Fat Brian

There are a few kits out there with really deep pans for Ford FE engines.

You've already got me interested in loser malaise era kits, I can't afford to get into brass era cars too.

I'm looking for a set of stock 79-82 or so Mustang Cobra decals in 1/25 scale. Do any of the aftermarket decal folks offer a set like this? I know the first Monogram fox body kit had them and as much as I want that kit it's spendy.

This is the current packaging for Future.

Wasn't it just the Mercury sleeper that was the parts pack? The original mail in sleeper was something different I believe.

When I mainly used Testor's enamels I didn't prime, the paint layer was thick enough on its own. Finding Duplicolor white primer changed my entire painting process. Now I use it on all my bodies because it's thin enough to not hide detail and it strips easily so I can paint with Tamiya or Duplicolor automotive paints and not ruin the body if it doesn't turn out the first time. I typically don't prime anything that's getting a flat finish though, it doesn't seem necessary to me.

The day cab version has been reissued recently so shouldn't be hard to find. The mail in sleeper is much harder to find but there are other options for sleepers if you want one.

They're very different, early bumper vs later bumper, 2 bar grille vs 3 bar grille, 8v-71 Detroit vs 350 Cummins, little window cab vs 1100 series big window cab, there might be more but I'm not certain.

Mating the Revell guts to the MPC body is proving tougher than I first thought. The wheelbase of the Revell kit is about 1/8" too long in the rear. In an attempt to move the rear axle forward I tubbed the rear but the wheels I had intended to use are so big I can't get the front as low as I want it. I'm going to put this chassis in another drag Mustang kit and pull out another fresh chassis and try again. I also picked out some smaller wheels.

You might need to test a few different things. I would probably start with rubbing alcohol, the good high test stuff if you can find it. As long as the coating is smooth I don't always bother removing it.

Do you need it to be stock or are some modern mounting points okay?

The best way to see what a kit is going for is to look at the sold listing on eBay, it looks like sold items go for between $75-$125 or so. Unfortunately the value of your kit has taken a hit since it was finally reissued a few years ago.

I made this with the Revell 68 Beetle kit. I sanded the fenders way back, took out the running board, and it has a slight lift. It's about 1/8" in the front and closer to 1/4" in the rear.

I like it, but I can't imagine trying to drive something so short with that much power.

If I can finish half a dozen builds a year I could clear the stash in 75 to 100 years if I didn't buy another kit during that time. I think I'm fighting a losing battle.

You can do anything you want with it as long as it's from your birth year. The fewer restrictions the better for something like this.

I've finally developed a reliable painting process that gets passable results without too much work. Once I was able to stop the purple pond baths I was able to finish stuff.

Sometimes you can very gently use an Xacto to open up the holes just a touch. This is much more easily done with the part still on the fret.

And Rusty as well, thanks to you too.

Yes sir, it's wall to wall in there. Fortunately we can get away with things in scale that don't necessarily work in real life.

It's a very easy build, if I had kept the stock engine it pretty much would have fallen together.

Thanks everyone, I'm trying to improve my build speed or I'm never going to make a dent in my stash.

I think you'll have better luck with Scenes Unlimited for what you're looking for. He also has rims that fit his tires if I'm not mistaken so you don't have to worry about not fitting the kit rims.

I started with the Revell Hertz Mustang and added the wheels and tires from a Revell 32 Ford. For motivation I used the block from a Monogram 69 Ford Talladega and swapped on a manual transmission. Then I topped off the engine with the valve covers and low riser dual quad intake from a Revell 427 Cobra and a parts box air cleaner. I had to sand the fender liners paper thin and modify a set of manifolds to hug close to the block to get everything to fit, i also removed the battery from the engine compartment. I guess the story of the build would be as a test vehicle to see what it would take to get an FE into a first gen Mustang. I also made a shock tower brace from wire since the stock straight one wouldn't fit anymore. Just a fun little "what if" build.

Tamiya does plated bodies for a lot of their RC cars. The only model I've seen like that is a Lancia Stratos but there may be others.