1988 - 1991 Ford LTD Crown Victoria Scratchbuild

[dimaxion]

Beautiful work .. Thanx .. 

[Maindrian Pace]

Yep, this one will be popular.

[Paul Hettick]

Very nice Dwayne. Any plans for a station wagon version?

[montelsc]

Love those polaras great looking body

[Greg Wann]

On ‎12‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 8:17 PM, martinfan5 said:

Wowo, I cant wait for Greg to get this, maybe he can bring a casting to a meeting .

 

Has a price been set for this one ?

Hey Johnathon, Bringing some finished parts to a meeting might be a great incentive.  I have not been involved in the clubs much lately, I am certain I have been missing a lot of fun.  Dwayne and I have talked on the phone a few times about this project.  He has allowed me the honor of working with him on this one and I am hoping for more in the future.  A price has not been set yet.  I am in hopes that Mike Schnur will lend his expert hands with creating a vacuum form window glass set.  Once I have the project in hand I plan to post photos on our local forums as usual.  Doing this and still working a forty hour week keeps me tired.

Paul asked about a station wagon version.  Perhaps Mike will think about that one.

[mls60442]

I just found this thread earlier this month.  It is a beautiful model.  I would definitely be interested in getting at least a few of these if and when they are made.  Great work!

[Rob Hall]

Definitely interested in one of these.  An 82-87 style was also being developed?  I'd be interested in one of those also.  

[DEL]

Thanks to all for the good words and the 'wish lists" I've spoken to Greg, I know he is anxious to start the molding process (me too) and I, as I told him, am really done with this one finally. It will go out to him by first of the next week. I mean that this time. I was looking it over closely over the holidays to see if anything else needed addressing before it's gone 'for good' as it were. I did find one thing I felt I really had to neaten up.  The interior tub.  I had built a very rudimentary tub to get me by during the build process but now that the body is done, all trim in place and the two dash's & steering wheels n columns complete, I felt the door panel details left MUCH to be desired.

SO - since this car was begun as a representation of the 88-91 body style with particular emphasis on the 90-91 version that is the door panel detail I have built into this tub. Each door has its own armrest and window switch n door lock control plate and they had to be carved from styrene stock. Each one took me around 4-5 hours to make. 6 - 7 with the rest of the panel, trim and the little stereo speakers down low on the front driver & pass doors. (pics to follow tomorrow)

Right now I hope to offer the car with a choice of the 88-89 dash, wheel & steering column, or the 90-91 version of the same. For now I only made the one tub and as said it's the 90-91 version but a 88-89 version will be along shortly. Those familiar with CV's know it has a somewhat different door panel treatment. And yes there is a plan to make the three or four other variants of this body style that began in 1979 - 1987 in short order now that the basic body has been done.

On to Greg by Monday!

[Kayma367]

I'll be in for two; keep us all posted as to when the first batch will be available!

[DEL]

Talked to Greg last night and as 'promised' the 91 will go out Monday or Tuesday to him for sure. As I told him and mentioned before I couldn't let it go with the bare bones detail of the door panels.  So as promised here are a few pics for comparison. Thought I took more of the whole finished tub but what I have are just the two front ones to show. Still, they show a marked difference I think.  The first pic is old panels, second is the two font ones just laid out prior to installing.

Thanks again to all for the patience shown, and the encouragement. It means more than you know.

Dwayne

[Ron Hamilton]

Excellent!!!! Great attention to detail!!!!

[Greg Wann]

Nice work, Dwayne.  With the door panels now separate the interior will be easier to cast.  The other advantage is that the builder will have an easier time doing the detail work on them.  The finer detail on the part can be a real killer on any mold.  A grille or a dash or a wheel can have intricate detail.  If the silicone detail comes out of the mold that could be trapped in detail a new mold will need to be made.  Resin can get up to 160 degrees as it is curing.  That can be really hot for a mold with thin walls that separate shapes that will form the parts.  I made some molds for a guy and is already having silicone pulling out and resin sticking to the mold.  The mold is already ruined.  I made some copies and sent them and the mold to him to try for himself.  I use SMOOTH - ON Mold Star 30 and Mann 200 mold release.  I am good at what I do.  Once I have the project in hand I will take it to Mike Schnur.  He and I will create bucks so the vacuum form windows can be created and added to the kit.  Mike is very good at little details and knows names of body panels I have never heard of.

Edited January 6, 2018 by Greg Wann

[Tim H]

I will be in for one, two or six. LOL.  Yes a wagon would be absolutely fantastic.

Tim

[gator52]

Looks terrific, I'm in for 2 copies. 

Jonah

[Greg Wann]

http://resinmodelcasting.proboards.com/thread/136/1988-1991-ford-crown-victoria

I got this in the mail from Dwayne today.  It looks pretty nice to me.  I will take it to Mike Schnur for a inspection and to create a buck so that a set of vacuum form windows can be made.  Here is a link to where the mold making process will happen.

Edited January 27, 2018 by Greg Wann

[Maindrian Pace]

I now have Dwayne's Crown Vic in my possession. To say that it is impressive would be the understatement of the ages. It's hard to imagine that, as Dwayne told me, it started out as a '69 Roadrunner. My job is to make the glass buck for the vacuformed glass which will be included with the kits, as well as a few other minor touches.

I couldn't help but try out a set of police car dog dish caps and wheels on it...

Why, heck yes.

As well as do something a little scarier - cut the front header panel off to facilitate casting with no overhangs to lock it into the mold. Dwayne gave me permission to do this, a gutsy move on his part with a master with literally hundreds of hours of labor in it.

The pieces will lock together in a way that continues Dwayne's modular approach to the assembly procedure. Greg is already casting the interior and small pieces, and making me a resin copy of the hood to modify/fit to the slightly revised hood opening. Even though this will be a curbside model, the separate hood will allow an engine to be installed as an option.

 

Edited March 2, 2018 by Maindrian Pace
Pusbucket

[mk11]

Wow   Really looking forward to seeing what you guys make of this

Thanks Dwayne, for sticking with this project...

mike

[av405]

Amazing. Are those the Modelhaus wheels/hubcaps? I bought a bunch of those right before they closed in anticipation of this project (don't say I didn't believe in ya Dwayne  )

[Maindrian Pace]

Yes, Modelhaus wheels and caps.

Second stage is the added core support/brace to shore up the front fenders and keep them in place during the molding process.

[Greg Wann]

Nice work, Mike.  That will certainly help with casting.  Looks great.

[DEL]

OMG!!  Dude, you CUT MY CAR!!

Just Kidding.  After a great phone call with Mike S. a couple nights ago I could tell it would be in good hands with Mike as well as Greg. Thanks again for the positive comments From all. And a big thank you to everyone who has followed this thread since I started it almost two years ago.( I'm SORRY.  As I said, I am SLOOOWWW) And since it's been a long time since I started this thread. (Yes. I always knew you believed in me, Alberto. It was my comfort those long dark nights a-modelin'. )  But much as it was desired 'out there', I too have wanted to finish it and put one on the shelf all these years myself. Talk about your delayed gratification!

It looks PERFECT with the dog dishes, that's what I always intended to go with this model. The 88-89 Version should have the button caps though, like the ones on the 70 Galaxie 500. Hopefully, they can be added as part of the choice of the 88-89 or 90-91 version Just as both dashes and the steering wheels & columns are an option. I think I still have one of those HH 70 G 500's if needed for the caps.  Also for accuracy, those building the 88-89 version would need to remove the "C" pillar trim line that runs from the rear door to the bottom corner of the rear window. That's the main differences in the two versions. Oh, and orange for the front turn signals on the 88-89, clear for 90-91. And that's it. 

Looking back through my pic file on this project I see I started it in September of 2009.  Like I told Mike & Greg, at first it started out as a winter project the first few years.  And in truth I didn't work on it about two years or so somewhere in the middle, but I've almost hammered it every modeling session these last 2-3 years. I can only hope those that end up being 1:1 with it find it worthy of their display shelf. I can only say I did my best. I swear it.  By the old gods and th..  Nevermind.

So, to the time frame, thought I'd post a few pics of the beginning grind from back in the winter of 09.  Like MAD magazine said once on modeling: you only have to cut away everything that DOESN'T look like your project.  Best description of scratchbuildingI I ever heard! 

 

[DEL]

Cute alert!  At first anyway.

This Kitten was born the month I started this project.  She is now an almost geriatric 9 year old cat with neurological problems. Poor thing. But she would crawl right up in the middle of my work back then when I used to work sitting cross-legged on the floor till I built a workbench for models.  In the first pic you can see the model building materials in the background. The last one is Last October, 8 years later.  Still a small cat.  BTW: I was a dog guy all my life till I was 45 or so and my second wife introduced me to my first cat. I didn't hate 'em. I like all animals. Just never had any.  She failed to inform me though that they need A) Fixin. B). Cat boxes.  And C) something else to scratch besides my easy chair.  Just sayin'.

 

 

Edited January 31, 2018 by DEL

[1972coronet]

"Just by chance , you crossed a diamond with a pearl ..."  That is such an incredible transformation ! I'll save any trite accolades ; suffice it to say that that is one impressive SSP Crown Vic !

You feline companion looks like a beauty queen ! There's just something about those Calico and Tortie cats (see attached photos of my 16 year old Calico. First image is of Tama [R.I.P.] , the Super Stationmaster in Japan ) . What's you companion's name ?

[DEL]

Thanks 72!  I really appreciate it!    I've had a couple of calicos over the years, but this particular one of the feline queens at my place is named Kylie.  Cats are a trip. Like I said, I had dogs mostly and they're great. But the cats I've had over the years do things sometimes that just make me bust out laughing.  They're thinkers and plotters. I think they'll inherit the earth eventually.  Sometimes they're a bit aggravating, but I love 'em just the same. Looks like your two have created the dreaded 'cuddle-puddle'.  Usually, in a place you need to use. Hope it wasn't your chair. You know you've had 'em too long when you hate to wake them up or move them.

Kylie is the smallest cat I've ever had.  Full grown she is tiny and barely 5-6 pounds. But she is TOUGH.  Thanks for those pics. I had heard of the station master.  And an Alaska town that had one as it's mayor!

[Maindrian Pace]

On 1/31/2018 at 12:27 PM, 1972coronet said:

"Just by chance , you crossed a diamond with a pearl ..."

Nice Kid Charlemagne reference.

Fit of header panel:

Moving right along.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Maindrian Pace