Was there ever a stock 1970-71 Dodge Dart model kit made?

[TurboKitty]

I know of the Revell '68 & '69 Dart kits, as well as a dirt track car and a late '60s drag car. But has anyone, including resin suppliers, ever tooled up a stock bodied '70 or '71 Dodge Dart kit, preferably in Swinger trim? Or is there any way to kitbash and make one? I know someone offers a resin version of the MPC '71 Dodge Demon, so I could get the front end from that I guess. But then that leaves the problem of making a correct rear end. Has anyone here attempted this, and if so please feel free to post your pics because I would love to see how to whip up one of these!

[Casey]

I think the closest you will come is Bandit Resin's '71 Plymouth Scamp conversion:

http://banditresins.com/1971_plymouth_scamp.html

I recently ordered this very kit and took some pictures of it, so you can check those out here if you like: http://s916.photobucket.com/albums/ad9/tramhl/Plastic%20Models/Reference/Resin/?start=all

[Sport Suburban]

Scale Coachworks did do one. I don't beleive they are in buisness anymore. Check this thread for pics.

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=42798

[fumi]

R&R makes a 1970 Dart Swinger as well. Not so sure about their quality though.

http://resinrealm.net/Star/RRGalleries/Dodge/index.html

[tim boyd]

Turbo...the closest thing to a stock '70/'71 Swinger was not very close at all - a kit from MPC replicating a Ramchargers 1970 Dart Funny Car. It was a retool of the 1969 Swinger body in the MPC Charlie Allen kit. Although the body had the usual funny car modifications (front wheel well moved forward, no headlight lenses, a general lack of body trim), it also included a beautifully rendered "Swinger" scipt in the correct location on the rear fender kickup below the quarter window. Most likely this body was later modified to become the Wild Bill Shrewsbury rear engine Hemi Wheelie car, which has been reissued a number of times over the years in non-original kit livery, but would require even more effort to convert to a restored stock condition. It would be easier to find, however, vs. the original Ramchargers kit.

I've seen several and bought a couple of the resin conversions; the two I purchased were relatively close but not 100% accurate conversions.

TIM

Edited February 26, 2012 by tim boyd

[Mark]

Turbo...the closest thing to a stock '70/'71 Swinger was not very close at all - a kit from MPC replicating a Ramchargers 1970 Dart Funny Car. It was a retool of the 1969 Swinger body in the MPC Charlie Allen kit. Although the body had the usual funny car modifications (front wheel well moved forward, no headlight lenses, a general lack of body trim), it also included a beautifully rendered "Swinger" scipt in the correct location on the rear fender kickup below the quarter window. Most likely this body was later modified to become the Wild Bill Shrewsbury rear engine Hemi Wheelie car, which has been reissued a number of times over the years in non-original kit livery, but would require even more effort to convert to a restored stock condition. It would be easier to find, however, vs. the original Ramchargers kit. I've seen several and bought a couple of the resin conversions; the two I purchased were relatively close but not 100% accurate conversions. TIM

The LA Dart wheelie car body is indeed a rework of the Ramchargers Dart funny car body. The Ramchargers Dart has the front wheel openings too far forward for stock, but the LA Dart body has them too far back. That kit was cobbled together with the MPC Hurst Hemi Under Glass Barracuda interior and underbody, and the Dart body's wheel openings were shifted to match up with the front wheel locations on the Barracuda underbody. Besides that, the LA Dart body doesn't have a trunk lid, and the front bumper was left out of the kit (the 1:1 didn't have one). For this subject, if you can get your hands on a properly done, correct version in resin, that would be the way to go rather than tracking down all the necessary pieces and doing the conversion yourself.

[tim boyd]

The LA Dart wheelie car body is indeed a rework of the Ramchargers Dart funny car body. That kit was cobbled together with the MPC Hurst Hemi Under Glass Barracuda interior and underbody, and the Dart body's wheel openings were shifted to match up with the front wheel locations on the Barracuda underbody.

Mark - thanks for the clarification on the interior and chassis on the Shrewsbury Dart; never really considered that possibility (I never had the original MPC Hemi under Glass).

Like you, I agree a resin kit is the way to go, although I have yet to see one that is completely accurate. When I do, it will jump to the front of my "to build" list, as the 1/1 scale 1970 Dart Swinger with the 318 2bbl and the "Free Automatic" option package that included an exterior dress up kit, was my "realistic reach" new car choice circa 10th grade/1970. Mine would have been B5 Blue with the black vinyl roof and buckets/console (an option on the package if my memory is still correct).

TIM

[Kit Basher]

Like you, I agree a resin kit is the way to go, although I have yet to see one that is completely accurate. When I do, it will jump to the front of my "to build" list, TIM

Tim, I'm with you and Michelle. If this car is ever available, I'll be all over it. I took my first driving test in a '70 Swinger with three on the tree and a slant six (my Mom's car). Loved that car!

[TurboKitty]

I'm surprised that Revell hasn't offered it up, seeing as how they have the '68 & '69 ya know? I'm hoping that Round2 will reissue the '71 Demon but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I've thought about it and I wonder if the molds for it were destroyed or something, since there's never been a reissue as far as I know. Looks like I will have to get the '70 Swinger or '71 Scamp kit, thanks for the info

[slantasaurus]

I think the reason MPC never reissued the 71 Demon was because the tooling was modified for the later Dart Sport kits which have been reissued. It would be nice if Round 2 would modify the 71 Duster kit into a 71 Demon though...

[tim boyd]

That MPC '71 Demon was one of the rare instances where the model was actually better than the 1.1 scale car.

That's because the wheel openings for the Dart and for the Valiant/Barracuda were different from each other. So when Dodge took the Duster body and added the Dart front fenders, the front and rear wheel openings were mismatched (same with the '71-'76 Plymouth Scamp, by the way).

But when MPC took their '71 Duster annual kit and modified it at mid-year to become the Demon 340, they never "fixed" the front wheel openings, so the model carried over the Duster wheel openings on both the front and rear fenders, and as a result, the model looked much more cohesive a whole than did the real car....

Not to mention the box art on that Demon, taken straight from the Dodge catalog, was super-cool!

TIM