Drake69 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) I know. Not like there aren't enough of these running around here. Like everyone else, I've always wanted a proper built Lee, and, like soooo many others, I've been subjected to just the MPC kit, myself TWICE (and a THIRD one sitting in my basement!). But after reading what others have done, I intend to make this one as close to the TV series as I can get. That being said, I'm starting with... 1: MPC General Lee kit. (wheels, pushbar, and rollcage) 2: Revell 1969 Dodge Charger R/T kit. (front and rear grilles/bumpers) 3: Revell 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 2-in-1 kit. (everything else... has a smooth "no vinyl" top and no side markers!) 4: MCG photoetch kit. (1969 Charger version) 5: Pactra Competition Orange (proper "General Lee" color) 6: Hazzardous Decals decal set for Season 1. (correct decals) 7: A BOATLOAD of resources from the internet. If the wheels in the MPC kit won't suffice, I'll be looking into better wheels, possibly resin. I already know the push bar will need to be made from scratch since the MPC one is too small, and I'm not even sure the rollcage in the MPC kit will fit the tub. If I end up replacing everything in that, I'll probably use it for some other Charger-type build, such as... 1: Dirty Mary-Crazy Larry Charger (already have Keith Marks decals for this one ready to go!). 2: A VERY beat-up Stuntman Mike Charger from Death Proof. 3: A Bullitt Assassin Car. 4: A flat black beater "General" before she was built for the Duke Boys. 5: One of the three "Generals" used in an episode where the real General Lee and two "fakes" sent Roscoe and Enos on a majorly wild goose chase. 6: A concept "General" I've been kicking around. I haven't thought about the CB antenna yet, that will come later. http://www.di-namix.com/ModelCarFiles/howto.htm http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/themes/sca/forums/thread.aspx?ThreadID=100424 http://hazzardousdecals.shopping.officelive.com/default.aspx Edited July 25, 2011 by Drake69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) I notice you mentioned the 1968 Charger kit. If you are making a first season accurate charger I believe the '69 kit is a better body. You'll have to sand off the vinyl top but you'll have the chrome sail trim in place already. Conversely you could add the chrome trim from plastruct or evergreen stock. The last GL I did I cut the brush guard up the middle and slipped the bars into appropriate sized tubing, then covered the end supports with sheet plastic and filed to shape. It worked for me anyway. The wheels from the MPC kit will work, but there are some nicer ones out there, I just forget who makes them. Good luck with your build, i'll be watching. Ahh.... but THAT'S the trick! Look closely... I'm using BOTH the Revell '68 AND '69 kits... know why? The '68 car body doesn't have a vinyl top or side marker lights! I'm also stealing the front and rear grilles from the '69 kit, so I'll be cutting through a few issues right off the bat. And I REALLY LIKE that tip of splicing up the brush guard. I think I'll have to "borrow" that idea as well! NINJA EDIT: went and added both kits to main title to avoid confusion! If anyone can remember where there are better resin Corvette Eckler (or similar) wheels, speak up! Edited August 4, 2011 by Drake69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPflug Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Look around for the "Dick Landy" version (still available easily in the secondary market for around the same price as the current kit)- it has a body without the vinyl top but with the '69 side marker reflectors Seems that the MPC early 80's Vette annuals have a decent set of the wheels, they also seem to be commonly available in resin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 Look around for the "Dick Landy" version (still available easily in the secondary market for around the same price as the current kit)- it has a body without the vinyl top but with the '69 side marker reflectors Seems that the MPC early 80's Vette annuals have a decent set of the wheels, they also seem to be commonly available in resin Not a bad idea on the Dick Landy, but it won't be needed here. This is why... The roof of the '68 is smooth and has no side markers. Problem solved! And I'm keeping an eye out for the right wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPflug Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Not a bad idea on the Dick Landy, but it won't be needed here. This is why... The roof of the '68 is smooth and has no side markers. Problem solved! And I'm keeping an eye out for the right wheels. So you want to go through the trouble of adding '69 side markers? Sounds a bit strange..... The MPC 80-82 Corvettes, the AMT 69 Riviera and Ford Courier, and late reissue of the MPC 75 Dart Sport "Duster" all have better Vector mags than the ones supplied in the MPC General Lee kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyBad Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Nice idea with the grill guard Futurabat. If I recall correctly, at one point during a behind the scenes look at the DOH, The were mixing 68 and 69 fenders and just blanked out the turn signals. I did see an Original DOH car at a Mopar show (yrs ago) and he had his fender marker lights covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 So you want to go through the trouble of adding '69 side markers? Sounds a bit strange..... No, the actual General Lee does not come with side markers. The MPC kit is incorrect in that it has markers on the fender panels. The '68 car body also does not come with side markers, only stickers which I won't even have to put on. The MPC 80-82 Corvettes, the AMT 69 Riviera and Ford Courier, and late reissue of the MPC 75 Dart Sport "Duster" all have better Vector mags than the ones supplied in the MPC General Lee kit Cool, I'll keep an eye out for those vectors. I'm sure evilBay has them somewhere. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OKAY, let's clarify this so everyone is on the same page. 1: The 1969 Revell kit has a vinyl roof and side markers, neither of which is on the TV series General Lee. The kit does come with the correct front and rear grilles/bumpers, which is why I bought that kit. 2: The 1968 Revell kit has NO VINYL ROOF or SIDE MARKERS, neither of which is on the TV series General Lee. This is what I want for an accurate car. The kit does come with incorrect front and rear grilles/bumpers, which I have swapped out for the correct grilles from the 1969 kit. Sorry if this sounds rough, it's not meant to be. This is after MUCH RESEARCH on this subject to make as accurate a car as I can. I only want to do this once. NOTE TO SELF: interior is either Black or Saddle Tan in color (I'm going with Tan). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 And let me state this as obvious as possible. I DO NOT MIND VARYING OPINIONS ON ANYTHING I BUILD. I FEEL THAT THIS IS ALWAYS A LEARNING PROCESS, SO FEEL FREE TO VOICE YOUR OBSERVATIONS. ALL I ASK IS THAT WE KEEP MY THREAD AS CLOSE TO TOPIC AS WE CAN, SO THAT OTHERS READING IT CAN FOLLOW ALONG. Disclaimer over... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent G Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 My two cents. The General Lee is a fictional car. They used many different '68-'69 Chargers during the course of just one episode. Unless you are building a replica of a specific car, TV, movie, etc. don't kill yourself. By that I mean don't sweat the details so much. Your build will stall, and your shirt will be wet. 100% of the folks who see the final build will recognize what the car is, a well built replica of an iconic TV show. Maybe 5% of those folks will ever notice the details. I'll go out on a limb here too. Any contest judge who would detract points on a beautifully built General based on "history" is an idiot. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Moparman Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) Nice.. I am watching.... <img src='http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ph34r.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ph34r:' /> Edited July 25, 2011 by Mississippi Resins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPflug Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Actually have the first three seasons on DVD (more for nostalgic reasons- when the show first came out and I was 8 years old it was the greatest ) so have done some "research" Can't get as passionate about the show as the regular crowd on these threads - but most of the cars seem to show '69 side markers in the earlier episodes With literally hundreds of General Lee's being cobbled together from whatever used beaters could be scrounged up it's always seemed a bit ridiculous to build a "correct" Lee- details like missing console top plates, radios, and steering wheel horn pads would be more correct Just trying to offer helpful advice on the differences between Revell kits out there- if the OP doesn't want marker lights maybe someone else thinking of a Lee build following the thread does Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Actually have the first three seasons on DVD (more for nostalgic reasons- when the show first came out and I was 8 years old it was the greatest ) so have done some "research" Can't get as passionate about the show as the regular crowd on these threads - but most of the cars seem to show '69 side markers in the earlier episodes With literally hundreds of General Lee's being cobbled together from whatever used beaters could be scrounged up it's always seemed a bit ridiculous to build a "correct" Lee- details like missing console top plates, radios, and steering wheel horn pads would be more correct Just trying to offer helpful advice on the differences between Revell kits out there- if the OP doesn't want marker lights maybe someone else thinking of a Lee build following the thread does No prob, and I don't get offended about it. A lot of the builds I've seen have them covered or removed, so I figured it was more of the standard. Anyway,back on topic.... Pics! Chrome trim lines shaved, sanding the wheel wells to smooth them out... 440 Magnum block painted and drying... Transmission bell drying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonioseven Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) Looks great so far. I have a set of the Vectors from the '69 Riviera kit if you need them. I have no plans for them. Edited July 26, 2011 by Tonioseven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Looks great so far. I have a set of the Vectors from the '69 Riviera kit if you need them. I have no plans for them. Post a pic of 'em, I like to see them! Very interested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Engine is complete.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Moparman Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Looks good, is it my eyes or does in the first tranny pic the tranny looks black? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) Looks good, is it my eyes or does in the first tranny pic the tranny looks black? It's shadows. The tranny is the same color as the second pic and the headers. EDIT: Working on a tan interior now, pix to come. Edited July 27, 2011 by Drake69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artisticndn Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Here's a template for the various style pushbars used in the Dukes of Hazzard. If you print them out they should be to scale. The "California" style pushbar should mount to the car's frame. All you have to do is decide the style you like. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Engine is complete.... No wires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 No wires? If I was better at wiring... Everytime I've tried it for some reason it turned into a major mess. I don't want this to look like a gorilla with garden shears had a field day in my engine bay, so I'll try it again on another model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonioseven Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Post a pic of 'em, I like to see them! Very interested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 Those are really nice, but I'm going to stick with what I have already. Much appreciated! Okay, some pix and a question... Interior is complete, PE on the doors and pedals... CB radio and tach mounted and ready to go.... Test fitting everything... Front is gapped, will need to tighten that up... Front pegs will need to be cut and moved up the brackets for proper fitment of the front wheels..... Okay, now it comes to it. I used masking tape to temporarily build the suspension.... Now,the posted instructions have you drilling a hole 1/16th towards the front in the springs themselves, but I think that's stupid. I can easily shave off that much spring in the front and glue it tight to the body to make it fit correctly. If the height is too "tucked in" when I do this, I can add some styrene in the front part of the leaf springs to even them out and still have it correct. Comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Well, I made my decision. I went ahead and trimmed down the springs in front and the pins off, and it fits perfect now. Wheels are done, chassis is nearly complete, and the car body is drying, more pix to come soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 (edited) Pics... (...having trouble posting up pics...) Edited July 29, 2011 by Drake69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake69 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Should be now... Test fitting the body again, suspension is lining up perfectly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.