av405

1991 was the last model year that the United States Border Patrol painted their vehicles white over light green (I don't know the exact paint code). Since the BP bought Caprices as their basic patrol sedan that year, they were the last sedans to utilize this paint scheme before the agency switched to all-white cars with a green stripe the following year. The kit is from Revell, Jetsonic light bar is from the AMT Ford Taurus police car kit, and decals are from Billbozo. Paint is Tamiya Pure White over Tamiya Pearl Green and the side molding was made from Evergreen stock. In retrospect, I should have added a cage for prisoner transport but we will just say this is a supervisor's car. This is my second complete kit and again, I learned a lot from it. I mostly got to work on my BMF techniques. The only real mess up I had was that I accidentally spilled glue on the front windshield, something I was not able to fix. The real deal (courtesy of copcar.com):

It looks great, just like you promised! I will definitely be one of your customers for this.

How funny, I have the same exact plan for my Modelhaus Impala. Lucky for you, I've already pulled the legwork on research. LAPD used 1982 Chevrolet Impalas (there is no difference between the 1981-1985 models) equipped with black rubber floors, tan interiors, and split front bench seats. The 1982s were, to the best of my knowledge, the first models to come equipped with MDTs as standard. For whatever reason, the LAPD Impalas had black c-pillars, something that no other LAPD squad car has ever had. This is probably the most important thing to remember when doing your model as all movie/TV LAPD Impalas omitted this detail.

Thanks again fellas.

Absolutely. I'll ensure that I use the same Tamiya paint.

Thank you all for your replies. I'll definitely proceed with the dab method.

Not too long ago I accidentally dropped one of my models. Fortunately most of the model fell on carpet, although a small corner did hit the edge of a sliding closet door, resulting in a small paint chip right above the front. The chip is minuscule but still a mar on an otherwise decent finish. The car was painted with Tamiya Pure White out of a spray can. So my question is: how should I fix this? 1. Leave it be. 2. Repaint that specific panel of the car. 3. Touch it up with a brush/paint pen. As I mentioned before, the chip is minuscule so I can live with option 1, but I'm interested in hearing about your guys' experiences. Thank you in advance.

THIS. I can't stress it enough. I've currently been going back and forth with him for about a week now (some of this due to my abnormal work schedule) and he has been extremely patient and thorough with his responses. I'm hoping to finalize my order soon.

According to Tower Hobbies, the AMT 1/25 Ford Louisville Short Hauler in Coca Cola livery is being reissued in June. I'm really hoping this will pave the way for a reissue of the LNT-8000 tractor trailer version as those are the ones that go for big money nowadays.

Great work so far. You have my attention on this one.

I haven't actually tried to figure out if there's a pattern but as far as I can tell its random. Every 1-2 weeks they'll do free shipping for orders of $49 or more and that's what I'll take advantage of if I want/need something.

I emailed them about a year ago regarding one of their bodies. I never received a reply. I'd be nice to know how to get in touch with them.

Nice work! I think your headlight work is very convincing. I wanted to comment about the light bar you would need. You should definitely try to get in touch with Dwayne Larriviere, a fellow member here. He is the only one who, to my knowledge, makes the light bar you need. Check out his work here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/116809-1982-dodge-dip-louisiana-state-police-custom-parts/ The bad news is that he hasn't been on since September and he hasn't answered back to my last PM. I thought I'd provide his info anyhow for your project.

Great build, looks very clean.

I can't see them on his site. Are they there or would I have to contact him directly for a set?

Absolutely beautiful, nice work!

Nicely done! Did you buy a second one to do a Border Patrol version?

Yes, the ride height on these kits is yet another glaring error. I left it under the "good enough" category on this one but I will see how I can improve on it when I (eventually) do my next Taurus.

Thank you all for the kind remarks on the build! And thank you to my fellow LEOs for the warm welcome. I actually started this project off with the intention of doing it as an AZ DPS car. They were, as far as I can tell, the most prolific users of the 1990-1995 Taurus at the state level. I have the decals and light bar but I was desperate to finish this build and didn't want to scratch build a push bar so I went for the simpler Utah car. My next police Taurus will be an AZ car, followed by a San Diego Police car. Even though the kit leaves a lot to be desired, I like how uncommon these police cars are, both in 1:1 and in the modeling world.

After a very long dry spell from modeling that saw me finish school, become a sworn peace officer, and just grow up in general, I finally got to sit down and finish a model. Here is my 1990 Ford Taurus police-package car in Utah Highway Patrol markings. The Taurus is the Rescue 911 version of the AMT Taurus as it has the correct 1990-1991 dash and steering wheel that the real police versions had. Resin wheels are from Custom Squads/Models by Tony, decals from Chimneyville, police equipment is a mixture of stuff from the Taurus kit, the Lindberg Crown Victoria kit, and the Revell Caprice kit. The Ford decals also came from the Crown Victoria kit and the slotted grill vents came from the 1989 "Police Car" version of the Taurus kit. About the kit itself, it wasn't exactly the easiest to work with. First and foremost, the AMT Taurus is not a true police package/base model kit but a SHO version. To make the car more accurate, I filled in the "SHO" emblem in the rear bumper, sanded off the corner signal lights on the front bumper, and cut/sanded down the car flares surrounding the bottom of the wheel arches. The front bumper is still technically incorrect but I decided I didn't want to push my still-developing skills. Also, the front headlights didn't fit properly but I didn't notice until it was too late. The wheels were also a pain in the behind and the front passenger side one ended up not fitting very well, even with extensive modification (as you can see below). As for the final product itself, I was pleased given the custom work I had to perform. I got a chance to practice some new techniques and figure out some do's and dont's. I did not polish the paint job, but that is something I will definitely tackle on my next build. Oh and I accidentally dropped the car near completion, resulting in some minor scratches near the front passenger side wheel well Without further ado: I used pictures I found on the internet and reruns of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol to piece together a fairly accurate interior of an early 90's UHP car: The inspiration: This one is a 1992 but it provided an excellent shot of the rear lighting and antenna setup: Both pictures above are not mine.

I'm beyond excited for this.

I ended up spray painting the headlights with Tamiya Pure White and then brushing Tamiya Smoke over the white once it had dried. I think it came out okay. I'm almost done with the model so I will post pictures once it is complete.

Bill, I have to hand it to you, I respect you for coming to that realization and posting it here. Replace the video with one of an adult modeler trying to sell an equally bad build as "pro built" for some serious cash and then maybe we can have some laughs.

Ah yes, my mistake. You're intellectually superior, we're not capable of grasping it. Whatever man. I have respect for your work and the model-related advice you've given on this forum but this is one thing I won't go along with. Have a good day (no sarcasm here).

There are no lenses. The headlights themselves are chrome. I'm working on an AMT Ford Taurus.