Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

'71 Hemi 'Cuda


Plowboy

Recommended Posts

There's a story behind this old model. Thirty five plus years ago, I bought and built the Street Machine version of this kit. I built it straight out of the box just like the boxart. I even used the flame decals. But, I hated the mismatched wheels it came with and the fog lights mounted to the front bumper. So, I gave it makeover painting the red interior black and the body and bumpers red. The mismatched wheels got replaced with the Centerlines from a Monogram '70 Chevelle that I had bought later. I loved the way it looked with the painted bumpers (sans fog lights) and new wheels! 

One weekend, my brother and family was down for a visit and I was showing him and my nephew my models. My nephew was still a little guy. But, he went nuts over that 'Cuda! It was all he talked about with me the entire weekend. So, I decided to give it to him since he liked it so much. My thought was that I would just buy another one and build a twin to it. But, I couldn't find one anywhere! Just the stock version. Now, I kinda regretted giving it away. 

Fast forward to discovering ebay and I thought, "now I get my old street machine 'Cuda back!" That was, until I saw the price it was going for! No way I was gonna pay double for it! Which now is much less than a new kit. Later, I came across the stock version molded in Orange for $5 plus $5 shipping. That'll do. Since I couldn't build a twin, I decided to change the color and go with Model Masters Go Mango topped with Tamiya TS-13. I still wanted the look of the original and used the same wheel and tire setup. I decided against painting the bumpers body color and used Plasti Kote Aluminum on them. While it's not a twin to the original, it has the same vibe and feel to it. Although it is a dated look. But, it brings back a good memory of how my nephew reacted when I gave the original to him.

20210829_150607-1.jpg.e801d902eb7c375a5f98c7605e3c8a97.jpg

20210829_150705-1.jpg.7a445d12cf56ad68450041a718293076.jpg

20210829_150732-1.jpg.1e137ac13ce797368c6db75bfe3e9af1.jpg

20210829_150759-1.jpg.e48849e7143e74f4ce7903a2fc6422a9.jpg

20210829_150634-1.jpg.f538bbcef3bde8c74c24dc96f34edb53.jpg

20210829_150928-1.jpg.2d027985a26797ac0f43a19c2d93560a.jpg

Thanx for checking it out! 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Classicgas said:

Beautiful!  Kudos for correcting the grossly inaccurate front fender panel lines. Everyone ignores that, and it's such a easy fix. Improves the look 100%.

You beat me to it, and that was the first thing I was gonna mention. VERY well done, and model on! B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Classicgas said:

Beautiful!  Kudos for correcting the grossly inaccurate front fender panel lines. Everyone ignores that, and it's such a easy fix. Improves the look 100%.

Thanx Lee! It makes a huge difference in the looks IMO. I did a bit of re-engineering on this kit. I made the front valence and grille separate. That made painting the grille simple and allowed me to glue the rear valence in before paint. Anyone who's built this kit knows how tricky it can be to install the rear valence cleanly during final assembly. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, espo said:

Beautiful really clean looking street machine. Did your nephew ever get into models after you gave him the original ? 

Thanx David! Yeah, he was into models for quite a while. Don't know if he still is or not. He's now in his mid thirties, has a family and small farm. So, I don't know if he has the time any longer. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great backstory Roger, very cool!  Great work on those front fender panel lines, I plan on doing the same on the one's I've got, too.  She sure captures that street machine look well from back in the day. Well done!  I, too, have fond memories of that old street machine kit as it was probably one of my first five glue kits I ever built, and was my favorite for quite some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/31/2021 at 6:28 PM, bogger44 said:

Great backstory Roger, very cool!  Great work on those front fender panel lines, I plan on doing the same on the one's I've got, too.  She sure captures that street machine look well from back in the day. Well done!  I, too, have fond memories of that old street machine kit as it was probably one of my first five glue kits I ever built, and was my favorite for quite some time.

Thanx Tony! Back then, Monogram was my favorite. I probably built every one they ever made. The flip front '66 Chevelle was a favorite also. As my luck would be, about a month after I built this, Revell reissued the Street Machine version. But, I never did get around to buying it.

 

Thanx to everyone for all of the great comments! I appreciate it! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Roger! I’m a real sucker for models with a story. Great back story on this one, I’d be willing to bet that in about 10 years or so, your nephew will be back at the bench building. Thanks for sharing another one of your beautiful  builds. I’m digging the classic look and stance. I never notice things like corrected panel lines and such as I’m not that knowledgeable. There is often wayyyyyy more work in these models than most would know. I  look forward to your next project!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...