what ever happened to mpc and they heyday of model kits?

[Monty]

and the best (and last?) MPC kit, the '69 Olds Cutlass.

I've always wondered if that kit had a different design team at MPC or if they just decided to go out on a high note & offer one last, great 1/25 car. Either way, it was leagues better than most of their releases. The chassis is very well designed and features poseable steering and a fairly accurate suspension. The grille utilizes paintable glue-in inserts (instead of making you detail paint the grille's chromed surface), and it features clear plastic headlight lenses instead of MPC's usual molded-in chrome units. MPC's "optional" wheels can be hit-or-miss, but this kit has a very nice set of 5-spoke mags that are period-perfect.