LAPD 1978 Plymouth Fury completed for now...

[mrmike]

This is a tribute build to the late Jon Talcott, a fallen member of the Classic Plastic Model Club.  Jon liked municipal builds, usually Massachusetts State Police, but this is an LAPD Patrol Car.  I am using the Yodel Los Angeles City Police 1978 Dodge Monaco which I'll be converting to a 1978 Plymouth Fury based upon my research.  This is Chrysler's badge engineering at its best!  The Yodel Monaco and Fury kits have the required grilles and taillights, so all that is needed is to swap the chrome sprues with the correct grilles.  My paint will be Gloss Black and Gloss White for the body and tan for the interior.     

Edited December 1, 2018 by mrmike

[mrmike]

I created a set of can lights using two pieces of 3/16" round tubing, strips of .010X.030 on the ends of the tubing, and 1/16" round stock for a mount under the can lights.  These are painted with Gloss Black paint and will get reflectors and lenses from my parts box.

[1972coronet]

As one whom grew-up not too far from Downtown L.A. , I applaud your decision to replicate one of their iconic units ! 

Some sectors used Unity spot lights , whereas other sectors employed "Alley Lights" (which were mounted to the lightbar) , and yet others had only the "can" lights. 

Is the interior platform moulded in black ? If so , it'll be the perfect texture and finish to replicate the moulded rubber mats ( e.g. , you don't have to paint them ) .

In speaking to a close-to-retirement body man at the Twin Towers Yard / Garage ( Downtown Los Angeles , some twenty years ago ) , he told me , "Those [ Dodge and Plymouth ] units were unbeatable ; just absolute tanks . Their only downside was when I had to replace a quarter panel --- so many extra welds and reinforcements right from the factory ! "

But , I digress ...

Looking forward to following your build , Mike ! 

( P.S. : Don't forget to add a few dings , dents , scrapes , and chipped paint along the way ! )

[mrmike]

Thank you John!  With my Club's Show coming up in about 2 months, I wanted to build something that wasn't too involved (ie curbside), but something I could add some detail to.  I may add 012 to the roof as a tribute to Martin Milner who passed away in September 2015.  I've been wanting these kits for a while and haven't been able to get any until recently.  I have one earmarked for Rick Hunter's car from the TV show Hunter starring Fred Dwyer.  The last one I have maybe a CHP or San Diego Sheriff cruiser.  We shall see... 

The interior bucket is all black in color and would look good unpainted as the rubber floor mats.  I  will have to mask off the floor so I can paint the rest of the interior tan.  I have already made my "can lights", but I need to find reflectors and lenses for them so I can complete them.  Making them was easier than I originally thought.  Good for me!

Keep watching!

[slusher]

Nice start Mike, looking forward to more..

[mrmike]

Thank you Carl!

[mrmike]

I assembled the wheels and tires last night before turning in.  I started sanding the mold lines on the body and there are a lot of them.  On the outside and inside of the body.  The body is ready for its initial coat of primer to check my work.  The worst of the mold lines were along the tops of the front fenders.

More to come...

[SfanGoch]

Looking good, Mike. I've got the can lights and sirens from the Johan Police Pursuit kit which I'll never use. If you might need those for a future project,  let me know.

[mrmike]

Thank you Joe!  Much appreciated!

[mrmike]

Even though it has been raining today, I got out of the house and went down to the LHS to look around and to pick up some paint for the Fury.  I got a can of Tamiya TS-14 Black and Tamiya TS-26 Pure White.  I detailed the radio and microphone after assembling the unit and adding the microphone.  Sometime in the late '60s or early '70s, LAPD added numbers to the roofs of their patrol units for identification for the helicopters to see.  I wanted 012 in tribute to Martin Milner who played Off. Pete Malloy and I found some number decals in my decal stash.

More to come...

[Agent G]

Looking good so far. Love the "tribute" cars as they hold all the memories!

In real life the roof numbers were initially the "shop" number of the car and had nothing to do with beat or call sign. 1A12 is a Central Division, 2 man car, patrolling beat 12.  Later, the division number was added to the trunk, so a 1  would be on Central Division cars. Air units had to ID particular cars by calling "Shop xxx" and then giving directions. Pilots caught on quicker that the beat coppers. No one really remembers the car's shop number, only the call sign. 

G

 

 

[Slotto]

I love the box art. The cops are hassling one of the local prostitutes.
Killer job on the radio. and those dog dish wheels are spot on.

[Oldcarfan27]

1 hour ago, Slotto said:

I love the box art. The cops are hassling one of the local prostitutes.

Looks to me like the prostitutes are in the background, and LAs finest are harassing the jaywalker instead!

She probably has donuts in her purse. ?

Edited August 16, 2018 by Oldcarfan27

[mrmike]

I started filling in the holes in the chassis for the electronic bits and pieces and extending the rear axle.  One of the things I had noticed was the front seat had no back to it.  So out came my tools and a sheet of .020 plain styrene, did a little tracing and some cutting and I have a seat back for the front seat.  When the glue had dried, the body and chassis when into the paint booth for some primer.

More to come...

 

 

Edited August 16, 2018 by mrmike

[Tom Geiger]

You seem to have overcome those shortcomings but wouldn't the goodies from a Joker Goon Car have been good substitutes?  I know, scale, but how bad could it be?

[mrmike]

You are correct Tom.  Scale is the big issue here and there is a big difference between the AMT Joker/Goon Car and the Yodel police cars.  The 1/24 Scale Yodels seems a tad bit bigger in 1/24 scale compared to other models that I have in that scale.  To me, the difference is just too big and I do get into the habit of wanting to scratch build something from time to time.

Edited August 16, 2018 by mrmike

[iamsuperdan]

I love these big 70s boats! Growing up, we had a 77 Fury sedan, and a 78 Fury wagon. Would love to find a real one now.

 

[mustang1989]

Good lookin' build so far Mike! These were a "dime a dozen" back in the day. It's a true rarity to see one nowadays.

[mrmike]

Thanks Dan and Joe!  The real ones are hard to find, especially around here.  They were used hard and put away wet.  Many were rolling rust buckets.  The kits have been hoarded or built over the years.  I got three  that will be built over time.

[iamsuperdan]

Yeah, the kits are a little easier. I have one Yodel and two of the DOH cars.

The seatback was the first thing I noticed when I was looking tghrough my Yodel box. Easy fix though, as you have shown!

I'll end up doing mine as an RCMP unit. And one of the DOH cars will be a replica of my dad's old 77 sedan.

 

[mrmike]

I noticed the lack of the seat back after I had started on body work and was looking through the rest of the kit.  I was a relative easy fix on my behalf, but really?  No seat back?  What were they thinking?!!!

[mrmike]

A mockup to check my work.  The chassis is nearly complete.  Just a couple of things more.

More to come...

[tonye66]

I had a Yodel Fury (taxi I think) many years ago. Probably packed up in my parents house somewhere still. I remember it being a very enjoyable build that looked great in the end. This one will be over the top. I love the progress. The car looks great

[mrmike]

Thank you Tony!  I've been looking at the car since I posted the pictures and I don't really care for the raised front suspension.  I know that the chassis was set up as a battery powered car, but I am changing all that.  I need to figure out a way to lower the front suspension without taking it all apart.

[Bucky]

Nice progress, so far! I'm watching with great interest. I have a couple Yodel kits in the stash.

I had three of the mid seventies B body MOPARS....'75 Coronet, '76 Charger Sport, and '76 Cordoba. All three were 2 door cars, and all three were black!

They were very comfortable, reliable, and ran very well.

Wish I still had 'em all!!