Chuck Most

This was just a quick and simple "slam it together and get it over with" type of project. I used the wheels from the Revell '49 Merc Wagon, and some of the engine parts from the Revell Cadillac parts pack engine, and did it as a psuedo-MSP car. Kind of my take on an updated version of the MPC '50 Merc police car snap kit, I guess.

You did the impossible, Rob... as in you built a second-gen Camaro that, if blown up to 1:1, I'd not be ashamed of being seen in. Great work all around on this one.

Screw it... I'm moving to Queens.

Thanks guys. Those came from Modelhaus- 1992-1997 Ford Police Wheels. They come molded in black resin with separate plated caps.

I really like it! I've used the Tamiya interior and chassis under couple of other Beetles and it's a very adaptable assembly. Never noticed the discrepancy between the LHD and wiper configuration on the Tamiya kit.

Very cool! I like the idea you have with the taillights- the old Ford "sheild" type lights, but with a round lens. I'd like to give that a try in 1:1.

What he said- though the hood is more "rust" than either color. Rust can turn black though- just sand it and spray some of that rust converter on it.

Nice! I have a similar swap I need to get back to working on- only I'm using the SnapTite drop tob body with a '10 Shelby GT500 as the donor.

I could go for a set or twelve of those...

And yes- that's foil, and if you saw the model in person, you'd notice it's not as neat as it could be. The trim is molded to the body but it isn't quite as well defined as it could be- meaning there are a few slips and less-than-straight edges here and there.

It probably is a bit oversized (it's from a 1:20 Lindberg kit), but it was that or go with something noticably too small. Here's the real thing on a newer style Crown Vic-

VERY well done.

I've wanted to do an MSP cruiser for a long time, and finally just finished up this one. Learned a whole lot of how not to do it, but overall, pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

Way cooler than my buddy Cory's Accord.

Under Glass pics shortly. I hope...

So did I for a while there. I think I might be able to get the pushbar uprights from the Lindberg Grand Cherokee to work for the pushbar on this- despite being from a 1:20 scale kit they look pretty close to what I need.

I'd love to see somebody do a '92 and/or '93-'94 transkit for this. I doubt it would be a hot seller, but a boy can dream, can't he?

I have heard that Jbot isn't accepting orders at the moment- which is a shame- he sells a pretty nice set of Michigan State Police decals I'd like to get, among others. I haven't heard if or when he'll be back up and running with his decal line.

Probably not the "Six Window" versions depicted by the Lindberg kit though- the newest examples of those are 17 years old. The later models (which are available in diecast) absolutely- I'd bet you'll still be seeing them in use as taxis for at least another decade. I do know that taxi meters are easy to make- I've made a couple, I'm just kind of tired of having to make one from scratch every time I need one.

Even though the Caprice and Crown Vic are no longer in use (though I do know of at least one 1996 Caprice that was still in use by a small local agency up until just a few years ago), I still think there would be some demand for parts made specifically for the kits. They do have pretty good existing coverage- I know of alternate wheel choices available in resin for both kits, just as an example, and there still seem to be a pretty good number of them being built. I don't know if parts for these two kits would sell like crazy, but they're certainly subjects worth looking into. The 2000-2005 style Impalas (like the Revell snap kit) aren't as common as they once were as police cars, but the other day I was thinking of a front bench seat for the Revell 2000-2005 Impala- the majority of police Impalas I've seen had buckets, but a few of them do have bench seats. Come to think of it a front bench for the Lindberg Crown Vic might be worth considering too. Same thing goes for the Revell Expedition you mentioned. Have you seen the latest version of that, the SSV? That kit does include some new police specific parts- a grille with molded in flashers, a dash cam, laptop, partitions for the rear seat and cargo area, and a few other pieces. It also has steel wheels, instead of the alloys the previous versions of the kit had. Trouble is- the wheels Revell supply with the SSV version are wrong for a '97-02 Expedition- the version supplied in the kit are from the current style police Expedition, which won't fit a 1:1 '97-02. Current Expeditions have six lug wheels, the version depicted in the Revell kit had five. A CORRECT set of steel wheels for a '97-02 would be nice to have for that kit. The stock alloys were also used on police versions, but the proper steelies would be a nice option to have. And speaking of taxis- I've never really been able to find much in the way of taxi meters in 1:24 or 1:25 scale. Not sure how much interest there is in modeling taxi cabs, but there HAS to be somebody out there who'd be interested in having such a thing.

I've only seriously been getting into US police vehicles in the last year or so, but I've found myself getting fussier about things regarding them. I've had pretty good luck with the decal sets I've gotten so far, but yes, there are some turkey sets out there. Doing a cop car model seems pretty simple on the face of it, and it can be depending on what you're building and how you do it, but it seems like a lot of people don't want to give it that little extra effort. Even some companies that sell factory built police car models miss the mark. Sometimes, the mistakes are pretty glaring- I wince every time I see a particular 1:43 Michigan State Police Ford. There are two pretty key elements to an MSP Blue Goose, and this particular model missed both of them... the hood-mounted hailer (not present on the model), and the Spitfire gumball flasher (the model comes with a Vector light bar). You were right to feel let down by that decal sheet you bought, and I applaud you for trying to make something better. "If you want something done right, better do it yourself" after all. That being said, I've manage to find more gold than garbage with the police car items I've gotten. I have to say I'm more than a little interested in the proper wheels and hubcaps you have in mind to cast for the Monaco- of all that kit's specific shortcomings, the rolling stock is the big one for me- why MPC chose to use those dirt car tires on it just boggles my mind. The Charger stuff intrigues me too, even though I have yet to build the Lindberg Charger. Any modern equipment for the interior of the car would be welcome. Car modelers often use photoetch- though you are right that sometimes these details look a little flat compared to the 1:1 script or emblem they are supposed to represent. Things like grille inserts and mesh patterns would be handy to have. And don't just limit it to stuff for the car itself- for example, I could see a use for a set of handcuffs on the photoetch fret- the modeler could place it on the console, or somewhere inside the car to add a little visual interest. Since you're here and doing parts for Chrysler police cars- here's one I'd like to see- a front bumper fascia/grille piece to convert the Revell Dodge Magnum SRT8 to non-SRT8 specs. I've seen a few Magnums in police use, but none of the ones I've seen were the top-line, special edition SRT. Sounds like you have a pretty specific and solid plan in mind- can't wait to see what you turn up with.

X3 on the shake and knead- that will pretty much eliminate the problem. I get a tube of hardener like that ever so often.

HOW DARE YOU.... .... use that Cadillac for anything other than a derby car. I'd have liked it even more had it been a '59 El Dorado hardtop.

The price on the Shapeways site is for a pair, not a set of four.