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1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster


mrmike

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This is my new project with the goal of having it completed for the Classic Plastic Model Club Exposition Club Challenge on Sunday October 8, 2017.  The Challenge this year is Convertibles (1937 or newer) in 1/24th or 1/25th scale.  I am building the AMT '62 TBird Sports Roadster this year.

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I was originally thinking of building the TBird stock, but changed my mind and will build it slightly custom with Testors One Coat Lacquer White Lightning with a Model Master Insignia Red interior and a lowered suspension.

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Fellow Club member and friend Paul A. has already scrutinized the body for flaws and has marked them in pencil.  Plus, I have been warned by Paul and Club member Barry about fitment issues between the body, interior, and the windshield frame and I shall do mockups repeatedly before painting to make sure that everything fits together as it should.

More to come...

Edited by mrmike
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Thanks guys!  I've done a little bit of bodywork, but nothing worth showing just yet.  The weather here has been really nice and I have been spending time outdoors working around the house.

Edited by mrmike
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  • 2 months later...

Since Photobucket wants to extort $400 for the purpose of posting pictures of my models, I have started an account with IMGUR and have reposted the photos of my current projects.  I will not repost all of my previous projects.

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The old Calloway Corvette kit had a wraparound windshield that looked a lot like your proposed windshield.

Looking forward to seeing how this progresses!

I'm not 100% sure if I am going to use a wraparound windshield just yet.  It is an idea that I have in mind.  Thanks!

 

Progress on the TBird has been slow to say  the least.  I got the wheels and tires assembled.  I didn't like the wide whitewall on the tire, so I used a black Sharpie on the insert and narrowed the whitewall itself.  Now I need to add a black wash to the wheels.

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I got the front seats together, but I need to sand the edges before I paint them.

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The engine has been assembled.  I have a distributor from MAD that I will be using for this build.

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More to come...

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Thanks Jeremy and Martin!  

I decided to paint the chassis to see what the Testors One Coat Lacquer White Lightning paint would look like.  I like it!

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I got these bits from a Classic Plastic Model Club member long after he threw his TBird against the wall.  He trashed the body and used the engine in another model.  

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I'll salvage the photoetch from the dash and seatbelts for my TBird.

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More to come..

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Man, if anyone is flinging their models against walls, they need a new hobby! Glad you have a good source for spares though! :D

The narrowed whitewalls look good. How did you get the sharpie ring so perfect and uniform? Did you mount the whitewall insert to a motor tool? Use a circle template somehow?

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I just used a fine-point black Sharpie and just drew the line around the edge of the whitewall, which is plastic and has a slight beveled edge to it.  I've done this to several sets of these tires over the years, so it has become fairly easy to do.

Edited by mrmike
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I got the body, hood, and rear seat cover (not shown) into a coat of primer in prep for paint.

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I painted parts of the chassis with Model Master Acryl Guards Red.62TBird12.thumb.JPG.a9b46f168947f52a63bcI painted the engine this morning with Tamiya TS-49 Bright Red.

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More to come...

Edited by mrmike
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Nice looking work so far. I am working on this same kit but converting it to a chopped hardtop. Making a replica of D'Augostino's Firestar 61 TBird. Got the engine and chassis work done. Working away at the body mods.

Looking forward to your progress.

Later-

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  • 4 weeks later...

I was able to spend some time on the TBird and got some things painted and detailed.  I added a wash to the wire wheels.  I painted the rear axle with Model Master Acryl Guards Red and the springs with Model Master Aluminium with a few drops of black.  I painted the steering wheel and column with Model Master Insignia Red and detailed the horn ring and the control stalks with my Molotow Liquid Chrome Pen.  The front springs were painted with the Acryl Guards Red and my Molotow Liquid Chrome Pen.  I have decided against chopping the windshield.  I don't think I could chop it correctly in the time I have left and have it look presentable.

More to come...

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Edited by mrmike
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Thanks Ron!  I am taking my time building this TBird so I don't muck up anything.  You say that you have built three of them, did you have any issues during assembly?

The onlt "foible" I have found in the three I built is that the windshield is a little fiddly to install cleanly. There is no surface to add any glue to it I friction fit the glass in, and hit a dot of watch crystal cement to the corners on the inside after I install the windshield frame into the car. Don't think I am crazy, but I have 7 more of them in the stash.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I painted the interior pieces last night with Model Master Insignia Red.  I will have to re-apply the embossing powder to the interior floor as some of it came off.  The valve covers  and the air cleaner base got a coat of Alclad II Chrome.

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