Help with Revell 1971 Boss Mustang 351

[Andrew McD]

Doing some preliminary test fitting and having a terrible time trying to get the front bumper  to fit.  There are no pins or notches to provide a secure fit .  I have scraped the chrome plating from the inside of the bumper in an effort to get a snug fit but to no avail.  I believe a number of people on this forum have built this kit and I'm looking for some advice on how to mount the front bumper.  Given its current lack of positive fit when glue comes into play and there is paint on the body I am not going to be happy with the result.

I have included some photos to show how the instructions say the bumper should mount and some crude mockup efforts with a bit of tape.  Not sure if it will be evident that the bumper just doesn't want to line up evenly where the ends wrap around.

[vamach1]

On the real car there is a bit of a gap.  Are you planning to paint the bumper body color as it looked like the chrome has been stripped.  I would glue it on first with export/super glue and mask off the grille that you do not want painted body color.  If you are going to use the chrome bumper you have test fit it and looks like you may have to trim just a little off the grille area to get it to fit more snug if that’s what you want.  The area behind the bumper is black so you will not be able to tell the difference anyway.

[NOBLNG]

I don’t have that kit, but here are a few cropped photos from this site that show what fitment others have achieved. I would suggest pinning it somehow to guarantee proper location on final assembly.

[bobss396]

Look into gluing tabs to the bumper if it can't be pinned. You may need to add a location feature inside the body.

[Andrew McD]

Thanks for the comments and ideas.  I could not work out a clean way to pin the bumper but I think I’ve got a solution that should work.  I will press some epoxy putty into the void in the back of the bumper, the area that contacts the fascia.  The putty should hold the bumper in place with little risk of smearing liquid cement on paint or chrome.  I did the experiment with some Sticky Tack used for hanging posters.  It has a viscosity similar to putty and allowed me to position the bumper without making a mess.