Now mind you, before I begin here all should know that this is my 1st ever custom car purchase even dating back to my beginnings...so this is why I post this question here- Is the box art deceiving to "just me"?

Here I'll direct your attention to the "Red boxtop art car" and the "Large side art yellow car" . After going thru the box contents I find no peices to make these two cars...in fact, there's pieces for not shown cars in there! So, I gotta ask in my current state of supposed ignorance- is this a common thing among the "custom or advanced custom car kits"? I'd like to honestly know for future purchasing reference...like I said, maybe it's just me and being a Newby to this, but it's kinda disheartening. I'm used to the cars shown on the box as what's actually in there...but that has always been with "regular vehicle kits".
My next planned purchase is the 61 Styleline ford custom kit, so I'm looking forward to some insite as to what to expect. Are there any other custom/advanced custom kits like the above? The closest I've ever seen of any AMT custom kits I sort of liked were the old plain white boxart kits where they had multiple years shown on the boxtop but only one was highlighted for that year car{don't have a kit to show you sadly} and it was done up with custom bodywork...those kits came out in a greyish box color too as I recall.
Fire away!-

That's an ancient car kit reissued nearly 48 years later. I'm surprised the molds were even located and restored to allow the reissue. I don't know about that kit in particular, but back in the day when I used to build MPC car kits, often when the model year changed, from like 1976 to 1977, they would include a new chrome sprue or whatever to make it into the new body style. Car modelers were among the first of us to really scratch build and use aftermarket items. Although, most of those were chrome, engine or wheel sprues from different kits just packaged separately.

Thanks Sabot...my very 1st hint as to the surprise goodies was in my aquistion of one of the re-released AMT Cobra roadster kit where they tossed in the custom top with no mention of it in the instructions..neat, but not accurate for the real tops used...but still neat. Then I got an origonal issue of that kit and saw it on the boxart and in the instructions. In my AMT '62 Buick Electra kit they didn't show the custom front end, but, all the pieces were there for what they showed for the backend boxart shot along with the continental kit{cool}...this is why I'm surprised with the '63 Ford kit since what they show isn't actually there...imagine my surprise.
I know some of the really old AMT kits gave surpise pieces for mini bikes and swoopy looking gokarts...and if you collected enough kits you'd have all the needed pieces to make either...but still, the shown kit was supposed to be what's in there.......

I guess I'll need the insite of those wiser{older} than me who built a few these kits and could lend some insite on my part...honestly speaking, I'd like to build what they show on those two boxart pics of the '63...and the more I look at that yellow side pic car, the more it says T-bird coupe to me...I don't know why?

yeah, that would disappoint me too

what does small print read on the side of the box, near the Ford logo, in the lower right corner of your image? Are the included contents clear here?

it IS very cool looking box art, but the contents are also included in the retail price

I always found that when AMT was running the show, that it didn't really matter what was shown on the box....and wasn't necessarily what you got in the box.

Thankfully with the much better run Round 2 calling the shots, they are putting more effort into the re-release of the kits.

A good one that took me by surprise was when they re-released the Fruehauf flatbed trailer kit. On the box it said "Now includes decals" I was like What the heck!? The old one didn't? Not that there would have been much in the first place mind you.

Now it's gets weird.....I went to Round2s site to see if I could find anything out about the kit..."nothing".....so I sent a message to Round2 about this kit and asked, politely, why the cars/parts would be shown on the box but not be in the kit and if they could shed any light on this matter? As soon as I hit send a new page comes up for requesting missing parts and there it was..."we can not support any kits prior to fall '08" and of course mine was an '07 release{naturally}. I now looked for RC2/Ertl thru the box supplied web addy...lovely...no more model kits shown on site since they sold them all off. I do have written contact info for them but I have this sinking feeling that no-one will be able to do anything there about this issue seeing as they sold off all the molds back then. Here's a pic of the "other side of the boxart...you folks tell me...given the pic{{s} all box sides too} should one expect that those parts be there?!

I also emailed the webstore I bought this kit from and asked not only about this issue but if they've had like problems with this kit....and if they, or anyone, can shed some light on the problem. Got this sinking feeling suddenly that it's gonna be awefully dark around my parts{especially the missing ones}!

Well....I could see a few small Fruehauf badges and some License plates...nothing else though. I have two of the mid-life re-released kits...no decals, no chains, but they're good{and at the $20 a piece I got them for I wasn't gonna complain}.

Yeah, the boxart just called to me, especailly that yellow one since it was soooo different from the actual car...I had to get it. Per your request sir, "Includes- styling parts, customizing parts/stock parts".

then, yup, false ad

this may not be of any consolation to you but since you posted this issue with this kit, you have probably saved many other hobbyists from investing into the same grief, as long as they clicked here and read this

Well, helping others is what were here for...but I can't help but wonder that out of anyone else who may have this kit, is if they have the same parts or different? Like Scott said...AMT may have just thrown in what they wanted despite the boxart or kit.....more/any other owners of this kit would help answer that. While today is a slow day, I hope there's more folks out there to unravel this mystery.
Just heard back from Dennis at Model Express.net where I purchased the kit from{a fast reply that was on a holiday too!}...he echoed Scott's answer and actually offered a refund, but I told him no thanks. Darn nice of him though, for something that wasn't his fault at all.

I'll wait for the reply to my question from Round2 but I doubt they can fix what RC2/Ertl messed up on.

So...does anyone else have this kit...and does it have the same lack of pieces?!

just did a search for this kit and the results:

http://cs.scaleautomag.com/scacs/forums/p/46227/509887.aspx

evay listing

I guess the box description is totally bogus

One thing to take note of, AMT/Ertl/RC2 etc.....didn't sell their molds, they still own them. They tried selling them, but the plastic and diecast was a package deal, and no one wanted the diecast as the cost of zinc (the major component in diecast) went through the roof.

So after many years of trying to get rid of both, they struck a deal with AutoWorld (the parent company to Round 2) to lease the molds to them for 10yrs. So while AMT/Ertl still own the molds, Round 2 have exclusive rights to the molds while they hold the lease.

They can't support parts for the kit because they haven't re-produced it yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them do it down the road.

The decals for the new re-released flat bed have a couple of Oversize Load banners, reflective strips for the side of the trailer, Fruehauf decals for the mud flaps, other caution signs, license plates and a few company markings you can use on a truck to haul the flatbed. as well as rubber tubing for the airlines and chain for tying down a load....nice additions to the original kit, which seems to be Round 2's MO when it comes to re-releasing some of these kits.

Son of a gun if I finally didn't find out what the heck the "Yellow car" really was on the boxart....A '63 T-bird! -
AMT Advanced custom '63 T-bird kit}
...what do ya know, I was right! - yeah...darn lucky guess, but it was the way the front fenders looked.....

...now for the "Red car".....

Ah...the "Red car" is revealed- '63 Mercury Marauder advanced kit.
AMT '63 Mercury Marauder advanced custom kit

I want to show everyone a "now found" pattern that I've noticed!..see next post links won't ya!.......

...Amt Advanced customizing kit '63 Ford Hardtop{galaxie 500XL}{my kit as well}
please note the box top, pic 001, then the side panel, pic 002
...then go look at the other "included" goodies in "that" kit!

-now I continue......

...Amt Advanced customizing kit '63 Mercury Marauder-
please now note boxtop pic 0, then side panel pic 3, then pics 1&2!
..looks vaguely familiar though - don't it!...I'd love to see AMT include the vinyl sheet!
...one more yet.....

- Amt Advanced customizing kit '63 T-bird-
pics 1-4 please...ok, I'm starting to laugh at this point...

So..........to make sure that no-one else gets confused{I'm enough - aren't I?},I want folks to see what AMT did here...the boxtop and sides are prettymuch the darn same...and different models ta boot too darn it...but, the "end panels" are what's inside. Stroll thru the different kit instructions and you'll see what's inside "that" kit. ...why did they do that and make them all the fickin same/ cept for the end panels/ it just makes for cunfusion!{ok- mine at least}
Thanks to finding this site;
model kit instructions
I was able to turn a light on at the end of my tunnel...now why AMT did it this way still leaves me in the dark!, but, I figured it out...well......WE now figured it out. Let's just leave "me" to be the dummy and you folks can be the educated ones from this point on.
A huge THANK YOU to the person{s} running that site!!!!!!!!! I didn't need the actual instructions{but you may someday} but it did answer my question about what was going on{just not why}.




...now that I feel somewhat better, some please pass me the dunce cap and the plastic filler!.......

On a final note - "it's just me I guess"

...wife just told me to "come work on something else"{with an evil grin}....I'm outta here!
...now if I could only figure her out!{guys, I ain't that good}

...I do want to see what Round 2's response will be to my email to them the other day!