IMC: Ford GTP J-car rescue

[Funkychiken]

Looks great finished!

[Dann Tier]

NICE!!...you're doing a fantastic job of it!!….kinda reminds me of Ferrari's Breadvan...

[Fifer]

On 8/22/2018 at 12:12 AM, 89AKurt said:

I have had a wild hair to finish this for some reason.....

Final assembly was a trick, considering you can't dry fit the body until everything else is glued together.  I found most parts needed adjustments.  The closest to detailing anything, was creating headlight lenses with clear epoxy.

The glass fit was either huge gaps, or file/sand the edges.  I painted all edges flat black, glued on with Elmers clear glue.  Headlights interfered with the covers, oh well.  The engine bonnet hinge is a problem, would need to cut and reposition, not going there.

With everything open, can't tell the fit is bad.  I know if the previous owner had tried to built this, the hammer would have been used.

Now, I'm going to start a new thread in .... drum roll .....

I am impressed. It is hard to re-start a kit , but you have done a masterful job on a complicated build. I always loved the look of the J Car but the MK4 is my favorite.

Thanks for sharing this.

Mike

[vamach1]

Would I punish myself to build another one.  It's a question I am fortunate enough to contemplate.

[Fifer]

1 hour ago, vamach1 said:

Would I punish myself to build another one.  It's a question I am fortunate enough to contemplate.

I hear you. Don't know if I will ever build mine as well, but we could !!

[89AKurt]

2 hours ago, vamach1 said:

Would I punish myself to build another one.  It's a question I am fortunate enough to contemplate.

[...]

 

56 minutes ago, Fifer said:

I hear you. Don't know if I will ever build mine as well, but we could !!

Thanks for dropping by!  I wanted to finish it, so dared not correct or detail anything!  It really needs massaging to look correct, some things such as cooler placement under the hood, for example.  I think the back tires are too narrow.  I did blend the front scoop outlet with filler.  I noticed an evolution during it's life, such as lights, spoiler tabs and such, so you need to pick a time and freeze it.

[Fifer]

21 minutes ago, 89AKurt said:

 

Thanks for dropping by!  I wanted to finish it, so dared not correct or detail anything!  It really needs massaging to look correct, some things such as cooler placement under the hood, for example.  I think the back tires are too narrow.  I did blend the front scoop outlet with filler.  I noticed an evolution during it's life, such as lights, spoiler tabs and such, so you need to pick a time and freeze it.

After seeing this , if I build it , maybe no detail and build all body fuse together first. I don't know if that would help or work.

Mike

[djflyer]

I was glad to see this build brought up again, else I might have missed it.  Has anyone built the MPC kit - I dont think its related but maybe I'm wrong - and what is your take on it?.  I have this one in the stash that looks to have been started years ago but the clear parts are in GREAT shape.

 

[Fifer]

I have not , but I too , was thinking of buying one sometime.

Mike

[vamach1]

It's no worse than the later Mark IV's and maybe a little better actually one you get past the whole silly clear thing.  The next question is has anyone else built them both?

[vamach1]

The Mark IV which was derived from the JCar molds.

[Len Woodruff]

Great build.

[djflyer]

15 minutes ago, vamach1 said:

It's no worse than the later Mark IV's and maybe a little better actually one you get past the whole silly clear thing.  The next question is has anyone else built them both?

I am somewhat surprised that the fit of the clear body panels is actually quite good - better than the IMC kit for sure.  Perhaps because nothing was meant to open or be removable.  It seems to be molded in a thicker material also so maybe that helps.

 

 

[Funkychiken]

great rebuild!

[Rich Chernosky]

A great save. These kits were tough to build to begin with and you did a  good job. I have mine from when it was built in 1965 and just might do what you have done. Mine has long since yellowed. I have re-visited an IMC kit (Chaparral  2E) and they can be made into a decent model with new paints and techniques. Yours is proof of that. 

[Fifer]

27 minutes ago, Rich Chernosky said:

A great save. These kits were tough to build to begin with and you did a  good job. I have mine from when it was built in 1965 and just might do what you have done. Mine has long since yellowed. I have re-visited an IMC kit (Chaparral  2E) and they can be made into a decent model with new paints and techniques. Yours is proof of that. 

SWEET.

Mike

[Ralph Henderson]

GREAT job on a tough kit.  I hope to find an MPC one in the future.  I built all the MPC's all those years ago, and a couple IMC's.  They were tough on a 13 year old, I'll tell ya!!

 

[89AKurt]

Thanks for additional input everyone!  Without having the MPC kit to touch, based on the photos, looks a little more accurate, but missing the vents at the trailing edge.  The spare is properly mounted to the transaxle.  Looks like the glass fits tight, the gaps on the IMC are HUGE.  The nose profile is longer, have to assume that was fixed after they discovered aerodynamics is important. ?

[Dann Tier]

Its a Masterpiece, bud!!!!!

[bisc63]

That's about as good as an IMC kit can look, IMHO! The IMC tools ended up in the possession of Lindberg, who would occasionally pop them out, though I don't recall them releasing this particular kit. They are, however, responsible for my most-hated and reviled plastic disaster: the '48 Lincoln. Open the box, and you hear the sounds of orphans crying. ( and me, too) Beautiful picture of of a REAL Lincoln on the box, plastic inside would build just as accurate a model of the USS Enterprise as it would a Lincoln of any year...

[89AKurt]

On 8/25/2019 at 5:58 AM, Dann Tier said:

Its a Masterpiece, bud!!!!!

Thank you, too kind. ?

2 hours ago, bisc63 said:

That's about as good as an IMC kit can look, IMHO! The IMC tools ended up in the possession of Lindberg, who would occasionally pop them out, though I don't recall them releasing this particular kit. [...]

Thanks!  I guess. ?  I've never been a fan of Lindberg.

[1959scudetto]

Great build, Kurt (of an awful kit with a lot of issues)

More than 30 years ago I happened to get an old glue-bomb which I restored using some leftover parts from the reissued union Mk IV kit which worked quite well.

Home-made decals and wrong color = black instead of dark-blue, though.

Link to my build here: https://www.willhaben.at/iad/kaufen-und-verkaufen/d/1-25-imc-1966-ford-j-car-super-raritaet-aus-den-spaeten-60er-jahren-326694005/

[89AKurt]

5 minutes ago, 1959scudetto said:

Great build, Kurt (of an awful kit with a lot of issues)

More than 30 years ago I happened to get an old glue-bomb which I restored using some leftover parts from the reissued union Mk IV kit which worked quite well.

Home-made decals and wrong color = black instead of dark-blue, though.

Link to my build here: https://www.willhaben.at/iad/kaufen-und-verkaufen/d/1-25-imc-1966-ford-j-car-super-raritaet-aus-den-spaeten-60er-jahren-326694005/

Thank you!  BTW: we need to click the cookie warning, not doing that.

[89AKurt]

Well shucks, due to my Flickr account being disappeared, this thread is almost useless. ?  Glad MCM added more memory space, to avoid this problem.  Will post only finished pictures, not worth going back and editing.

[Gramps46]

Glad to see this brought back up again.