Collecting Muscle Car Model Kits. Tim Boyd

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       More changes to highly desirable original annual kit toolings are shown here. AMT’s 1968 Mustang GT was converted to a Shelby GT500. MPC’s 1966 Mustang GT body tooling was modified to become the body of MPC’s Ohio George Gasser kit. AMT’s 1966 Skylark GS, Revell’s 1962 Dodge Dart, MPC’s 1969 Camaro, AMT’s 1970 Mustang, and AMT’s 1971 Torino GT toolings were all modified to create the competition-themed kits shown here. It’s unlikely you’ll ever see the original factory stock kits reissued.

       The Four Waves of Model Car Kit Development

      For each model car kit pictured in Chapters 3 to 13, I’ll include a note as to the “wave” of the kit. Quite simply, this refers to when the kit was first designed and produced, and gives you some idea of the level of detail and accuracy of the resulting kit. Here is the definition for each wave.

       Wave 1

      These are kits that were engineered in the first wave of the modern model kit, which is also the primary period in which annual kits were introduced each year. For purposes of this book, Wave 1 kits were first introduced in 1958 through 1976. Most of these kits replicated the newest Detroit offerings, and were developed from factory blueprints of the real cars. A significant number of these Wave 1 kits are still in production today, and the majority of kits shown in this book are Wave 1 kits.

       Wave 2

      Wave 2 kits were mostly introduced from 1977 to 1986 or so. This means that these Wave 2 kits were developed anywhere from 5 to 20 years or more after the real cars were first introduced. In addition, unlike the 3-in-1 configuration of most Wave 1 and Wave 2 kits generally could be built in one, or at most, two versions. Factory blueprints of muscle cars were generally no longer available to kit developers, and the expertise need to accurately capture the delicate contours of body shells varied across the kit production base, which means that some Wave 2 kits have bodies that are poorly proportioned.

      These Wave 2 kits were sometimes simplified versus Wave 1 kits (containing fewer parts and thereby allowing expedited assembly). On the other hand, some Wave 2 kits produced more accurate, specific muscle car models. For example, Monogram’s Wave 2 1970 Boss 429 kit precisely duplicated the real car, whereas the original Wave 1 kits often did not replicate a specific factory muscle car version in terms of engines, wheels, exterior graphics, and trim.

       Wave 3

      Wave 3 kits originated during the period of 1987 to 1999. This was the period when the adult model car builder became a primary target of the hobby kit manufacturers, and the kits produced during this period were highly detailed and exceedingly accurate in order to meet the expectations of the serious adult builder. While these kits were generally manufactured outside the United States, the kit design still took place in the United States and the tooling was usually created at one of two highly experienced Canadian tooling houses.

       Wave 4

      These kits were first introduced in the years 2000 and beyond. By this point, kit engineering and production was moving overseas, mostly to East Asia and China. Wave 4 kits generally show incredible detail and engraving and superb fit and finish. Surprisingly, though, these kits often contain minor body inaccuracies resulting both from the inability of the tooling sources to actually see the real car they are replicating and from the adoption of computer-aided design to replace the previous practice of developing 1/10th-scale wood masters. The possible use of digital scans of the real car being modeled could largely solve this issue, but the model companies generally state that they cannot afford this added expense given the relatively low sales volume of today’s kits versus those produced in earlier decades.

      Also, keep in mind that in referring to the Wave of each kit, I am referencing the first production date of the original tool the kit was based upon. Thus, Revell’s 1969 Shelby GT500 convertible, first introduced in 2013, is a Wave 2 kit (rather than Wave 4) because it is derived from the original Monogram 1970 Boss 429 kit introduced in 1982.

       The Envy Factor

      The envy factor is a different way to define the collectibility of muscle car model kits. When my editor and I first talked about producing this book, we agreed right away that it was not a good idea to list a dollar value for the old, out of production kits shown in this book. There is no single source of irrefutably accurate pricing data, and the prices paid for collectible kits can widely vary depending on how badly the buyer wants the kit and how anxious the seller is to move the kit along and be paid for it. Values change over time, too.