Clear body kits

[Ace-Garageguy]

The Visible Woman and a P-51 Mustang were my particular favorites.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Snake45]

Visible V-8 and Visible Radial (airplane) engine.

Nichimo did a clear P-51 Mustang in 1/48, sort of a shrunken Monogram Phantom Mustang. Never seen one but I have the un-clear version. It's simply horrible.

Monogram did the B-17 with at least one clear fuselage half, maybe the whole fuselage.

There have been several recent Japanese kits of airplanes with full or partial clear fuselages. I'm not going any further into that.

I think there was a Renwal submarine with half the hull in clear.

Revell did a couple kits in the early '60s where the body was molded in a semi-clear plastic with flakes in it. The idea was to paint it on the inside.

Clear HOODS I can think of: MPC '68 GTO, MPC '67-'69 Firebirds (original issues), AMT '37 Chevy gasser. Prolly some more of those, too.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Snake45

[Mike_G]

Tamiya did a bunch of them- search for "Tamiya full-view"

[Ace-Garageguy]

Clear HOODS I can think of: MPC '68 GTO, MPC '67-'69 Firebirds (original issues), AMT '37 Chevy gasser. Prolly some more of those, too.

At least one issue of the AMT '53 Stude had a clear twin-blower hood.

[Vince Nemanic]

Garlits' 1964 Swamp Rat and Shartman's 69 Cougar, along with the MPC Ford GT Mark 4.

There were also kits with partially clear bodies like the Piranha dragster and the 1/20 STP Turbine.

And then there were kits with clear hoods like MPC's 67 & 68 Charger annuals and their 67 Firebird, not to forget the soon to be reissued 53 Studebaker.

Note that MPC is featured prominently in this list, and that it can be a surprising long list. I am also interested in finding out others.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Seems like there was a clear Ford GT40 somewhere along the line.

[Snake45]

Seems like there was a clear Ford GT40 somewhere along the line.

I think that was the MPC Mark IV. I think it had a clear trailer, too.

Did MPC also do a J-car? In clear? Or am I thinking of the IMC J (not in clear)?

[Snake45]

SOMEBODY's going to mention the hundreds (thousands?) of clear vac-formed slot car bodies of every imaginable type back in the '60s, so I might as well go ahead and get that out of the way.

[Danny Lectro]

I know of a few science-fiction kits that were molded in clear, either as a gimmick or to facilitate lighting.

[Kennyboy]

Protar 1/12 scale Ferrari F40

[ferrarijoe]

Tamiya f2001, Lexus lfa, f50, honda ns250, 09 m-1, 1/12 f189 641/2, willams fw24, porsche carrea gt, porsche gt1

they did some planes also

[Mark]

MPC's George Montgomery Mr. Gasket Gasser ('69 Mustang) had a clear body. The windows were still separate parts that had to be cemented in, creating visible glue marks. If you painted that body, you couldn't see the engine because the body was one-piece (no tilt front clip). Polar Lights molded its Charger and Barracuda funny car kits with clear bodies, one per shipping carton having a red-tinted clear body. Some of the Gunze Sangyo High-Tech kits (usually the microcars) had clear bodies with the windows molded as a unit with the body; you were supposed to mask the glass before painting the body.

[Toner283]

AMT did a 1/6 scale small block chevy (283 cu). It was issued both with the block done in clear and in regular styrene. It has all of the internal details too. Neat kit.

[Brett Barrow]

With a can of Clearview 2000 you can make any kit a clear kit!

[Daddyfink]

Visible Man and Woman

Polar LIghts Funny Cars

[unclescott58]

The neatest model I ever built was 4D Vision's model of the Saturn V rocket. Great detail. Pre-painted. Easy to build. And huge when it is finished. Built mine about six months ago. I loved it.

They make several other kits that interest me, and I'd like to build in the future.

They offer several vehicles other than the Saturn V. But, no cars I'm sorry to say.

Scott

[lysleder]

ESCI of Italy made clear versions of their Ford Escort mk.II Rally, and also their Mercedes-Benz 190. No good for building, but I guess fair for collecting or as a novelty item. The somewhat rough surface of the molds made it impossible to actually see much through the plastic anyway.

[Daddyfink]

ESCI of Italy made clear versions of their Ford Escort mk.II Rally, and also their Mercedes-Benz 190. No good for building, but I guess fair for collecting or as a novelty item. The somewhat rough surface of the molds made it impossible to actually see much through the plastic anyway.

I have that Ford, got it on a trade around these parts, and it is mostly a novelty item for my collection.

[ChrisPflug]

I had the clear MPC GTO (as well as a long gone 1/16 Petty Charger I paid $2 for at a rummage sale in the early 80s)

As mentioned the clear hoods were big with MPC- 68-72 Vette annuals had then as well

[jbwelda]

I got that esci escort, actually a few of them, body is crystal clear, no hazing of any kind.

then there are all the Tamiya "full view" kits as mentioned above.

then there is:

from gunze sango, also came with a messerschmidt but I think only the Isetta (above, highly modified) came with the clear body.

I could never really figure out the utility of a clear body unless you want to make some sort of transparent display piece, other than that it strikes me as a totally PITA, having to mask the windows multiple times over the duration of body work and paint.

jb

[1930fordpickup]

There is a clear hood for the 1970/71 AMT Torino's . A 66 Mustang hood with a tear drop hood scoop that is clear.

Polar Lights made a clear 2005 Ford GT also.

[Snake45]

A 66 Mustang hood with a tear drop hood scoop that is clear.

That must have been from the almost-forgotten MPC kit.

Come to think of it, I think they had that in the '67, too, and I think I have one in my collection from somewhere (I've never owned that whole kit).

[1930fordpickup]

All I have is a couple of the clear hoods . They were painted I was just stripping some parts and threw them in and found out the brush paint was on top of the clear hoods. LOL

[Harry P.]

Visible man, woman, dog, frog, horse, etc., etc. Lots of visibility there.

[Tom Geiger]

from gunze sango, also came with a messerschmidt but I think only the Isetta (above, highly modified) came with the clear body.

I could never really figure out the utility of a clear body unless you want to make some sort of transparent display piece, other than that it strikes me as a totally PITA, having to mask the windows multiple times over the duration of body work and paint.

jb

I have the cheap version of the double Messerschmidt / Isetta kit and they both have clear bodies. I believe Gunze thinks that it is easier to mask the glass than to install some. I've been afraid to even try that kit.

And don't forget the 1962 Revell glitter cars... those are essentially clear bodies tinted green with glitter suspended in the plastic. And yes they shatter like clear plastic as you try to work with them!

Edited September 14, 2014 by Tom Geiger