Snake45 Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 I bought this builtup at an estate sale in the early '90s. It was built from the '80s reissue, which included the Hemi engine and the '68 type round side marker lights. The grille and rear panel are however clearly '69 features. More recent reissues of this kit have a 383 and correct '69 side markers. When I got around to getting into it a few months ago, it was filthy but, underneath the crud, not too badly built (as these things go). It's molded in orange and at first I thought the builder had just shot some clearcoat on it; I was gonna strip the clear, polish the orange plastic, replace the scooped hood with a stock one, and restore it to stock. I looked around for an orange hood for a while but never did find one. Then I discovered that the model actually had orange paint over orange plastic. Huh! What kind of orange paint I don't know, as it's a little “redder” than good old Testor Orange. It was built long before the Testor and Model Master laquers appeared, so it wasn't any of those oranges. Maybe it's a long-gone Pactra color, or some kind of household rattlecan orange. Whatever, since I didn't want to repaint the thing (if I'd wanted to paint one, I'd have just started with a new kit), I was now kinda stuck with using the Hemi-scooped hood. Whatever the paint was, it polished up pretty nicely with Wright's Silver Cream. I polished the glass, re-did the window and body trim with Silver Sharpie, detailed the grille with black and Testor Steel, and touched up the worn-away chrome on the bumpers with DecoColor Premium Silver Leaf Marker (90% as good as Molotow, but cheaper, tougher, and dries faster). I didn't care for the wheels and tires it came with, and by the time I got around to working on it, one of them had disappeared anyway. Rather than spend a few hours trying to find something I liked in spares to replace them with, I cheated and just openend up a new reissue copy of the kit and pirated all the rolling stock out of that. So what do I have a model of? Near as I can figure, it's a '70s street freak, perhaps converted from a now-obsolete drag car (it's a Hemi, remember). There's always the option to find some appropriate decals, replace the front tires with something skinnier, and call it a 1969 A/MP or match racer, or even an early (first year) Pro Stock. But it's kinda cool as a street freak. The rehabbed model looks surprisingly good to me. If I had set out with a new kit to build one exactly this way, mine would have only looked maybe 5-10% better. I'd have deepened the panel lines and removed all the molding marks, and my paint would be a little better, but it would look pretty much just like this one does. I hope the fellow who built it originally would be as proud of it as I am. Thanks for looking, and as always, comments welcome.
keyser Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 (edited) Snake, I think its the GSM version because of exhaust dumps. That 67 Charger in that series was same way. No sidepipes. IIRC that was a 74 issue. Mark or Casey know, but I don't think the annual 69 was correct until long after 69. So you get the mixed. Looks great. Saving is more fun than new. Found this, figured you'd like it. Never heard of or seen show, "Highwaymen" http://coolcarsinmovies.blogspot.com/2009/06/1968-plymouth-barracuda-super-stock-426.html Jim Caveziel and Rhona Mitra ? Edited June 11, 2020 by keyser
Spottedlaurel Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 Excellent save, well done to the original builder for doing a clean job in the first place and for the sympathetic job you've done on it. Yes, you could have stripped it right back but then it would have lost its character.
Dragonhawk1066 Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 Great save! That one cleaned up very nicely!
Tom Geiger Posted June 12, 2020 Posted June 12, 2020 If the body is orange, it’s probably this issue. I have one I bought back in the day. I cut the roof off to make a convertible, didn’t get far!
Can-Con Posted June 12, 2020 Posted June 12, 2020 Another nice save Snake. I think the grille turned out particularly well.
Snake45 Posted June 12, 2020 Author Posted June 12, 2020 18 hours ago, michelle said: nice save Thanks! I finished it right about the same time you posted yours, so delayed posting it so as not to steal your thunder on that one. 18 hours ago, keyser said: Looks great. Saving is more fun than new. Thanks! Yes, it is, for some reason. Maybe because anybody can build a new kit. 17 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said: Excellent save, well done to the original builder for doing a clean job in the first place and for the sympathetic job you've done on it. Yes, you could have stripped it right back but then it would have lost its character. Thanks! I see you "get it" too. 15 hours ago, Dragonhawk1066 said: Great save! That one cleaned up very nicely! It sure did. Kinda surprised me, in fact. 14 hours ago, Tom Geiger said: I have one I bought back in the day. I cut the roof off to make a convertible, didn’t get far! That's the second decapitated Barracuda I've heard of in the last 24 hours! The horror...the horror! 14 hours ago, Can-Con said: Another nice save Snake. I think the grille turned out particularly well. Thanks! That grille turned out to be probably the hardest part of the whole job, a real B-word. It's not molded very cleanly and I kept having to chase paint over-runs.
keyser Posted June 12, 2020 Posted June 12, 2020 BTW, the paint on the wheels is killer. What color? That grabs the look, but i bit lighter than the dark grey in some TT's. I've always liked that MPC wheel combo.
Geno Posted June 12, 2020 Posted June 12, 2020 (edited) Great save Rich, I love that bodystyle. 2 thumbs up buddy.? Edited June 14, 2020 by Geno
stavanzer Posted June 12, 2020 Posted June 12, 2020 Awesome Resto! I'd have never chose the colour Orange, but it looks surprisingly good in it.
Snake45 Posted June 12, 2020 Author Posted June 12, 2020 1 hour ago, keyser said: BTW, the paint on the wheels is killer. What color? That grabs the look, but i bit lighter than the dark grey in some TT's. I've always liked that MPC wheel combo. Testor or Model Master Steel, which is only a hair darker than their Aluminum, and both of them are too "flaky" IMHO, but it's about all I can get these days. How I miss Pactra Flat Aluminum and Flat Steel, which used to be my go-to paints for TTs. I'm thinking of mixing some flat black into my next bottle of the Testor Steel and see what that looks like.
Hmann68 Posted June 13, 2020 Posted June 13, 2020 (edited) I agree with you, it looks killer as a street machine! The paint cleaned up great. I’ve got the 383 version in the stash that I keep looking at. Maybe use the AMT Duster chassis on it. Anyway, great job on your save Snake ?? Edited June 13, 2020 by Hmann68
Snake45 Posted June 13, 2020 Author Posted June 13, 2020 On 6/12/2020 at 11:33 AM, Geno said: Great save Rich, I love that bodystyle. @ thumbs up buddy.? Thanks Geno! Much appreciated! On 6/12/2020 at 12:01 PM, alexis said: Awesome Resto! I'd have never chose the colour Orange, but it looks surprisingly good in it. I wouldn't have either (was orange even available on stock '69 Barracuda? Maybe special-order 999 Orange, I dunno....), but it kinda works, doesn't it? Thanks! 23 hours ago, br67 said: I like it a lot Snake! Nice save Thanks!
Snake45 Posted June 14, 2020 Author Posted June 14, 2020 On 6/12/2020 at 1:09 PM, Scalper said: I loved saved models .. nice work On 6/12/2020 at 8:47 PM, PappyD340 said: Very nice save, well done! On 6/13/2020 at 5:51 AM, ChrisR said: Nice save! Thanks all! Much appreciated!
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