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Love it! And that color is quickly becoming one of my favorites

Thank you much Andy

Just beautiful as always Mario!

Love everything about it!

Thank you much Pierre

Thank you. Nice friend ?

Thank you for your kind comments, and I will certainly be looking for your build as well!

Thank you sirs for your kind comments.

That is one sweet ride!

Absolute stunner Alex!

Thank you Mr. Guy

Thank you Alex

Thank you kindly Jim.

Hello All, life has been rather busy lately (isn't that just true for all of us? ), but I have been able to squeeze in a build I've been wanting to do ever since seeing "Ford vs. Ferrari". After the movie, I had researched a bit about the Ford "J" car, and realized there were a bunch of different iterations of this vehicle built in a very short time. The one I liked was an earlier version tested at Daytona in 1966 - and possibly driven by Ken Miles (?). Thus, I purchased an MPC "clear body" model which had been opened and started. The model was missing the engine block, tool suitcases, and one side window, all of which I made from scratch (the engine pictured below was in the box, and clearly from some other kit). It was also missing the decals, but this wasn't a big deal since I wouldn't be using them anyway. The biggest issue was that the body panels were quite warped, and thus panel fitment was quite poor. I'm not sure if this was common for this kit, or due to the paint that had been used lo many years ago. After a 24 hour soak in 91% isopropyl alcohol, I was able to get most of the paint off and start anew. The chassis and engine came together nicely, and had quite nice detail. The only deviation from "box stock" was the addition of a 6-point racing harness. As for the troublesome body panels, the best solution I could come up with was to glue the front clip and cockpit sections together, along with making internal gussets along the rocker panel area. The engine cover was able to remain openable with the addition of removable pins on each side going through the gussets. The trickiest part of build was the two tone Tamiya paint job which required very delicate masking with 2mm Tamiya Curve Tape. This was the first time I've used this tape, and although it is rather pricey, it worked wonderfully. Overall, the kit was fun - albeit challenging - and looked very presentable when done. The only addition to the outer panels were a pair of rear spoilers. These can be seen in the photo of the car being driven for testing at Daytona in 1966. I found researching this vehicle rather difficult, and thus would like to thank three of our members who had been kind enough to post their findings and builds on this forum. Without their reference photos, I'm not sure I could have completed the build. Thank you @Mothersworry, @Gramps46 and @vamach1.

Absolutely beautiful!

Beautiful rendition of a fantastic car!

Just incredible Martin! You know you've hit the mark when viewers cannot tell if they are looking at a 1:1 car or its scale model.

Great build and tribute to a hilarious character! Makes me think of Laurel and Hardy's model T

Just beautiful! And great information to know about the Johan kits. Thank you for posting.

Welcome to the hobby Shawn. GREAT job on this build! I can see a lot more than just embossing powder as special tricks of the trade; the shut lines filled in black, the black window surrounds, silver accents, etc. all conspire to make this one clean model I would proudly display.

I love the build and the presentation Michelle! If you ever want to see a bit of interesting history on the Diablo, check out the background on the Cizeta Moroder 16T.

Great look Tim! I like the subtle customization with the rim/tire combo too.

Sweet build! One of these days I'm gonna do one just like you did, but with a straight six and box stock.

Very sharp John. I'm like you; no build is ever stock because I keep stealing from one kit to build another!

Such a beautiful period color. Well done!