I've been looking for this kit for a long time and was finally able to pick up a copy at a good price from John Burns of the Kit Collectors Clearinghouse at the IPMS/USA convention in Oklahoma city last month.

Monogram has released street rod versions of this kit a number of times, always as either a coupe or roadster but I've never seen both versions in one box since this original 1961 issue kit. I also have a stock-only coupe but have never seen a corresponding roadster version.

The kit is molded in tan, black, clear, and plated plastic with the four blackwall tires done in a very hard rubber. It's one of a series of six-way Ford models Monogram did in the early sixties, providing options for a factory stock, custom, or drag race coupe or roadster - I wonder how many modelers bought multiple copies so they could build more than just one version! There are custom parts galore in the box, along with a few more for the racing version, all of them well-detailed for the era. Monogram was a leader in the model car field at the time and this was among the best of the car kits in its line back then.

I must have one of the first kits out of the mold since there's virtually no flash at all on any of the parts. Those in my sample are a bit scuffed up since some of them have come off the sprue over the years but everything is cleanly molded with no ejection pin marks on exterior surfaces. This attention to detail extends to the plated parts which are organized so that there are minimal visible sprue attachment points on their exterior.

The decals are very topical and mine are still in fairly good condition. I'm sure most of them are very usable and I may in fact use some of the scallops and pinstripes if a series of Monogram 36s ever manages to reach my workbench. I have grand plans to do custom and stock versions of both the coupe and roadster but you know how that goes....

The instructions are quite clear and comprehensive, giving complete directions for each possible version and good detail painting guidance. Other than the somewhat crude detail in comparison to state-of-the-art kits today this is a very nice model indeed; the only downside I can see is doing a clean job on adding white sidewalls to the stock versions - this is one thing I wish Monogram had included.

Highly recommended to any Ford nut that's not turned off by 1/24 scale kits. If you find one of these, grab it - you won't be sorry!

As always, till next month, "Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to".
Be sure to visit Al's Place while you're surfing the 'Net!