chrisrope Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Hi Here is my first car WIP I’ve done. This will be a bit down and dirty, as will become apparent, but a good trial before I crack on with my other car kits. So, I have been building up a stash of car kits, mostly US muscle cars. The one I have the most of is my favourite, 68-70 Dodge Charger, of which I have 6 kits The MPC General Lee kit is legendarily bad. It’s one good feature is the 69 bodyshell. While this shell is not the best, the rest of the kit is pretty much garbage The 68 Revell Charger is a peach. That is unless the previous owner slathered the sprues in some sort of primer with a brush and damaged the screen pillars This kit cost me £10, the inspiration for the thread title I got the MPC in a swap and initially only planned to use the General Lee parts on another Revell kit. I couldn’t bin the rest so started to do bits on the shell as a test mule and to see if I could improve it. I reinforced the rear valance and made a spare Revell bonnet fit as the MPC one is too narrow. The Revell is wider so was easy to get a satisfactory fit. Test fit of the MPC shell on the Revell chassis Fits Like A Glove All the pick up points appear to match perfectly. However, the MPC has the inner wings on the chassis, the Revell on the shell. Only one thing for it Chop the damaged Revell shell and cut out the inner wing section...... ......and test fit with the MPC shell on Revell chassis God damn it’s gonna work...... so far. I know the interior tub fits but neee to check the sides, dash and firewall The £10 Charger Challenge is on 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 A front clip change. This is beginning to look like Overhaulin' or Gas Monkey garage! At least you don't have rust to contend with. (Although the pillars were accident damaged......) Will this one be a 'General' or are you heading for a mild custom? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k-P3EMuKq4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dxp1a4YxeM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41SxI8Em1JU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxAmWIYtx6Q There are probably more out there. I hope something helps you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 I did think about swapping the front clip but too much to go wrong. If I got the inner wings wrong, I hadn’t lost much. I have got a replacement shell on order from Revell but now this appears to be a goer, I’ve got other plans for that. It won’t be a General but it might have some orange on it somewhere. Also won’t be a restomod, I’m thinking more Roadkill General Mayhem but obviously 69 instead of a 68 Thanks for the links, liked the 3rd one with the 69 being rescued after 20 years 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Pieces of plastic flying every which way, nice! Keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharknose156 Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 a powerful car with a strong character ! a Great project. from memory it seemed to me that Dodges have a particular engine sound i think (?) like a monster swallowing the bubbling high octane lead-gasoline alive and enjoying it ! what is the scale ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1886 Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Looking good Will follow this one closely as I'm building the 68 revell version at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 17 hours ago, Chris1886 said: Looking good Will follow this one closely as I'm building the 68 revell version at the moment. Yep I’ve been following yours too you have good taste in cars and kits So today I had a go with some more test fittings. I was expecting trouble with the firewall and front bulkhead/radiator support. Nope......slotted straight into the MPC shell It’s so close to fitting perfectly I’m really not going to worry about making it any better. My main problem so far is the Revell chassis sitting lower at the front than the back This appears to be the Inner wing section I cut from the Revell shell being too high. Once I shave the top or bottom ( not decided which will work best) the front end should move further into the shell. Next, what to do with a now spare 68 grille? Find some suitable spare sprue, in this case Airfix Vulcan clear sprue, and mock up a prototype 69 grille Most definitely not the finished product, more a proof of concept. The Revell grille is a lot better than the MPC so this will find its way onto the car. Lastly for now, what do you do after spending far too much time trying to make the MPC rear bumper fit the shell it’s designed for to find it still doesn’t fit at all???? Yep, try the Revell one which surprise surprise, fits first go Next stop, test the interior for fit 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Coming along nicely. I like the grill idea. Were you asking for wheels/tyres? I can't remember. If you post pics of the sort of thing you want I will dive into the car spares boxes & see what I have. Likewise, any other bits you need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 Cheers Pete Yes I do have a wanted ad up, it’s somewhere among the depths. Its mostly tyres that I’d be interested in, especially slightly wider ones, the ones you sent me with the Vector wheels were perfect. Of all things, I need a pair of door handles but anything Charger/Mopar related I could be interested in Next on the list ( and not muscle car related) is some 10” steels or minilites for the Tamiya Mini. I want to get a Mini started soon as,but don’t like those weird alloys Tamiya put in the kit. Cheers Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy_J Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Small wheels for a Mini is something I'm looking into as well. I have had BRM slot car wheels suggested, if that's any help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 8 minutes ago, Chrissy_J said: Small wheels for a Mini is something I'm looking into as well. I have had BRM slot car wheels suggested, if that's any help? Ta I will take a look at those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) Only had chance to do one job since the last update. Got the top 2-3mm of the inner wings cut down and refitted. The chassis now fits a lot better Edited February 3, 2019 by chrisrope Different picture 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 That looks like it's a big improvement for a relatively small alteration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homerlovesbeer Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Loving this build thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 Small steps, too much blinking work getting in the way Fixed the firewall bulkhead to the flimsy inner wings I cut from the Revell shell. Plenty of Tamiya quick set has firmed them up and at the right alignment. Need to do a bit more dry fitting and checking. Then I can decide between gluing the bulkhead/wing section to the shell or the chassis. I’d prefer the shell but need to get it in exactly the right place As you can also see, I’ve made a start on the 440 engine and transmission Cheers Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 Update time. Had this week off for half term and managed to get some work done on the Charger. Splashed on some basic colours to the chassis, exhaust and engine/transmission. Also so built up the engine bay with the firewall, inner wings and front bulkhead Now kinda wish I hadn’t as the shell is now very hard to fit onto the chassis but doable.....just So, with that in mind, I feel the colour scheme needs to be kept simple as possible. If I spend an age painting it then ruin it levering the shell on, I wouldn’t be happy. Some Vectors have been cleaned up ( cheers @Pete in Lincs) and thinned to open up the wheel holes. These now need painting properly Interior basecoated Finally, a test of some Poundland spray paint. Ta Chris 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 Rocking the grey primer, quite like it but I think I’m set on orange I’ll let this properly harden before I start the topcoat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 Feel like I’m being tested. First my own mistake with the chassis build making the body hard to fit, now this. Word of warning, avoid £1shop 151 Orange spray. Started well with a fine mist coat, went to apply a second, spattering and the can ran out of propellant with 3/4 of the paint left Luckily just on the bonnet So I now have a browny orange half painted shell 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Ouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Shame about the bonnet, but the shell is looking good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 24 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: Shame about the bonnet, but the shell is looking good. It didn't look too bad but I probably shouldn’t have primed in grey, it really did look more brown than orange. I had my tea and a beer and went over it with some old sanding blocks to cut the paint back All smooth again so re-prime and carry on 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Odd as this may sound, but apart from the bonnet (which has a bit too much white for this) I reckon you've accidentally created a very good representation of the desert patina common in the desert states there, especially on the roof, boot and right hand side. Shame about the loss of propellant - I had the same issue with the Trabant but you've done exactly the right thing to get it sorted. Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 I did think the same, if I didn’t have to take the paint back so far due to the spattering, I might have rolled with the patina finish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 I agree with the desert finish. In the extreme, we had guys that left Riyadh to drive to the coast for the weekend, when they got back either the front or one side of the car might be down to bare metal. Factor in new headlights too! Chris, got the paypal, thanks very much. Regards Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisrope Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Bit of a ‘mare Managed to snap the front valance beyond satisfactory repair. So I decided to cut it off to use the 68 valance from the Revell kit Found the first bit that doesn’t ‘fit’ to line up with the MPC shell. Saying that , it’s not the shell but the chassis sitting too deep at the front but I can’t get it into the shell any further. The MPC is a lot slimmer and pointier than the Revell shell at the nose. After the paintwork horror and now this, I’ve not chucked the toys out the pram but I have put them back in the box I’ll keep tinkering with it to see if I can make it all fit, but for now I’ll move along with something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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