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Wow! A SUNDAY?!? They must be in terror for their very existence! Funny to see a (nicer) pic of something you looked at for a year from another locale. Thanks, John. That was a very interesting article about the 74 Nova 9C1. Maybe I will get to that one day, or at least I will keep my eye peeled for a donor kit. It may be rare. A quick search of eBay showed no styrene versions active or complete, and only one resin kit.

I feel for you brother I know exactly what you mean. I absolutely detest bottom feeder losers who have no ability to create anything on their own and only know how to steal from others and copy. You know, the way the Russians do on "The Americans" Or my take on another Universal adage; those that can do, those that can't STEAL.

Excellent thought Greg. Those things can pop off, go missing or even get broken off after the kit is built and once it's done you don't have another. now the Builder should have a lifetime Supply of hood ornaments.

HAH!! I'm going to find a carton of milk, drink some and read that again just so I can give it the proper, honored nostril/milk snort it so richly deserved. What it did was everything w/o the milk!! You guys kill me. Good talking to you yesterday. Tom: Glad you like the 91! Cooked with love and left to simmer in flavor for a mere 9 years. As to the LTD II, well it is a good ways on, but the front header panel/grille/headlight thingie is a woolybooger. Here is some pics of where I was about 6 mos ago. I actually have a good bit more done but AGAIN I have neglected to take newer pics. Working on that front end intricacies. Have faith, my friend, at least it i started and is in the rotation of like four I am doing simultaneously. Be like Rose and never give up or let go...

I know the man that restored that Connecticut 78 Ltd in particular his name is Tom Weglarz. he bought that 78 LTD as a partially wrecked barn find stored for about 30 years and only has like 50 thousand miles on it. He restored it for the CSP Museum if I remember right. Tom and I have been friends and 75 to 78 LTD fans since the mid-90s . We traded Parts and pictures over the years. he's a good man.

You are very welcome Mike. I hope you enjoy building it and find it simpler to construct than most other kits out there. I really tried hard to make it so. (Apologies to Picard)

I know exactly what you mean Wayne, but I came at it from a kind of a different angle. At 17 yoa my SECOND car bought in 1977 was a 75 Ford LTD 4dr. Looked like an unmarked police car and since I wanted to be a po-LEEC that was FINE with me. Just marched right past all those Mustangs and even 2dr LTDs to get to that 4dr! (Added advantage: lots more room on dates. ) The big Fords of 1978-79, the LTD, Grand Marquis and Lincoln Continental were the biggest most planet punishing cars ever fielded by Ford. Just huge. One time I put my LTD on the scale where they weighed big 18 wheelers. My 75 LTD weighed about 5500 pounds. Mind boggling. And so yet I grew up with these being the 'norm' in everyday transportation. After the 75 with the anaemic 351C engine I finally bought my own actual police package 78 Ford LTD 460PI from the Louisiana State Police in 1982.. Well, you couldn't have given anyone a free Lincoln and made them happier than I was driving that beast home. 70K miles and a sgt's car to boot. Only drove it to the office. I KNOW that's the way it is the LSP. cuz once they get past trooper they're mostly office animals. Plus it had four new tires on it and I got it for..wait for it... $550.00!! It was like I bought a set of tires, and they threw in a police car!! I only drove it about a year and then my buying and selling of late model ex-copcars began so I always had something newer to drive, so I put the 78 away meaning to do a full resto on it. In 1988 I started a resto that did not complete until 1998. It took me TEN years. During that time, my marriage of 15 years ended and I almost shoved it off in a creek. But it was a labor of love. So when I got it finished in 1998, you have to realize how much full size Fords had changed. From Box panther CV's in 1988 to the 'egg' style of CV's with the bowtie taillights of 97. Seats got WAY more comfy, and the cars lost something that was a big deal: the hood. By 1998 the hood sloped down so far you could almost not see the end of it. SO, when I sat down in my 78 for the first time in ten years I noticed something right away: the hood was as big as a football field. The hood ornament was a mile away. If I got in an accident (God forbid) it would happen so far away way out front that it would wind up being like some tragey in a 3rd world country. It's sad, but it's so far away it really doesn't affect you much. That and riding on the police spec heavy duty flight bench seat was like a TRAMPOLINE by comparison to late 90's cop buckets that cradled you in it's loving comfortable embrace. The passenger door panel inside was a mile way. The backseat could house a family of four. All this used to patrol the highways daily when I was a teenager watching for the familiar silhouette of car/lightbar/spotlight coming down the road. I got off on a tangent but I really LOVE those LTD's and Custom 500's of 75-78. Can you tell? The following is pics of mine right after resto in 98. Yours truly luvvinit. The fore mention baad "C" code 460 PI! Full frame off resto on engine body and frame. Showin' my tail. All equipment was actual stuff from the LSP that they used in these cars in that time period. Lightbar too. My dept. had several of these webought from the state and thye left all that on it. just removed the markings. When they decided to stop using this stuff I helped them store some of it. FS PA 70 Console. Top of the line in the 70's.

Thank you again Takahiro, No, I have not been to Japan I am sorry to say. Just keep an eye on my threads. All the vehicles you mentioned are either done, close to it, or in the immediate future to be started. Greg W. will announce their availability once he is ready to do so. So like Greg says: Save your pennies ..er, or yen. Whatever you use to purchase models. We are going to become the "gettin' place" Take care..

Hello Takahiro! You did an excellent job on that 78, and thank you for the kind comments on the master I did waaay back in 1998. How about that guys? I made it in Japan. Not even Elvis ever went there! Thank you Takahiro, that made my day. There is another version in the pipeline, a 75-77 Ford Custom 500 and another 77-78 Ford LTD will be along soon as well.

First thank you again Anthony I appreciate that. c69 I don't mind helping anyone, but what I need to do is a better job of documenting my process from start to finish. I'll try to remember to do that on one of the upcoming ones. Usually I dive in and I'm a good third of the way in before I remember to take the first photograph. that's not very helpful. I will say this; practice helps a lot and one needs to learn how to work with styrene strip and sheets much more than finding another car that has a part on it that you can cut off and graft.. At least, that's never really worked well for me. Look up the car you doing and get the specs on it, it's wheel base, dimensions, things of that nature see if anything has to be changed from your donor kit. And then get you a ton of pictures of it from every angle. That is my basic starting point. like I said the next one I start from scratch I will try and be more photographically sensitive and document each step along the way. other than that if you're doing it yourself and have any questions, please feel free to p.m. me and ask.. I'm happy to help.

Sent it to Greg Wann. Thanks!!

John! Thank you again for the fine words. Next time I'm blithering out at 1:15 AM I'm gonna reflect on that and keep goin'. Yes, you are on my list for sure at like #4, and I have already handed it over to Greg. Now I can't guarantee where you are overall but I promise you are and I will double check and make sure I add you to each of the others as well. Matter of fact I have a list that just says notify on all and you and a couple others are on that. And thanks again for the button caps, I PM'd you about. I can't say how much I appreciate all the help and support and PATIENCE I've received on this board. People here are great. Thanks!

A man after my own heart. I was ALMOST on a first name basis with the local troopers in the late 70's. City cops, I actually was! Added you to the list Roger. Thanks!

Greg Wann. He is the caster. I've already submitted my list to date to him. Thanks!

Those that know them well, Like Anthony and a couple of others might see a diff but far as I can see the only thing is a bit of refined detail in the grille. The body & interior remains virtually unchanged, as far as I can see..

to be a LEO, but when I made it there in the 80's we too were being given only the smog/emission choked 302's, 318s, 351s and 350's. So depressingly sad. Pity the poor deputy who just wanted to chase the Bandit.

Michael, Alexis, you are both on my Nova list. Thanks!!

That's the thing about all TA's, Camaro's, Mustangs, Nova's et all: They're basically a powerful motor with a couple seats and a steering wheel strapped to them. MAkes them light, strong and FAST. We had a 83 Malibu police at my sheriff's office that year. 305 engine, nothing fancy. But it amazed me at how fast, zippy & nimble it was. And only a 2bbl!! Didn't last long. Got T-boned at an intersection at about a year into it's life with only 20K miles or so on it. I hated to see that little car go.

Nice cars you have there Michael. I've added you to my notify on each kit list I have. Thanks! Thanks, Pete. Absolutely nothing detrimental taken. I know we have posted progress but have yet to actually finally announce filling of orders, and that yet some time passes between posts. That has been explained a bit (I hope) That memory thing is getting to be a HUGE issue for me. I was never good with memory overall but I have to admit I've gotten a lot worse these past few years. I used to have a wife who kept me on schedule but now very little helps. Except alarms. Alarms in my phone with a message. I know, TMI. Thanks again to all!!

Thank you, Tom, and I agree with everything in your post. I had the same sort of cutoff on my modeling but in reverse: I did nothing below 1970. But I've rescinded that and already did a 67 Biscayne and plan on a four door 65 Fairlane & Galaxie. or custom. I plan to be the home of the 1) police car model and 2) the 4dr model. A lot of holes between 65 or so to 2000 to fill. As stated, if time allows. All my best to you and yours as well.. Dwayne

I have you on my list for sure Tom. Greg has had a lot on his plate personally the last six months or so and yet he has still pushed through it to get this project where it is now. I spoke to him last Sunday as he and Mike were about to tackle another several hours of working on this project alone mostly. Spoke with him at length about many things. Like him, I also am on BP meds at the very least plus I have a couple other issues. My concern and he knows it, is that I won't get all the masters done I want to do in the near future. Everyone here has been very patient in tagging along on all this since I introduced the thread over two years ago. (SHEESH) when I thought I was almost done. If I had known how much farther I had yet to go I promise I would have kept my mouth shut until more recently. Still, I think all those interested in this kit know and understand that Greg & I are both older modelers who also still have regular work jobs, neither is retired, and yet will still allow us the time to do this right. I'd rather go a bit long and it be fantastic than cut a corner or two and have that show in what appears on your modeling bench. I know I have chosen well in Greg as a caster who is conscientious and wants to do MH level casting and service. But it is also a learning experience for he (and I) in getting it up and going. I'm sure that future projects will benefit from this learning time and come out much faster with continued quality results. Like Greg has said somewhere before here, save your pennies. And I thank you for your continued interest and forbearance. As Bartles & James used to say:

Just to add to Greg's list of what the kit includes here are some pics of the kit that Greg sent me to have a look-see at how it had shaped up. Please excuse my photography, my camera is getting old.. As it arrived. Unbagged: Wheel fronts, rears & hubcaps (Police) with Eagle GT +4 tires. Interior with door panels, dash and steering wheel & column to do the 88-89 version or the 90-91 version. Also door rear view mirrors too. Greg killed me with molding those! Hood ornament and clear headlights, taillights and front turn signals. I got too close and my flash reflected but the header, grille, and front & rear bumpers.

Hey Rob, I just added you to mine. I'm sure there will be some duplication on both our lists so it can't hurt, eh? Thanks!

Peter, I answer each and every one of my PM's, and believe me, I ignore no one. And I DO make mistakes so I just double checked prior to answering you because I did get about five PM's recently, with new requests or to be reassured they were on the pre preorder list, but I don't see one from you. Consider yourself added to my list which will be forwarded to Greg. If anyone else sent me a message and did not get a response from me please let me know here, I guess. Or try sending to Greg Wann as he is doing the casting itself. My mailbox says I've only used 39% so it can't be an overflow situation I would think. Puzzled. Anyway, consider yourself added, and thanks!

Indeed you are Mike, like #4 on my list, which I am forwarding to Greg this week.. You are on the list Jeff with the "G" box checked. ...Makin a list.. Checkin it twice.. gonna find out who's ... Oh, Never mind. Greg and Mike almost have it honed to a military precision. Crown Vics into Poland!!