79 Trans Am. (Big scale)

[FLHCAHZ]

18 minutes ago, ksnow said:

That's looking very nice.

Thank you sir!

[FarmerDowns]

Looking Great!!

[FarmerDowns]

I've done a few of those.. And the turbos..

[FLHCAHZ]

2 hours ago, FarmerDowns said:

I've done a few of those.. And the turbos..

Looking good!

[FLHCAHZ]

It’s on wheels!

Also finished the dash and steering wheel 

And got the hood and doors painted, but not cleared yet

Mounted the spoiler and ground effects to the body, now to get it all sanded out and ready to shoot

the rear spoiler didn’t fit so great, but it’s on and looks ok

[FLHCAHZ]

Ok. Finally an update with pics of course. Got the body doors and hood painted, cleared, and decals applied. Then a couple coats of wax

and some additional work on the chassis.  The top rad hose does not fit!   It’s way too short 

[Dragonhawk1066]

Looking good!

[FLHCAHZ]

16 minutes ago, Dragonhawk1066 said:

Looking good!

Thanks!  Your double Trans Am build was an inspiration 

[TransAmMike]

Keep it rollin' Chaz, looking good?

[FLHCAHZ]

9 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

Keep it rollin' Chaz, looking good?

Thanks Mike!

 

[FLHCAHZ]

So I started final assembly and while I have enjoyed building this kit, the final assembly has shown some issues.  Could be my fault, but the shaker does not line up with the hole in the hood, the rear ends sits a little low. I may have to put some lift shackles for the leaf springs. I was a little worried about the color gold I picked but I think it turned out ok

all the time I spent trying to get the plug wires correct and you can’t even see them. LOL

[TransAmMike]

Nothing wrong with the color Chaz, very nice gold?

[FLHCAHZ]

2 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:

Nothing wrong with the color Chaz, very nice gold?

Thanks Mike. Looking forward to pics of you WIP 

[FLHCAHZ]

Inching towards the finish line on this one

Ive decided to mount the shaker to the hood.  Kinda bummed out about it, but with this kits fit and finish AND my skill set it seems an easy way out

[TransAmMike]

On 5/9/2021 at 8:10 PM, FLHCAHZ said:

Thanks Mike. Looking forward to pics of you WIP 

Yer welcome  Chaz.  I got sidetracked again on my '55.  I just need to get the second color of paint redone and just can't push myself to do it.

[FLHCAHZ]

5 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

Yer welcome  Chaz.  I got sidetracked again on my '55.  I just need to get the second color of paint redone and just can't push myself to do it.

All in good time my friend!

[Oldmopars]

On 5/15/2021 at 8:49 PM, FLHCAHZ said:

Inching towards the finish line on this one

Ive decided to mount the shaker to the hood.  Kinda bummed out about it, but with this kits fit and finish AND my skill set it seems an easy way out

Just so you know, this is a challenging kit. Fit and finish is poor out of the box. 

What you have done looks great. 

 

[FLHCAHZ]

9 hours ago, Oldmopars said:

Just so you know, this is a challenging kit. Fit and finish is poor out of the box. 

What you have done looks great. 

 

Thank you for that!  I am proud of what I have been able to make out of it.  Would you happen to know if the other 1/16 kits in this lane are any better?  I'd really like to build the '57 Chevy. 

[Oldmopars]

6 hours ago, FLHCAHZ said:

Thank you for that!  I am proud of what I have been able to make out of it.  Would you happen to know if the other 1/16 kits in this lane are any better?  I'd really like to build the '57 Chevy. 

From what I have seen, any of the AMT/MPC 1/16 scale kits are not high on detail, fit or finish. They are clearly nothing more than 1/25 scale kits, made bigger. There are very few details added to the larger kits. However, the cost is only slightly more than the 1/25 kits. 

If detail in a larger scale is what you want, look to the Japanese 1/12 scale kits. Not all are good, but most are way better than the AMT/MPC stuff. The Revell(Germany) 1/16 and 1/12 stuff seems hit or miss on details, but great on quality and fit. I have heard a few are based on snap kits. 

Even the Revell/Monogram 1/8th scale stuff is not as detailed as I would hope, however the fit and finish is great for the most part. Easy to build and easy to add details to. Not a lot of aftermarket support though. 

[FLHCAHZ]

3 hours ago, Oldmopars said:

From what I have seen, any of the AMT/MPC 1/16 scale kits are not high on detail, fit or finish. They are clearly nothing more than 1/25 scale kits, made bigger. There are very few details added to the larger kits. However, the cost is only slightly more than the 1/25 kits. 

If detail in a larger scale is what you want, look to the Japanese 1/12 scale kits. Not all are good, but most are way better than the AMT/MPC stuff. The Revell(Germany) 1/16 and 1/12 stuff seems hit or miss on details, but great on quality and fit. I have heard a few are based on snap kits. 

Even the Revell/Monogram 1/8th scale stuff is not as detailed as I would hope, however the fit and finish is great for the most part. Easy to build and easy to add details to. Not a lot of aftermarket support though. 

Thanks for the info!  I am really only interested in building American Musclecars / Hot Rods

[Oldmopars]

4 hours ago, FLHCAHZ said:

Thanks for the info!  I am really only interested in building American Musclecars / Hot Rods

Yes, however what I meant is the Japanese kit makers, they do make some American muscle cars. Not many, but some. Doyusha makes some, but beware, they will command a high price. Firebird, Corvette, and a few others.

Other brands to also look at are ESCI, they makes a 57 Chevy, Minicraft makes mostly vintage stuff like Model A cars/trucks. Look to Ebay, be careful of the prices. 

If a cheap build is what you are after, AMT/MPC is about the only thing you will find in American cars. Most of the others are going to start at $50 +shipping and go up rapidly from there. Vintage large scale stuff gets expensive.

If you are into 1/8th scale, Monogram made a 1965, 1978, 1982 and 1985 Corvettes, early 80's Camaro, 1986(ish) IROC Camaro, 1980 Trans Am/Firebird, 1932 Ford Roadster and a T-Bucket/Tub. Again, these kits will not come cheap if they are new/unbuilt. You can spend about $100 for the 85 Vette to $600+ for the Trans Am or the IROC. (They also did a XKE/E-Type Jag)

Most of my 1/8th scale stuff I have purchased at less than average Ebay prices, but even still I paid over $100 for all of them. I found a 1932 Ford kit in an Antique shop for $165. Ebay is $319 +shipping right now. My IROC, 82 Corvette and 85 Vette came either damaged, or started. My 65 Vette was the cheapest but it is missing the engine and a bunch of other stuff. I'm still looking for a good deal on a Trans Am, but finding one under $300 is hard and I won't even go that high. I'm looking for a started or built one cheap. 

The aftermarket is slowly growing for 1/8th scale parts, but it is mostly geared towards the 1932 Ford and the T-Bucket. (And the Jag)

Don't forget the Lindberg T-Bucket. Not a great kit, but has a lot of potential and can be had at about $100 as they just reissued it. I have 3 of those. They also have some other 1/16th kits, but they are not really great kits, just OK. I have the 1/16th scale T-Bucket and the Serepent T(UGLY!!)

I don't think Pocher has any American cars at all, just as well, very very expensive. 

As you can see I love the big kits. They are a lot of fun to build. Let me know if you have questions about any of the kits I have or other questions in general. 

Here is a link to one of my builds.

 

[FLHCAHZ]

7 hours ago, Oldmopars said:

Yes, however what I meant is the Japanese kit makers, they do make some American muscle cars. Not many, but some. Doyusha makes some, but beware, they will command a high price. Firebird, Corvette, and a few others.

Other brands to also look at are ESCI, they makes a 57 Chevy, Minicraft makes mostly vintage stuff like Model A cars/trucks. Look to Ebay, be careful of the prices. 

If a cheap build is what you are after, AMT/MPC is about the only thing you will find in American cars. Most of the others are going to start at $50 +shipping and go up rapidly from there. Vintage large scale stuff gets expensive.

If you are into 1/8th scale, Monogram made a 1965, 1978, 1982 and 1985 Corvettes, early 80's Camaro, 1986(ish) IROC Camaro, 1980 Trans Am/Firebird, 1932 Ford Roadster and a T-Bucket/Tub. Again, these kits will not come cheap if they are new/unbuilt. You can spend about $100 for the 85 Vette to $600+ for the Trans Am or the IROC. (They also did a XKE/E-Type Jag)

Most of my 1/8th scale stuff I have purchased at less than average Ebay prices, but even still I paid over $100 for all of them. I found a 1932 Ford kit in an Antique shop for $165. Ebay is $319 +shipping right now. My IROC, 82 Corvette and 85 Vette came either damaged, or started. My 65 Vette was the cheapest but it is missing the engine and a bunch of other stuff. I'm still looking for a good deal on a Trans Am, but finding one under $300 is hard and I won't even go that high. I'm looking for a started or built one cheap. 

The aftermarket is slowly growing for 1/8th scale parts, but it is mostly geared towards the 1932 Ford and the T-Bucket. (And the Jag)

Don't forget the Lindberg T-Bucket. Not a great kit, but has a lot of potential and can be had at about $100 as they just reissued it. I have 3 of those. They also have some other 1/16th kits, but they are not really great kits, just OK. I have the 1/16th scale T-Bucket and the Serepent T(UGLY!!)

I don't think Pocher has any American cars at all, just as well, very very expensive. 

As you can see I love the big kits. They are a lot of fun to build. Let me know if you have questions about any of the kits I have or other questions in general. 

Here is a link to one of my builds.

 

Thanks again for the info.  I have the lindberg Big Red Rod as well.  I may try to build that over the winter.  I see what you mean about te large scale kits and pricing.  Wow are they expensive  (seems all of my hobbies are expensive!).  I also have the 1/12 67 Corvette, I got from a member here.  Looking forward to that one as well.

[Sledsel]

Looking really nice!

You are a brave man too! Every time I paint separate body pieces at different times, they do not match!!! Yours came out great though

[FLHCAHZ]

On 5/19/2021 at 12:20 PM, Sledsel said:

Looking really nice!

You are a brave man too! Every time I paint separate body pieces at different times, they do not match!!! Yours came out great though

Thanks!

[FLHCAHZ]

Ok. Calling this one done.  I’m posting in under glass