mrmike

Pushy?!! When have you ever been pushy? Well, we won't go into that! That is a great idea Cliff and one to consider for the future. But, right now I have other projects in mind that I want to do including finishing my Mannix Dart GTS convertible and starting a Spenser For Hire '66 Mustang from that series first season. Thanks for the idea and if you ever get back to building, you might want to consider that Challenger, too. Good idea!

It looks like an overpriced Shelby 427 Cobra to me. I can't wait to see if ol' Carroll's lawyers jump on top of this guy and shut him down!

After much hesitation, I finally got the body into primer and I see that I need to do more work on the fender transition to the spoiler. I was getting anxious see some paint on the hood. This is one coat and a little more TLC is needed on the hood. I hate doing bodywork! Mounted under the dash and to the right of the console is a mobile telephone that was considered "state of the art" in 1968. This was merely a prop on the 1:1 car as it wasn't hooked up nor had an antenna. I'll be making one of these. Did I say I hate doing bodywork? Mannix will return.....

Thanks Dave! I seem to recall the Shaker 340-S on the other forum. I think it was at the same time I did my Challenger R/T 340 Shaker using the T/A kit. Anyway, you are correct that building "what-if's" is a fun alternative to building factory stock and I would do it again if I can think of one that is appealing to me.

Thanks guys! This is a favorite build since it was fairly easy with the low parts count, but it also challenged me when I used the 426 Hemi in place of the 340 6-Pak. There were a few issues to sort out and if it wasn't for the help of a few members, I probably would still be working on it now.

Thanks Mark! I've been meaning to ask you about your avatar. Is that your dog and is it a Golden Retriever? The reason why I ask is I have a 105 Lb. Golden Retriever myself. He's a great dog and a good friend! I have finished my Challenger Hemi T/A and it is posted in the Under Glass section. My thanks to all who took the time to look and to comment on my WIP.

This is my Challenger Hemi T/A painted with Model Master Hemi Orange Lacquer with a semi gloss white interior, Cragar SS mags, Shaker hood scoop, and Shabo tire lettering.

Thanks DW and Dave for the suggestions! I used the MRC wheel set spacers on the Shaker scoop to alter the angle as Dave suggested That's much better! The rear panel has been assembled and will be installed onto the body when it's dry. I'm hoping to finish the Challenger Hemi T/A today. More to come.....

Thanks Brandon, Ian, and Jon. And, thanks for the link! I'll check it out. Decals are on as well as the wheels. And now I have run into another problem to solve. The back of the scoop sits too low while the front is at the correct height. The motor angle cannot be altered anymore than it is now, so I have to come up with some creative way of leveling the scoop with the hood. Meanwhile, I'll continue with finishing the Challenger while I ponder a solution. More to come.....

The chassis have been completed. Foiling is completed and decals are next for the body. I need to finish up the wheels and wheel backs and add some extra detail to the engine bay. More to come.....

Dave, I can see why my Challenger would remind you of El Hemi! Sharp car and the model that his son built of that car if just absolutely awesome! Scratch building the valve train in 1/24 scale takes real skill!

Brandon, I realize that you are a young person here and I think you once said that you wanted to hear any and all criticism and I do apologize if I am wrong and I am only saying this to give you encouragement, not to knock you down. I see some sloppy detailing on the chrome trim and probably done with either a not too steady hand or you where rushing to get the job done. Slow down and take your time with this. A slow and steady hand will produce better results and in the long run, a better looking model. Can you go back and fix any of this? Maybe if you had masked off the roof with masking or scotch tape to do the trim, a better job would have been the result. Have you ever tried Bare Metal Foil? Maybe this is something you can try in the future. I know you are trying to make your version of the '69 Charger S/E that I built and I feel like I should try to help you along if you want my assistance. As I said before, I am not trying to knock you down, but I am trying to encourage you to try and do a better job on your Charger. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I have finished the interior. I went and added the front suspension and then the Hemi. The Hemi wasn't sitting right as the headers were sitting on top of the tie rod assembly. Out came my Dremel and a sanding bit and I ground away at the headers until the Hemi sat on top of the K-member. I repainted the headers, but I still didn't like what I saw. I sat at the bench staring at the chassis and started to wonder where the original exhaust manifolds went and what I was going to do next since I didn't like the headers now. I looked the my display shelf and grabbed a '71 Hemi 'Cuda that I built back in the '90's and removed the exhaust manifolds from that model and installed them on the Challenger Hemi. I wished I had thought of this a long while ago and I would have saved myself a lot of work and headaches. Speaking of headaches, foiling is next! More to come.....

Thanks Nico! I usually try to leave the air cleaner, engine cover, or in this case, the shaker scoop, removable to view the extra details on the motor. If I didn't care for the underhood details, I might as well just glue the hood shut.

Thanks Brandon! Yes, MAD has great looking distributors and other products, too! The Hemi is 99% complete. I need to do a little more detailing. I even ran a fuel line to the carbs. The Hemi with it's hat on, ready to go outside to play! More to come.....

I cleared the body this afternoon with Tamiya TS-13 Clear Gloss. The motor is partially assembled and mock up with the shaker scoop. A little clearance made on the passenger side motor mount and the Hemi sits where it should. I'm using a distributor from MAD for this Hemi. More to come.....

Thanks Charlie and Rob! If it's one thing I don't really like doing (next to BMF), it's bodywork. This is why I haven't been making much in the way of progress on this build. I don't mind prepping a body for paint, but slinging putty and sanding it is not something I don't like doing. A couple of years ago, I built an AMT/ERTL '87 Mustang GT as the car actor Robert Urich drove during the 2nd season of Spenser For Hire. This kit was bad! The front and rear didn't line up with the body itself which required much putty and sanding and more putty and sanding. I eventually finished the build, but I'm still not happy with the way it came out, partially due to the kit and partially due to my lack of experience with extra bodywork. I'll go and primer the hood and try to finish up the rear spoiler and then get the body into primer and then see where I'm at.

Paint has been flying this afternoon. Model Master Hemi Orange Lacquer. The Hemi got a coat of Mopar Street Hemi Orange Engine Enamel. I painted the shaker scoop with Model Master Metalizer Stainless Steel. I shouldn't have polished the scoop afterwards as now it looks to metallic. More to come.....

I got both scoops mounted, puttied, and sanded. Primer is next! The ends of the rear spoiler needed more putty for the transition from the rear fenders to the spoiler itself. I'll let this dry a day or two to get the most shrinkageout before sanding. Mannix will return.....

The front fenders have been puttied and sanded. Primer is next! The Hemi is partially assembled and awaiting Mopar Hemi Orange Engine Enamel. I was lying in bed last night thinking about this build, when it occurred to me that I have 4 Cragar SS mags left over from two MRC wheel/tire sets. This morning, I pulled them out and now my Challenger will wear Cragars! More to come.....

Nice Cobra Brian!

Thanks Ian! Here's an overhead shot of the hood and scoop to give an idea of how it fits.

Thanks everyone! I went back and looked at the pictures I took and noticed a couple of things that needed correcting. The rear bumper was too low on the drivers side, the left front wheel was out of alignment, and the gap between the grille and the body. All these things were corrected and I'll try to get new pics posted soon. Brian, Jay would be proud, especially if the model was painted burgundy!

Mike, that is a great idea! My first thought was to go with the flat black hood treatment which is something I am not really crazy about in the first place. I think I will do the body colored hood with the argent scoop instead since it now appeals to me and would look better. Just like the Revell 'Cuda kits, the front valance has the lower front fenders molded to it creating an inaccurate look when assembled. I will remove both the lower fenders from the front valance. The lower fenders are glued to the front fenders. These will be puttied and sanded smooth. Adding the shaker hood scoop is real easy, unless you are a stickler for detail and accuracy. The shaker scoop has the same general shape as the hole for the snorkle scoop on the T/A hood. I'll use the T/A hood minus the snorkle scoop. I have decided against the Pegasus Chrome T's wheels as they are too small for this 1/24 scale body. I'll use the kit Rallye wheels instead. More to come.....

I've had this kit in the stash for a while and used the 340 for a 1971 'Cuda 340 Convertible project earlier this year. The Hemi ended up in this kit for a Challenger Hemi R/T project, but I changed my mind and will build a phantom Hemi T/A instead. I'm using the Revell '70 Challenger T/A 1/24 scale Streetburners kit for this project. My paint will be Model Master Hemi Orange Lacquer with a white interior. A mockup of the body with the 'Cuda shaker hood scoop. I may add a set of Pegasus Chrome T's instead of using the Rallye wheels. More to come.....