RancheroSteve

OK, I got it foiled! I can see a few small flaws in the photos - funny how it works that way - but it looks pretty decent to the naked eye.

Well done - clean & simple!

I'm not a Grand Sport expert by any means - maybe someone who is can weigh in - but based what I've read, my guesses would be: Zora Arkus-Duntov, who was heavily involved in the Grand Sport program, was not a fan of the split window. Maybe they already knew the split window was going away in '64? Also remember that the Grand Sport bodies were handbuilt, so they could do what they wanted with the body. Finally - and perhaps most likely and importantly, it was probably a little lighter - and they did everything possible to take weight off that car.

It's a custom blend at this point. The instruction sheet lists Tamiya XF17 as a choice, so I started with that, but it looked a little too dark so I lightened it up a bit.

Point taken Tim, but I have to think the truth will come out in the end, and a good open discussion is a way of getting at that truth. Most people who consider themselves knowledgeable on a subject are careful to not go out on limb - if a factual error is made there are plenty of opportunities for someone to call them on it. In the case of the '65 Comet, it's not really that a rare car and reliable info is pretty readily available.

The interior is done. I added a fire extinguisher and a couple of gauges to the dash. I also made a spacer to move the pedals down and closer to the floor.

It's the "Scale Motorsports" cowhide decal. I bought a sheet a few years back thinking I'd use it someday. After I painted the seats, I was able to use the masking tape as a template. Truth is, it wouldn't be that hard to do with paint if you have slightest artistic sense. Cowhide is a pretty forgiving pattern.

I don't see the brace or the wiper motor as a huge deal. Some folks (myself included) who are very familiar with these cars were mentioning a few items that they saw as being less than perfect, but no one said these things would stop them from buying the kit - or that anybody else should refrain from buying the kit, which based on what I've seen looks darn good. The more one knows about a specific car, the the greater the likelihood exists that you'll be a "rivet counter" when it comes to that vehicle. In the instance of the brace, it couldn't have been molded in place anyway - it has to be a separate piece, so doing it as an Export Brace makes some sense. If someone wants to do a 100% correct factory stock build, they'll figure out a way to fix it. That's part of what model building is about. To the best of my knowledge the perfectly accurate kit has not been made yet. As I said earlier, I'm not going to try to do an in depth critique of this (or any) kit based on a few photos of what may or may not be the finished tool. But I think if somebody sees something they have the right to point it out. I think most of the members here appreciate what Moebius has given us over the last few years and have the sense to not "throw the baby out with the bath water". I think it's only natural in this day and age to expect products to be intensely scrutinized. Certainly standards for detail and accuracy are way higher than they were when I was first building models, and information is way more available. I think the dialog is healthy - it's a big part of the reason we come here.

The interior is done. Starting with the very basic and shallow three piece interior (tub, dash and steering wheel), I decided to go for something splashy. Red to match the roof with cowhide inserts. I added arm rests, seat belts, window cranks, turn signal stalk, rear view mirror, a little BMF, and Fuzzy Fur for the carpets and the package shelf.

It would make sense that the Mustang wiper motor would be in the same location as the Falcon's - as I'm fond of saying, a Mustang is just a re-bodied Falcon. The wiper motor (original as far as I know) still works on my '63 Ranchero, so I'd say it's a pretty reliable part.

Yes, I noticed that too. The air cleaner also looks a little too flat to me and there are a couple of other mechanical details that seem a bit off, but I'm trying to withhold my judgements until the kit is in my hands. Enough about it looks right that I'll be buying at least one for sure.

Try to arrange a tour of the International Model Car Builders Museum: http://www.themodelcarmuseum.org/Tours/tours.html Nothing to buy there, but lots to see.

Nice work - always good to see the Futura!

It's been a while since I built this so I can't remember all the details, but I was able to get it to fit acceptably - maybe not quite perfectly - without too much hassle.

Its not too difficult to carefully separate the center section of the canopy, then only attach the front and rear sections. The thickness of the "glass" makes it pretty difficult to hinge prototypically, but you can leave it loose for removal.

Ha, OK - if you say so! The fin trim is looking a little scary to me.

Thanks for all the good suggestions on colors, guys. It's just out of the paint booth. After some deliberation I decided to go with: Testors shiny "Revving Red" with a little Tamiya Pearl Clear on the roof and the little spear on the side; Mr. Hobby 1500 Black primer on the body. I'll wax the primer a little just to even it out. I think the black will set off the chrome trim nicely, the red will go with the wheels and will be carried over into the interior (coming soon). I've got some BMF-ing to do!

After all the amazing work you've done on this, I think you can handle plug wires.

Slowly but surely, a little more progress - it's taken me a while to figure out how to approach making the windshield frame. With nothing commercially available that was suitable, I decided it would have to be scratchbuilt. I drew a frame on paper and fit it to the body, then scanned that template and refined it in Photoshop. After some more trail and error, I got this: I think I have it about where it needs to be. Next step is to photo-etch this in brass and add some channel for the glass. Thanks for looking.

I saw it at my LHS today. I've got the previous issue so I'm not sure I need another, but it looks like a really good package!

I still see some pretty wild vans around on the street:

Not my thing at all, but I totally appreciate your enthusiasm, your sense of humor, and your writing skills!

Looks like it's out of print and going for more dollars than I have laying around. Wish I had a copy, but I can't complain - I've got a pretty good auto reference library. Can't have it all!

Here you go - hope these are legible enough.

Thanks guys. The upper arms fit just fine and are much more delicate than the kit items. I don't have any good reference photos, so I'm only assuming they're more prototypically accurate. Mine also came with a good set of instructions on how to install them and also how to lower the front ride height. I haven't gotten to the headers yet, but they are supposedly a much better fit than the kit parts.