'82 T-Top Trans Am WS-6

[ReduitRetro]

Hello again friends! This is another youth build redo I actually done back in '09. My first crack at this build was in early '83, and like many of my early projects back in the day it had its shortcomings, but even so I enjoyed having it on my shelf...flaws and all. I happened to find this kit on Ebay in '05, and quickly snapped it up. I'm aware that this kit was reissued just a few years ago, but this one is the original MPC offering. Built primarily box stock, this 1/16th scale Firebird had a few issues that had to be worked out to make the model present better. Door fit and operation had to be corrected, as well as the t-top panels for better roof fit. Rear "glass" hatch, taillight panel, roof panels, and upper windshield were treated to a few coats of clear smoke enamel. Interior floor and rear cargo area, lower interior doors, along with the sun visors were flocked in red. The t-bar roof also was treated to a scratch built dome light assembly as well. To complete the outside of the car, I added the black door/body rub strips that were usually always present on highly optioned units of the time. The stock "bowling ball" style wheels in the kit just did not appear accurate to me, so I opted for the custom BBS "lace" style wheels that were provided in the kit instead, painted the centers black, and decided against the white letter look on the tires for a more formal sinister look. The "Cross-Fire" Injected 305 V-8 was finished in authentic corporate GM blue, and is backed up by the mandatory WS-6 4-speed manual transmission. The cars underbody was lightly sprayed body color over gray primer to somewhat replicate the factory overspray "look", as they were back then. As always, thankyou for stopping and taking a look, but I just have one question...has anybody seen my Van Halen cassette? lol!

[michelle]

awesome work  
the 3rd gen firebirds and trans ams and gtas are my favorite body style for the them 

[Hard_2_Handle_454]

That looks amazing

[ChrisR]

Looks great.

[MeatMan]

Very nice!

[charger74]

It looks really good ????

[Street Rod]

Excellent build, James! The cassette tapes are a cool touch.

[espo]

Great looking paint finish and interior. Cleanly detailed chassis and engine. Big advantage of the larger scale is the features like the T-Tops, Doors, and dash details are easier to display. 

[Can-Con]

Looks really good. I had an '82 S/E about 25 years ago and have an '85 T/A in my garage right now. ,, I think the Van Halen "1984" cassette is in the car but it may be with the rest of my cassettes in the model room right now. ?

[Dragonhawk1066]

Great looking Trans Am!

[Jim B]

Great looking Trans Am.

[bondo bill]

nice job

[Bills72sj]

Cassette tapes, nice touch. ?

[Spottedlaurel]

Very nicely done, you've really captured the period look of it.

[XYHARRY]

You have truly captured that 80s look with this one, well done James. 

Cheers, 

David. ??

[cifenet]

What a nice build!  Looks awesome here.   Love the cassettes, nice touch!

[karbuildr]

Go big or go home. Very nice build, exceptional detail, very nice finish all around.

[ncbuckeye67]

Beautiful "bird"! I love the extra details (especially the cassettes).

[Noah H.]

That's a sharp looking build. Great detailing on the engine and chassis.

[ewetwo]

Looks great.

[happy grumpy]

Great build. I owned a 87 firebird and this body style is my favorite . I upgraded the suspension with the GTA's part and the handling was crazy. I really miss it.

[slusher]

Great looking ? Trans Am!

[christian-w]

There you're showing an awesome built! My totally respect.

This kit has it's issues and you did a great job! I've built 3 ot the MPC kit (first issue) and on every built I had to tackle the problems you've mentioned. The doors always were a pain in the a... You know. In my shelf there is only one (my first) built T/A left. Maybe somedays I'll give it a restoration.

Love your Trans Am!

Edited June 19, 2024 by christian-w
spelling correction