Maindrian Pace

My '78 440 NYB had those. -MJS

As the owner of an EFI '93 Cobra powered '65 Ranchero, I gotta say, that is just perfect. -MJS

Looks great, and this may be the first time I have ever seen this kit built. As it is a historic Mustang, I wonder why that is. -MJS

Supreme sliceage! I'd like to see how the LX hatch is coming along. -MJS

Thanks for the info, Ben. A removable plug in the inner mold sounds like it would let the inner fall away when removed. The next step is to add a section of styrene strip to the rear edge of the trunk lid. This is .060" half round, but it can be regular .020x.080 or similar. After some sanding and shaping: And the major mods are done. Now I'm looking at a few putty/final shaping sessions, and then we'll start experimenting with glass. -MJS

The 1:1 has a raised lip at the back of the trunk lid that is gradually rounded up from the edges, while the model does not have this detail. It also doesn't have quite enough slope to the trunk lid and 1/4 panels, so I started by block sanding the sides of the trunk and 1/4s from almost the middle to the edges, reducing the 1/4s above the taillights and straightening the slope to the back window. So the edges were reduced, but the middle of the trunk wasn't. It's reasonably close on the model, the total amount of reduction at the taillights was .75mm. You could get away without doing this, as it really doesn't detract from the car very much. In this pic, it's reduced to the correct height/slope, and you can start to see the rounded lip forming in the middle. Here, you can see the new slope angle to the 1/4s. -MJS

Kris, I've handled the silicone resin molds before, I just didn't know how flexible they were, and if the inner mold could bend enough to come free from the body with the wrap of the bumpers. But if so, that's very good. Like Chevys? The solution is simple, get one of these and fill it up with LSX power. Getting to be a popular swap in 1:1. -MJS

In other words, up to his old tricks. Will it have working lights and sound? -MJS

I'm seeing it with a fuel injected 327 and a set of polished Americans. -MJS

Late last night, the rear wheel wells shrank down to stock size. It started off with the removal of the rocker moldings, a detail that no aero Fox has ever had. Why are those wells so large? Most likely for an upcoming drag version. Big slicks fit perfectly. AMT kits in the '60s and '70s had stock wheel wells with radius guides in the back of the 1/4s, add this to the list of things that it would have been nice to see instead. There are several ways to do this. I like to add layers of styrene strip that overhang the inside and outside of the fenders, and carve/sand down to size. This body takes two layers on the front, and three on the back of the wells. I used files, a new exacto blade, and a sheet of 400 grit paper wrapped around a Sharpie to contour the new plastic. I used the photos and a wheel/tire as a guide to get the shape roughed in. Still a little bit of contouring to do here and there, and then it's off to the deck lid. -MJS

Missing link also offers the engine bay separately. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Resin-25th-1962-70-Ford-Mercury-Farilane-Torino-Mustang-Engine-bay-shock-towers-/290929525571?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item43bcc04343 -MJS

I like the new dog dish hub caps, which have never been kitted before. The "potent 8 cylinder engine" was a BBC, but a resin straight 6 should take care of that. -MJS

Great build. Looking at that chassis, did those cars have torque tubes? -MJS

I haven't decided yet, I need to study the 1:1 a little more closely to see how far in the slope goes to the center. The duck tail will just be a blended styrene strip in the middle, tapering to the ends. Yes, but barely. Single curve would work, although vacuformed would be best. -MJS

John, They shouldn't exist. You can almost hear the Revell employees pointing out the roof problem to upper management, and being ignored because they were already obliged to accept a very expensive body die. (and they hoped that no one would notice) Harry, No arguments here. I don't want to give the impression that this is all OK with me, I'd have much preferred that it was correct out of the box. This is just to show what can be done to the kit that they decided to give us. It will be interesting to see how the magazine(s) handle this particular kit in their new kit review sections; will they kid-glove Revell so as not to ruffle feathers? or call it as they see it and politely pull no punches? -MJS

Thanks Michel. I can do the glass masters easily enough, but I don't have a vacu-form machine. But it's possible that one of the Moonlight Modelers does. Thanks Dan. You building an AZ DPS car? -MJS

Today, I thought that I would correct the rear bumper. It sticks out about 2mm too far. I started by cutting it off of the body at the seam: Remove about this much: Add styrene strip to the top of the bumper cover to bring the taillight ridge rearward, because you just moved this detail forward so it wouldn't be under the lenses. A very simple and quick mod, but it makes a difference. The next modification in line is making the rear wheel wells smaller in length. -MJS

I like it!

I bought that exact grille from the Modelhaus, perfect quality, better than a kit part, with flawless chrome. But I second the hot water, I'd run it under hot tap water for a few seconds, if it doesn't bend easily enough, a few more seconds. When it's in the right shape, flash it hard by dipping it in cold water. -MJS

Thanks Roy. I think that this would be a difficult body to cast as is, because of the integral front and rear bumpers. Revell did a complicated die for this one, with several moving components to release the bodies. I believe that to cast it in resin, the front and rear bumpers would have to be cut off, have locator tabs added, and cast separately. If I'm wrong, I hope a caster comes in to correct me. -MJS

It's a hobby, no hypocrisy involved. You may not have to raise the roof on the resin body, but it needs lots of other surgery to be accurate, so no easy way out. It's nice to have a choice of which one to work with, right? -MJS Jonathan, I can't make this meeting, but the next one looks pretty good... -MJS

Yes, the trunk doesn't slope down quite enough, and looks just a bit to bulky above the taillights. It also lacks the subtle kick up at the back edge of the trunk lid. None of this is serious, and I don't think it would detract from the model if it was left that way. But I don't intend to leave it that way. Thanks! -MJS

Bradley, I'd like to see how you did that. A dozen? Ya building a whole police force? And yes, having a real one does have its' advantages. Roger, In a perfect world, it would have been as accurate as the average AMT body from the '60s, but it's not, and here I am wanting to make a model of my driver, so here we go. As to the body mod skills, nobody is born knowing all this stuff, and the best way to learn is to start cutting. This is a good beginner/intermediate top mod, because it's not very complicated and the car is pretty square. -MJS

Thanks for the nice words, guys. I've been filing away at the pillars to redefine the various groove details. Bill, preliminary test fitting is showing that with some very minor filing at the lower sides of the front/rear glass, they can be reused by centering them in the frames, and adding strip stock at the top and bottom of the openings. This is one option, but I'll experiment with making new glass because I'm not thrilled with the size of the frosted areas. The side 1/4 glass will have to be made, but these are simple, featureless glass with a very minor curve that can be made easily so I'm not concerned with them. The windshield/rear window are not compound curved, so they shouldn't be too hard either. I've had good luck in the past with Butyrate sheet, it bends without discoloring. We'll see. Easy. Golden Valley in Mesa. Great food, huge portions, all fresh ingredients, and the price is like a flashback to the '80s. Best chain: Panda Express. -MJS

They did a super nice job on those. The Mustang II world must be beside themselves now. I'll probably get a white/blue stripes '76-'77 when it becomes available. -MJS