Resin Mustang Lx's a Comparison and Review thread.

[Abell82]

So I was thinking this might be helpful to some one interested in purchasing one of the Mustang LX Coupes.

I think this is a thread long over due. So how about it?

I have photographed them all together, that the pictures might speak for themselves so to speak...

I would be happy to take additional photos as needed.

For reference, the Reliable resin car is on the left, the Af/x car is cast in white (repoped AAM), and the AAM is the lighter tan car.

1. Reliable Resin First of all, I have 3 Reliable Resin coupes. Each one is flawed. None of the engine compartments are complete, one the roof was so thin, that I could read instructions through it.

So I have to question if there are really any good castings out there. Also Reliables castings share the same flaw that the AF/X and AAM do,

they ALL filled in the rear bumper for casting, which means that for a person to build them, they have to sand out /grind out the rear bumper to get the chassis seated properly.

Additionally the rear window has an odd shape to me, and the rear quarter windows are different shapes and sizes.

2. AF/X this is a direct repop of the AAM car. They did clean up the roof on the inside, by grinding out the "sunvisors" which will probably actually help in glass fitment.

However, they also somehow managed to flatten the roof to the point that to build the kit you may need to replace the roof. In addition to the AAM castings flaws it also

has problems with... the door lines on the right side of the car are very shallow, and in some places non existent. Finally the rear wheel wells are further off then any other body... kit or resin.

3 AAM. The first coupe on the market. It has the wrong side trim, the "wrong" engine compartment, and the rear trunk lid is "off".

Also the body lacks the Mustang in the rear bumper, and the frame rails/ drip rails (below the door) were never fixed properly.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Abell82

[Abell82]

[Abell82]

As you can see the front Bumper is both better and worse then the AAM / AF/X bodies. The overall shape is better, but the bottom below the trim is still,

back too far. The "cross bar" (Ford emblem), is an area that needed more work.

A blurry pic, to hold my place until I get a better one. The Af/X bumper is a repop of The AAM. It shows, in very few places as well as the front bumper.

The opening in the bottom of the bumper has gotten bigger and more mishappen. The cross bar shows it's age as well.

The AAM bumper. A decent attempt at a difficult bumper made some 20 years ago...that was cast before it was finished. Need more be said?

(edit: new pic added)

Edited February 1, 2012 by Abell82

[Abell82]

What happens if you want a GT, or Cobra front cover, instead of the standard LX? They appear a little small on the Reliable version, to me.

To fix this, you would need to cut the middle part of the body, below the belt line and remove about 2-3 MM.

If you use an AAM / AF/X body, you will need to first remove the LX cover as it is cast in, then you'll need to add 2-3 mm to the front edge of the fenders.

So in summary which one is better?

I guess it depends on the builder, and the end result. Niether are 100 % accurate, and both/all may require many hours of work to finish properly.

Edited September 11, 2011 by Abell82

[whale392]

Thanks for the comparison Jason. Are you still working on yours? And if so, what ballpark pricing will you be in if you decide to market them?

[Abell82]

Frankenstang? Still needs an interior. I only made it for fun. Besides I am not set up to be a caster.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Abell82

[whale392]

just thought I would ask Jason, as you are putting a lot of work into it to make it correct (or, as correct as it can be).

[Wayne Buck]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this, Jason!

I'm still waiting for one that's decent enough to do a replica of my 1:1.

First, I won an AAM on the 'bay and I was sooooo excited! ....until I took it out of the box, that is. The part that bothered me the most was the roof. It was absolutely TERRIBLE!! So, back on the market it went.. ( I wish I kept the interior tub, however... )

About a year later, I bought one from RR, and, like you said, the roof was VERY thin. In fact, after a bit of "normal" handling, the A pillar broke at the top. I fixed that, started to work on it for a bit, and again, as you stated, I found that the quarter windows were different from one side to the next. I cut out a window for the driver's side and tried to place it in the passenger side to see how close it was ( I was hoping to use the first one as a template for the other ). No dice... It was WAY off.

I remember reading something about Revell coming out with a 87-93 coupe in the future. Does anyone know what ever became of that? I think they would sell the HECK outta those!

[Rob Hall]

I remember reading something about Revell coming out with a 87-93 coupe in the future. Does anyone know what ever became of that? I think they would sell the HECK outta those!

I'm looking forward to seeing if that happens...I've had my AAM one for 13 years, still haven't built it.

[Mike Kucaba]

I have one sitting here that I also got off ebay. It has a body with engine compartment molded in,vacuum formed rear window,and an interior bucket with no seats,dash, or a hood. What typically is the donor for this? Also on this one the visors are molded in,the f&r facias are also. How do I tell if the engine compartment is correct? I remember reading about a build-up long ago that the battery placement being an issue year to year.

[Wayne Buck]

I have one sitting here that I also got off ebay. It has a body with engine compartment molded in,vacuum formed rear window,and an interior bucket with no seats,dash, or a hood. What typically is the donor for this? Also on this one the visors are molded in,the f&r facias are also. How do I tell if the engine compartment is correct? I remember reading about a build-up long ago that the battery placement being an issue year to year.

IMHO, the Revell 93 Cobra kit is probably the best donor for these, mainly for the 87-93 style seats and dash.

edit: also, the same year GT convertibles would probably work, except you get the "cheese grater" tail lights with them. However, you can get the pony wheels or the turbines with one of those.

I guess it depends if you're looking to build a "stock" coupe or not....

Edited September 11, 2011 by Wayne Buck

[george 53]

Guys, M.A.D. makes this kit in 25th scale. If I'm not mistaken, all those kits mentioned are in 24th scale I believe. Kris Morgan does one that's pretty darn close to me. I'm happy with it. Maybe you can check him out. He's a member of D.R.A.G..

[whale392]

Don't kill a Revell 93 Cobra for these coupes unless you want a 1990-93 version (Airbag steering wheel and small headrests being the key elements here). Grab any of the various Revell/Monogram Mustang GT convertibles for all the parts you will need (I prefer to get the abundant 1992 GT Convertible 'Lowrider' kit as I don't feel bad about killing a completely incorrectly labeled/cheap decaled kit).

As to the engine compartment; all 3 of these coupes are cast with the EARLY battery location installed.

While I was typing, I see someone mentioned the M.A.D resin coupe. That is based off the MPC/AMT 1979-82 casting, and those are the donor kits for that conversion. Kris and I have talked about converting this to an 85-86 as well, plus maybe an 83-84. WHEN Revell comes out with their 1991-93 Coupe (in 1/25th scale, Kris may alter his casting to take advantage of the newer kit.

Edited September 11, 2011 by whale392

[Maindrian Pace]

Why not kill a '93 Cobra kit? It's a horrible, incorrect, out of proportion kit and IMO, it's parts and no more. Harsh? Yes, but it's frustrating to me that in over 20 years, Revellogram never got the proportions right on any of their BoxFox kits, but they were able to get them right 30+ years ago with the '79s.

It's also vexing that none of the resin coupe master builders, including that latest "dead on balls accurate" guy a couple of years ago, corrected the too-high belt line, exemplified in the aforementioned Cobra kit, that makes the doors too tall and the windows too short, giving the car the characteristic "pregnant hippo on roller skates" look. Actual Fox coupes are lithe and lean looking, none of the resin coupes are. But the kit/resin companies are not alone in the chubby coupe hall of shame, the exact same problems plague both the 1:43 White Rose coupes and the 1:18 GMP coupes. Could it be that hard a car to scale accurately? Let's hope that Revell proves that it isn't with their new (we all hope!) coupe kit.

If anyone needs reference photos (like they aren't all over the internet) I've owned this '92 for over ten years, and it's in my daily driver rotation.

-MJS

[Jon Cole]

It looks to me like the resins side window lower lines are too high. That line should 'kick up' in the front, under the rear view mirror, and the corresponding rear pillar location; not kick up, but should be lower than the top of the rear quarters. I had passed the resins at contest vendor tables, now I am glad I did. Thank you to the OP for this post.

[Abell82]

just thought I would ask Jason, as you are putting a lot of work into it to make it correct (or, as correct as it can be).

Naw,

I'm just messing with you Brad, well sort of. Frankenstang was just built for fun, from all the parts literally EVERYONE says NOT to use.

Just to see what it would look like when compared to a decent one. I actually DO already have a good one made up, but NO resin caster seems interested in casting it.

I'm not sure why, because I believe it would sell, even if Revell comes out with one, simply because of the scale difference.

(If Revell's new one is 1/25th it's going to look tiny when sat next to their old 1/24th scalers, after all.)

I'm looking forward to seeing if that happens...I've had my AAM one for 13 years, still haven't built it.

So BUILD IT already ! (LOL!) That's what the cbp is for!

quote name='Mike Kucaba' timestamp='1315762384' post='518816'

I have one sitting here that I also got off ebay. It has a body with engine compartment molded in,vacuum formed rear window,and an interior bucket with no seats,dash, or a hood. What typically is the donor for this? Also on this one the visors are molded in,the f&r facias are also. How do I tell if the engine compartment is correct? I remember reading about a build-up long ago that the battery placement being an issue year to year.

/quote

Sounds like an AAM kit to me. Any of the GT convertible kits will work, fine as the donor. The compartment is wrong, in that the battery and other features are wrong.

You can really just cut them out, depending on your build.I did for Frankenstang...

quote name='DoubleD'

this is the AAM coupe that i've had for some time. it will never be any more finished then what you see here. someone was gracious enough to send me this one when i didn't get the 3 i had ordered and paid for from AAM.

REALLY hoping and praying at this point that Revell does come out with an LX coupe kit and we can finally have something worth building. \quote

Just finish it Dave, it's a model. It doesn't have to be perfect. Consider it practice for the next one. That's how I look at all of mine.

( Sorry for the confusing nature of this post, I was trying to answer all the questions, but the board does not seem to care much for that idea.)

Edited February 1, 2012 by Abell82

[Abell82]

If anyone needs reference photos (like they aren't all over the internet) I've owned this '92 for over ten years, and it's in my daily driver rotation.

-MJS

I'd like a straight on side shot, of the front bumper, please!

Something like this...

[whale392]

Mike, I will agree with you on even the Cobra being out of scale fidelity. The reason I suggested NOT to kill one for these coupe kits is that I feel (read: personal opinion here) that all 3 of the coupes are still WAY below the Cobra, and the GT Convertible kit is more in line with the coupes (being they were based off the 1983-84 GLX vert of Monograms to begin with) and is much easier to find/cheaper to purchase.

By the way, your Coupe is sexy. My first FOX was an 88 Coupe, and now I own 4 FOXes!

Jason, I remember us talking a while ago about you wanting to bring a 1/24th Coupe to market, especially with Don shooting off about being the 'correct' Coupe (and we both know the flaws in his, as you have shown here!).

Edited September 11, 2011 by whale392

[Maindrian Pace]

I'd like a straight on side shot, of the front bumper, please!

Something like this...

Sure thing, Jason. Does this help?

Mike, I will agree with you on even the Cobra being out of scale fidelity. The reason I suggested NOT to kill one for these coupe kits is that I feel (read: personal opinion here) that all 3 of the coupes are still WAY below the Cobra, and the GT Convertible kit is more in line with the coupes (being they were based off the 1983-84 GLX vert of Monograms to begin with) and is much easier to find/cheaper to purchase.

By the way, your Coupe is sexy. My first FOX was an 88 Coupe, and now I own 4 FOXes!

Bradley, maybe I misunderstood. Wouldn't be the first time. I thought you meant using one of the Cobra kits to scratch build a coupe body, and a few items in it could help there. I agree that a GT convertible would have better parts for a donor to a coupe resin body. Still, there are enough Cobras out there from the three different issues that I don't think it would be a problem to use them as donors or to build variations, it'll take a long time to make a dent in the supply.

Thanks for the compliment on the coupe, I also own a '93 Cobra (bought new) and an '80 Fairmont Futura. Major Fox fan here too.

MJS

[whale392]

Believe it or not, the 93 Cobra is actually a little hard to find. Even looking at the cesspool that is E-Bay only reveals 4 of them, and they are somewhat high priced or way to early to tell what the bidding will become. The 'Lowrider' convertible, however, is still available on most stocked hobby shop shelves. I myself try to grab every reasonable Cobra kit I can find, as they do actually make good starting points for other projects. The re-issue of the SVO is also a pretty fair starting point, as its doors are closer to correct than the Cobra/Convertible, and the greenhouse is a bit more to scale than the Cobra. by mixing, matching, and some scratchbuilding, you can come up with some fairly good looking FOXes of various years.

[Chuck Most]

So.... basically all three notchback bodies are turkeys, even though they all look like Fox Notchbacks to me.

I'm not holding my breath for Revell to pop a notchback, personally. And even if they do, who's to say it won't be as flawed as any of the existing resin bodies?

[kelson]

Thanks for the review,i'm wondering if anyone on the forum has bought RR's LX'convertible?i'm thinking of buying a few and would love to know the pro's and con's before spending my hard earned money.

[Chuck Most]

Didn't Monogram do a drop-top Fox Mustang? I seem to remember one being issued as the 'New Monkeemobile', but that had to have been a good 20 years ago.

[whale392]

Chuck, Monogram has had a drop-top FOX in their line-up since 1984 (with their 1983-84 GLX convertible). The 'New Monkeys' 1987 GT Drop-top was just the 1983-84 with a newer (87) body dropped over it (yes, all of the 1983-84 parts are there EXCEPT the body (Monogram jumped the gun a bit with that kit!). Subsequent issues (1989 GT convertible) got a closer-to-correct interior (and the original issue 1991GT convert also got the Pony wheels and the Saleen-style trunklid spoiler), but for a 1991 it is incorrect in that it has large headrests and a small steering wheel where it should have the small headrests and airbag wheel). 1992 GT droptop kept the Ponies, but lost the Saleen spoiler. All of the Revell issues of the GT vert 'Lowrider' use the 1989 convertible as their base (correct seats and wheel) in evidence by the wheels (15" Turbines), seats, and steering wheel.

[Chuck Most]

Ah... forgot all about the Lowrider version. That and the Monkeemobile were the only two drop tops I'd seen. In fact, I had the Monkeemobile a few years back as a parts donor.