When it comes to the Automotive Dark Ages, there are a few certainties you can almost always rely on. One of those is that it was a bad time to be a storied nameplate, because the chances of you surviving with your name intact was pretty much nil. That’s why I love that era, from about 1973 to about 1987 so much; the cars in it were so lacklustre and neutered that people can’t help but want to forget them.

One good example is the Nova. While most people will choose to remember the late ‘60s and early ‘70s muscle-era pocket rockets, the truth is the Nova died a long and slow death, wasting away until replaced by the exciting, modern and much-ballyhooed Citation! (Nevermind it’s resurrection as a badge engineered Corolla…) For me, the thrill isn’t the early Novas that everyone remembers. Nope, it’s the cruddy, wheezy late models, the shadows of their former selves, that turns my crank.

For that reason, I was very excited to finally be able to get my hands on a copy of Round 2’s version of the MPC 1979 Nova – Squad Rod! As if the last Nova wasn’t sad enough, the MPC attempt to create a Police Hot Rod is just, well… disquieting. Check out this loserly last stand at the link below!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/mpc-1-25-1979-nova-squad-rod-out-of-box/

My mom had a '69 SS. It really is sad watching a once highly favored name sink into oblivion.

Yeah, it's tough to see how badly things can fall.

Just remember what happened to Mustangs (Mustang II), Nova, GTO, Road Runner and Challenger (a Saporro variant???). We can't let it happen again!

I think I built that car back when it was originally issued back in the 1980s. If it's the same kit, and I'm remembering it correctly, the police stuff was pretty decent.

Jim

Adam,
Oil and gas were really cheap from post WWII on. I remember paying .29 cents for regular in 1967. Those of us that were certifiable car nuts, only cared about HP/torque/handling, and not the price of gas. Then came 1973, and our world changed forever.

OPEC (which most of us never heard of), drastically cut back the supply of cheap oil. And the price of gas sky rocketed. Small econo boxes from Japan that were a fringe market, now were in great demand. Detroit had to switch gears and try to catch up in the MPG race, so HP took a back seat, and the everyone was buying those horrific looking box cars. Well not me. I still had my 302 Mustang, and paid dearly for privilege to drive it every day.

Joel

Yet another classic misfire in the stable of Adam, great review and very entertaining as always mate.

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts and encouraging more discussion here, always a good thing.

@ Joel

I was BORN in 1967, you must be older than dirt mate


Cheers, D

D,
Thank you Sir for that comment. I was born 20 min before my twin brother on Nov 14, 1947. But I think that dirt was "born" a few years earlier.

Believe me, back in the mid 1960s no one cared about the cost of gas nor home heating oil. Both were literally dirt cheap.


Joel

Joel, I sincerely hope that I will be enjoying this hobby for as long as you have, you have been through some amazing changes over the journey and many more to come yet I'm sure.

Cheers, D

D,
Actually, I started building plastic models when they 1st showed up on the shelves of my local toy store back in the 1950's!!. No matter the build, it was started on a Saturday mid morning, and finished by diner time. Of course my Mother never let me use a knife to cut off the parts from the sprue trees, so I just twisted them off Still my completion rate was 100% back then

Unfortunately, the truth is that I'm nearing my own personal finish line sooner then later, but it's been quite a journey.

Joel