Post by jbwelda on Aug 5, 2018 19:12:32 GMT -5
(Hmmm, seem to have forgotten to reset my upload resolution, so the pics might be a bit large. Will redo if necessary, sorry bout that)
Some of you may have seen the thread I have going on the AMT 63 Chevy II Station Wagon, well I decided to include the Nova Funny Car (not really, but altered wheelbase, more like a gasser altered?) that is shown on the box art for a very rare race team AMT released at one time.
I am also going to include a facsimile of the trailer the wagon is towing, although the wagon itself will be the kustom version.
This current subject I am sticking pretty much straight to what came in the box, in this case I am using the reissue in the AMT "Street Freaks" series, called the "Rat Packer". This is a very minimal kit, although it does contains some fairly correct period speed equipment, it is very fuzzy on details, and needs a lot to be really nice. The interior, for instance, consists of one undersized bucket seat, dashboard, gear shift lever and knob, three piece roll bar, steering wheel and...well that's about it. No pedals at all. Minimal engraving on the dash though there are three instruments represented, and also what I take to be the chute release (no chute pack included). No door panel lines. Such degraded mold that there are impossible-to-remove clumps of plastic in corners where the mold obviously had been chipped away. No kidding. So I basically just detail painted what was there, and added a few items like, uh, pedals, a fire bottle (which it would not surprise me to discover its actually a nitrous bottle, for the driver of the Willys on the box art no doubt), and a tach on the dash. Still the seat is way too low but at least I don't have to crawl into it.
PLASTIC tires, two pieces each, front and rear. When is the last non-toy you saw with those? But in this case the slicks at least might actually look pretty good so I might try putting them together, but meanwhile I am using AMT Dragmaster tires in the rear and some bias ply street tires in the front. But if the plastic ones end up looking better I might use them and save the specials for something else.
Minimal chassis as well: a generic looking blob of a rear end on some soft looking springs, a couple of nicely drilled traction bars, similar soft detail springs in the front and a big chrome curvy, smiley face tube kind of axle. That axle got swapped pronto for a dropped axle from the big john Willys kit, which fit right in there and looks to me a whole lot better.
Speaking of swapped, one major departure from the box will be the engine. Though that is one place this kit seems to shine, what with the big block chevy with those long ram tubes coming through the hood. And the engine detail seems fairly well done too. And the intake stacks look like they could actually be cut from the sprue without getting their intake trumpet edges cut off funny. I think you know what I mean.
Instead of using the kit engine, I chose to pirate a similar 396 from the AMT 69 Chevelle I believe it was...I recall someone one time mentioned it was in his estimation the best representation of the bbc he knew of. That may have been Tim Boyd but I do not recall for certain. Anyway I picked one of those up at the time specifically for the engine and now seemed like a good time to use it. Truth be told it may be the same mold or close, as the outer dimensions sure seem the same as the Nova kit version and it fits into the chassis like a glove. I am still going to use the kit intake manifold but am going to use the AMT parts pack injector tubes, pretty much just to use them.
The body in this kit...ever try to buy an AMT annual original kit of the 63 Chevy II these days? Sky high is the price limit it seems. And know why? (That's a rhetorical question, of course most of us do) Because they butchered that kool kit into this thing I am holding in my hands. That means they gutted it of all the kool accessories, kustom front and rear ends, groovy six cylinder with fuel injection, all of that, for this very slim pickins kit. And of course that's not the half of it, the other part is they ruined the pristine and seemingly very accurate (I am no expert) body by moving the rear wheels forward about 3/8" or so. Left the chrome in place on the body. Left the bleeding WINDSHIELD WIPERS molded into the windshield area. Left all the side trim and door handles on. Who was in charge of this? If you are going to wreck the body why not go all the way and get rid of the detritus?
So what we have left in this kit is an altered wheelbase somewhat half-hearted attempt at the then-popular but very undeveloped "funny car" concept, when that's exactly what they were: more or less stock bodied cars with their body moved rearward on the chassis for weight distribution, a gutted interior with minimal comforts, aluminum or fiberglass bumpers and possibly door shells, plexiglass windows, gutted front suspension replaced with leaf springs and tube or I beam axle. And that is what appears to be on that trailer in the box art, and what I intend to at least mimic here.
One question I would have about what I am doing though, would this car in real life run in A/FX, or would it be an altered, or where exactly would it be classed? At that time, if I recall correctly, "funny cars" were not officially sanctioned by NHRA, at least, and most all ran "exhibition" only, sometimes solo, sometimes with a similar exhibition opponent, but there was also a tinge of big time wrestling involved as far as actual rivalry was concerned. This changed drastically in the next few years, of course, as NHRA and other bodies flexed a little and found classes for the funny cars (and their obvious crowd appeal and ticket sales).
So, would this car I am proposing run as factory experimental (FX), or as a gas (assuming no fuel) class? Probably not the latter, more like Altered class? If anyone could come up with the appropriate class to white shoe polish on the side window I would appreciate it!
Right now the body has been cleaned up and is literally right out of the paint booth. I will update with some pics maybe later this evening. Meanwhile Billy Gooche to the rescue...he has the decal sheet from the original release, with the "Fulton's Folly??" graphics. I ordered one up and it should be arriving soon. Meanwhile have the chassis together and painted, interior done, wheels and tires chosen and half done. I didn't take any photos of it, but I test assembled all the chassis and fitted body and interior to it to set the stance, and I think it will be appropriate, front up even with the rear so the car sits just ever so slightly nose high. I should be posting some stance photos soon and at this point it is adjustable in the front to some extent.
What needs to be done is the engine built (starting tonite) and of course the body finished and some details decided.
Sorry for going on so long, here are some current photos:
Completed chassis missing front axle, and with engine block posed in it:
top is the axle from Revell Willys, used instead of the kinda silly one that came in the kit.
Front and rear bumpers, done as aluminum or fiberglass replicas for lightness, and front grille with black wash
Couple shots of the interior:
Wheels and tires:
Thanks for looking and please comments are appreciated, feel free to add to or correct my so called knowledge
jb
Some of you may have seen the thread I have going on the AMT 63 Chevy II Station Wagon, well I decided to include the Nova Funny Car (not really, but altered wheelbase, more like a gasser altered?) that is shown on the box art for a very rare race team AMT released at one time.
I am also going to include a facsimile of the trailer the wagon is towing, although the wagon itself will be the kustom version.
This current subject I am sticking pretty much straight to what came in the box, in this case I am using the reissue in the AMT "Street Freaks" series, called the "Rat Packer". This is a very minimal kit, although it does contains some fairly correct period speed equipment, it is very fuzzy on details, and needs a lot to be really nice. The interior, for instance, consists of one undersized bucket seat, dashboard, gear shift lever and knob, three piece roll bar, steering wheel and...well that's about it. No pedals at all. Minimal engraving on the dash though there are three instruments represented, and also what I take to be the chute release (no chute pack included). No door panel lines. Such degraded mold that there are impossible-to-remove clumps of plastic in corners where the mold obviously had been chipped away. No kidding. So I basically just detail painted what was there, and added a few items like, uh, pedals, a fire bottle (which it would not surprise me to discover its actually a nitrous bottle, for the driver of the Willys on the box art no doubt), and a tach on the dash. Still the seat is way too low but at least I don't have to crawl into it.
PLASTIC tires, two pieces each, front and rear. When is the last non-toy you saw with those? But in this case the slicks at least might actually look pretty good so I might try putting them together, but meanwhile I am using AMT Dragmaster tires in the rear and some bias ply street tires in the front. But if the plastic ones end up looking better I might use them and save the specials for something else.
Minimal chassis as well: a generic looking blob of a rear end on some soft looking springs, a couple of nicely drilled traction bars, similar soft detail springs in the front and a big chrome curvy, smiley face tube kind of axle. That axle got swapped pronto for a dropped axle from the big john Willys kit, which fit right in there and looks to me a whole lot better.
Speaking of swapped, one major departure from the box will be the engine. Though that is one place this kit seems to shine, what with the big block chevy with those long ram tubes coming through the hood. And the engine detail seems fairly well done too. And the intake stacks look like they could actually be cut from the sprue without getting their intake trumpet edges cut off funny. I think you know what I mean.
Instead of using the kit engine, I chose to pirate a similar 396 from the AMT 69 Chevelle I believe it was...I recall someone one time mentioned it was in his estimation the best representation of the bbc he knew of. That may have been Tim Boyd but I do not recall for certain. Anyway I picked one of those up at the time specifically for the engine and now seemed like a good time to use it. Truth be told it may be the same mold or close, as the outer dimensions sure seem the same as the Nova kit version and it fits into the chassis like a glove. I am still going to use the kit intake manifold but am going to use the AMT parts pack injector tubes, pretty much just to use them.
The body in this kit...ever try to buy an AMT annual original kit of the 63 Chevy II these days? Sky high is the price limit it seems. And know why? (That's a rhetorical question, of course most of us do) Because they butchered that kool kit into this thing I am holding in my hands. That means they gutted it of all the kool accessories, kustom front and rear ends, groovy six cylinder with fuel injection, all of that, for this very slim pickins kit. And of course that's not the half of it, the other part is they ruined the pristine and seemingly very accurate (I am no expert) body by moving the rear wheels forward about 3/8" or so. Left the chrome in place on the body. Left the bleeding WINDSHIELD WIPERS molded into the windshield area. Left all the side trim and door handles on. Who was in charge of this? If you are going to wreck the body why not go all the way and get rid of the detritus?
So what we have left in this kit is an altered wheelbase somewhat half-hearted attempt at the then-popular but very undeveloped "funny car" concept, when that's exactly what they were: more or less stock bodied cars with their body moved rearward on the chassis for weight distribution, a gutted interior with minimal comforts, aluminum or fiberglass bumpers and possibly door shells, plexiglass windows, gutted front suspension replaced with leaf springs and tube or I beam axle. And that is what appears to be on that trailer in the box art, and what I intend to at least mimic here.
One question I would have about what I am doing though, would this car in real life run in A/FX, or would it be an altered, or where exactly would it be classed? At that time, if I recall correctly, "funny cars" were not officially sanctioned by NHRA, at least, and most all ran "exhibition" only, sometimes solo, sometimes with a similar exhibition opponent, but there was also a tinge of big time wrestling involved as far as actual rivalry was concerned. This changed drastically in the next few years, of course, as NHRA and other bodies flexed a little and found classes for the funny cars (and their obvious crowd appeal and ticket sales).
So, would this car I am proposing run as factory experimental (FX), or as a gas (assuming no fuel) class? Probably not the latter, more like Altered class? If anyone could come up with the appropriate class to white shoe polish on the side window I would appreciate it!
Right now the body has been cleaned up and is literally right out of the paint booth. I will update with some pics maybe later this evening. Meanwhile Billy Gooche to the rescue...he has the decal sheet from the original release, with the "Fulton's Folly??" graphics. I ordered one up and it should be arriving soon. Meanwhile have the chassis together and painted, interior done, wheels and tires chosen and half done. I didn't take any photos of it, but I test assembled all the chassis and fitted body and interior to it to set the stance, and I think it will be appropriate, front up even with the rear so the car sits just ever so slightly nose high. I should be posting some stance photos soon and at this point it is adjustable in the front to some extent.
What needs to be done is the engine built (starting tonite) and of course the body finished and some details decided.
Sorry for going on so long, here are some current photos:
Completed chassis missing front axle, and with engine block posed in it:
top is the axle from Revell Willys, used instead of the kinda silly one that came in the kit.
Front and rear bumpers, done as aluminum or fiberglass replicas for lightness, and front grille with black wash
Couple shots of the interior:
Wheels and tires:
Thanks for looking and please comments are appreciated, feel free to add to or correct my so called knowledge
jb
It's an interweb thing.....