Hawk312

I think this may have fallen off the radar for a lot of us since it was first announced months ago. I noticed, as was rumored, that Revell now has this listed as an August release! I would love to see what is inside whenever you guys get ahold of one. I probably wont get mine until sometime in September regardless. Here`s the link: http://www.revell.com/model-kits/cars/85-2623.html Thanks.

This thing is fighting me for sure, but I am keeping my head together and not losing it. Though it is tempting.... I am pretty sure I am going to have to leave the roof line alone after looking this over. All the window trim is molded as separate pieces, even around the side windows. And any minor modification to one part, let`s say the door window openings, will only exaggerate the inaccuracies elsewhere. I think major hacking is going to be outside of the scope of this project. I did make some progress on the rear fenders and the coves on the sides. Some minor tweaking is needed to get it perfect. High-build primer is going to be my friend on this project.

This is the Revell kit, the Road and Track `65 Shelby. I think it came out in the `80s. The body is really rough. The customer is asking for Wimbeldon White with blue stripes, so that is what it will be. What do you guys think of the roof line/door window lines? It is tempting to go at them with a razor saw.

Thanks again for the kind words everyone!

I`m back after taking a long break from any serious building. And because I am apparently a glutton for punishment, I decided to go ahead and build this one. This is a really rough mold for sure. It is very toy-like, and every body part is requiring heavy sanding to get them to line up. I am making alot of modification to the body to try to get something that resembles a fastback Mustang. What you see here is already at least 10 hours of grinding, sanding, reshaping, and filling. This will likely take a couple months to complete:

Hanover? Really? For a while there I was heading to a hobby store in Hanover every weekend. It was well stocked and had a nice selection of old and new kits, paints and supplies, and aftermarket parts, but closed down several years ago. I assumed from a lack of business. Not sure how a new one is going to do thee, but I hope it works out.

Uggh. And I have like 10 more `8x-`9x kits left to build.

Wow. Really surprised to see so many comments on this one! Thanks everyone! Here is the exact kit I used: Most of the fitment issues were with the body, especially the hood which seemed like it just did not want to line up with the rest of the body. It took alot of sanding and bending to get it close. I didn`t even bother to install the headlights bracket and all that under the hood, as it interfered with the engine and lifted the hood off the car a good scale 4 inches or so. The rest of the body took alot af sanding, filling, and scribing. The rear suspension was just a mess. With all the problems worked out, it seems to be a pretty accurate and detailed kit though. I was actually surprised at the amount of detail on this kit (even though I built versions of this kit about 20 times in the `80s and early 90`s), with the exception of the decal sheet, which only contained two decals neither of which was a real license plate. And.....I stand corrected on the year. I had this sitting right next to my `85 coupe kit, and assumed it was the same year cause they looked the same. I think it is an `87. Good eye to those that caught it.

Not too much to say about this one....just wanted to build something weird. All the fitment issues, and there were alot of them, makes me appreciate how far the hobby has come in the last 25 years.

BTW, I am pretty familiar with the LS1`s. Below is my White Firehawk and my wife`s Purple Trans Am, both with LS1`s: They are great engines. Mine is around 430hp at this point, and still gets 28mpg on long trips!

The Revell Ram Air Firebird and Camaro SS kits both have this engine, as well as some of the older Corvette kits from `97 to 2001. IMO, they build up very nicely. I know the Ram Air Firebird is still readily available.

Monogram `67 Corvette! But I am a little biased. If Revell ever re-releases this, hopefully they include the rallye wheels from the big Camaro kit (also a great kit!). I think there are a few 1/8 kits that we very convincing as well. The 1/8 `79 and `80 Trans Ams look real when built up. I have also seen some *very* convincing builds of the 1/8 Camaro Iroc kits. I just wish they would also would have molded a 1/8 Trans Am/GTA kit as well, since they would share so many pieces. They did this in 1/16 scale (those kits weren`t that great IMO), so I`m not sure why they didn`t do it in 1/8. As others have said, the `69 1/25 Camaro kits from Revell. I think you can build just about any version you want....RS/SS, Z/28, hardtop, convertible, big block, small block, Yenko, Baldwin Motion....etc. Also with a little work, almost any of the 1/25 Corvette kits can be built to look like the real thing. The Tamiya F-50 kits and the Fujimi F-40 kit were great and built up convincing, IMO.

Welcome! I am from PA too, but nearer to the southern end. Lot`s of great people on this board and lots to learn and see.

Just thought I would put her together with her "sister" in the display case:

Ohhh....and everyone, I am finding all kinds of wonderful uses for sharpies and paint pens. Amazing how much a wife, kids, and house will force you to become more efficient at car modeling.

Thanks. Really all I did was just give it a couple mist coats of the Tamiya, then a couple thick coats, then a good rub-down with 3M rubbing compound, followed by meguires swirl remover.

It is Tamiya TS-16 from the can right onto the bare plastic. About 4 coats total. Very unusual for me, but like I said, I was just throwing this together quickly.

Ahhhh.......don`t put that kind of pressure on me. I can`t live up to that. The wheels I shot with Krylon Chrome paint, as I thought the kit chrome was just way to bright. The Krylon gives it a polished aluminum look. It also went on very well, IMO.

Thanks everyone! It`s the Revell kit. As far as I know, it is still available. It`s been re-boxed several times with a red and a black version on the front, but here is the current box art:

I got tired of seeing this one sitting around, so I decided to throw it together quick. Nothing special going on here, just added ignition wires and flocking. No clear coat this time...just alot of buffing. It went together alot better than the `86 Trans Am, but it still had it`s issues with the bumpers and a few other areas. But it looks really convincing in my display.

Thanks guys. Looks like this would be alot of work. Is it just me, or are almost all the proportions way off? The roof line height and shape. The ride height. The headlight diameter and "flat" front end. The wheels and tires. The blocky side coves. Here is a pic for reference:

Has anyone built this? What are the details like? Any pics of the actual model would be appreciated.

Siiiiiggghhhh.....memories. I remember buying an `82 Trans Am kit in `82. And then an `83 in `83. I remember them being $4.99 at Kay-Bee toys.

I`ll just say I would really like a 2011 Charger kit, snap or otherwise, as long as it is convincing. I`d also like to see the new Gran Sport Corvettes in kit form, but that is another thread. :P

Here is another. This is an oldie, but still one of my favorites.