AMT Junior And Craftsman Kits

[Bob Ellis]

s

I thought you were going to say holes for antennae and mirrors. Besides the colored plastic,  some, maybe all Craftsman kits had open holes for accessories

[regular guy]

Mr Ellis

That's interesting about the holes for accessories.

I think there was a connection between the Junior/Craftsman kits and the dealership promo models.

It sure looks like it from that list, they cover every year and most makes and models for a couple years there..

The Junior kits were just promo kits you put together yourself.

It will tell the tale if they put out any of the kits that haven't been seen since then.

Thanks!

 

[charlie8575]

On Bob's list above, if Round 2 has the dies for any of those kits, they need bring them all back. I'd buy at least one of each. I can guarantee that.

 

And I'd buy at least one of most of them.

Charlie Larkin

[horsepower]

I'm guessing they look at the molds in the warehouse and go for the low-hanging fruit, i.e.those that can be cleaned up and used without a lot of expensive work. Makes sense to me anyway. I'm happy to have this kit in whatever form.  A few years ago I got nostalgic and tried to get one on eBay. Wasn't going to happen for the prices they were asking. Maybe it'll sell well enough to encourage them to backdate it into a small bumper early Pinto. Perhaps they'll send some poor Round 2 intern into the darkest depths of the mold burial grounds with a whip and flashlight and have him drag out the Pinto hatch as well. I really want to build a whole series of Pintos and Vegas and Gremlins, oh my!

That's one job I'd probably volunteer to do for just the cost of a free lunch, come to think about it a little bit more, I'd be willing to do it for free if I got to choose which kits were pulled for production first. 

On the Pinto kits, somewhere MPC either sacrificed a body mold or made a new one for the one they used in the Modified series, but there's two problems with thinking they sacrificed an existing tool, one is that the tooling for the Pinto sedan kits from MPC all had the deluxe body side trim and that's not on the Modified body, not even door lines or the edges of the trunk opening exists, so it points to a totally new body tooling. The other argument for all new tools for the bodies in that series is the '34 Slammer Coupe. To my knowledge MPC never released a chopped '34 Ford that they could have used the tooling for to produce that body. So maybe there's a little hope. But it is possible they did some surgery on the Pinto sedan tooling for production of the Pinto pro stock kits that were produced, but since they did do some kind of repairs to the '64 Galaxy kit to resurrect it from the Modified Stocker series to its reissue as a production stock vehicle (even though it was a promo style) kit.

[regular guy]

Delton

Here's a beginner Gremlin model to tide you over while you are on your quest.

http://www.autoworldstore.com/product_p/lnd72335.htm

I'm biding my time with Lindberg 1/32 cars and beginner ship and plane models for the nostalgia

experience while waiting for AMT to come out with the good stuff.

Regular Guy

[Mark]

...but since they did do some kind of repairs to the '64 Galaxy kit to resurrect it from the Modified Stocker series to its reissue as a production stock vehicle (even though it was a promo style) kit.

There are two '64 Galaxies.  The annual/glue kit is now the Modified Stocker, the snapper started out as a promotional model.  It didn't happen often, but on occasion there would be two tools of the same subject.

[regular guy]

Mark

That reminded me of the 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 XL which is available as a

Advanced Customizing kit.

I think it might me called a 1963 1/2 and I thought it was a Prestige kit also.

Regular Guy

[Edsel-Dan]

Yes, it was one of the Original Prestiege Kits!!

[regular guy]

Dan

Then there's the 1961 Galxie re issued in this Styline kit.

http://www.autoworldstore.com/AMT_1961_Ford_Galaxie_Styline_1_25_Scale_Model_Kit_p/amt652.htm

Looks like they are all remnants of the yearly kits and promos. Not much left!

Then there's a '60 Ford Starliner kit around (just staying with Fords 1960-1964).

Almost forgot, they just reissued a 1965 Ford, so that survived too.

Regular Guy

[Junkman]

Tom

Here's the list:

’57 T-Bird - red, grayish blue, pale blue, turquoise, white
’59 Chevy conv. - lt. turquoise, lt. blue
’59 Buick ht. - bright blue, grayish blue, yellow, red, charcoal, coral
‘59 Ford ht. - cream, light yellow, turquoise, bright blue, lt. blue, chartreuse
‘59 Edsel ht. - lt. blue, lt. turquoise, bright blue, red
‘59 Mercury conv. - yellow, red
‘59 Lincoln Continental ht. - charcoal, black
‘60 Chevy wagon - chartreuse, red, tan, bright blue, lt. turquoise, dark turquoise, medium-light green, orange, yellow
‘60 Pontiac ht. - charcoal, black, red
‘60 Ford Starliner - lt. blue
‘63 Chevy Impala ht. - bright blue, tan
‘63 Chevy II Nova wagon - tan, beige
‘63 Corvair conv. - lt. turquoise, bright blue, red, chartreuse
‘63 Falcon conv. - red, lt. turquoise, chartreuse
‘63 Comet conv. - bright blue, lt. turquoise, chartreuse
‘63 Valiant ht. - lt. turquoise, chartreuse, bright blue, red
‘64 Chevelle ht. - yellow
‘64 Corvair coupe - yellow
‘64 Ford Galaxie ht. - maroon
‘64 Comet ht. - red, dark red, yellow, light blue
‘64 Valiant ht. - yellow, light blue
‘65 Chevelle ht. - yellow
‘65 Nova ht. - lt. blue
‘65 Valiant ht. - red
‘66 Skylark ht. - dark green
‘66 T-Bird ht. - charcoal, black

Let me wake up here!

Thanks!

Don't those Round2 dinglebrains realise that we would smash each others heads in over these?
Of all the tools that still exist, these would be the first ones I'd dig up.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Junkman

[Snake45]

 

Don't those Round2 dinglebrains realise that we would smash each others heads in over these?
Of all the tools that still exist, these would be the first ones I'd dig up.

The Valiant eventually became the Fireball 500.

The '65 Nova became the AWB Funny Car, most recently reissued as the Rat Packer.

The '65 Chevelle became an AWB Funny Car, and the, sadly and irredeemably, a dirt tracker.

The '66 Skylark also became a dirt tracker.

[horsepower]

If they were able to repair the tooling for the '65 from the AWB funny car into a stock wheelbase dirt stocker then they should be able to return it to stock status, if they can use the ElCamino tooling for the repairs that would work.

[pack rat]

 

Don't those Round2 dinglebrains realise that we would smash each others heads in over these?
Of all the tools that still exist, these would be the first ones I'd dig up.

You think they're just sitting around and not looking for this stuff?

 If so....you are mistaken

[regular guy]

Builders

Took another look at the list.

Starting from the beginning.

Anybody notice if they ever made a curbside '57 Thunderbird after the Junior/Craftsman came out?

Alot of interesting cars on that list,

Regular Guy

[Snake45]

If they were able to repair the tooling for the '65 from the AWB funny car into a stock wheelbase dirt stocker then they should be able to return it to stock status, if they can use the ElCamino tooling for the repairs that would work.

They could have taken the AWB funny back to a stock body (it still had all the stock trim, including the all-important rear panel), but it would be easier to do all-new tooling than to try to "restore" the dirt track backbirth back to a stock body.

[Junkman]

You think they're just sitting around and not looking for this stuff?

 If so....you are mistaken

Prove it.

[keyser]

They've re-issued the 64 Comet and the 61 Styline Galaxie which is close to a Craftsman, and they tooled a new 60 Starliner in past. Also dragged out the 64 Promo Galaxie since the original gone as Mod Stocker. 

If only to run them once and see if they sell, yes, they are looking. 59 Imperial, Manx, all came out of nowhere, as did the Soapbox Derby car for the new tool truck. 

A tool with no plastic running thru it is a paperweight. A tool with plastic in it that sells is business. They're looking if they want to make money, They're not hiding them to pizz us off.

So, without standing on the tool bank, but looking at people that bought a company to make money, that should be proof. 

[unclescott58]

The Valiant eventually became the Fireball 500.

The '65 Nova became the AWB Funny Car, most recently reissued as the Rat Packer.

The '65 Chevelle became an AWB Funny Car, and the, sadly and irredeemably, a dirt tracker.

The '66 Skylark also became a dirt tracker.

Snake are the four you listed converted from the Craftman version of each kit? I believe they all came from annuals that had things like motors under their opening hoods. I believe the '66 Skylark annual was converted to modified dirt track racer. But, they a whole sperate tooling for the Craftman version of that car. Where is that?

 

[unclescott58]

 

Prove it.

I'm sure Mike is right. But, I did get a kick out your rebuttal, Christian. ?

[regular guy]

Builders

The 1966 Thunderbird is a Customizing kit.

It might be curbside no engine, metal axles,

Whoever brought up '59 Imperial, my first thought was "What '59 Imperial?"

Googled it and found it was a Model King kit,

That's nice what Model King is doing but they come and go

so fast when their regular price, it's not really working for me,

By the time you've thought about it they're gone and just available

from resellers at a premium,

Thanks!

[pack rat]

 

Prove it.

Sorry, no can do.  

[keyser]

The jillion re-issues 66 Bird is full detail. The Craftsman is the promo. Hardtop only. Different tools. Both had Landau roof, Craftsman was fixed IIRC. 

57 Bird Craftsman was completely different tool than the jillion re-issues 57. Much better hardtop, molded in windshield frame, year on plates, Ford script on hubcap centers. Much nicer in many ways save for Hood/engine.

59 Imperial is a found and re-engineered kit from tool vault, so it can be re-issued. They're not hard to find reasonably priced. The 71 Tbird was a Motor City Craftsman equivalent, as was the re-issued 70 Wildcat. I found 70 Tbird and 69 Wildcat builders for less than a new kit. The 71 has full detail, but it has Motor City engine insert of 70 too. 

Tools that dead ended could be around if not scrapped. 63 Falcon, 63-64 Corvairs, 66 Skylark, 64 Galaxie, all the stuff that came out with the Boondock series.

I think the 61 Ranchero is a modded original Styline issue with open hood added, done about the time of the 66 Mustang coupe Promo/kit mashup. 

The 1/32 scale stuff hadn't been seen in 50 years, and they came back. 

Another thread is kveching about low detail re-issues, and this one says there aren't enough. 

Glad I'm not trying to satisfy this crowd. 

 

[ChrisBcritter]

Builders

The 1966 Thunderbird is a Customizing kit.

It might be curbside no engine, metal axles

There were two '66 T-birds; one full detail with custom options and one Craftsman. The Craftsman was from the promo tool and is the only accurate coupe version; the full kit is a convertible with a separate hardtop roof and uses the convertible interior.

[Snake45]

Snake are the four you listed converted from the Craftman version of each kit? I believe they all came from annuals that had things like motors under their opening hoods. I believe the '66 Skylark annual was converted to modified dirt track racer. But, they a whole sperate tooling for the Craftman version of that car. Where is that?

 

The full-detail annual kits and the promos/Craftsmans shared the same basic body tool, just with a different insert for the fixed hood. (Same is true in most cases for hardtops and convertibles--in most cases, no separate tools for each.)

[unclescott58]

The full-detail annual kits and the promos/Craftsmans shared the same basic body tool, just with a different insert for the fixed hood. (Same is true in most cases for hardtops and convertibles--in most cases, no separate tools for each.)

Not to say your wrong. But, why is it some Craftsman kits survived and others didn't? Plus there is enough differences in some cases, I suspect a second tool. As noted by others, compare the two '66 Thunderbirds for example. Or for that matter the two '57 Thunderbirds that AMT put out back in the day. Also go to the Model Car Instructions and Box Art website, and looking at the instructions for both '66 Skylarks make me suspect two tools were used.

Now I know little to nothing about how model cars tools are designed and sometimes used. So I may be full of beans in my observations Snake. Even though you are probably right, I kind of hope you are not in this case.

 

Edited October 1, 2016 by unclescott58