galaxyg Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Background: I'd been waiting for one of these uncommon kits to show up on ebay for a while, and this August it finally did, so it went straight on the workbench. I don't build many US cars but the Pontiac Fiero is one I was certainly interested in, being such an unusal car for GM and having decent-from-many-angles styling. I wanted to try something a little different from my usual, and it was also the first Monogram kit I'd bought and I was interested to see how it compared to AMT in terms of quality. I've still not built (or owned) any MPC kits yet for a different comparison. Pros: Most of it fits together very well. The glass is practically snap-fit (hurrah), and the chassis and the body have a perfect snug fit where the wheel arches go all the way up to the body, no gap as per many kits. There's a nicely detailed engine and the seats look good once finished. The glass is nice and shiny. Cons: The wheels don't steer and for all four wheels, they won't stay on without something beyond what is supplied. There's a lot of flash to clean up from many parts - especially the seats. There are no side windows. The door mirrors have no decent mounting points. The decals are few and pathetic. Some of the transmission and axle parts are warped and need a lot of glue and coaxing to sit well. There are many chrome parts and the chrome is unrealistic and basically demands stripping. No option to pop-up the headlights. The exhaust tips are clumsily not-very-round. And finally - the worst thing, it's entirely moulded in red - even the interior and engine - the worst colour to cover with paint. Except the two cam covers - these are red on the real Fiero, but Monogram have chromed them. Verdict: It's pretty good considering it's age. I was expecting a lot more trouble getting it to fit together - probably based on my experience with an AMT kit. So though it requires a little work, there's nothing tricky about building this at all. The end result looks very Fiero. Build notes: Built over the course of 3 weeks in August 2023. Painted in Hycote Vauxhall Caribic blue acrylic and clearcoted in Tamiya Clear. Aside from the seatbelt retainers, carpets and the custom number plate, it's built entirely out of the box. All of the chrome parts have been restripped and where applicable (such as the wheels) repainted in Tamiya Metallic Silver. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Nice build! I like the colour choice, very era-appropriate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencer1984 Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Good looking Fiero, nicely done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickcaps55 Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Awesome build you have given me a push i have that kit and it's been on my shelf for 22 years time to get to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyK Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 This looks very nice! I just finished the MPC version and it was molded in red also. Luckily I wanted a red car so that worked out but MPC isn't one of my favorite brands so struggled with it. Despite your trouble, it's a great looking model! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Very cool build. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger U Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Good looking build. The detail and painting are very nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toast Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Very nicely done. Great color combo as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Great looking Fiero. Really well done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catpack68 Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Very nice work!👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeSchumacher Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 That came out really nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Beautiful looking paint work. The color looks great showing the body lines and the finish is nice and smooth. Saw the pictures of the interior and engine on your build page and they are just like the exterior finish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classicgas Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Hands down the best build I have seen of that kit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Excellent! I, too, love the color. It pops -- and it's not red or white! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charger74 Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Very well done 👍🏻 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeah Nah Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Nice! Love that colour. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Absolutely gorgeous Fiero! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWT Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Very nicely done 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom99 Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Very nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Looks great! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncbuckeye67 Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 That's awesome! I really love the blue as well. Still wouldn't mind owning a 1:1 Fiero! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dann Tier Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 NICE job!! I have this one to build some time... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlecan Dan Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 Better looking than the real deal. Really nice work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TransAmMike Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 Really nice looking little Fiero Michael, great color and great overall work.👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karbuildr Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 Very well done build. Great color choice, very nice details, and the light weathering on the chassis is excellent and very realistic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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