mrmike

I neglected to post the pictures of the completed interior. More to come...

Thanks Carl, but I can't take credit for the tip. That came from The70judgeman. At this point, I cannot go any further with McQ's Trans Am. I am still waiting for paint to arrive, and so I'll continue working on my Mercedes SLS.

I got the engine reassembled and back into the chassis. More to come...

Well Charlie, I stripped the wheels of their chrome plating and painted them accordingly to match Pontiac Rallye II wheels.. After doing more research and listening to some sound advice, I have pulled the engine apart and repainted it with Model Master Big Bad Blue, which looks close to the GM corporate blue used in '73. I washed the front and rear windows and the interior and seats. The interior will be repainted and I may use embossing powder on the carpet. More to come...

I paint detailed the wheels tonight. I cleaned the tires of the white letters and installed the wheels Then I installed the wheels and tires onto the chassis. More to come...

Thanks for that tip, Mike!

Thanks Fabrizio! I detailed the dash this afternoon. Have a look... The chassis has been repainted and the front and rear suspensions have been installed. The 400 CI Poncho motor has been installed into the chassis. More to come...

I'm glad that you do, Arnold. Thanks! Bodywork is done and it's time for paint to fly! This is two mist coats of Tamiya TS-85 Bright Mica Red. I'm really happy with this color and after two mist coats, the coverage is fantastic! I'll have to get more of this color for an Audi R8 that I want to build later. More to come...

The Merc is back on the bench! Since I need to do some filling of sink marks, I pulled out my trusty tube of Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty and started to fill sink marks in the nose of the body, both doors, hood, and side view mirrors. I'll let the putty harden up and start sanding. More to come...

Thanks Carl! As far as I know, Brewster Green is a solid, non metallic color. I want to be as close to the 1:1 car as I can since I may use this model for my club's Club Challenge during our show on October 6,2013. Rob, this does not surprise me as the violence in the Duke's movies was never at the level of Clint's. While I could see John Wayne as Dirty Harry, he just wouldn't be as violent as Clint's version.

I read many of the posts on this thread and I can understand exactly how Rob feels about this. Like many others, I am my own worst critic and sometimes I take criticism the wrong way. I work hard on a build only to find something wrong after I posted a build in Under Glass. The close ups reveal flaws and mistakes that I missed or created and forgot to correct. Criticism is fine only when it is presented in a fashion that doesn't insult or anger. Postings like "You paint job leaves lots to be desired" could be presented better as "You appear to need a little more prep work on your painting. I would like to suggest..." Don't trash the guy because his body work is not the best, but offer some advice. Word it so you don't insult or hurt the builder's feelings. We all have feelings, some of us are not as thick skinned like others. I too, have gone back to the basics again. Building box stock using the basic assembly techniques I have learned all those years ago have helped me tremendously. Sometimes I try something new, but I find that going back to the building basics helps. Even at the age of 60, I am still learning...and practicing...and learning...and learning...

It not the greatest of The Duke's movies, but it was a different type of role for him. I read that he turned down the role of Dirty Harry when it was offered to him. Well, painting the body is on hold as a friend of mine is sending me a 12 oz. can of Brewster Green automotive paint. So, I'll pay attention to the rest of the build until the paint arrives.

Thanks guys for the help! This happens to be my favorite Firebird body style, too! After much thought and research, I have changed my mind on the paint. To me, Brewster Green is not a metallic color. So, Fathom Green Metallic is out and in its place will be Tamiya TS-9 British Green. This paint looks closer to Brewster Green than any of the others I have looked at. Tonight, I took the engine apart and painted the engine block with Model Master Pontiac Engine Blue Metallic. The intake will be repainted along with the pulley/belt assembly, power steering pump//alternator assembly, and the exhaust manifolds. More to come..

I tried to find your T/A in Under Glass, but I was unable to find it. When I started this project, I had decided not to special order any paint and I am not about to search through all the auto shops in my city looking for a specific color. I have the paint on hand and it cost me very little to purchase it and so I will use it. I appreciate your information and I'll make another attempt at finding your completed T/A. Thanks!

I suspected that the interior had the changes made to it. But, I haven't had the time to thoroughly research that generation of the Firebird. I've been piecing the body back together. Some additional cleanup and it'll be ready for primer. One thing I noticed on McQ's Trans Am was that it had a chrome drip rail over the side windows and additional chrome here and there. Using some .010 x .030 Evergreen Strip Styrene, I added the drip rail. More to come...

None that I am aware of. That doesn't mean there wasn't any changes made since the 1970 1/2 introduction. I am proceeding on the premise that there wasn't any changes made and will finish the Trans Am as a 1973 model driven by The Duke in the movie. While doing some research, I looked at the steering wheel and noticed the closed holes in the spokes. I said to myself, "I've gotta open those!" I rinsed off the body that had been soaking in Easy-Off since this morning and with an old nail brush, I removed the decals, enamel clearcoat, and some of the trim paint. When the body is dry, I'll start prepping for paint and reattach the side mirrors and rear spoiler. The nose piece will be painted seperately and reattached during assembly. Even the wheels look great! I wished Revell had used these in the '69 GTO The Judge kit instead of the shallow ones. More to come...

Having read this thread from start to (I'm sure it's not) finish, I think I'll be sticking with hobby clears from Tamiya, Testors, or Duplicolor. I cannot justify the add expense of using a 2-part clear on my models. If someone else wants to use them, by all means, be my guest! You should use whatever works best for you and I happen to like like using the hobby clears. BTW, I do use a respirator while spraying paint or clear especially since I have asthma and I don't want to risk an attack and damaging my already fragile lungs. And, I like Cherry Vanilla or Fudge Swirl ice cream...

The early Firebirds are my favorite compared to the later Firebirds. The later Firebirds lacked in the brute force that the earlier Firebirds had. This wasn't one of The Duke's better movies, but it does have it's moments. The car sound effects were typical of a Warner Bros. movie for the time...stolen from Bullitt. But, it was kind of nice to see John Wayne in a different type of role. I am hoping that Fathom Green Metallic is close to that of Brewster Green. Last night before I turned in, I blew apart the T/A. These parts will be cleaned and stripped. These parts will be cleaned and freshened up. The body parts are under a good coating of Easy-Off. More to come...

Thanks Carl and Pappy! I have completed my '87 GNX and it is posted in Under Glass. I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to view and to comment on my WIP.

This is my refurbished '87 Buick GNX. I originally built this model back in the Nineties and it was in need of a restoration.

I have this Trans Am lanquishing on the shelf and it is in need of a rebuild. I have been toying with the idea of converting it to McQ's '73 Trans Am. Now, if you are not familiar with McQ, here's a little back story. McQ is a motion picture starring John Wayne and it was released to theaters in 1974. McQ is a police detective living in Seattle, Washington and he, like many other detectives on TV and the movies, has his own style of detecting. He becomes embroiled in a case of drugs and murder while trying to deal with corruption within the Police Department. His vehicle of choice is a dark green '73 Trans Am, which seems like an unlikely car for the Duke due to his size. The dark green color harkens back to Steve McQueen's Bullitt and his '68 Mustang GT as a bit of a tribute. I present to you my Pontiac Trans Am that I built back sometime in the '90's. For now, my plan calls for Model Master #28120 Fathom Green Metallic. I do believe that the McQ Trans Am was Brewster Green but none of that color exists in hobby paint and I am not about to special order any paint. First order of business is deconstruction and a good cleaning! Then, it'll be prep for paint. More to come...

More progress! I got the interior reassembled. The engine has been installed intro the chassis. More to come...

I have finished my '64 Belvedere and it is posted in Under Glass. I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to view and to comment on my WIP.

I have been thinking about rebuilding this one for a while now. This is the Monogram Buick GNX that I built many years ago when the kit was released as part of their High Performance series of kits. This was one of the first kits that I wired the engine and ran heater hoses which were included with the kit. Follow along as I rebuild Buick's last real attempt at true high performance. A hot soapy bath and a good polishing with Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0 produced this! I may clearcoat the body and hood. More to come...