1959scudetto Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 (edited) The Giugiaro-designed (back then Ghia designer after leaving Bertone) De Tomaso Mangusta was presented to the public in 1966, had a Ford powertrain and was the predecessor of the more successful Pantera. In 2013 I snapped a 1/25 Politoys model of a Mangusta on ebay for little money (It had a few issues, but was complete - I could not let it pass) with the intention to transform an ancient toy into a - more or less- acceptable model. Last year I coincidentally found a Fujimi wheel and tire set which was looking almost exactly like the real ones: Ignition ! I disassembled the model, spray-painted it in a light metallic green, detailed interior and engine bay with paint and replaced the wheels with the aformementioned Fujimi set. License plate and windshield wipers came from Quattroruote die-casts, the exhaust pipes are ferrules from an electric shop, the windshield damage was hidden under a silver decal, side windows fabricated from clear plastic (will be reworked, though). The represented model is some hybrid - it shows some characteristic of the prototype, but misses also some (glass roof, square exhaust pipes) - so I'm not sure if it might be a very early production model (without the openings on the engine cover below the windows) or it was just the freedom of the manufacturer in the late 60's. The biggest flaw could not be corrected - the car is a bit too long and too low (see picture of the real car in my post "old Italian iron from May 6, 2021) On to the pictures: Here is what it looked BEFORE: and here is how it looks AFTER the treatment: Edited October 10, 2021 by 1959scudetto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Fabulous find and your rework is absolutely excellent! VERY well done and model on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Nicely done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Very cool and well done. Reminds me that we will probably never see a Pantera or Mangusta with an engine by any model company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Soooooooooooo much better ! Great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 On 10/10/2021 at 2:58 PM, Snake45 said: Fabulous find and your rework is absolutely excellent! VERY well done and model on! Thank you, Snake ! On 10/10/2021 at 3:02 PM, MeatMan said: Nicely done! Thanks, Dennis ! On 10/10/2021 at 3:13 PM, vamach1 said: Very cool and well done. Reminds me that we will probably never see a Pantera or Mangusta with an engine by any model company. Thank you Rex - I'm afraid you are right. On 10/10/2021 at 3:28 PM, cobraman said: Soooooooooooo much better ! Great job. Thank you Ray - it was fun to pimp this old toy up a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 Really well done. Appreciate your sharing this. I had not seen one before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 23 hours ago, Gramps46 said: Really well done. Appreciate your sharing this. I had not seen one before. Thank you, Gary ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyser Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 A favorite movie car too, albeit seconds on screen in Kill Bill V2. Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 18 hours ago, keyser said: A favorite movie car too, albeit seconds on screen in Kill Bill V2. Nice work. Thank you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 There are a few alternatives but they are very pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 19 hours ago, vamach1 said: There are a few alternatives but they are very pricey. Thank you Rex - the smp24 resin (?) kit looks very accurate, down to the seperate chassis - compare the body proportions with my diecast ! But I don't want to spend a fortune on a model ! The Nakamura kit (at least the red one) has a nice box cover, but I try to avoid these whenever possible: I had bought a Nakamura Lola T70 Mk III coupe and sold it off as soon as I could - it was a caricature of the original car with only a slight similarity. I do have an Abarth 2000 prototype from them, though, that looks a little better, but still will need a lot of work (I will postpone this for my retirement). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencer1984 Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 Excellent work! I have yet to find one at a reasonable price, but you've proven that it is definitely worth getting one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geno Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 Wow, you'd never know that was the same model. Exceptionally done Helmut.😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted October 24, 2021 Author Share Posted October 24, 2021 20 hours ago, spencer1984 said: Excellent work! I have yet to find one at a reasonable price, but you've proven that it is definitely worth getting one. Thank you, Bill - it makes fun to pimp up a cheap dies-cast. 17 hours ago, Geno said: Wow, you'd never know that was the same model. Exceptionally done Helmut.😎 Thanks, Gene - the weak points are the wrong proportions and the heavy hinges for the 2-part-engine cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I always like the looks of that car: wide and flat! Your modifications greatly improved the looks of that model, but since you repainted it I'm surprised that you didn't remove the part number on the underside of the engine cover. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I noticed someone tagged my earlier post with a "confused" tag. I wonder why? What is so confusing there? When I build a model, I try to make it as realistic looking as possible. Real car does not have a large number embossed on the inside of the engine cover, so I would have ground it off, just like I grind off other things that do not belong on a model (like the copyright text on many plastic model kit floors). I mostly hang around plastic model sections of this forum. Maybe with diecast metal models this is not usually done? I'm confused as to what the confusion is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 14 hours ago, peteski said: I always like the looks of that car: wide and flat! Your modifications greatly improved the looks of that model, but since you repainted it I'm surprised that you didn't remove the part number on the underside of the engine cover. Thanks, Peter - I know I should have ground the numbers off, but first I was afraid that I would break at least one of the two hinges (2 out of 3 of these models I found on ebay had one - or both - hinges broken), second: it did not look so prominent with the original matte black paint and finally I forgot about it until I repainted the whole body. I had to repair the green paint 2 times and then called it a day. Maybe I will repaint the underside of the engine covers matte black again, which would look more realistic - but I won' t open this thing very often - it doesn't look very good. 1 hour ago, peteski said: I noticed someone tagged my earlier post with a "confused" tag. I wonder why? What is so confusing there? When I build a model, I try to make it as realistic looking as possible. Real car does not have a large number embossed on the inside of the engine cover, so I would have ground it off, just like I grind off other things that do not belong on a model (like the copyright text on many plastic model kit floors). I mostly hang around plastic model sections of this forum. Maybe with diecast metal models this is not usually done? I'm confused as to what the confusion is. I've got no idea who finds your post confusing - just don't care about this. There is simply nothing to be confused about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyser Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I’m confused why you pointed out flaw after all that work. I’m sure he’s aware, and I agree it is hard to grind on 30+yo metal. Zinc is not very soft, nor replaceable. A zit on Keira or Heidi doesn’t kill the beauty, esp in unseen area. In diecast it is difficult to change some things and not wreck the model. Plastic is easy. Still awesome build. Sorry for interruption Helmut. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 I was not berating Helmut's model. I think the model looks good. It wasn't even criticism - just a question. Plus, if I was posting photos of my model, I would welcome questions, or even constructive criticism. Not sure why it that is not "Kosher" here. Should we all only state "nice model" when someone posts their build, but we see something that we might like to get more info about? I'm glad that Helmut didn't think there was anything wrong with my question. Also thanks to you both for answering my questions. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 Seems that we have some *VERY* confused people on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted October 26, 2021 Author Share Posted October 26, 2021 14 hours ago, keyser said: I’m confused why you pointed out flaw after all that work. I’m sure he’s aware, and I agree it is hard to grind on 30+yo metal. Zinc is not very soft, nor replaceable. A zit on Keira or Heidi doesn’t kill the beauty, esp in unseen area. In diecast it is difficult to change some things and not wreck the model. Plastic is easy. Still awesome build. Sorry for interruption Helmut. Thanks, CL - no need to be sorry (for what?) - I know the flaws in all my models. 10 hours ago, peteski said: I was not berating Helmut's model. I think the model looks good. It wasn't even criticism - just a question. Plus, if I was posting photos of my model, I would welcome questions, or even constructive criticism. Not sure why it that is not "Kosher" here. Should we all only state "nice model" when someone posts their build, but we see something that we might like to get more info about? I'm glad that Helmut didn't think there was anything wrong with my question. Also thanks to you both for answering my questions. Everything is OK, Peter - questions and criticism is always welcome - it would be very boring to read "nice model" in every comment, as is often the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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