'68 Dodge Charger R/T

[Simo5555]

Hi!

I'm a long time lurker, but havent really got into posting stuff. So i thought i'd show you my pains and gains of building some models too. A bit of a background about me: Ive built a few models around 12-13 years ago using random spray paints. Ive built a few ships even before that, but didnt really got into painting them. But thats about it. So, at the end of last year i decided to pick up my old hobby again. Got myself an airbrush, cheap compressor and a few kits. I've already built two of them and this is the third - one of my all time favorite '68 Dodge Charger R/T.

Lets see how it goes.

Simo.

[dwc43]

That's a good kit. Just leave the heater box out of it. I always had trouble with that. And you can't see it anyways. I have one that's almost finished now. It will be Blades Charger from the first movie. 

[Simo5555]

Day 1:

Had same spare time to work on the model. Painted the rear axle and did some small detailing work


Did some work on the engine too. I was trying to paint it hemi orange, but i didnt have the color matched paint for it. So i took some Tamiya orange and mixed it with a few drops of flat red. I also did some blackwash, but i went a bit overboard with it. But i actually kinda like it so im going to leave it like that. 

Edited January 31, 2024 by Simo5555

[Simo5555]

Day 2:


Did some work on the engine:



Then did some work on the interior:

Edited February 2, 2024 by Simo5555

[Bainford]

Dig the '68. Engine is looking good. 

[nickfzr61]

Looking good. I’m doing the same kit. 

[NOBLNG]

This is a nice kit, and your detailing so far looks great.?

Edited February 3, 2024 by NOBLNG

[Simo5555]

Day 3:

Did some more work on the interior. Didnt quite turn out the way i wanted, but im still pretty happy with it. 


The rear axle is almost done too
 

[mchook]

Man, I think that wood grain looks great on the console. Nice job all around.

[Simo5555]

Day 4: Priming day!

So, did some priming today. First off, it seems that this model has some issues. Firstly, theres pretty bad molding marks at the corner of rear windows. So, i tried to fill it with tamiya white putty and smooth it out with 600 grit sponge, but was too afraid to sand out the window trim. Did my best, but still isnt perfect. 
 

I also glued a piece of white plastic to the rear corner And sanded it down with a file and sandpapers. Got it pretty good. 


After that, it was priming time. Sanded the body down with 600 grit sponge and sprayed two coats of mr.surfacer 1000 following 2 coats of mr.surfacer 1500 black. Im pretty happy how it turned out except the darn mold marks at the rear window. So im not sure how to go on - leave it like that or strip and start over. Have to think about it a bit.

Edited February 4, 2024 by Simo5555

[nickfzr61]

That body looks real nice. Yeah I think the issues you pointed out are the only real issues with this model. bill-e-boy also pointed them out in his post. I also added styrene the the rear left to build it up a little and just sanded the mold lines near the rear window. He also filled in a injection dent at the front top of the passenger door but I left that alone. 
 

Edited February 4, 2024 by nickfzr61

[Simo5555]

18 minutes ago, nickfzr61 said:

That body looks real nice. Yeah I think the issues you pointed out are the only real issues with this model. bill-e-boy also pointed them out in his post. I also added styrene the the rear left to build it up a little and just sanded the mold lines near the rear window. He also filled in a injection dent at the front top of the passenger door but I left that alone. 
 

Think ill just leave it as is - hopefully its not that noticeable once its fully painted and clear coated

[TransAmMike]

That's looking really good, the '68 Charger body just looks fast?

I see you only have 5 posts but looks like you've been modelling a good while...the weathering on the engine is a nice touch.

[Simo5555]

8 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

That's looking really good, the '68 Charger body just looks fast?

I see you only have 5 posts but looks like you've been modelling a good while...the weathering on the engine is a nice touch.

Thank you!  I wouldnt call it a good while - i've built a few of them before, but still learning this stuff.

[Simo5555]

Day 5: Painting!

Did some painting today!  





 

[Simo5555]

Day 6: Undercarriage

Did some work on the undercarriage. Got the engine in, manifolds in place, exhaust is finished and rear axle is pretty much finished too. 



 
 

[Simo5555]

Day 7: Engine

Did some work on the engine. Got the carburetor and airfilter on. Also tried to run the distributor wire to the coil - really dont know how you guys manage to do it. The wire itself is so small and fiddly. Spent a good half an hour just to get the one wire on. Cant imagine what the rest is going to be like
  
 

[slusher]

Very nice work so far!

[Steve H]

Nice build you have here S.K. The weathering on the engine looks great. Chassis looks really good. 

[Simo5555]

On 2/11/2024 at 5:05 PM, slusher said:

Very nice work so far!

 

16 hours ago, Steve H said:

Nice build you have here S.K. The weathering on the engine looks great. Chassis looks really good. 

You guys are too kind  Thank you

[Simo5555]

Day 8: Clear Coating 

Did the decals a few days ago. Decided not to do the rear stripe. I've always imagined that the Charger should be dark, menacing and loud. Something to be scared of when it rolls down the street. So in my mind, the rear stripe makes the car look a bit, i dont know, tame? Maybe its just me, idk  Anyhow, i left the stripe out. 
Next was clear coating. After a few days of curing, it was time to get to work:
(A bit dusty, i know ? Its just that the air in my house is really dry. Its a never-ending battle to try to get rid of it)    


Next up was clear coat. Ive read somewhere (maybe in this forum?) that if you wash the body with dishsoap just before you paint, it will get rid of any static electricity and it wont draw in dust as much. So i tried it. Seems to work - will definitely do this with my future builds too. The clear coat went on without issues - maybe i should have thinned it down a bit more - i did get a tiny amount of orange peel. But still, Im pretty happy how it turned out.




After that, i left it to dry for a couple of days. 



Then it was sanding time. Its one of my favorite things about model building - i really do enjoy it. 
So I sanded the body down with 3000 grit sponge.
 


Next up is polishing.

So, to be continued  

 

  
 

Edited February 12, 2024 by Simo5555

[Simo5555]

Day 9: Polishing

Goddamn, the black paint is a real pain to polish. Ive been polishing it for a couple of hours by now (yep, hours. Like, many hours), but its still not perfect. I can still see some microscratches. 

   

I did the wetsanding using a 3000 grit sponge. Then polished it 2-3 times with tamiya coarse paste using the tamiya polishing sponges. After that, about 2-3 times with tamiya fine paste. And then 2 times with tamiya finish paste (using a random sock from my drawer  ).



Got it pretty good, but its not perfect. Dont know yet on what to do - leave it as is and apply some tinted wax or do some more polishing using something else - maybe some other paste and microfiber cloth or something. Dont know yet. 



I would really like to get some advice and tips on how to polish the black paint. 

[Musclecarbuilder]

I built a '55 bel air from AMT for a friend that was black. I wet sanded it with 4000-12000 grit polishing cloth than I hit it with the Tamiya polishes. After using the Tamiya polish I rubbed the car with Meguiar's cleaner wax that took out 95% of the micro scratches. Hope this helps!

Edited February 16, 2024 by Musclecarbuilder

[Musclecarbuilder]

Oh and your charger is looking slick!

[drodg]

Well I owned a 1968 Charger R/T and I guarantee you your paint job is better than my 1:1 car!   Good job and keep it up.