'70 Grande

I agree with all of the accolades already presented, but would add that this car would look fabulous as a 1:1 in my garage! That's my highest compliment!

I wonder what the story is behind that Baja/off-road version!

DaveM, Thanks for the quick-review! Many of us have been waiting for someone to get their hands on this kit, and it looks like you're one of the first! Where'd you get it from; a major retailer, you're local hobby shop, via mail order, or somewhere else?

I have to agree with Blunc here. You're paint-detailing skills are exceptional and very cleanly done, (love your firewall)! Use that same talent when painting your interior and i think the results will be much better than a coat of flocking! Nice save on this Cougar; its looking good!

270 horses for the 57's drag race competition to dislike!

Chuck, Very cool... my '70 Grande was my second car, (after a '68 VW Bug that I bought from my folks). My Grande was a T-5 Grande; no Mustang plaques or logos anywhere on the body of the car. I purchased it from a Army Lieutenant who bought it brand-new in Feb. of 1970 in Germany, when he was stationed there. He drove it throughout Germany for over 2 years, (had a few stories about driving it really fast on the Autobahn!), then, because he loved the car so much, had it shipped back to the states when his commission was completed in Germany. It had a 351 Windsor, console-shift automatic, deluxe Grande interior package, air conditioning, power steering & brakes and an unusual half-vinyl roof. I loved that car; wish I still had it because T-5's were unusual then, and are really unusual today!

Okay, how 'bout this interpretation of the "BENT EIGHT" decal: The graphic before the lettering is a "bomb", so it reads: A...bomb...bent..ate or "Abominate" Webster's definition: "Something greatly disliked or abhorred; aversion or loathing". Which seems appropriate for the name of a drag car!

The tires that you used look slightly-larger than the kit-supplied tires; do you know where or what kit those tires came from? Are they resin? This is a great looking build; it is exactly as they appear in my home-state of Iowa, the hog-producing capital of the world! I can almost smell the odor that rides along with these rigs wherever they go!

What do you suppose the "BENT EIGHT" drag decal with the lit bomb artwork refers to? (I think there's some lettering on the bomb artwork that I can't quite read that might explain this decal for me.) Anybody get what it means?

I'm goin' with "Model". Its a nice one, too!

Wow; a really cool build! I'd bet you'd have "white-knuckles" driving that little beast down the 1320!

I've always loved the 3-spoke chrome wheels found inside this kit! They are a little-bit "custom, racing, sports car, mag" all rolled into one! What are the (4) tires like inside this kit? They look to be pretty wide, and kinda low-profile!?!

Love this Retro-look back at a great, vintage kit! Thanks for posting it. Now, I'm the guy that actually "dislikes" the one-piece chassis, and I always replace/retro-fit them with a more detailed unit that has separate suspension pieces/exhausts/shocks etc. If I were to attempt a chassis-replacement on a 1965-69 Connie, what would be a good kit to get those chassis and suspension components from? AMT 1966 Ford Galaxie?

Beautiful build Jeff! Is this the Polar Lights kit? Did you build it with the 427 or 429 engine, (looks like the 429 decal is on your hood)? I had always heard that fitting the 429 engine into the engine bay on these Polar Lights kits was next-to-impossible! If that's a 429, how'd you do it? What other issues did you have building this kit? (I'm asking because I'm about to start one myself; the Wood's Bros. Mercury).

Roadhawg: That is a fantastic build! You captured the 1:1 car really well! Your paintwork and decals are outstanding! How did you get those decals made? They are "spot-on"! I'm looking forward to your future projects from this racing-series! Nice job!

Love this build! Great detailing and paintwork! I've been following this project as well; its a great tribute to the time when Nascar race cars weren't covered in sponsorship paint and hundreds of decals!

That paintwork is awesome! A assume you primered the entire body before applying the paint, right? Did you have any problems getting the acrylic craft paint to "stick and hold" to the primer?

Man, that's a cool build! I can imagine seeing it in 1:1 scale, with exhaust rumbling outta each of the usual lower-side panels and also coming outta the combined-exhaust stack in the roof... kinda like a vintage steam locomotive. LOL

About what year is that beast, anyway? Mid-to-late 1960's or is it 1970's vintage?

Rob: That is my theory, too, as these tires came out of my parts box, so I cannot confirm what kit(s) they originally came from, (AMT or MPC). I'm hoping the Avanti kit's tires match "Tire Size A" in my photo, as I've been looking for just one of these, "smaller & wider" Blue Streak tires for a long time now. I've got a project going that has 3 of the "A" tires, but needs a fourth to be completed!

Regarding this kit's tires, below I have posted a pic of the same Goodyear Blue Streak Stock car tires as found in previously-issued AMT and MPC kits. There has always been a mystery to me regarding these tires. My photo shows Tire A on the left, with a 1" outside tire diameter and a 11/32" tire tread width. Tire B on the right side of the photo has the exact same sidewall lettering and tread-pattern, but has a overall different size to it; a larger 1-1/16" outside tire diameter and a narrower 9/32" tread width. Why would the exact same tire have been issued in two distinctly different sizes? And, what are the overall dimensions of the Blue Streak tires found inside this Avanti kit? (In the previously-posted Avanti kit photos, the Blue Streak tires look even narrower than the "skinny" Blue Streak Tire B that I have)!

Stunning build! Beautiful paintwork and detailing! One of the finest-looking builds of this Mustang kit that I have ever seen! Great work!

Really nice paintwork and build-quality! Did you use the kit-supplied front tires, or are those front tires from another source? (They look slightly-larger in overall size to me, but maybe its just that the spoked-wheels are slightly smaller).

It would be interesting to see, if the, "molded in White or Clear plastic" question is one of those questions that we modelers could have some impact on answering for Round-2. I, personally, would prefer the body to be molded in White plastic. I suspect that Round-2 believes there might be more potential sales in a Clear-molded body, (the same reasoning that was used when this kit was originally issued by MPC in the mid-1970's). I'd like to see a poll of model builders to see what other builders think. Then, if possible, I'd like to see the results of that poll communicated to the product-people at Round-2. I believe, if Round-2 used the results of that poll in the reissue of this iconic kit, they'd get nothing but positive results from the marketplace. ("We listened to you, model builders, and are giving you the product that you've asked for!")... just my two cents!

Time to start saving my pennies then! I wonder what price this kit will retail for?