MPC 1966 Pontiac GTO "Funny Car" version - Complete

[mvadrag]

I worked myself into a dilemma.  I was all set to glue the hood scope to the hood before I shot a coat of primer on the body.  I taped in the windshield to help center the scoop, taped the hood from underneath to keep it from moving, then lined up the scoop to take this picture:

Then I thought, wait a minute, how am I going to paint the underside of the scoop and the portion of the hood that is visible inside the scoop?  Right now I am thinking I should paint all the parts separate and bond the scoop to the hood after paint.

Thoughts? Comments?  Has anyone built this match car before? 

[Vintage AMT]

Like you said, paint the scoop seperate from the rest.

[1972coronet]

I've always painted the inside of the scoop's body, and the area of the hood where it sits, in flat black first. Then I glue the scoop to the hood, and sand-off any remaining flat black before priming the completed assembly. This way, the scoop is adhered solidly with model glue (take your pick -- I prefer Tamiya 'orange' or Tamiya 'green') via the cold weld process. 
The flat black --or a darker colour which compliments the vehicle's primary colour-- provides de facto shadows/shading. 

Sometimes this process is easier than others. For an instance; the Revell 1967 GTX/'RO23' hood scoop has tabs on it which align with the cutout. In other instances, taping or rubber banding or clamping of the scoop is necessary for keeping the scoop in-place while applying adhesive (think: MPC 1975-1976 Dart Sport -- no positive locating tabs.)

Edited May 23, 2022 by 1972coronet

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

On 5/1/2022 at 6:00 PM, mvadrag said:

Nice pictures of a cool GTO drag car.  Is that an Olympia beer logo?  This car is from the northwest?

I might be painting my version gold as a link to the original build of the model.  Hopefully my paint job is a little nicer!

You guys have a lot more patience than I do with some of these restos! Yes, that's definitely a pic from the Pac NW, look at all of the pine trees in the background. And, yes Olympia Beer and Dick Lewis Pontiac are from Olympia, WA. Carry on.... -RRR

[mvadrag]

On 5/23/2022 at 5:50 PM, Rocking Rodney Rat said:

You guys have a lot more patience than I do with some of these restos! Yes, that's definitely a pic from the Pac NW, look at all of the pine trees in the background. And, yes Olympia Beer and Dick Lewis Pontiac are from Olympia, WA. Carry on.... -RRR

And here I thought I was going at break neck speed on this...

Spent time in the northwest due to my job back in the day.  Nice area.

Edited May 27, 2022 by mvadrag

[Snake45]

Oh my, this build goes right to my heart! VERY much like a lot of the stuff I do. You are doing great considering what you started with. Drive on and please keep us posted! 

[Bills72sj]

On 4/28/2022 at 8:44 AM, iBorg said:

I lone Daddyfink's picture. Wish I knew of a source for those decals.

 

Myself, I would just make them. The Olympia logo is easy enough to snag from the internet. You would have to do some searching to get the livery wording in the correct font. (unless you were willing to get "close enough")

[mvadrag]

Small update.  I puttied and sanded.  Glued the hood to the body, then sprayed some Mr Surfacer 1000 on the body and hood for a base.

Have not decided on the color.  I have silver blue metallic and burgundy red metallic in stock, although I was thinking gold.

 

[mvadrag]

Well I goofed up a little.  Thought I was base painting with Tamiya Silver Leaf, but it turned out to be PS-48 semi-gloss Silver Anodized Aluminum!

Worse, I figured that out after I sprayed the TS-74 Clear Red first coat.

 

So might as well add a second coat!

[deuces wild]

Sweeeeet!.....??

[bisc63]

Beautiful color!

[mvadrag]

I dug out the Bare Metal foil.  Turned out okay, but time consuming.

Then back to the booth for some clear.

 

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice. Great color.

[mvadrag]

Had to sneak in a preview of final assembly.  Still have to attach the grilles, headlights, the polished old glass, and the interior panels.  Getting close to the end.

 

[mvadrag]

I am calling this restoration complete.  There are a few boo-boos in my body work and the scoop is not permanently attached, but it is way better than with what I started.  It will now go in my display case instead of hidden in the model closet.  When I set up for photos, I will clean it up and post in the Under Glass section.

Maybe I should silver sharpie the lock and logo...

[TransAmMike]

Very intersting and unusual GTO.  Great work and cool color?

[thatz4u]

On 4/26/2022 at 4:35 PM, mvadrag said:

The next step was to see how far I could take this thing apart without destroying anything.  I used to have a liquid that dissolved old cement (anyone know what that stuff is?) but it ran out and my source didn't have anymore, so I went with the pry and pray route.

 

Most of the parts came loose, except the engine to chassis joint.  It would not budge.  The roll bar broke loose while I was prying on the seat, they both came off at the same time!

Kind of a nasty mess, but a good start with most parts useable.  The rear axle broke loose from the trailing arm on one side, and I then broke the other side while sanding the part smooth. 

I cleaned up all the cutouts with a file and sanding sticks.

 

For de-gluing, try Mineral Spirits & an artist brush...

[bisc63]

Sweet! You really brought that thing to life!

[Street Rod]

That turned out great! Good to see these old kits restored, so many cool models like this that are no longer made.