afx Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 (edited) To improve the look of the current issue of AMT's '66 Fairlane raise the top edge of both the front and rear glass. Here is a modern issue of the '66 Fairlane. Notice how the leading edge of the roof curves too far down into the windshield opening. Now compare that to an original issue Fairlane. And here is a modern Fairlane where I have performed the mods. More comparison between a modified body on the right and an unmodified body on the left. Curiously AMT's '67 Comet doesn't suffer from the drooping roof line. Edited December 27, 2016 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 Hey! Someone else that noticed this! JC, I did a mod similar to yours many years ago (mid '90's?) as that's what jumped out at me immediately the millisecond I took it out of the box. I wish I still had the model to show, but it got lost in a move (don't know how that happened) and I don't have pics of it as it was built pre digicam days. Nice mods and yes, it's interesting that the Cyclone doesn't have the same issue despite them being released right about the same time back then. It's almost like they admitted to making a mistake, but didn't come right out and say it. Now if we could have only gotten the same treatment to that '58 Plymouth................ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodent Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 My pet peeve with this kit is the missing upper front shock mounts. Scott at Futurattraction offers them in resin, thankfully. Easier than trying to scratch build them, and they are different than a Mustang.Good call on the window. I owned a 1:1 '67 GTA many years ago, and I never noticed the issue with the kit's window shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xingu Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 I will bring both my kits over so you can show me how to do it. You may have to show me twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 I will bring both my kits over so you can show me how to do it. You may have to show me twice. Mike, I cut off the leading edge of the roof at the top line of the windshield trim, then re-scribed the trim detail. Did the same procedure at the rear window. The kit glass works fine with the enlarged opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Mike, I cut off the leading edge of the roof at the top line of the windshield trim, then re-scribed the trim detail. Did the same procedure at the rear window. The kit glass works fine with the enlarged opening.I did the same thing on the windshield of mine. Never noticed that the backlight needed it too--I'll take another look at that. The Comet body has its own problems, sadly. I'm giving serious thought to converting the funny car body back to stock and using that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 The Comet body has its own problems, sadly. I'm giving serious thought to converting the funny car body back to stock and using that. Good to know - please post up a comparison when you do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 I did the same thing on the windshield of mine. Never noticed that the backlight needed it too--I'll take another look at that. The Comet body has its own problems, sadly. I'm giving serious thought to converting the funny car body back to stock and using that. Snake just curious------what are some of the issues you noticed with the Cyclone body? I don't have the kit in front of me (it's buried on my 3rd floor somewhere), but I do remember someone building one years ago (on another board) and someone commented about them needing to fix something on the sides. IIRC, it was the bodyline crease/contour or something to that effect........it's been many years but I seem to remember that being an issue.Between the two, I'm more partial to the Cyclone as its styling looks a bit better to my eye. Of all the Cyclones I like the '66-'67's the best. After that, they got too busy/heavy-handed looking and didn't look as lithe and agile as the earlier years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Snake just curious------what are some of the issues you noticed with the Cyclone body? I don't have the kit in front of me (it's buried on my 3rd floor somewhere), but I do remember someone building one years ago (on another board) and someone commented about them needing to fix something on the sides. IIRC, it was the bodyline crease/contour or something to that effect........it's been many years but I seem to remember that being an issue.Between the two, I'm more partial to the Cyclone as its styling looks a bit better to my eye. Of all the Cyclones I like the '66-'67's the best. After that, they got too busy/heavy-handed looking and didn't look as lithe and agile as the earlier years.I've had one "under construction" since it came out. I had to do a lot of sanding a puttying on the whole left side of the body but I don't remember exactly what I did and I don't have an unmolested one to compare it to. And yes there is a VERY subtle crease that runs almost the whole length of the body that's not on the AMT kit (the kit only has it on the rear quarters). There's no good or easy way to get that into or onto the body. I'm gonna try to fake it with paint, if/when I ever get back to that model again. Also, on the Fairlane, the bottom of the door line needs to be raised a bit. Compare the body pics above with the photo of the real car. No way you could get that rocker trim accurately on the kit body! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droogie Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 This is very useful information. I had heard there were issues with the sizes of the windshield and rear glass openings on the Fairlane kit, but this is the 1st time I have seen the problems illustrated and fixes outlined. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 That pic shows the body-length "crease" as well as anything I've ever seen, and much better than most. Thanks for posting it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Janssens Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 (edited) That pic shows the body-length "crease" as well as anything I've ever seen, and much better than most. Thanks for posting it! Can't one glue a fine strip of polystyrene where the crease should be and then wet (paper wrapped around a rubbery block) sand it the full length, to blend it in? Just thinking out loud... Edited December 28, 2016 by Luc Janssens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Can't one glue a fine strip of polystyrene where the crease should be and then wet (paper wrapped around a rubbery block) sand it the full length, to blend it in? Just thinking out loud...That's the route I would go. And now that I remember, that was the issue someone brought up when an individual was building this and showing their work on the (then) Hobby Heaven board. I would think .010-015" round rod would be good to replicate that crease with some finessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim H Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 In the Fairlanes I have built. I did the front window Mod. But since one was a convertible, one a wagon, and a resin 2 door sedan the rear mod wasn't needed. LOL. but I will remember it when I dig out another one to build as the kit is. Hey I can't leave anything alone. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hamilton Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 (edited) That pic shows the body-length "crease" as well as anything I've ever seen, and much better than most. Thanks for posting it! For some odd reason, the "new Tool" '67 Cyclone never did anything for me. However, I have two rebuilder original annual '67's in my stash. That light green coupe looks awfully nice to me. Also I have an original annual '66 Fairlane to work over, and I did the mods mentioned in this section on a "new tool" Fairlane. Edited April 11, 2017 by Ron Hamilton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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