1/12 Doyusha Mach 1 Mustang 1972

[Johnny Mac]

Hello everyone, moved by the kind words on the "Under glass" forum, I have been inspired to rekindle the 72 Mustang.

The background:

When I was eleven, in 1975, an older boy in our street gave me a 1/12 Mustang he had built. I was thrilled, it was so much better than my efforts & I adored it. As an inquisitive child, I pulled it apart, re painted it & generally destroyed it. I fondly recall singing David Soul's "Silver lady" with my Mum spraying it for the tenth time.

Sadly the older boy died in his early twenties shortly after, I recall the lads parents staying in the street for years after, he was their only son. My Mum succumbed to the same illness a year later, cancer took her very young.

Fast forward to the late nineties, before we got the internet, I hankered for the kit again & my girlfriend managed (through a local model shop) to locate one in Istanbul of all places, still sealed.

The price was £74.99 ($120), expensive for a kit, but not by todays standards as all Otaki/Doyusha 1/12 kits are very expensive.

They are also rare, in fact I have only ever seen a couple of finished built examples.

Though the kit is huge & wonderfully packaged with metal springs, wires & brass nuts, what quickly became apparent, on studying the kit, is it was designed to be motorised & is in that strange area of toy/authentic replica. I was a little disappointed as it was clearly going to be a mammoth task turning this into a presentable model.

On the plus side, its proportions were good, despite the wheels being a little flat for Magnum 500's it looked like with a lot of scratchbuilding & research it could be done. After all the sentimental value alone was surely worth the effort.

Then we got married, moved house & had two lovely daughters. Fifteen years the kit languished in the loft with only the odd token attempt at building it.

Last week I joined the forum & was thrilled by the kind words of other modellers. The kids are older, so out of the loft it comes. Lets see how much I can get done....lets see if I can finish it!

The body needed a little filling, I didnt want the hood pins (which are too big & toy like ) bolt heads were added to the inner wings & the door cards needed reworking look more authentic. Although the hinges are still nothing like the real thing, I realise some compromises have to be made so they were reduced in size.

The floorpan is where the motorised toy is most evident, the petrol tank held the AA batteries & has a switch sticking out of it. I made a flange to replicate the two halves of a petrol tank & added tank straps.

I realise the floorpan & inner wings are not paricularly authentic either, there are lots of very sharp angles that needed rounding off & the propshaft tunnel needs work too. The wiper suttle vents were milled open.

The carpeted floor, even when flocked was far too angular & needed smoothing out.

We are on our way, apologies for the story, but I can imagine most of us can equate to it, a kit that disappoints & life getting in the way. Somehow we always return to our hobby.

One question to our American friends who will be far more acquainted with Mustangs than us in England, from new, was the floorpan satin black or grey dipped primer. Research shows satin black or shiny paint in body colour almost certaily as a result of restoration, I can find no pics from the assembly line.

Thanks for your interest.

Johnny.

[cobraman]

I had one of those kits years ago. It was pretty nice. Metal wheel fronts as I recall and a marker light high on the front fenders which I filled when I did mine. i will be watching, good luck.

[Monty]

There was a time when the majority of Fords had red oxide primered undercarriages, but the pictures I've provided here purport to show the results of a concours-level restoration of a '71 Mach 1 with the undercarriage done in black. I'll let the Ford experts chime in on that. In the meantime, here are 72 pictures showing most of the pertinent aspects of the car.

http://www.rkmotorscharlotte.com/sales/inventory/sold#!/1971-Ford-Mustang-Mach-1/133060/179198

HTH

Edited February 27, 2015 by Monty

[Johnny Mac]

Thanks ever so much Monty, the reference pictures are fantastic.

It will be interesting if anyone can confirm the underside was black from factory.

Take care.

[freakshow12]

Should be red oxide with body color overspray, blacked out rear wheel wells and rocker pinch weld. Black rear end, center section in red oxide. Natural springs and gas tank.

A friend of mine just finished a 1:1 71 mach and is halfway through a 1:1 71 boss 351. Both spectacular concours trailered cars

Edited February 27, 2015 by freakshow12

[cobramike]

There was a time when the majority of Fords had red oxide primered undercarriages, but the pictures I've provided here purport to show the results of a concours-level restoration of a '71 Mach 1 with the undercarriage done in black. I'll let the Ford experts chime in on that. In the meantime, here are 72 pictures showing most of the pertinent aspects of the car.

http://www.rkmotorscharlotte.com/sales/inventory/sold#!/1971-Ford-Mustang-Mach-1/133060/179198

HTH

If you don't mind me asking, how much did that '71 Mustang sell for?

[Monty]

If you don't mind me asking, how much did that '71 Mustang sell for?

No idea. I was just looking for pics to help John.

[vamach1]

I have spare parts for this kit if you need them.

[vamach1]

John, did you ever finish the kit?