Johan Superbird - Sox Martin version

[gtx6970]

is this the original issue of this kit ?

No bar codes of any kind. Metal axles etc 

 

 

[Mark]

Yes.  That one first appeared in 1971 (alongside the original Shirley Shahan '69 AMX).  The reissues of both were in the early/mid Eighties.

[Mark]

First issues are way better.  One-piece hollow tires and slicks, wire axles, smaller corresponding holes in engine block halves, sharper detail, way less flashing on parts.

[Carmak]

When was the first issue of the NASCAR version?

Was the NASCAR version available concurrent with the SM kit in the 70's or 80's?

[CapSat 6]

1 hour ago, Carmak said:

When was the first issue of the NASCAR version?

Was the NASCAR version available concurrent with the SM kit in the 70's or 80's?

The first issue Superbird in the '70's had stock and NASCAR building options. It had a semi-"cartoon" box, with colorful illustrations. 

I think what's pictured above is the first issue of the SM car, which would probably also have been early '70s. 

The later (and much more common) '80's issues of both the NASCAR/ Petty and drag/ Sox cars seemed to be the same as the originals, except for different boxes, and thick plastic axles instead of thin metal wire axles. The '80's Sox kit seemed to be more or less a stock Superbird in the box, but instead of the stock wheels and "stock" Goodyear tires that the Petty kits got, the SM cars got Keystone mags and tires and Goodyear/ Firestone slicks (one design on each side). The same tires came in their Pro Stock kits. 

The 80's NASCAR kits were molded in a variety of colors (I have seen gray/blue, teal, green, red, white, and I think a dark blue and a sky blue), while the SM kits always seemed to come in white.   

The Petty NASCAR kits seemed to be much more widely available in the 80's, or at least, that's how it seemed to me where I grew up. They might have done alternating runs of these kits, perhaps one was available for a time, and then another took over.   

[gtx6970]

16 hours ago, Mark said:

Yes.  That one first appeared in 1971 (alongside the original Shirley Shahan '69 AMX).  The reissues of both were in the early/mid Eighties.

Thanks. I have a few of the Recent re-issue versions of both the SM car and the Petty car. 

Out of maybe 4 kits , only 1 is molded in white and thats a SM bird. My 2nd SM bird is molded in a blueish turquoise color 

My Petty Birds are molded in 1 green and 1 blue 

 

But would like to have the original issue  SM version, Just because

What about the decals compared to the more recent issue, were they the same  and have the correct corresponding kit number on the back of said decals. In this case kit C108-200 ?

 

I know the more recent issues share the same sheet with the SM 1971 Cuda and are marked with the Cudas kit number 

 

I like the Petty version because it can be built replica stock right out of the box.  

Edited July 9 by gtx6970

[Carmak]

1 hour ago, CapSat 6 said:

The Petty NASCAR kits seemed to be much more widely available in the 80's, or at least, that's how it seemed to me where I grew up. They might have done alternating runs of these kits, perhaps one was available for a time, and then another took over.   

Thanks Bill! I also noticed the NASCAR kit was much more common than the SM kit in the 80's (I didn't see my first SM kit until I went to a major Chicago area swap meet in the mid 80's). Maybe they only ran it when they could get white styrene  

[Mark]

Jo-Han only brought back the Sox & Martin version just to say they had something "new".  After the USA Oldies series petered out (probably due to lack of usable tooling), Jo-Han reissued two items at a time for most of the Eighties.  One year it was the Rebel Machine and (I think) '68 Chrysler 300, another year the AMX and maybe the '70 Eldorado, and so on.  The '63 Plymouth was somewhere in there too, along with the Superbird.

Some items got reissued as X-EL promos only.  The '68 Cadillac was only issued as a convertible in kit form, but a hardtop promo did appear.  

[gtx6970]

Thanks all, 

 

Bought it today . 

[Tabbysdaddy]

Since we're talking about this kit, mine doesn't have the mag wheels in it. I assumed someone took that chrome tree and replaced it with the tree that has the stock wheels. Is that correct or is this just some random chrome tree thrown in?

[gtx6970]

46 minutes ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

Since we're talking about this kit, mine doesn't have the mag wheels in it. I assumed someone took that chrome tree and replaced it with the tree that has the stock wheels. Is that correct or is this just some random chrome tree thrown in?

I now.have 3 of the SM birds. All 3 have Keystone Classic wheels

And no stock wheels 

[Tabbysdaddy]

Just now, gtx6970 said:

I now.have 3 of the SM birds. All 3 have Keystone Classic wheels

And no stock wheels 

Yes, I know it's supposed to have the mags. I was wondering if the chrome tree I have is the stock wheel tree or not correct at all for the kit.

[gtx6970]

11 minutes ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

Yes, I know it's supposed to have the mags. I was wondering if the chrome tree I have is the stock wheel tree or not correct at all for the kit.

Not stock for  sox.martin kit.

 

Stock for Petty bird kit only

[Mark]

The wheels should be the only difference.  The Sox & Martin version differs pretty much in wheels and tires only, as well as not including the stock air cleaner setup nor the NASCAR parts.

The Keystone wheels are different from those in the Sox & Martin Barracuda kit.  The Superbird wheels are the same for front and rear, while having different inner wheels.

[Mark]

Too, the tires and slicks in the original kit will be one-piece, hollow, and have Goodyear markings on both sides.  They were later changed to Firestone Drag 500 on one side (still one-piece and hollow).  Another, later revision made the front tires solid and the slicks two-piece.  Some of those drag cars had radiator hoses molded in vinyl along with the (early) tires.

[gtx6970]

The one I just bought has the vinyl one piece tires.

Also the decals are different than the reissue version 

 

[Mark]

I'm pretty sure those are the correct decals for the original kit.  Jo-Han may have messed with the later issue so they could drop the same sheet into the reissue and the ongoing Barracuda kit.

[gtx6970]

53 minutes ago, Mark said:

I'm pretty sure those are the correct decals for the original kit.  Jo-Han may have messed with the later issue so they could drop the same sheet into the reissue and the ongoing Barracuda kit.

Agreed, all my sox martin Johan kits ( 71 cuda and superbird ) have the same exact decal sheet . Its marked with the 71 Cuda kits number