The pinnacle of road racing was the late '60's, because that was the last period where you might actually consider driving your prototype to Le Mans on Friday, switching to racing tires and running it in the 24 Heures, then (assuming you hadn't blown the motor) driving it home on Monday.
OK, OK, so you wouldn't drive a Ferrari 330 P4 or Ford GT to the track, but you could consider it, however briefly. And you could have driven a 250 GTO or 250 LM on the street.
Fujimi's 330 P4 is well molded in good quality plastic and comes with a photo-etched detail sheet. The reissue is very nice indeed, even if there is some argument as to whether it actually reproduces the 412P which was essentially identical. The motor is pretty basic, and the decklid doesn't open; I've ordered the Historic Racing Miniatures resin engine and will consider using the saw to open up the decklid. As a bonus the kit came with the photo-etched sheet of detailed bits. There are nicer kits of the various P3/4 and P4 cars out there, but they are rare and extremely expensive.
The IMC kit of the Ford GT is well known as a challenging, detailed kit. This particular copy was cheap, as it came in a rotting box with rotting instructions. I quickly scanned the instructions and decal sheet ... immaculate versions of this kit are worth big bucks, and the price I paid is commensurate with kit quality. It also means I am not afraid to build it, unlike my copy of the IMC Lola T70 which is immaculate and still sealed. One pro: it includes two complete engine and transaxle assemblies, and I am tempted to take a mold of at least one of the Hewland gearboxes for future applications. On the negative side, the roof section is bent and will require some persuasion to fit properly.
From the sublime to the ridiculous: I have at least one kit of the Lil' Red Rooster Dodge A100 pickup on the shelf. I now have a Jimmy Flintstone van body for this kit. I also have the Dodge Deora, a customized A100 pickup. I'll probably build up the hot-rodded resin slant 6 from Gibson Engines for display next to these, because the bodywork in both cases obscures any opportunity for admiring the engine compartment.
Finally the '61 Olds F85 wagon turned up. I have a twin-turbo small block Chevy motor (also from Gibson engines) lying around somewhere. All that is missing is the drive train from a late-model Corvette. The larger '60 Plymouth Fury wagon, also from Jo-Han, could also benefit from some cubic inches, and a slammed wagon with big fins, fat wheels and a Hemi could be attractive. (I realize there is a Jo-Han fan community out there that might find these modifications to be somewhat sacrilegous ... as a compromise, I'll avoid poking blowers through hoods.)
So four more kits, and the weather is improving, so I'll likely be spending more time on the bike or sitting on the deck with a cold solution of ethanol in dihydrogen oxide in my hand. Progress may slow significantly as the days get longer. If I can avoid buying anything more (hah!) the completion rate will be 36% unless I can get the BRE Datsuns completed.
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