Faust

Man, you don't see people take T/As and make Formulas of them very often! Well, at least not in the 1:1 world! I love what you've done! Those wheels are amazing, and your attention to detail (like the steering wheel center) is amazing! Great work all around!

Yeah, I've noticed that too about primer. It's especially true on lighter colours, like yellows, reds, oranges and even lighter blues. That's why I always prime a car body in grey, and then, if it's going to be some other metallic colour, I try to put a base coat of a close, non-metallic colour down.

Oh man, you guys rock! Thanks so much for that swatch and the pic. It is more or less what I expected, which is a silver/olive drab hybrid. It is very nice indeed. I like the two-tone, but alas, the X-11 is "too sporty" for such a trim. the stock Citation isn't, though. I think the gold decals will look good on that colour too. I love that the Caprice above has the Fern interior, too! I have a Mobile Suit in pretty much this colour. As for getting the colour, I'm going to mix it with what I have, and we'll see how close I get. For me, if it's close,it's good enough. No one else is going to be able to argue convincingly, because I've never seen a pic of an X-11 in that colour! It was offered, but I can't help but wonder how many notchbacks came in that colour in '83/'84. Thanks again, guys!

Hey all! As you may (or of course, may not) know, I am about to start building my Citation X-11. I have done way more research than I wanted to, but have determined I can do it as either an '80, or an '83 or '84. It seems the X-11 notchback was only available then. Despite the fact it is most likey supposed to be an 80, I don't like the scoop on the door, and I want to do a meaner one. So, I've decided on the '83/'84. However, looking up the colour options, not too much leapt out at me. Sure, there was white, silver, and maroon, but I'm going to have lots of maroon what with my Camaro, Fiero GT and my already built GTA. The, I saw that in 1983, you could get a colour called "Light Fern Metallic". I found a paint site that had a "sample" of it, but that's just a computer-rendered colour. Does anyone out there have ANY pics of ANY early 80's car done in the Light Fern Metallic. It doesn't have to be a Citation, any GM will do. Also, if there are ANY pictures of the "Light Fern" interior on any GM, that would also be appreciated. Has anyone ever seen an X-11 Notch in Light Fern? I never have, and that's why I am now compelled to build it! Thanks for any help you guys can give me! This is the kit I'm using; I think it will do for any of the years I intend to model. https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/revel-124-chevy-citation-xlowrider-oob/

I love it! Clean, not overbuilt, just straight out beautiful. Great work!

I'm here because I love to build car kits, and this board is THE place to do share the hobby! The guys (and gals?) here are friendly, helpful, encouraging and bloody talented! I love getting help and feedback on my stuff. I also am here because I love to build cars that are a bit odd. I also build the cars I grew up with, but those were 80's losers. I like to build those so people don't forget how sad cars got. I guess you could say I'm rooting for the automotive underdog! It's always great to come around here, get some news, share some stories, and I love it when people tell the stories of their own cars that are like the kits I've built. This community makes car building one of the most rewarding experiences going!

I guess this proves that Horsepower > Reindeerpower. That is a great pic, and I wish Santa well with his new ride. I do see some problems getting home to the North Pole, though!

Man, NO power steering? That would suck, especially on a front driver! I agree; the notchbaks are better looking to me, too. Of course, I prefer the Mustang II Notchbacks over the fastbacks as well. To me, fastbacks from that era just scream "welfare beater". I don't know why, they just look low-class and pre-POS'ed up. It's the same for Monzas, too. The good news is that the Citation won the poll, so once I clear off the plane I'm building now, it'll be going into production! Rejoice! (?) Now, I just need a good colour for it. Does anyone have any good photos of X11s they might have owned?

I know, the "Alluring and Aggressive" does look like something I'd write, doesn't it? It's so far out there, that it's almost tongue-in-cheek sarcasm! However, I assure you that I am not responsible for that! Oh man... making it into a Corsica would rock. Making it a wagon would also be a cool what-if! A Nomad for the '90s! Hmmm... Now look what you've done!

Scott, I was going to make the same joke! The good thing about the Revell plastic is that it's actual plastic, not the weird paper/plastic/formaldehyde/nuclear-waste hybrid of real Trabbies! In a way it kind of explains the Citation kit... Trabbies are so bad they're interesting; maybe the Citation is the same way?!

Hey Mike! I love that Hot Wheels too! My brother is the keeper of Hot Wheels (that aren't Go Kart or otherwise short and dumpy) in my family, and he has a couple of those. He also has perfect in-pack J-2000, but that's another awesome story altogether! I don't think I have what it takes to convert it to a Hatchback, at least not yet. I think I'll have to back down from that challenge, at least this time! I remember a lot of hatchbacks, though very few notchbacks. That's why I like this model: the notchback is something even more bizarre to kit than a hatchback Citation!

I agree, the GTO is much cooler than the rest, that's for sure! Goodness don't the Aussies know how to build a car, though? Their Monaros, Falcons and Commodores are so much nicer than what we get here! Sweet on the Trabant, Tom! You have great taste! I was going to get that kit, but I saved shelf space and actually managed to get a Honday an MPC D50 and a '79 Capri, so I did okay. How is the Trabi as a kit? I'm really looking forward to the new Rabbit/Golf 1 coming out soon.

Scott: I ask, because sometimes it's more fun that way! I love the way car builders are such a tightly-knit and interested community, and it's fun for me too to see how some of my 'oddball' choices do in terms of a popularity contest! Besides, it's just something light and fun and silly to do, and I felt like it! I sometimes ask my brother, or mom or dad to go to the stack and pick what they'd want to see built next for the same reason; the randomness can make it more exciting! Citation's definitely taken a lead. I know that the other two aren't real Notchbacks, but they're as close as my collection allows. That's awesome, Art, that you were in on the GTO! I had a chance to get the kit that comes with the 1/64, but someone got it before me. I do have the JL of the GTO though; I went out and got one separately! It looks so much nicer and more professional than the Citation does; wrapping the windows separately really helps a car kit; I wish more people would do it!

Thanks, Mark! I appreciate the vote of confidence! I'm sure execs would rather I build the newest kits, but it's always fun to revisit the past for me! I agree, I've never seen the GTO either. It's the best kit of the three, I think, in all honesty. However, it's also the least loserish! I didn't vote in the poll, since I couldn't pick one in the first place! Sadly, the GTO is behind by a lot. The Citation is running away with it for now. Maybe, Glenn, you need to start a campaign?

Hey all! Going through my stash of loveable losers, obscure autos and just plain everyday cars, I noticed that I had a number of choices that all attracted my attention equally. So, rather than stew on it for a while, I decided to see if you guys could give me a hand! Check out my new poll on The Sprue Lagoon, and help me choose my next car to build. Thanks in advance for the assistance, too! http://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/vote-for-notchvember/

Beauty, man! That looks nice; that design of Panther is a bit odd, aesthetically, but you've got it looking really nice. Makes me want to build a GCPD AV-98 Ingram Labor! Great idea using "imaginary" PDs as topics. It's a car, and it's Sci-Fi at the same time!

Okay, that's good to know. I don't know if I've ever seen one of the early/mid '80s Mustangs in that green. Ford has a thing with greens, it seems, since there was the one dark green (Dark Jade?) available on the Taurus SHO Plus cars the one year as an exclusive colour. It was then available on all SHOs (maybe all Tauruses) the next, but for the one year it was very limited. So you could get a normal 5.0 in this 4E then, eh? That would make a cool looking pair! Does anyone know when they discontinued offering that colour?

Of course the Iron Duke rocked! It was a Poncho motor! Poncho Power! C'mon, you had to know that was coming!

Yeah, that's true. You gotta wonder how much GM was "encouraging" them to pick the X-Car that year, eh? Don't worry about it, lordairguitar: I will definitely be building it stock! I can't waste an opportunity like that!

Man, I'm glad to see that the Citation elicited such a wide range of responses. Just like when I dissed on the Pacer, or any of the other loser machines that I build, I take great pleasure in kicking cars when they're down. However, I think it's my job to help balance the "rose coloured" views that age gives us! I'm sure not every Citation sucked hard, but a lot of them did. A colleague of mine bought one from his Uncle up in North Bay area when he was younger. The car was only 2 years old, and seemed to run fine. On his way home to Brantford, though, it kept overheating. The mechanics checked it, and it was fine. Driving it around thereafter, it would constantly overheat. It had only run fine because it's so cold up in North Bay! They never did solve that problem... I am surprised that they made it a Notchback as well. The hatch is the one I remember seeing more of, but I really hated the lines. I much prefer a true notchback to a hatchback, although I like Fastbacks. Figure that out, eh? I think it's awesome that the X car was Motor Trend (I believe) Car of the Year when it came out. Hmmm... eating a bit of crow, maybe? The article goes on about how awesome it is, but this was all written before any time had passed, and the weaknesses had manifested themselves. Sure, there were a lot of groundbreaking things in the Citation, but nothing radically new that Europeans and Japanese hadn't been doing for a while when it came out. GM might have wanted to steal some good ideas, but they did a bad job executing them! That's what happens when you get behind on production and demand is higher than you think. I believe that's what happened (in part) to the Citation; they had to cut corners to get numbers. A classic auto industry dilemma, and one that almost always ends badly! I have that Cavalier, you guys are talking about. It's not so bad, well, except for the tires. What with my Chevette, Cavalier, Citation and '84 Fiero 2m4, I've got a whole stable of forgettable but well-remembered GMs! Glad you guys are enjoying the article; I don't know when I'll get around to building this, but it will likely be a red '82+, or a maroon '82+. I don't want to mess with those side scoops. They look awesome on the front of that ricer one above, though!

If you guys have followed my builds, you know that my tastes run to the unusual. I love loser cars; they’re what I grew up with and I can remember them sucking even when new. I have found myself to be quite blessed when it comes to finding kits of these things, too! For example, I don’t think there’s much more of an automotive failure than the Chevy Citation. Well, okay, maybe Ladas and Yugos, but for American cars, the Citation is about as bad as it can get. Heck, even exploding Pintos don’t seem to suck as badly! (Or do they?) Regardless, I have been lucky enough to get a Cavalier and a Chevette, but I was missing something from the GM Trinity of Failure: A Citation! That has now been corrected, and I’ve got an Out of the Box review for you of the Revell 1/24 Citation kit. It’s not a bad kit, but for some reason they did it as a lowrider! What the… “Thankfully”, it can also be build stock! Check out the awesomeness here! http://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/revel-124-chevy-citation-xlowrider-oob

It's a nice colour; I wish it had been available more readily! I don't know what's with Ford and their greens; the SVO Plus was the only SVO you could get in green, too, in 1987 or '89 or whenever they were offered. The dark sage really seems to channel the whole "Bullit" thing, but I've never seen it mentioned as such. With grey Torquethrust wheels, though, it would be an interesting take on an update, don't you think? Does anyone know if the 4E Dark Sage was used on any other Fords in this era, or is it totally unique to the SVOs?

My Uncle has all his Dinkys from when he was a "wee lad", so to speak! He's given me his army stuff, since he knows I'm a military history buff. I have quite a few HotWheels and Matchbox cars from 30 odd years ago, too. My Uncle has his Matchboxes from the 50s. I grew up knowing they were called "matchbox" because the old boxes looked like a box for matches. Are kids now even going to know what a box of matches looks like? I love old toys of all kinds. Toys are the one thing that really tell a story, at least to me, just by looking at them. They ooze with the hopes and imaginations of the generations that spawned them. I'm glad there are others out there who feel the same too!

Oh yeah, Tootsie Toys were awesome too! I don't have many if any of those now. Old toys were and are really cool. A totally different vibe from today.

One thing I always loved as a kid was tow trucks. Of course, I also loved anything that was an army vehicle. Now, I don’t build much if any armor, but thanks to the Dinky company I can satisfy both my childhood loves with the Scammell Recovery Tractor! This is an old Dinky Toy from the late ‘50s and into the ‘60s. Like all Dinkys it’s a really hefty toy with some neat, albeit crude, detail. Sure, it’s not as precise as a kit, but the old military Dinkys have a feel and presence all their own. Being someone who’s interested in armour, but not enough to build it, I find replicas like this are indispensable. Add to the fact that the thing is, in itself, a relic, and it’s even cooler! For something a bit different, check it out: http://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/cool-stuff/military-dinky-toys/dinky-toys-scammell-recovery-tractor-no-661/