Chuck Most Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 I've wanted to build a Michigan State Police car for a long, long time, so I figured since this Antarctican weather isn't going away any time soon and I'll be staying indoors thank you very much, why not start now? I'm starting out with the Ohio State kit, but really, any of them would do- practically none of the supplied police equipment will be used. Front push bar? Nope- the MSP uses a different style. Rear seat divider? Nope- MSP doesn't use them. Light bar? Nope- the MSP uses a Unity Spitfire "Gumball". I'll also need to deep six the alloys, as pretty much every MSP Ford in my area had steel wheels with baby moon caps. There were some of these available in resin years ago, but no more... I'll have to make do with something else, I guess. I'm thinking making the push bar and "hailer" (the hood mounted stop sign) will be the only real expendatures of effort on this one. Anyway... The first order of business was to remove the rub strips from the front doors to accomodate the door seals. The color is custom-specified by the MSP, its Ford paint code is LM, but any competent paint shop can mix it for you, just ask for Michigan State Police Blue, not to be confused with the metallic Michigan Blue used by BMW. The six-window Fords used by the MSP (1992-1997) had gloss black bumpers. The remaining rub strips are also black (without the inset brightwork), as are the mirror housings. I used an old set of E&K decals from 1994- they are meant for a Revell Caprice, but the graphics will work on any 1:25 MSP vehicle. Jbot still makes a set in 1:24 that look good on 1:25 models if you're wanting a more readily-available source.
Guest Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 Would the wheels from this kit work for you Chuck? http://www.ebay.com/itm/REVELL-MODEL-KIT-851972-1-25-1997-Ford-Police-Expedition-FACTORY-SEALED-IN-STOCK-/231007658586?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item35c921225a
Johnny1973 Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) Chuck,I believe modlhaus has the Crown Vic rims that you need here is the link http://www.modelhaus.com/index.php?c=4106&p=68394 Edited January 8, 2014 by Johnny1973
Chuck Most Posted January 9, 2014 Author Posted January 9, 2014 Nope, Roger- those aren't the right style. In fact those aren't the right style for a first-gen Expedition, either. Kinda wonder why Revell didn't just stick with the alloys in the SSP kit, as many agencies had them, and the steel wheels they did use in '97-'02 were different from the ones in the kit. John- thanks for that link! I'll get with Don and Carol for the specifics on those wheels.
Erik Smith Posted January 9, 2014 Posted January 9, 2014 Here are the Modelhaus 92-97 Ford Police wheels and caps: Not exact, but look okay. I don't know if anyone makes an accurate center cap for the Vic. Most also ran steel wheels with round holes - kind of like the wheels in the Revell Impala police car (like cheap "snow" wheels) - at least around my parts, MSP could be different.
Chuck Most Posted January 14, 2014 Author Posted January 14, 2014 Those look close enough to me- looks like I'll be sending Mr. and Mrs. Holthaus a few bucks here pretty shortly. A big thanks to Agent G (the original Wayne Gray), who sent along a couple of possible flasher candidates. The first one looks more like what's on the real car to me than the second (which is missing the base) but I'll gawk at the photos a bit and compare them to 1:1 before I drop the hammer either way. Yep... that first one looks quite a bit closer to me. Just add a little Tamiya clear red, and I think I'm there, eh? I couldn't find any interior shots of a late '90's MSP car, so I just used what was in the Ohio kit, less the rear seat partition. I still might do a bit more detail painting on the door panels. And I just could not resist adding the Dunkin Donuts box in the shotgun seat!
jefropas Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 Michigan had a different radar setup, and they all had videocameras as well. They also ran rear radar antennas... Jeff
Agent G Posted January 15, 2014 Posted January 15, 2014 Looks pretty good Chuck. I think the plain red one is closer. Make a base and use the rotator from the other one and I believe you'll have it. My opinion only, but I sent ya that one for a reason! The control console is a good generic representation of what most of us were using back then. I didn't get a "computer" as it were until we went online with the integrated CAD/Report Writing system in late '99 early '00. It wasn't considered financially feasible for bosses cars. When dispatch screens could be monitored from the lap top, then it made sense. That radar system is the old MPH Industries K-55, It was actually a two piece unit, the antenna being seperate. The entire thing sat on the dash. I have no idea what Michigan used back then. As a state run PD we used what the MSHP used in the Traffic Safety Division. I left there in '84 and never returned. Here's how it looked. This is a later version of the control panel. The real deal in a Missouri SHP Mustang. G
nnyfan1 Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 Awesome!!! I am from Michigan and that is very nice!!
Chuck Most Posted January 22, 2014 Author Posted January 22, 2014 Michigan had a different radar setup, and they all had videocameras as well. They also ran rear radar antennas... Jeff I've got the rear radar antenna- that was on every Blue Goose I ever saw from this era and was a very prominent part of the car. Wayne- thanks for the pics. I think I've got some stuff rattling around in the spares box that looks close, if not, I'll scratchbuild if I need to. There might be a pretty long pause before the next update on this- gotta put in an order to Modelhaus for that wheel/hub cap set.
topher5150 Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Seen my fair share of those in my rear view mirror. What are you going to do for the plaque on the hood?
Chuck Most Posted January 25, 2014 Author Posted January 25, 2014 Seen my fair share of those in my rear view mirror. What are you going to do for the plaque on the hood? Thinking I'll scratch that with some clear styrene, and some solid plastic mounting brackets, using the decal as a pattern to make the clear board. That's the plan anyway.
Chuck Most Posted June 16, 2014 Author Posted June 16, 2014 Got the Modelhaus steelies and caps today- not only do they look great, I think they even improve the look of the kit tire to a degree. I do need to perform a little touch up on the black bumpers and side trim- the clear coat ate away at some of it. I think I'll go with Wayne's suggestion on the flasher too- after finding a base and flasher for the red dome he sent me, I think it looks way closer than the smaller flasher.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now