mrmike

I had surgery on December 2008 and was out for recovery until mid March 2009. During that time I built some really great models (to me) to help pass the time. During that time I allowed my imagination to roam a bit and and came up with some good ideas for my builds. Take the time to recover and good luck to you!

I found the plans for mine on a model railroad site.

Nice looking 'Cuda, Dave! If I may make a suggestion, remove the driving light brackets from the front bumper and mount the lights directly to the bottom of the bumper. http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/mrmike007/1971%20Plymouth%20Cuda%20Convertible/?action=view&current=CudaCon31.jpg

Nice color combo, Bruce! Looking forward to more!

I learned about the front valance several years ago from another builder after I built 3 other 'Cudas. Those three 'Cudas stare at me, too! Maybe I'll fix them someday, but I still have 60 plus kits to build first so they are low on the totem pole of builds. The molded-in exhaust doesn't bother me too much unless I want a different exhaust system on it, then the Dremel happily comes out! I also modify the rear valance panel and make new exhaust tips. And lowered the front suspension. I would build another one, too! The end result. In spite of what is wrong with this kit, I believe that anyone can take one of these kits and build a decent looking 'Cuda by adding the proper detail and making the above modifications. I know that the MPC and JoHan 'Cudas have a more accurate looking body, but I am not about the waste my time and money trolling eBay type of sites looking for one and pay someone elses overly high prices. Maybe someday, someone will make a new tool '70 'Cuda kit in 1/25 scale! Revell, are you listening?

I knew that the Revell '32's would have interchangeable parts! Since I have all three kits, I may do the same. Nice progress and I love what you did with the interior!

A little more progress this afternoon. I have finished the interior, but I think I need to add a tachometer. The motor is nearing completion. I still have to add the fan, oil filter, coil, and wire the distributor and route the wires. This is going to be a tight fit under the stock hood. More to come.....

Thanks Nico! I do like to build a variety of subjects and I know of your dislike of newer subjects and their plastic engine covers. I also like to build trucks-old and new, boats, planes, and even starships! My taste in cars run from hot rods, street machines, sports and muscle cars! Like I said, I like to build a variety of subjects.

Thanks Charlie! And now for my favorite part of the build...BMF!

Thanks DW! I got the coves of the hood bulges filled in and shaped. The next part has brought me to a standstill. How should I proceed with making the scoops? Out of the several ways I could think of, the most logical one to me, would be to cut into the bulge just where it starts to narrow. Then slice under the tip of the bulge and remove the tip thus creating a hole into the engine compartment just as it is on the 1:1 Mannix Dart GTS. I would then add a piece of styrene extending from the bulge to 1 to 2 mm beyond the original edge of the bulge. This could create the triangular opening on the scoop. Opinions anyone? Mannix will return.....

Thanks guys for the nice comments! No gray primer here! I used Tamiya White Fine Surface Primer, a quick and clean sanding, and then 3 coats of paint.

It's pretty good kit, Steve, considering how old it is! Today, paint was flowing! After all the priming and sanding and priming and sanding again and again, the body and hood were painted with Tamiya TS-54 Light Blue Metallic. Other bits and pieces were painted matt and semigloss black. Engine parts are out of the purple pond and need a little scrubbing. Then I can start on the motor! More to come.....

A suggestion, on the front grille, cut the lower fenders off and glue them to the front fenders and then putty the seam. Then add some sheet styrene between the front valance and the fender lowers to make up for the cut. This will make the front more accurate looking.

Me too! I ended up having to do other things today and I really wanted to get at least one coat of paint on. Maybe tomorrow!

Yes, Mannix was a great show! DW, I got the distributor moved to it's proper position. The motor is now complete and back in the chassis. The rear spoiler is mounted and puttying has begun. This may take a while! Work has begun on the hood. I glued styrene strips into the recesses in the hood bulges. These will be sanded down and puttied. Mannix will return.....

As a member of several forums, I have learned a lot that has helped me make my builds look more realistic. I was a Ford fan for the longest time while being a closet Mopar man. That all changed when I bought a Dodge Dakota over 10 years ago and for me, it's Mopar or no car! After sitting in the purple pond for 5 days and 45 minutes of scrubbing in hot soapy water, the Dart body is ready for bodywork once it's dry. I'll be adding the rear spoiler to the trunk lid, molding it in with putty and scribing trunk lid lines. I have added the exhaust manifolds, valve covers, and rerouted the plug wires under the exhaust manifolds. I am having second thoughts about the distributor location and I'm going to have to change that. Mannix will return.....

Thanks for the reminder DW! That was one of the things that I was going to address on the rebuild of the motor. When I first built this kit 4 years ago, I didn't know about the routing of the plugs wires and IIRC, it did bother me a bit when I did add the plug wires back then and it didn't seem quite right. I realized a short while ago, if I had mounted the distributor on the back of the manifold and changed the decal on the air cleaner to a 340 pie plate, nobody probably wouldn't have noticed that it was originally a 383.

I have repainted the motor Chrysler Engine Turquoise and have started reassembly with the distributor. The trans got a new coat of Aluminium Metalizer. Mannix will return.....

Thanks Gerald! The mold is very crisp, but there are some issues. I have started bodywork by removing any mold lines and the bracing that AMT uses. I also removed the scripting on the C-pillars since they are faint and non-existant in some spots. The hood is a tight fit and I started sanding the sides to open it up. I still have more sanding to do since a couple coats of paint and primer will tighten it up too much. More to come.....

Excellent Daytona!

Thanks Skip and Felix! Skip, the wheels are the same, I painted the spokes with Humbrol Flat Gunmetal.

Charlie, you'll have to share that honor with my wife as she had suggested the same. I'm glad you do, Wayne!

Friday night, I was looking around Jay Leno's Garage ( http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/ ) and discovered his current project, a '66 Galaxie 500 similar to the one his father bought back in 1966. The story I heard many years ago was Jay had pestered his father into letting him pick the motor for the car his father was ordering. 4 weeks later, his father discovered what his son had done, a 7 Litre V8 with muffler delete package. Jay's father was not happy with his son. Jay's project car started as a blue '66 Galaxie found in Canada, repainted maroon, shod with American Racing Torque Thrusts, and stuffed with a Roush 427 big block with 6 speed trans. My build is a little different, starting with an AMT '66 Galaxie 500 kit, the kit 427 CI big block, 4 speed trans, and Cragar SS mags. The paint is Tamiya TS-54 Light Blue Metallic. More to come.....

Thanks guys! Charlie, to tell you the truth, I don't know. Several years ago i tried to replicate my father's maroon '71 Cougar and I thought the Honduras Maroon would be close to the FOMOCO Maroon, and it wasn't. I purchased a can of the Tamiya Maroon and sprayed it over the Honduras Maroon and the color was very close to what I needed. The license plate.....that was how the plate appeared in the movie. It was not a real plate since it had no stickers in the corners of the plate.

Thanks Charlie! I'm pretty sure that was Jeff's Caddy at the Classic Plastic show. What do you think of the license plate? It was one that you had suggested.