whale392

If you say you want a more realistic build, I would get the 19" sleeves and make a pair of XS Tuning wheels or the Revell Tuner Acura/Subaru centers fit them. the 23" sleeves will give it a severe 4x4 stance without major surgery to the wheelwells/engine compartment/backseat area (ask me how I know). I like the idea you have here; check out either Tiger Racing or Maier Racing for some killer ideas. Steeda and Agent47 also have some cool stuff to look at, and don't forget Griggs Racing. (yes, Maximum Motorsports has an SN as well)

If it will be there Thursday, it can sit next to my semi-started mess of a 62! Looking good Ron........at least you are to the paint stage with yours.

9 Revell-O-Gram 1991-92 Mustang GT converts 3 Monogram 1983-84 Mustang GLX verts 5 Revell-O-Gram 1987-88 Thunderbird TurboCoupes 6 Revell 1993 Mustang Cobras 4 Monogram 1985 SVO Mustangs 4 Lindberg 1965 Dodge Coronet500 converts 4 Lindberg 1965 Dodge Coronet500 Hardtops 4 Revell Mustang GT500s 5 Revell Mustang Turbo Cobras (and one Capri version of the kit) 2 Monogram 1979 Mustang Cobras A whole slew of the various MPC early FOX Mustang variants (to include the SVOs) 8 Revell Datsun 510s 8 Revell Acura Integra TypeR 8 Revell Honda Civic SI sedans 5 Revell Honda Civic Hatches 4 Revell 1967 GTXs........................ ..................and that is just off the top of my head and in my closet at the moment.

Do it Chuck, you know you reaalllyyy want to!

Art, Thank you for the side-by-side comparison. I still come up about 3" too long in the front fender area when I compare the scaled-up dimensions to those taken from a friends 1:1 1988 RavenBird (all Black TurboCoupe). I also hadnt addressed the rear bumper area yet as I honestly haven't had it up on the car, but your side-by-side shows it to be a little long just in the bumper cover area. Looks like I will be taking a little off the mating surfaces and bringing it back into scale visually. Thank you all for your input on this kit. For those who are reading this that haven't built this kit, I would recommend it as it is probably one of the best fit-wise and construction-wise Monogram did in the 1980s.

I stand corrected by my own investigativeness. I once stated that there wasn't a good T-5 tranny in 1/24th scale and that I was going to have to modify the SROD that comes in every Mustang kit from Monogram/Revell in 1/24th scale. Well, I got to working with the 1/24th scale Revell-O-Gram 1987 Thunderbird TurboCoupe kit and realized that IT IS A T-5 tranny! I will have to mate the T-5 cases to the SROD bell (after modifying the Bellhousing of the SROD), thereby giving me a good looking T-5 for my 1991GT project. I am excited and went out to buy another Turbocoupe kit just to scavange the T-5 to use as a master for resin reproduction. More progress pics coming soon.

I used to live in St.Cloud/Kissimmee. For no other reason than to have a club to come home to when I leave Ohio I would love to see you guys get one together.

Branden, The inner fenders also have a fit issue with the engine bay, so painting the engine bay before the test fit might have been a little premature. Look up a 'Twin Bees' build thread here by sickfish (Cliff); he was doing two at once and was superdetailing them, plus showing us how he fixed some of the kits ill-fit issues. The 'Bee looks good so far, keep it going.

Looking good Jeff! I have always liked the 'Gulf' paint schemes, and it just looks right on a FOXes squared off lines.

Perhaps it is photobucket being Photobucket again, but it tells me 'Page not found' or 'file doesn't exist' when I click on either of those links. Yup, went back in a minute later and was able to view the photos with no problem. Looks good so far; I will keep an eye on this build (guess it comes from being a FOX fan!).

Tim, my first introduction to the 2.3T world was a friends 1986 SVO. I didn't really know, appreciate, or understand what it was at that moment; I thought 'oh yeah, a 2.3 with a turbo; like this is going to impress me'. Well, I climbed in and we went for a run. From idle to about 2100rpm it was what I was expecting, angry farm tractor acceleration. But when we crossed that 2100rpm threshhold and that HX35/HX40 hybrid started coming in and was full on 32psi by 3000rpm, I felt the wrinkles being pulled from my marblesack! That was the most violent reaction I think I have ever felt from a 4 cylinder up to that time, and it scared as well as invigorated me. No longer did I look at a 2.3T the same. Later, I found out about Jon Huber and his 1979 Mustang Ghia 2.3T and what he was running with it!

Someone has had a body in developement for about the past 4 years now, don't know if it has made it to the production master stage yet. I am waiting in the line for one of the bodies, I will tell you that much. Matt; thanks for the compliment on them, the fronts are done and awaiting me to get to setting the cars final ride height so they can be finish-glued together. As they sit now, everything is just press-fit/loose-fit together. I need to finish the caster/camber plates for the front so that I can finalize everything. I will be taking the 1991GT Mustang build and the 1987 TurboCoupe build to the Toledo show on October 9th as projects. We'll see how they're recieved there........lots of work to do before then though!

Ok Tim, that TurboCoupe is sweet! I see by your album that you are somewhat of a 2.3T Lover...........with this TurboCoupe and a very nice SVO to give you away. After intense viewing of the side-on shot as compared to the side-on shots of the 1:1 1987-88 TurboCoupes on my workdesk; the kits nose (front fender-to-nose area) is still too long in the kit version. My measurements scale it to be 3" too long, not much but .120" is noticable in scale. My biggest hurdle with this will be getting the taper in the hood to line back up correctly, the second biggest will be the fender bodyline, third will be taking the proper amount out of the engine bay without altering the wheelwell/k-member locations. I have a 1:1 1984 Mustang GT Turbo, the baby SVO, sitting in my garage. My spare engine (being built up as a Folvo/Holset/LS-2 beast) came from an 86 XR4Ti, and I have a set of the Dark Royal Blue 1988 TurboCoupe seats sitting in storage waiting to go into a project. I have a love for my 5.0Liters yes, but there is just something about a 2.3T when boost onset hits HARD!

Thanks Matt........still hasn't been moved yet though. Oh well. These are going into a TurboCoupe build I am working on, but I thought I would post a pic anyway as they are the prototypes for my 1991GT build. They are Bilstien Coil-overs (non-adjustable shocks); my 1991 has Konis with a sleeve kit (I am working on the scale renditions of those right now....they will be in with the update pics of the 91). I still have to add the black to the shock end recesses (for the Poly bushings) and the overall black wash to seperate the shock body from the shock tube. Let me know what you all think. It took me the better part of the day to scratchbuild them. They are .090" styrene tube (shock body) with the center drilled out to accept the .062" styrene rod (shock strut). I then found a 6-32 screw and wound .020" safety wire around, counting the coils and cutting/pinching/stretching to get the right height. I made the sleeve stops/spring perches from scrap styrene turned down to .1685" diameter (springs are .1560" O.D). paint is Tamiya French Blue (close match for the Bilstien Blue), Tamiya Bright Yellow, and Tamiya Silver Leaf. Thanks for looking.

That is one very nice TurboCoupe Harold. Once it is all together, the nose doesn't look as horridly long as it really is. But a straight-on side shot shows it to be a tad too long in scale to properly echo the real cars dimensions. Thank you for posting those pics, and for the heads-up on the headlight bucket fitment issues. I will put that info to good use on this build.

Did you shoot it with Tamiya paint? Reason I ask is that shooting Tamiya paints will re-activate other Tamiya paints if the chemicals leach into the body/other paint layers!

Very nice S13 indeed! If more imports were built to this level, perhaps they would get more respect in the modeling world.

This is the first issue of the 1987-88 kit, as the copyright date is 1986. I can't vouch for the other kits tooled from this one, but the body matches EXACTLY to the original 1986 issue I have of this kit (Red car on the Red/Sunset box). Well, I hacked .125" off of the front fenders forward of the wheel openings.....it looks MUCH closer to the real cars proportions. Now to 'adjust' the inner fenders/core support and redo the hood. On a side note, I have the new wheelhouses made, the gas tank cut out and new trunk floor installed, the rear coilover shocks/springs made, and the interior drilled for the roll cage (all of this is rough first-cut stuff, so it is in the UGLY stage). Thanks for all of your inputs; I do love the FOXes and want them to look somewhat accurate (even if the wheels are a little too big), this is no exception.

Any more on this one Matt?

The paint alone was worth the finished product view. Beautiful work.........two thumbs up!

Thanks Mark.......and suprisingly this kits suspension/floorpan area is MUCH nicer than its FOX Mustang brother kits. I don't forsee having too many build issues with this (except what I am doing to turn it into a Pro-Touring type build) except the nose. To me, I noticed it right away......then again I love the TurboCoupes and have worked on/raced with/parted out a few of them. And I figured you would be one of the first to respond (Mr.Closet-Fox-Lover!).

Got the front fenders thinned, and the door skin surrounds thinned to give them a realistic thickness. Got the taillight housings cut from the body and boxed in. Pics to come when the camera battery is charged and I upload them to Photobucket. Mods, move this to the CBP section please.

No pics (yet) but some progress was made on this. I got the body in primer and guidecoat........she still needs some work around the c-pillar/body area and some more filler on the roof joining seams (it came ghosting back once the primer hit it). Got the sleeves back from the machinist; had to send them back as one of the cut dimensions was inaccurately reproduced (easy fix......will have them back Friday). Got the rear wheelwells made and glued in, the headrests cut and shaped, and some more minor body shaping done/filling panels created.

I have worked third shift for the past 13 years (or some variation of it anyway), so my body is used to being up when the pale moon creeps across the darkened sky. Now that I am temporarily on days and suffer the wrath of the flaming Orange sphere (how soothing her warm embrace is though), my evenings are free for the most part. My body still harkens to the night, and too often I find myself deep in building/scheming/plotting upon my plastic world until I look up to see spears of morning glow piercing the dark. Makes for a long day with no rest between.

While this might not be the correct place for this (I do not consider it a new kit review), I will ask here. I am working on the re-release (Revell 'Basic Builder' version of the original Monogram release) of the 1987 Thunderbird TurboCoupe. From my research, pictures, drawings, and my eyeball calculations it appears the front fenders ahead of the wheel openings to the nosecap are about a scale 1/16th"-1/8th" too long. Subsequently, the hood and engine compartment would also be too long. Has anyone built this kit and do you believe the same thing (when compared to the real car)? I know about how I am going to correct this issue, but I would still like input before I commit knife to plastic. Comments welcome.