Faust

Oh, sure thing! I'll edit the first post! Good pointer, and I'll try to remember to do it in the future. Thanks!

Thanks! It is quite a grey-green; my camera has trouble with the colour, actually. The main reason I didn't post the pics here is because I have them already on my website, and I figured there was no reason to use up ModelCars' bandwidth when I've got lots! Also, to post the full article I wrote here would make for a long post, so I figure having it all in one place, conveniently accessible with a click, is a good compromise!

Well, after a lot of work and some delays, the Citation X-11 is finally done! While the Revell kit (an old Monogram) isn’t the best car kit I’ve built, it really wasn’t bad, and it’s quite accurate, other than the bloody turbocharger on the engine. I build this one in the “Light Fern Metallic” colour that I’ve never seen photo evidence of on a Citation, but that the brochure did say was a colour. You know, with the nice wheels, a suitably subdued colour scheme and the blacked out trim, I really don’t think the Citation looks bad at all. Sure, it was kinda geeky in its day, but by today’s standards, it’s pretty distinctive and does look, dare I say it, a bit mean! Check out my little green machine here, and let me know what you think! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/cars/revell-124-1984-chevy-citation-x-11/ Thanks!

Awesome job! I would love to build cars I've owned/driven, but they don't make kits of them! (Anybody got an '85 Grand Marquis kit? Better yet, what about an '09 G8 GT?) I do love to build kits I remember growing up, though, so I totally get the buzz of building something you're familiar with. My brother did that with his ride, a '96 Caprice. It looks great and remember fun crusin' times is alwasy a great thing, even better when you're modelling! Now, what else have you driven/owned you could build?

Thanks for the input, guys! The paint for the interior was actually made from RAF Sky, but the exterior paint will be custom-made from pigments and Future, and maybe some Sky too, I'm not sure yet. This one is taking a bit longer, because I've got some comission work I've got to do too, and that's pushing the Citation back. I guess it doesn't really take much to push a Citation backwards, eh? I love that brochure site. Definitely going to be visiting that one A LOT. Thanks!

Oh shoot. Oh well, it is what it is now, I'm not going to bother repainting it, I don't think. Of course, for next time I need the Light Fern interior, that will come in handy! I hope I need to do another car with this interior colour; it's quite attractive! Thanks, Charlie!

Modelling oddball cars is one thing I love to do, but it’s hard to do it when it’s SO oddball that there’s not even a single picture anywhere on the net to help you! That’s the problem I have with doing my Citation X-11; I wanted to do it in a neat and obscure colour, and Light Metallic Fern is definitely that. Thankfully, someone got a picture of a Caprice in that colour, and mercifully there was even a bit of a hint of what the Light Fern interior looks like! Believe me, trying to find pics of a Light Fern Citation interior… totally impossible. Thus, this representation of the X-car’s green front office may be the only one you’ll ever see, unless you’ve been in the real thing! Does anyone actually know how close I managed to get? Check out my Citation’s interior here; I finally got some more time to work on it, and I hope it’s at least entertaining; it’s as accurate as I could make it! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/%EF%BB%BF%EF%BB%BF-citation-update-3-green-from-the-inside-out/

Sorry, I didn't see this topic when I posted my review in a new one! Thanks for getting it to the right place, whoever is in charge of that One thing I found surprising was that the tires were lettered! Why is it that this kit can get lettered tires, but so many other new, and I think reissued ones, don't?

Glad you liked the review! I missed out on the ability to be part of the Vannin' scene back in the day, but I remember seeing lots of them at car shows when I was a kid. They were always my favourite things. Thanks to modelling, now I can own multiple vans! This thing is rough, sure, but man, once you see the wood and studded Naugahyde inside, you KNOW it's going to be worth it! I'm hoping that Round 2 will pop out some more old Van kits; there were sure enough of them back in the day!

If it’s one kind of vehicle I really miss seeing around, it’s the old ‘70s street vans! I remember when those things with murals, and crazy interiors, were everywhere! I have a real soft spot for their creativity and outlandishness! That’s why I love to build street van kits, although I don’t have many of them. I have to say I was disappointed by the “Vantasy” kit from a while ago, since half the fun is the interior, and it doesn’t have one! Thankfully, the reissue MPC HighJacker does have one, and man, does it ever scream out its age! I managed to snag one of these recently at my LHS. There was NO WAY I was going to turn it down, and when I got it home, I was pretty excited by what I found. Check out my review of this long-lost and long overdue model. Just make sure you extinguish all smoking materials, please. Oh wait, never mind… https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/round-2-mpc-120-highjacker-oob/

Nice! I don't think I'd have ever thought of that paint job! I love this: Amen to that!\

That's the thing with GM. By the time they get the styling and mechanics all right, the car's life is over, or they kill it soon after. It was the same with the Fiero. The early ones had problems, including those engine fires and they looked pretty dorky, if you ask me (hence why I have a kit of one!). However, by the time the 88 GTs were on the street, the styling and mechanisms had improved a lot, and it was a pretty good car. It's a shame that always happens. I think the Citation could have really helped American auto makers against the Japanese if it had been built properly. Having them be quality nightmares only drove more people to the Hondas and Toyotas, and that's where many have stayed.

Oh man, a 1/700 Type XXI really would be an afternoon build! I wish they'd make one of those in 1/350. Heck, they make one in 1/144, but not 350? So odd. I do have a 1/144 Type XXIII that should take about as long as your Type XXI. Have fun!

Hey man! Nice choice for a first kit! My mom had a '67, so I have a place in my heart for F-bodies. Of course, I also own an '80 T/A, so that helps! If you do need to strip the car, use Easy Off, but the yellow can, not the blue "non toxic" stuff or the liquid spray. Only the old "instant lung failure" yellow cans work well. I've screwed up kits before; part of learning is learning how to undo mistakes! There's nothing wrong with learning through experience! If it doesn't turn out the way you wanted, all you have to do is make a list of things you want to learn, and then come here and ask about them. Then, just try stuff on other kits as you go! There are lots of kits out there to hone your skills on! I applaud you for trying, no matter what happens; we all do! Good luck, and keep us posted!

Is it the original kit from the '80s you have a couple of? That's neat! I never could figure out why they made the weird "club racer" version. What's with that; I know it has a separate kit, but what class of custom/racing was it supposed to be for?

Oh, one question, too: Does anyone know if there were ever plans to introduce a turbo on the Citation? I know there was a Turbo Omega (Turbomega?) concept, but I don't now if that extended to the Citation or not.

With the body done and ready for painting, it only makes sense to move to one of my favourite parts of a car, the engine! You can’t really have a sporty Citation X-11 without one, although maybe the performance difference wouldn’t be as dramatic as you’d expect, but still. After way too much hard work, I do, in fact, have the engine on the Monogram X-11 complete and mounted in the rather unspectacular chassis. Man, I tell you, I think I put more work into getting this motor to look right than the folks at GM who designed it! There are a couple of major problems I had to work around but I’m pleased with the result. Take a look here and tell me what you think: https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/citation-update-ii-engine-trouble

Thanks, James! I still think it looks like it's bent in the middle!

Man, if you thought the body was some work, wait until you see the engine! I do love a kit with some interesting quirks and challenges to work around, though, I must say. I hate kits with Photoetch. Grrrr...

Well, the X-car bug has bitten me hard, and now that the holidays are over, I’ve got some time to get some Citation building done! Since people were apparently excited to see the Citation done, I have begun the long, and I’m sure, to be painful, journey of recreating one of America’s most vilified autos, the Citation X-11 Notchback! There are a lot of issues with the way this one goes together, although the kit quality looks nice as far as detailing and overall fineness goes. The body, though, has a few bugs that need to get ironed out first before I can even get going on the other parts. Check out the first build update here: https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/citation-update-1-body-not-to-be-in-white/

Just in time for the new year, I have completed a new kit, the Hobby Boss 1/350 Astute Class submarine! I was drawn to the fact that the Astute doesn’t look like all the other black tubes out there; it actually has some neat contours and a lot of character, especially with that weird “hunchback” design. I must say that, photoetch aside, I had a good time building this kit, and despite a few flaws, it was a lot of fun and a pretty simple build, especially compared to some of the old dog planes I build much of the time. Since I’m pretty new to building ships and subs, I’d appreciate any feedback you can give me! Thanks, and Happy New Year, all! https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/ships-and-tanks/hobby-boss-1350-hms-astute/

I agree with you, Bill, about styling being all gear towards "sameness". It's not as interesting or as exciting as it was before, that's for sure. Of course, with aerodynamic calculations, government crash regulations and now the pedestrian impact safety standards (Europe only, I think, but that's why new Mercedes cars have the vertical grille), there's only so much a poor stylist can do. I would hate to be a stylist now; you'd have a vision, and it would end up looking like a Fusion/Civic clone when done! Must be disheartening. However, I disagree with the Charger thing. I find the 1999 Charger plain and weak looking. It looks like a viper and a Concord had a love child, but all the good parts got lost! I find it uninspiring and tepid at best. By comparision, I really like the first of the "new" Chargers, and the 2011 restyle is, to my eyes, the most beautiful car on the road today. The 2014 restyle is terrible; it's just back to an uninspired subcompact (Dart) inflated to full-sized proportions. Blech. Ron: Nice cars all three! I'd love kits of the first two!

What's with the surf boards? I don't normally associate surfer culture with Vanner culture, but it sure seems that the Japanese do? The Lite-Ace custom I posted at the start of the thread comes with a matching surfboard, too! I think it's great they way they try and put "Americanism" into these street vans, but it just doesn't work. You know, like a single side pipe, mags, etc. So bizarre!

I second that, Harry! Gaute: you have a great way with words! Well done, sir! I sadly agree about the change of the car from an expression of styling and engineering prowess to little more than a rolling toaster. It's a sad thing...

ABSOLUT ELY!! I'm a big metal fan, but that includes hair metal from the 80's so anything from Maiden and early Metallica through the newest European power metal stuff, like Iron Saviour, Jorn, Primal Fear, etc. Of course, Dio, too. Gotta have Dio, especially when working on street vans... I also listen to documentaries on space, archaeology, military history, and sometimes, for shiggles, weird UFO shows. I don't really like sports, but I do like Jim Rome, so I might put him on too, if the mood strikes!