AMT '75 Gremlin - next of the Supernatural show builds.

[Beans]

Coming off of the completion of the Supernatural impala (and all the crazy little things I made) I wanted to do something that required a little less fine detail.  I also wanted to continue with my overall project of building cars from the Supernatural show (being a fan of the show).

So next up is the AMC Gremlin as driven by the Character Charlie Bradbury.  

The show car is a 76 Gremlin.  Being stubborn, and cheap, and already having a 75 Gremlin kit, I decided to just modify that one.

Normally I start my kits with the engine.....  Well the show car has in inline 6.  The kit doesn't come with an inline 6.  No inline 6s in my parts box....   hmmm.  Skip the engine and come back to it when I can find a decently cheap inline 6.  Moving on to the interior.

Having scratchbuild burnout, I decided to not worry about the door panel detail and can live happily with it as it is.

Flocked (Embossing powdered) the carpet areas, then used my reference photos and some internet research to try to match the seat upholstery for the back seats and the seat covers for the front seats.

 

Used bandaids and masking tape to replicate the front blanket seat covers.  

I added more slight color variations on the front seats and cleaned up the black vertical lines after I took this picture.  

Need to blend the back seat pattern in a little more and darken it, and totally missed the spare tire so added that and need to carpet it.

 

Overall it is so far so good....    Oh, test fitting the interior to the body did show some fit issues.   Fun with the dremel to come...

[Mike F.]

Looks like a good start Joe. Are you going to scratch build the front grill/turn signal lights assembly, or modify the one from the kit?

[Beans]

Didn't get to the body work yet...   Had to deal with this:

Two steering wheels supplied with the kit.  The one I want to use is on the right.  For sake of this post I will call him Stubby.  Not sure how that happens but there definitely isn't enough clearance to mount that  correctly.  Plus no steering column to speak of.

A trip to the old military parts bin and one 120mm or 105mm tank shell is going to donate it's life as a steering column.

As per usual for me, the show car is an automatic, the kit is not..was not.  New steering column complete with gear indicator, automatic column shift and turn signal lever (which will be trimmed and capped.)

Next will be fitment fixes and front grill modification (oh and headlight opening mods too...can't forget that.)

[Beans]

15 minutes ago, Mike F. said:

Looks like a good start Joe. Are you going to scratch build the front grill/turn signal lights assembly, or modify the one from the kit?

Working on modifying the kit, and by modify I mean chucking the chrome grill piece in the parts box,  drilling out the molded in mesh and rebuilding the grill while using the dremel to square off the headlight openings.  As long as I haven't totally destroyed the kit front at that point I will work the side markers to smooth out the bumpy area.

[Mike F.]

Nice work on the steering column and good luck with the grill.

[Oldcarfan27]

Fabric bandages - that's a great idea!

[Can-Con]

If you can find one, or someone who has an old one to part with, the engine in both Pacers reissued a few years ago have the exact engine you need. The MPC kit has the more detailed of the two though.

[Beans]

3 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

Fabric bandages - that's a great idea!

Thank you.  Unfortunately we didn't have any of the older style plasticier ones with the holes in them.  I thought that might make a decent perforated steering wheel cover.

[Beans]

2 hours ago, Can-Con said:

If you can find one, or someone who has an old one to part with, the engine in both Pacers reissued a few years ago have the exact engine you need. The MPC kit has the more detailed of the two though.

Thanks for the info.  I will start looking!!

[slusher]

pacer wagon has an inline 6..

[Beans]

Thanks all for the info on locating an inline 6.  Looks like the Pacer is the key.

Update for today starts with an observation based on initial assembly of the interior:

 

The remainder of my progress today was dremeling off the excess on the inside of the body from the recessed tail lights and removing some around the back of the interior so that I can get the interior to fit higher and tighter in the body.  

 

and while I am at it, removing the center of the molded grill insert area to make ready for grill modification and squaring off of the headlight recesses. 

I may have to drill out the backs and make them a little deeper.  Also realized the actual headlight is molded in chrome.  I can never get them to look quite right so I will have to look at alternatives.

[Mike F.]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:21 AM, Beans said:

Thanks all for the info on locating an inline 6.  Looks like the Pacer is the key.

Update for today starts with an observation based on initial assembly of the interior:

 

The remainder of my progress today was dremeling off the excess on the inside of the body from the recessed tail lights and removing some around the back of the interior so that I can get the interior to fit higher and tighter in the body.  

 

and while I am at it, removing the center of the molded grill insert area to make ready for grill modification and squaring off of the headlight recesses. 

I may have to drill out the backs and make them a little deeper.  Also realized the actual headlight is molded in chrome.  I can never get them to look quite right so I will have to look at alternatives.

Yes, I was irritated by the headlights being chrome. I gave them two coats with a flat clear, which helped, kinda-sorta.

Maybe add a touch of white to it.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Mike F.

[Beans]

1 hour ago, Mike F. said:

Yes, I was irritated by the headlights being chrome. I gave them two coats with a flat clear, which helped, kinda-sorta.

Maybe add a touch of white to it.

I am going to try out a method I recently saw on here somewhere and punch out some clear plastic circles.  Haven't had a chance to get back to the model yet, it's been a busy week.

[Beans]

Looks...color!!!

Humidity dropped to 50% at about 80° by the time I got home from work and couldn't resist.

[Mike F.]

Looks good. Color is just right.

[Beans]

28 minutes ago, Mike F. said:

Looks good. Color is just right.

Thanks.  Overall I am pretty happy with it.  

[Beans]

Grill update...the struggle is real.

I love following those builds from the really experienced and awesome modelers on here where they simply are able to figure out what they need to scratch build and magically turn raw plastic into an amazing looking piece.

That aint me.  With me you will get every ugly, messed up, convoluted, and weird scheme I can think of that may eventually turn out to be generally passable as to what I am trying to create.

 

Since I am updating the 74 to a 76 I needed to change the grill out.  Yes I could have just gotten a 76 model but I had the 74, it was not expensive when I got it, and overall I am cheap.  Plus I get some odd enjoyment out of the frustration and work that goes into modifying things.

I had several ideas on how to accomplish going from this  to this

 

With the old grill gone and drilled out I made several attempts at making a new one.  

1)  Wire....too bendy.  Hard to keep straight, no depth.  My bright idea was to try to glue it down to a mesh backer.....

That didn't work out so well.

 

2.  Craft foam... Yes craft foam.  I have actually used this to make parts before.  If you use heat to close up the pores and seal it, it works pretty well.  The trick here was cutting it thin enough to stay in scale....

Yike!!!  But getting closer.

3.  Styrene.  I cut out the internal size and shape I needed for the base of the grill and added an edge.  Used masking tape to hold it in place while glue dried....

 

This might actually work.  I will put the mesh in then add the center bar and grill lights.  Hopefully my next post will be of the completed grill...

[Mike F.]

Looks like very tedious work, but seems to be coming together.

Looking forward to see the finished product.

?

[Zippi]

Nice work on the Grimlin.  Wife had one back in the day. 

[Beans]

I think I finally have an acceptable grill. 

[Mike F.]

Nice work.

[Beans]

Here is where the gremlin sits.  

Need black stripes for the side.  Only red ones in the kit. Have some coming.  Other than that and the side turn signals, she pretty much there.

[Mike F.]

Looks nice.

[Beans]

On 9/9/2021 at 6:51 AM, Mike F. said:

Looks nice.

Thank you.  Overall not my favorite build but I enjoyed it.  The kit wasn't too bad.  I ended up sanding the front push bumper things off and made new headlights that I am happy with.  

Never did get the correct engine, so there is currently nothing under the hood...

Will be sure to put up the completed photos when I do get around to finishing this.

[Beans]

Fiiiiiiiiiinaly got the black decals.  I am pretty much calling this one done.  I do still need to add the front turn signals (which I actually totally forgot about).  Then will  put up a post in the completed section.  Otherwise, here she is as she sits: