ea0863 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 (edited) Hello All! Having just finished a Corvair, I was in a mood to stay with the same theme and decided to build the reissued AMT Piranha "Super Spy Car". Having never seen Man From Uncle, I was not interested in the spy gadgets, but I did find the history of the actual Piranha cars fascinating. I decided to build mine as close to the box art as possible - including the body color. I think I came really close with Tamiya TS-58 Pearl Light Blue, and TS-13 Clear. There is much online already about the quality and difficulty level of this kit, so I won't belabor it much. I would agree that the kit is based on old molds, thus there is substantial work to prep pieces and line up mating parts. Also, the greenhouse is a bear to put together and even under best of circumstances the gullwing doors do not quite shut all the way. But in terms of novelty and the "fun factor", it is a great kit to play with. As a side note, for those looking to build a Piranha like the one in Man From Uncle, there is a beautiful color booklet that comes with the Original Art Series edition that can be very useful to refer to. It also includes a lot of pictures of the spy gadgets - particularly on the dash. Interestingly, the engine shown in the booklet is not turbocharged as the one in the kit, and the decals have nothing to do with the Spy Car at all. The engine can be more accurate with kit bashing any number of other models, which would also yield the appropriate belt system driving the fan from above. To get accurate decals, along with photo-etched door hinges and gadgets, you would have to look at part number PGX192 at Paragrafix. Enjoy! Edited June 5, 2022 by ea0863 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Very nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisc63 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Good job getting this one together, it really looks sharp. You definitely got the box art look. Very well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 13 minutes ago, bisc63 said: Good job getting this one together, it really looks sharp. You definitely got the box art look. Very well done! Thank you Rusty. This is one of those models where I definitely could have used four more hands! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Really nice work on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 18 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Really nice work on this one. Thank you much Bill. It means a lot coming from a pro like you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I've heard this is a tough kit to build. I have a few parts of one and I can see how the multi-piece body would be tricky to get right, but looks like you overcame the obstacles and completed a very clean rendition. Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spottedlaurel Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 That's fantastic. I know nothing about the 1:1 but your perseverance, workmanship and colour choice have really worked out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Chernosky Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Nice to see this kit built. You did a great job. Recently pulled mine out and its ready for painting. I have the PE kit for it and the hinges and some magnets should solve the door problem. They don't fit too badly. I have had the original AMT kit for years as a glue bomb. Also just finished a Corvair project so I have plenty to spruce up the engine. Hope mine turns out as nice as yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 This is the first Piranha I've seen built up and I have to say you've done a spectacular job! David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bh1701 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I built one of these when I was a kid in the 60's. I am certain that mine did not turn out as well as yours did! Looks great! Bart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Nice work. Looks like box top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Great clean looking build. The engine detailing looks good, and I like the air duct to thew engine cooling fan, good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 10 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said: I've heard this is a tough kit to build. I have a few parts of one and I can see how the multi-piece body would be tricky to get right, but looks like you overcame the obstacles and completed a very clean rendition. Very nice! 9 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said: That's fantastic. I know nothing about the 1:1 but your perseverance, workmanship and colour choice have really worked out there. 2 hours ago, David G. said: This is the first Piranha I've seen built up and I have to say you've done a spectacular job! David G. 1 hour ago, bh1701 said: I built one of these when I was a kid in the 60's. I am certain that mine did not turn out as well as yours did! Looks great! Bart 1 hour ago, TNT said: Nice work. Looks like box top. 51 minutes ago, ChrisR said: Awesome! 19 minutes ago, espo said: Great clean looking build. The engine detailing looks good, and I like the air duct to thew engine cooling fan, good idea. Thank you all for your kind words and feedback. Now I'll be off to the opposite end of the spectrum by building something or other with an Allison V-12 in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 (edited) On 6/5/2022 at 5:26 AM, Rich Chernosky said: Nice to see this kit built. You did a great job. Recently pulled mine out and its ready for painting. I have the PE kit for it and the hinges and some magnets should solve the door problem. They don't fit too badly. I have had the original AMT kit for years as a glue bomb. Also just finished a Corvair project so I have plenty to spruce up the engine. Hope mine turns out as nice as yours. Thank you Rich. I remember your two Corvairs, they were great! I can't wait to see your Piranha when it's done! Edited June 6, 2022 by ea0863 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulbo Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Nice and sharp built👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencer1984 Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 That looks great, nicely done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 Beautifully done!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drodg Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 Great looking build. I bought the kit a few years ago for the great Goodyear blue line tires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy grumpy Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 What a cool project, your efforts obviously paid of seeing it complete like this. Great job on assembly and finish. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastheniker Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 Odd vehicle, looks like a merger of Lotus Elan and Lotus Europa. Perfect execution! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted June 8, 2022 Author Share Posted June 8, 2022 2 hours ago, Plastheniker said: Odd vehicle, looks like a merger of Lotus Elan and Lotus Europa. Perfect execution! I couldn't agree more Jürgen - - - I love the oddball vehicles, especially ones you can't find ready-made as a diecast. This one is most interesting because it was a real car that AMT the model-making company actually offered to the public. It was in essence a kit car based on Corvair mechanicals, and a number of them have survived to today - including the "Spy Car" itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 I'm guessing your door fitment is probably better than most of the 1:1 that actually got built. Great clean build of an unusual subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted June 8, 2022 Author Share Posted June 8, 2022 2 hours ago, jaymcminn said: I'm guessing your door fitment is probably better than most of the 1:1 that actually got built. Great clean build of an unusual subject. I suspect you're right Jason. Fiberglass manufacturing industry was still working the kinks out back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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