Fiberfab Avenger GT-12

[Scale-Master]

This is an IMC kit from almost 50 years ago (1976?).  It builds a 1970 and later version of the Avenger, (not the original version that started in 1966).  I bought this when it was a fairly new kit.  My intent is to build it essentially out of the box but with some minor upgrades like new decals.

The body has some serious sink marks especially on the left side and rear deck.  (I marked most of them with a Sharpie prior to the first round of sanding.) Way too deep to just sand out, they will have to be filled too.

There were also two chunks taken out on the right door from the fill points.  They have been filled and rough sanded to shape.  There are some serious ejector marks inside being addressed as well.

[Scale-Master]

The front valance does not fit well nor does it have enough material to reach the wheel wells.  I centered the front openings with the headlight buckets on the body and filled the short areas with .040 sheet styrene sanded to match the contours on the body and wheel openings.  The left side needed more material as the openings are not centered to the valance.

[Rich Chernosky]

Will be  following  this  one fer sure,  Got mine as a glue bomb from a fellow modeler. It all stripped  and the parts sorted.,  Mark, what are you planning on using for an engine.  If I recall there are two options. Mine is all packed away as I just moved.

[Scale-Master]

I'm going to use the VW engine Rich.  It will be a street car. 

The other option is a hemi and makes essentially a dragster/funny car.  

[Scale-Master]

The rear body panel was missing in my kit so I started fabricating a new from .040 sheet plastic.  I'll keep the look of the original part.  There was a bit of a warp to the body too so this was used to shore up and straighten out that issue after using a hairdryer on the body.

[Scale-Master]

I cut out the rear panel to accept the kit access door.  I haven't decided if I will make open, but I started tinkering with hinges.  The fissure in the deck lid has been filled and smoothed.

The basic interior needed to be built up to get an idea of how it was all going to fit and to determine the shape of the lower edge of the rear panel.  To further shore up the warp, since I cut the door out of the back, I added a strip of sheet plastic cemented in place while it was twisted to opposite direction of the warp.  Tabs were added to the interior tub and I used magnets to make sure it always fits into the body the same.

[Rattlecan Dan]

Nice body style. Shame it's in such rough shape. Sounds like you're gettin' after it though.

[Scale-Master]

The kit access door was recontoured (and thinned out) to match the shape of the fabricated rear panel.  A lip was added to the top of the opening so it has a hard stop to close.

It has new hinges, but now I'm still not sure if there is really anything to see in there as the engine is very simplistic.

[Phildaupho]

Very interesting project. I remember seeing a few 1/1 Avengers driving around town back in the day. 

[kelson]

I've never seen this kit before,but you're doing some nice upgrades to it.?

[oldcarfan]

Looks like you're doing well with a tough subject! I wish there were a chance this kit could be reissued. In lieu of that, I've thought of turning one of the old IMC GT-40s into a fiberglass kit car. Their proportions look closer for a FiberFab body than to a real GT-40 to me.

[Scale-Master]

The taillight bezels are brass.  They will be body colored.

More dry fitting.  The kit taillights will be used, but since they are not molded an even shade of transparent red they will need to be painted.

[Scale-Master]

The tires that had been feasting on both sides of the windshield turned out to be only one at this point.  There must have been four, but there's only one left at this point. 

Also in the box there were two AMT tires and two inner walls of the IMC slicks.  (I vaguely recall throwing the AMT tires in when I considered building it back in the 90's.) The correct tires for the kit are represented by the one in the upper right.

 

 

Edited January 9, 2024 by Scale-Master

[Bainford]

It's a shame those IMC Dunlops were so poorly done. The hobby could use more proper period sports car tires.

[Scale-Master]

The wipers are nicely molded, but I don't like the look of molded in wipers…  I'll probably either machine some posts and leave the wipers off or maybe source a set from the leftovers bin.

The window frames were scribed in too.

[68shortfleet]

I had no idea this existed in kit format. Now I need to find one as a friend owns a 1:1, and he needs some motivation to finish building it.

[Scale-Master]

I found a pair of wipers in the Tamiya Renault Re5 Turbo that looked about right.  (Being a VW based car I checked the Tamiya Beetle wipers, but they are way too small.  The windshields on the real cars were sourced from Corvairs but the wipers are molded into the body on the AMT kit I have so they weren't an option either.)  I made resin copies and dyed them black when I cast them.

[lordairgtar]

Try sourcing engine from a Corvair. Nice one in a parts pack kit from AMT (I think). A 3D print VW or Porsche engine would be a good choice, better than a kit engine.

[Scale-Master]

Well, that would be a GT-15 (not a GT-12 as this is) and I believe that would use a Corvair chassis too.  I'm not in the mood to CAD up a new engine for it; it's just a curbside.

[Kenmojr]

This kit looks familiar, I believe they were VW Beetle powered?

[Scale-Master]

Yes, it was based on a VW beetle chassis and engine.

[Scale-Master]

I found a set of Pirelli tires in my stash from some Tamiya kit that looked like a good fit and upgrade.  The mags from the kit fit OK in them too.  But the plating on the wheels was spotty and splotchy.

[Scott Colmer]

Wow, Mark.

What a treat to see you do this one. I'm looking forward to watching you make a jewel out of what I consider to be a pretty rough kit. 

Scott

[slusher]

Real nice wheels and tires.. ? 

[Scale-Master]

It turned out the spotty chrome on the wheels was deeper than just the plating after I stripped them.  I made a mold and cast new copies of the best one after I machined it to work with the 7075 aluminum outer rims I milled to fit the tires.

These are the new wheels and tires.