ReduitRetro Posted December 31, 2024 Posted December 31, 2024 Hello again fellow model builders! I've had an extremely busy year, so this is the last of just 3 build completions for 2024. Anyway, this kit has been around in some form for over 40 years now, and I finally got around to purchasing a couple of them a few months ago from Round 2 Models. Right from the start upon opening the box, I could clearly see even after all these years nobody had ever fixed the extremely incorrectly molded front grille. First off, it looks like someone long ago got confused and mistook the inner grill for the outer grill surround that's molded in the body, and as a result the headlamps are severely undersized (see picture). So, my first task was to grind off the molded in headlamps, replace them with larger ones found in my parts box from a '77 Pinto Wagon, made headlamp bezel rings by using the open end of an X-Zacto knife barrel pressed into molding clay, and did a resin casting of them. I cleaned them up with careful sanding to fit around the replacement headlamps, reshaped the inner grill surround, made a mold of the now corrected new grill, and cast it in resin. Now I have a mold to do more in the future if needed. Speaking of casting, I also made and cast the hood scoops and seat headrests as well. Next, anyone familiar with vintage MPC kits know the underbody and suspension are molded as one piece, so detail is sparse at best. I left the rear suspension alone but went again to my parts box and found a suitable Mopar torsion bar front suspension and grafted it on to the underbody. Interior was left stock, with the exception of adding red flocking to the floor, a proper 4-speed shifter, and the headrests mentioned earlier. Under hood inner fenders from a '68 Dodge Dart were added, since again they were not represented correctly on the simplified kits underbody, as well as the brake master cylinder and booster, the wiper motor and washer container, horn and fan shroud. The kit supplied engine was used, but sparkplug wiring, heater hoses, vacuum lines, fuel lines, and carburetor return spring were added for detail. Finally, I added the hood scoops (which were an option on all Barracuda S models), the optional hood mounted turn signal repeaters, a pair of chrome exhaust tips, optional black vinyl top, and a set of Firestone raised white letter performance tires to complete the build. All in all, it was a fun build for sure. Thank you all again for stopping and taking a look, and have a Happy New Year! 13
AMT68 Posted January 1 Posted January 1 That really looks sharp in that color combination. Great job. 1
ReduitRetro Posted January 1 Author Posted January 1 4 hours ago, Chinacar said: Textbook build. Very exciting colours. Looks great! Thanks! I can't take full credit for the color combination, as I built this model from memory of a late uncle's '69 Barracuda he had in the early '70's that was this color. And what better way to represent a "fish" than silver metallic with blood red inside's huh?..lol!
ReduitRetro Posted January 1 Author Posted January 1 15 hours ago, AMT68 said: That really looks sharp in that color combination. Great job. Thankyou! It was modeled after an actual family member's car from back in the day. I never knew what became of that car, but I'll definitely never forget it. 1
Falcon Ranchero Posted January 1 Posted January 1 (edited) That is a work of art, way cool 👍 Edited January 1 by Falcon Ranchero 1
eldo60 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 On 12/31/2024 at 2:20 PM, ReduitRetro said: Hello again fellow model builders! I've had an extremely busy year, so this is the last of just 3 build completions for 2024. Anyway, this kit has been around in some form for over 40 years now, and I finally got around to purchasing a couple of them a few months ago from Round 2 Models. Right from the start upon opening the box, I could clearly see even after all these years nobody had ever fixed the extremely incorrectly molded front grille. First off, it looks like someone long ago got confused and mistook the inner grill for the outer grill surround that's molded in the body, and as a result the headlamps are severely undersized (see picture). So, my first task was to grind off the molded in headlamps, replace them with larger ones found in my parts box from a '77 Pinto Wagon, made headlamp bezel rings by using the open end of an X-Zacto knife barrel pressed into molding clay, and did a resin casting of them. I cleaned them up with careful sanding to fit around the replacement headlamps, reshaped the inner grill surround, made a mold of the now corrected new grill, and cast it in resin. Now I have a mold to do more in the future if needed. Speaking of casting, I also made and cast the hood scoops and seat headrests as well. Next, anyone familiar with vintage MPC kits know the underbody and suspension are molded as one piece, so detail is sparse at best. I left the rear suspension alone but went again to my parts box and found a suitable Mopar torsion bar front suspension and grafted it on to the underbody. Interior was left stock, with the exception of adding red flocking to the floor, a proper 4-speed shifter, and the headrests mentioned earlier. Under hood inner fenders from a '68 Dodge Dart were added, since again they were not represented correctly on the simplified kits underbody, as well as the brake master cylinder and booster, the wiper motor and washer container, horn and fan shroud. The kit supplied engine was used, but sparkplug wiring, heater hoses, vacuum lines, fuel lines, and carburetor return spring were added for detail. Finally, I added the hood scoops (which were an option on all Barracuda S models), the optional hood mounted turn signal repeaters, a pair of chrome exhaust tips, optional black vinyl top, and a set of Firestone raised white letter performance tires to complete the build. All in all, it was a fun build for sure. Thank you all again for stopping and taking a look, and have a Happy New Year! thumbs up
spencer1984 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 Nice job on the upgrades, the corrected grille and headlights make a huge difference! 1
TooOld Posted January 4 Posted January 4 Excellent work James ! My favorite body style for a Barracuda . You took a ho-hum kit and really made something special , congrats ! 1
XYHARRY Posted January 12 Posted January 12 Great attention to detail there James, I like all the extra options on this Barracuda. Really well done. Cheers, David. 😎👍 1
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