1973 Plymouth Cuda

[ModelcarJR]

 I started this one a few days ago. Its an AMT Snap-fast Plus kit that was the last model on a raffle prize table at a contest last year. No engine with metal axles.  The hood has no hood scoops.  I saw that there was a sky blue on the color chart for that year, so I used Tamiya Light Blue although its not exactly sky blue. I rubbed it out and foiled it and it doesn't look too bad.  The interior will be black. Here are a few pics:

 

[1972coronet]

HB1 Sky Blue certainly is a nice shade. Just a couple of shades lighter than TB3 Basin Street Blue (colloq., "Petty Blue"), which has its origins dating to 1962. 

The flat bonnet says Barracuda, but the dual exhaust say, Three-forty or three-sixty. I've seen exactly one Barracuda with the E58 360 (BH23L4B). According to Hamtramck Historical, the scooped hood was part of the 340 [1973] or 360 [1974], regardless of it not being a 'Cuda (BS23). 

It's a fun kit, albeit long in the tooth. It's essentially an unassembled promo (thick metal axles; screws for chassis; everything moulded-in). I would like to see its return.

[Oldcarfan27]

I'm sure Round 2 has the tooling for this, it was last reissued in the mid-nineties. They should also have the street machine/pro street 74 'Cuda, but that one hasn't seen a box since early 80s. 

I too would like to see these come back!

[mrmike]

I built one of those 'Cudas as a '72 convertible by whacking off the top and cutting out the flat hood and installing the Revell dual scoop hood and changing the wheels.  I now have the '72 'Cuda from Mannix.

[espo]

I like the shade of blue and the foil looks nice and clean. 

[slusher]

11 hours ago, espo said:

I like the shade of blue and the foil looks nice and clean. 

I totally agree!

[Bills72sj]

I used to be on the hunt for one of these but I gave up. They were always a bit to pricey. Besides, I already have the double my remaining lifetime stash problem. Nice color BTW.

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, All! I appreciate your comments! I thought about using the hood and other parts from the 70 'Cuda but I only have one AAR Cuda and one standard Cuda left in the closet so I nixed that idea.

I finished the interior painting the wood with Testors leather and adding a different steering wheel from the parts box. I also found some gauge decals that would fit. Trim is chrome pen.  I also found some Cragar mags in the parts box that are made for metal axles and fashioned some headlight bezels from carb stacks that I think came from the 68 Dodge Dart. Clear lenses are from the 32 Ford I finished about 1 month ago. I think they will look better than the chrome lens headlight in the kit. Pardon the poor photos and thanks for looking!

[ModelcarJR]

I tried to remove the flange on the rear bumper that screws into the body mounts because I apparently mounted the rear roll pan incorrectly, although it looks good to me and I would rather have it glued on.  The rear bumper broke into pieces. So, I thought about it and found two elastomeric bumpers from the Revell 70 Cuda in the parts box. I quick painted them with the last bit of light blue paint I have moving the can vigorously while pointing it on these bumpers in order to get enough paint on them. Two quick coats of clear and as soon as they dry, I will mount them. I test-fitted them prior to painting so I am sure they will fit. Now the interior is in and wheels and chassis are in place.  Only decals, marker lamps and maybe I'll find a couple of exterior mirrors. Thanks for looking! ?

[espo]

Nice save. The painted bumpers will look better anyway.

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, David! I appreciate your comment! 

This one is finished, except for decals.  The decals in the kit are either black or white, although the white decals have started to yellow. At this point I am inclined to leave them off altogether.  Let me know what you think, black, white, or none at all. 

I added exterior mirrors that I painted gloss black as I am out of body color. I think the elastomeric bumpers look pretty good and fit well on the back, a little big on the front but look OK. The headlights are a little bug-eyed but look better than the chrome headlights in the kit  Let me know what you think and thanks for looking! ?

[slusher]

John I wouldn’t put any decals on it. Really good looking model you built.

[bisc63]

9 hours ago, slusher said:

John I wouldn’t put any decals on it. Really good looking model you built.

Agreed! Nice looking "stripe-delete" candidate as is. Very sharp!

[Leica007]

My vote for the decals is no also; vote yes on nice clean build.

[TooOld]

Quick and beautifully done !  I love that Tamiya Light Blue paint and your foil is looking really good , glad that mess is over with .

[drodg]

Looking great

[Bucky]

This is very sharp! I knew a guy back in '77 that had one in this color. His had a white interior, with white stripes like you have on your decal sheet. Either way you decide to go I'm sure will look great!

[CapSat 6]

That looks really nice! That is the only '72-'74 Barracuda body currently available, and it does make a good starting point. As I owned a '74 Barracuda for quite awhile, I will say that the shapes are right on that MPC body, unlike some other more recent efforts ("koff-koff-Revell '70 Cuda...")The kit itself builds up pretty easily. 

The kit and body could use a little work in some areas. This is because MPC had first tooled up the annual kits, then turned it into a short track car, then re-modified it into a street car. The headlight buckets and rear license plate areas are flat instead of tunneled, and the lower grille is missing the turn signals. 

Now that I'm seeing what Round 2 is doing with some of their other older tools, I'd like to see them revisit this kit.

If I ran Round 2, I would fix the headlight, license plate and lower grille areas, as well as modify the chassis or come up with a new one that has better inner fenders and more complete wheelhouses. I wouldn't go crazy on the chassis- I would just improve it's appearance but keep it simplified. Not every kit we get has to have 50 piece chassis, they just have to look right when built.  

A new twin-scoop hood would be nice, as well as '72 style bumpers with no/ smaller guards, and full stock '72-'74 decals sheets. The Premium box treatment that Round 2 does certainly wouldn't hurt.  

While I was at it, I would tool up a simple but good-looking 340-360 4 bbl engine that could be dropped into that engine bay. Maybe they could tool one up with decent detail and scale fidelity that they could also throw into the box for any further releases of the '75-'76 Dart that they do. The 360 in that kit is way underscale, and like the '71 Duster 340 that they do, a lot of kits could be sold just for a nice 340-360. 

While I was at it II: I'd tool up a Hellcat engine and transmission as the custom option. Again, I think they would sell a ton of kits if they had a nice extra Hellcat engine in them.  

   

[espo]

I agree with the others about no decals. I like the less is more look. The big if is if you want to do the decals, I would suggest the black ones. My reasoning is that the black stripes would go with the interior color and you mentioned the white ones were not aging well. Sometimes you can get to many colors going on with body, interior, and striping.  

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, All! I agree that I like it without the stripes.  Look for it in Under Glass soon.  Thanks for looking and commenting! ?

P.S. I like the 70 'Cuda kit as it builds up nice and has a lot of possibilities.  I've also won a couple of 1st places with it.