yates once (I’ll usually say: never meet your heroes, but he was great!!!) and asked him about the real van. He said it was good for a sustained 130 MPH, and it might have been faster were it not for the gigantic light bars on top. He told me that they had eventually given it to a NASCAR Wives’ Charity and it was in turn raffled it off. The original has been lost ever since. 

With little effort, Round 2 could also create a panel van and market it as a stock/ custom 1978 “Street Van”. Round 2 has marketed a 1/64 Johnny Lightning diecast with various paint schemes from the old Dodge brochures, so they are familiar with this model. Tooling up the big chrome “Street Van” emblems for the doors (later 1:1 Street Vans used decals), adding in the 5 slot wheels and/or wagon wheels from their Warlock kit, and doing a comprehensive decal sheet with several of the “factory” stripe schemes in a retro box reminiscent of their old Little Red Express and Warlock boxes would make a phenomenal release. 
 

 

 

[Hondamatic]

I'm kinda hoping these would come back, but Maybe they didn't because the Cragars were lost? Throw some extra mural decals kinda like the Dirty Donny van..  Would be an easy one to make, to help make money for the backdating... ?

[Can-Con]

3 hours ago, Hondamatic said:

I'm kinda hoping these would come back, but Maybe they didn't because the Cragars were lost? Throw some extra mural decals kinda like the Dirty Donny van..  Would be an easy one to make, to help make money for the backdating... ?

Aside from the Cragars and decals, those are exactly the same as the last few reissues.

I always liked the MPC Cragar SS wheels though. But if you really want them, the ones in the reissued AMT [X-MPC] '29 Ford Woody/pickup look almost identical if you cut the mounting bosses off the back.

[Hondamatic]

1 hour ago, Can-Con said:

Aside from the Cragars and decals, those are exactly the same as the last few reissues.

I always liked the MPC Cragar SS wheels though. But if you really want them, the ones in the reissued AMT [X-MPC] '29 Ford Woody/pickup look almost identical if you cut the mounting bosses off the back.

Oh man, now I wish I bought that kit.. thats the nice thing about those 70s era MPC kits, they kept using the same few wheels on everything 

Edited September 7, 2024 by Hondamatic

[Edsel-Dan]

I have 2 of these Dodge Vans, the 72 Annual window van, and the 'Cannonball Run' Ambulance.

Unlike the First time issue Fire/Rescue or Penske  Chevy Van kits, The Dodge vans did Not have separate hoods.

They had the engine, but the hood was cast in place on the body.

Those 2 Chevy kits had separate hoods, but later issues lost that feature

[1972coronet]

33 minutes ago, Edsel-Dan said:

Unlike the First time issue Fire/Rescue or Penske  Chevy Van kits, The Dodge vans did Not have separate hoods.

Those 2 Chevy kits had separate hoods, but later issues lost that feature

The newer reissues - I only have the Rescue version - have a separate hood in addition to the moulded-on hood (c.1975 - c.2010). The option exists ; this is the best of both worlds : separate hood, but with the rigidity of the moulded-on hood.

[1972coronet]

The tooling for the MPC Dodge Vans is so ancient as to be , well, not worth the effort to backdate . The only 'real' solution , in my shared opinion , would be all-new tooling . 

I propose two iterations :
1.) 1970-1977 
2.) 1978-c.1983
The option to build these as either a Tradesman (sans windows / lights) or a Sportsman (with windows / lights) .

[CapSat 6]

10 hours ago, Hondamatic said:

I'm kinda hoping these would come back, but Maybe they didn't because the Cragars were lost? Throw some extra mural decals kinda like the Dirty Donny van..  Would be an easy one to make, to help make money for the backdating... ?

I’m pretty sure that the both the recent  “Bad Company” and “Turtle Wax” releases are super-close to the contents of the old “Ram Van” release (I believe the Cragars are missing from the new ones). Those full- size decals on both were real stunners! 
 

 

[Hondamatic]

5 minutes ago, CapSat 6 said:

I’m pretty sure that the both the recent  “Bad Company” and “Turtle Wax” releases are super-close to the contents of the old “Ram Van” release (I believe the Cragars are missing from the new ones). Those full- size decals on both were real stunners! 
 

 

Yup, you're right, but the Turtle Wax version wasn't doing it for me, maybe because there wasn't one back in the day? The Cragars look so good too 

[CapSat 6]

4 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

The tooling for the MPC Dodge Vans is so ancient as to be , well, not worth the effort to backdate . The only 'real' solution , in my shared opinion , would be all-new tooling . 

I propose two iterations :
1.) 1970-1977 
2.) 1978-c.1983
The option to build these as either a Tradesman (sans windows / lights) or a Sportsman (with windows / lights) .

I’d suggest a slightly different approach: 

Create one new tool, with perhaps several different bodies and/ or interiors. Make it an enhanced design to make it a bit easier to assemble (positive mounting, much like the way the new ‘68 Coronets compare to the originals). For pity’s sake though, an engine for a new kit should have more detail and scale fidelity than the original MPC engine. The 318/360 in those kits was way under scale. I think the way the Demon engine was handled was truly the weak point of that kit. Even though great pains were taken to keep the feel of the original Demon kit baked into the new one, I think an engine more like AMT’s ‘71 Duster would have been much better in that kit. 

I know the hood and engine arrangement can be irksome in these kits, but realistically, with an opening hood, you won’t see much of the engine anyway. You would see more of the engine from removing the doghouse cover on the inside, but you still wouldn’t be able to get to the doghouse, unless you used long tweezers through a door window (and then, how would you get it out???). Maybe make the doghouse cover and the hood separate pieces to give builders options, but really, I don’t think that would be worth the effort. 

There might be some value in engineering a removeable or working sliding side door for the kit, especially as the interior would truly be an important focal point of a good build. 

1978 was a weird year for Dodge Vans. The taillights were carry-forwards- they were the later ‘79-on style, which also necessitated new body sculpting for the housings. Also, the dashboard was the newer style (although the original ‘78 Annual got this wrong- it still came with the old dash). 

The changes to the roof ribs and side door locations are a little tricky as well- both elements changed at different times, so a few specific year vans would have to be committed to. Swapping grilles wouldn’t be very accurate for making later vans into earlier vans, and vice versa. I’d probably try for designing a ‘78 (see above for my marketing ideas for a ‘78), and then maybe a ‘72-‘75 if the ‘78 made money. 

With all of that going on, adding all new ‘79-‘81 vans into the mix might just be overkill. It would be nice to have better kits of that subject, but I don’t see that paying for itself, especially when we already have a decently buildable kit for that subject. 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2024 by CapSat 6
Prose

[crowe-t]

I had bought a '78 kit a couple of years ago and saw that it came with the older style dashboard and interior(doghouse).  I found a '79 interior and dashboard on E-Bay that I'll use when I get around to building it.  Back in the 80's I wanted to build a model of my dad's '78.  I had found a Cannonball Run kit and was surprised that the body was a '79 so I modified the fenders and hood to resemble a '78.  MPC got a lot wrong back then.  The Dukes Of Hazzard kits were all inaccurate too.  It would be nice if Round2 would tool up a new Dodge van for the '71- 77(78) or one for the '94-'03.  

[John M.]

On 9/7/2024 at 6:26 AM, Luc Janssens said:

Name the movie

"Death Car on The Freeway" from 1979 with Shelly Hack in the lead role as a reporter investigating mysterious accident on LA's freeways. 

[Luc Janssens]

1 hour ago, John M. said:

"Death Car on The Freeway" from 1979 with Shelly Hack in the lead role as a reporter investigating mysterious accident on LA's freeways. 

Bingo!

Dunno why, but that movie made me aware of this model van (remember I'm from Belgium and was 11 at the time) still prefer the design of the Dodge over it's competitors.

Edited September 8, 2024 by Luc Janssens