Twelfth Completion of 2012 -- 1979 Ford Fiesta

[Steve_L]

Twelfth Completion of 2012 – 1979 Ford Fiesta

This is the eleventh in a series of models of 1:1 cars I have owned or driven.

In May, 1979, amid rumors of soon-to-be really high prices and shortages of gas, I bought a 1979 Ford Fiesta.

The car may have been ahead of its time because it was rated at 39 mpg highway and 28 mpg city. It was not overpowered, but it would scoot. Four people could ride in it comfortably. And it was fun to drive.

About 5 years ago, I began to search for a plastic, resin or die cast kit of the ’79 Fiesta. Pickings were really slim for a long time. Then one day early in 2012, I came upon an EBay auction for a Mattel MeBeToys 1/24 diecast car. The seller was from Athens, Greece. I normally don’t bid on foreign auctions, but this was a major exception. I figured if I didn’t get this one, there might not be another opportunity. I bid competitively and was very pleased to be the high bidder.

This is what I started the project with:

I completely disassembled the model (really easy) and stripped the stickers and black paint. The project required refinishing the exterior in white and the interior in tan. I also decided to detail paint various areas, as needed. I knew that I would need to construct a new grille and the four wheels and add the U.S.-required required side marker lights.

Here are pictures of the finished project:

Here are some of the materials I used to complete the build:

The stripping gel worked really well and I covered the bare metal with Dupli-Color self-etching metal primer. I smoothed that and covered it with Tamiya white fine surface primer. I used Dupli-color white for the base coat and tried a new product for the clear. It is Gunze Mr. Color / Mr. Super Clear. It went on very well and polished very nicely.

I very much enjoy building models of my 1:1 cars – does anybody know where I can get a model or kit of a 1983 Olds Delta 88 2-door?

Enjoy!

[Marcus M. Jones]

nice job.

have you ever tried using Citristrip on styrene? if so what was the outcome?

[1972coronet]

WOW ! That is NICE , Steve !

Wasn't the Fiesta based upon the Mazda 323 ; or was it a Kia of some sort ? I can't recall ... Used to see 'em everywhere when I was a kid !

[cobraman]

John, I think you are thinking about the Festiva and not the Fiesta. ( ? ) Steve, I just so happen to have purchased a 79 Fiesta in 1979 also. Mine was a metallic red but I customized it soon after. I had it painted in black Imron paint with light blue pinstriping. I also added a front air dam and twin rear spoilers and I blacked out the bumpers and had the local Super Shop order me some custom wheels. For a Fiesta it looked pretty good. I have some photos around here somewhere. It was a pretty nice car really. It drove nice and got good mileage and was pretty comfortable for a small car. Never had a single problem with it while I had it.

[1972coronet]

John, I think you are thinking about the Festiva and not the Fiesta. ( ? )

Well , what-ever that 70's rollerskate's name was ... Guess I'll have to "wiki" it and see about its country-of-origin ...

[Steve_L]

nice job.

have you ever tried using Citristrip on styrene? if so what was the outcome?

No, Marcus, I have not done that yet. I probably will try it after this weekend's ACME NNL SouthernNationals show (I'm an ACME member and will have a vendor table at the show).

[slusher]

Cool little build, l like it...

[Scuderia]

That's great dedication to getting your subject done. And super job doin it. I like that.

[Danno]

Nice job!