echoxrayniner Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 I needed to test this decal set out as I was kind of worried that the twin-stripes were too thin for the printer to do clearly, as well as try see if they actually fit. I also wanted to give this Trans Am kit another go cause in-box, it ain't a Trans Am... no call-outs, no markings so way back(my first forum post in fact), I did a regular Firebird 400 of it in red. So I tried some more home-made little tricks like trying to use ribbon as seat-belts, make seat-belt arms, plumb the entire engine including the A/C unit and so on. So I used some basic Tamiya black and the ever so wonderful Vallejo golds, a whole lot of clear, about 5 hours of stripe work and topped it off with very era appropriate ProTrac R/P Radial tires that were proudly advertised with a half-naked lady leaning against a '78 Firebird back then. The only gripe I got about this kit is the tires being waaaay too thin, this car needed some wide-as-sin rubber, not these small radials. But alas, I will say though - more screw bottom chassis', this thing feels sturdy. Also I screwed up the tail, the stripe shouldn't be on the wing but around the tail-light, but oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Can-Con Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 NJ, First, nice T/A. The decals look good. Second, I went and looked at that red one on your site ,, it definitly is still a Trans Am. My '85 was repainted when I got it and didn't have any of it's decals but that didn't mean it wasn't a "real Trans Am" The Trans Am package is more than just the decals. The flares and shaker hood are also a very big part of it and IIRC, you had the option to delete the decals when you bought the car. In fact, the big hood decal was always an added on option, at over $200! They even have unique serial numbers that separate them from base Firebirds and Formulas. You could get the engine and suspension under a Formula but the hood was different [except for a few '74/'75 SD455s] and they didn't have the wheel spats and vents on the front fenders. Here's a link to a site that will cover the basics. https://tran-zam.com/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTallDad Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Very nicely done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Shifter Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) Once upon a time i stripped and scrapped a 1976 Trans Am Special Edition. There were many changes from 1976 to 1977, though. For future reference you may choose to remember that the shaker callout for the 1977 Pontiac 400 V-8 was T/A 6.6 whereas the sorry 403 Olds V-8 got 6.6 Litre markings. For people who loved Pontiac Motor Division and their products, this is an important distinction. Edited December 10, 2019 by Slick Shifter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echoxrayniner Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) I actually had the T/A 6.6 ready to go on there cut out from the sheet, and blew it off the table after getting up and into the friggin' void forever, so I took the other pair I put on the sheet which were 6.6 T/A and 6.6 Litre >.< Edited December 10, 2019 by echoxrayniner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 This is a very nice Pontiac that you have built, NJ...... especially well done is your interior and under the hood. The paint job and the decals are excellent also, and the Vallejo gold over the Tamiya black works really nicely. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicgas Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWT Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 nice job bro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Nice job on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom99 Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charger74 Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 You nailed it !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonhawk1066 Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 Looks good. Nice job on the stripe decals. The interior and engine details look good also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 Sweet Trans Am! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 Nice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dann Tier Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 Saw this one yesterday and meant to comment on it but got interrupted. I do love me some T/A's and this one is looking really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkychiken Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 build looks pot on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plashdaddy Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 Looks great! I’m working on this kit and am going to try to make those missing Trans Am decals. Yours came out really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LL3 Model Worx Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 You got ol' Fred's mouth watering for a couple cheeseburgers! Nice T/A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 On 12/10/2019 at 2:04 PM, Slick Shifter said: Once upon a time i stripped and scrapped a 1976 Trans Am Special Edition. There were many changes from 1976 to 1977, though. For future reference you may choose to remember that the shaker callout for the 1977 Pontiac 400 V-8 was T/A 6.6 whereas the sorry 403 Olds V-8 got 6.6 Litre markings. Man, that S/E that you stripped would've been worth a mint today! Even in poor condition. Actually, in 78, the T/A 6.6 was for the W72 code 400 with the 4 speed ONLY. 220hp which was as hot as it got in 78. The 6.6 Litre was for the W78 code 400 with automatic (180 hp) or the 403 Olds/automatic (200 hp). The final eight thousand or so Pontiac 400s in 78 and 79 were only available with 4 Speeds. And many of those were stockpiled for use in the 10th anniversary Trans Am Special Editions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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