Starsky’s Gran Torino - FINISHED

[Mark4700]

I've been waiting to get the blue on the engine for a while now, but I've been busy painting all the ancillaries that are attached to it and masking them with liquid mask. Today I've finally got it painted and a gloss varnish over the top.

 

Now looking forward to taking the rest of the masking off and building the rest of the engine around it. 

 

I've also varnished the dashboard and door cards. Before I did I gave them a very light dusting of dark grey just to take some of the blackness off them to give them a slightly more worn and scale look to them. Just the detailing to go on them.

 

 

The seats have had the same treatment. First a light dusting with dark grey, then a coat of satin varnish. I'm very happy with how they look. I'm learning a lot from this build, a few techniques I haven't used in my usual 1/72 aircraft builds, but will try and use some of them in the future.

 

I'm hoping that I can do a but of construction work now.

[Deegee13]

Looking good.

 

I have been using this for reference for the exterior; you can zoom in very close to the car.

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1976_Ford_Gran_Torino_(Starsky_and_Hutch)_5.7.jpg

 

 

[Mark4700]

14 hours ago, Deegee13 said:

Looking good.

 

I have been using this for reference for the exterior; you can zoom in very close to the car.

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1976_Ford_Gran_Torino_(Starsky_and_Hutch)_5.7.jpg

 

 

That’s brilliant. I had seen this picture but didn’t realise that you could zoom in so close. 
 

one thing I’m struggling to make my mind up with at the moment is the black strips on the bumpers. On the photo you’ve shared their just on the over riders, and I’ve seen cars from the show where this is the case. But the kit instructions say it’s on the over riders and full width of the bumpers as well. I’ve been using this image https://www.rodauthority.com/news/top-50-tv-cars-of-all-time-no-4-starsky-hutch-ford-gran-tor/ but the resolution isn’t good, and it appears the black strip is full width on this one. 
 

I suppose either way is right as they used more than one car, even in the first series which this kit is based on. 

[Six97s]

3 hours ago, Mark4700 said:

That’s brilliant. I had seen this picture but didn’t realise that you could zoom in so close. 
 

one thing I’m struggling to make my mind up with at the moment is the black strips on the bumpers. On the photo you’ve shared their just on the over riders, and I’ve seen cars from the show where this is the case. But the kit instructions say it’s on the over riders and full width of the bumpers as well. I’ve been using this image https://www.rodauthority.com/news/top-50-tv-cars-of-all-time-no-4-starsky-hutch-ford-gran-tor/ but the resolution isn’t good, and it appears the black strip is full width on this one. 
 

I suppose either way is right as they used more than one car, even in the first series which this kit is based on. 

The horizontal rubber strips were part of the bumper protection option, so not all Gran Torinos had them, but it appears at least the early TV S&H ones did.   BTW, the car in that link (the first image from the TV show) is a '75, not a '76.   On the 1975 cars, the filler panels between the body and bumpers are red, and they had matching "sport" mirrors.   The '76 models had chromed mirrors,  side trim mouldings on the body and the filler panels were painted silver.

Edited June 11, 2020 by Six97s

[Mark4700]

Engine build is going well. Most of the kit parts now fitted. 

 

 

Just a bit of scratch building to do. I at least want to add the HT leads.

 

I've also started on the interior. Work on the dashboard continues. Must remember to keep working on the body 🤔

 

[Mark4700]

I have been working on it a bit, honestly. Dare I say it’s been too hot. 
 

I decided to have a go at adding the ignition leads as I thought the engine looked a bit sad without them again I used my trusty fuse wire. Fairly pleased with the result.

 

The dashboard is also finished and ready to be fitted. 

I painted some black rings around where the headlamp lenses will be fitted, just to add a bit of definition so they won’t look too toy like. 

I fitted the decals to the grill. I think I’ll add a wash to the grill, again to add some depth and definition. 

Finally licence plates ready to be fitted. The one I scratch built is on the left  

I have been working on some other little areas, but not worthy of photographs. I’ve also added a couple more layers of clear gloss to the body and it’s now ready for the stripes, but it’s drying for a while and don’t want to move it to photograph it. 

[UKmodeller-Reborn]

On 21/04/2020 at 19:14, Mark4700 said:

I have been working on the bodywork quite a bit, but to be honest it’s just sanding and undercoat, sanding and undercoat, so didn’t want to bore you with numerous pictures similar to the ones above. 
 

However. One area that I wanted to improve on as soon as I saw it was the radio in the car. 
 

This one........

I hated the solid thick wire, which scaled up would have been about a 1/2 inch thick, inflexible, and too short to use. Poor Hutch would have had to be leaning forward with his head on the dash to use it. So I had an idea  involving this stuff....

I wound a length of 5amp wire around some 15amp wire, then slid off the curled wire. Cut off the original thick wire, drilled appropriate holes, and glued the ends of the curled wire into the holes. This is the result. 

Now, I must say I’m over the moon with the result. 

 

A process that was very easy and can highly recommend. It should look fantastic when it’s all painted.

I love seeing how people take kit standard parts and tweak them with something so simple as this wire and transforms the model 👍

[Mark4700]

Work is moving on a pace now. As promised here's a pic of the body. Very pleased with the result. I used Humbrol clear gloss over the Vallejo Model Air.

 

 

The interior is also finished.

 

And I also now have a rolling chasis. Not many parts to be fitted now.

 

 

Next job. The stripe!!

[Deegee13]

Looking good.

 

My build is somewhat slow, as I have been working on a Revell Corvette Stingray.

 

What do you think of the tires?

 

For me they are a bit of a letdown; the definition of the tread is not good, and I am considering aftermarket ones for my build, if I can find some roughly the same size.

[Mark4700]

2 hours ago, Deegee13 said:

Looking good.

 

My build is somewhat slow, as I have been working on a Revell Corvette Stingray.

 

What do you think of the tires?

 

For me they are a bit of a letdown; the definition of the tread is not good, and I am considering aftermarket ones for my build, if I can find some roughly the same size.

To be honest I’ve not given the tyres much thought as I haven’t built a car in years. But looking at them now they aren’t as good as the ones on the Tamiya kits I used to build in the 1980’s.

[Deegee13]

On 6/29/2020 at 9:55 PM, Mark4700 said:

To be honest I’ve not given the tyres much thought as I haven’t built a car in years. But looking at them now they aren’t as good as the ones on the Tamiya kits I used to build in the 1980’s.

If you will allow me to give you a tip; I have just given my tyres a few very light coats of Tamiya spray Matt clear (sidewalls and treads) and they look far better, as the shine has gone.

 

The tread looks much more realistic.

 

I promise I won't keep 'highjacking' your threads!

[Mark4700]

3 hours ago, Deegee13 said:

If you will allow me to give you a tip; I have just given my tyres a few very light coats of Tamiya spray Matt clear (sidewalls and treads) and they look far better, as the shine has gone.

 

The tread looks much more realistic.

 

I promise I won't keep 'highjacking' your threads!

Not a problem at all, you’re not hijacking. All tips gratefully received. Many thanks, I’ll take them off and give them a coat of matt. 

[Mark4700]

Stripe is on.

 

 

[mustang1989]

Lookin' pretty dang good so far on this one! Looking forward to the gloss coat.

[Mark4700]

Has anyone tried the Tamiya polishing compounds?

 

 

 

I hadn't until today. Heres a comparison evaluation for you to draw your own conclusions. The bonnet was sprayed red with Vallejo Model Air, followed by three coats of Humbrol Clear Gloss varnish. As you look at the picture, the left side of the bonnet has been left. The right side has been polished with the Tamiya polishing compounds. First the course, then fine and finally the finish.

 

 

 

I think the finish is visibly better in the picture. To the naked eye even more so, and it's much smoother to the touch. Well worth the effort I'd say, and a recommend from me if anyone is thinking of trying them. Just got the other side of the bonnet and the rest of the car to do now. At least it should be 25 times quicker than polishing the real thing.

[Spiny]

The Tamiya polishing compounds are what I usually use too, although the Fiesta is the first time I've just used the compounds and also the first time I will have run through the full set. I tend to attach with Micromesh pads first getting rid of as much orange peel as possible by the time you reach the 12,000 grid, then going with the Fine. Only managed to get hold of Finish recently (that stuff was pretty much out of stock in the UK for about a year unless you wanted to pay about £20!), but used that on the Challenger with pleasing results.

 

Not sure what sort of cloth you used for polishing, but I'm going to guess it was cotton. Try a softer cloth for the finish (cotton can sometimes scratch more than the compound) and you may get rid of even more of the lines which the light is highlighting in the photo. But as you've shown, you can get good results with the Tamiya compounds.

[Mark4700]

DISASTER!!! it was all going so well, then today.......

 

 

 

Masked the bumpers to paint the over riders black. When I took the masking tape off it took the chrome off too. 🤬

 

What to do now? My initial thought is to strip all the chrome off and redo it with Alclad. I've also got a liquid chrome pen, but not sure if it will cover areas like this. I'll try the pen first as it's the easy option of the two. If it looks okay then it's an easy fix and a bullet dodged. Fingers crossed 🤞

[JeroenS]

The chrome pen should work on this. Make sure you work fast and try not to touch an area you have already visited with the pen. If you missed a spot, wait until everything is dry (takes 24 hours) and then fill in the missed spots.

[Spiny]

I'd second Jeroen's comment that the chrome pen will cover this, however you may not get quite a perfect match to the kit chrome. That's fine on a small area like on a wheel rim next to the tyre, but you may not get away with it on a noticeable area like the bumper. Worth a try to see what you think.

 

Another option since you're handy with the airbrush is that you can (I'm told) airbrush using the chrome pen refill, although if you already have Alclad that would be a cheaper option.

[Mark4700]

At last managed half an hour on it this evening. The chrome pen worked a treat on the damaged bumpers. Not perfect, but good enough. I’ve polished the bodywork with super resin polish, just wish my 1:1 scale was as easy. I’ve also attached the grill, head lamps, front and rear bumpers and the rear chrome trim. 

The body actually looks much better to the naked eye. Not much left to do now. Another couple of hours should see it finished. 

[johnlambert]

That's looking really good.

[Deegee13]

Looking nice.

 

Shame about the bumper, I may strip mine and use Molotow; the kit chrome is a bit too bright I think.

 

I bought a Molotow Chrome refill bottle, and put a few droplets in a plastic cup when I want to chrome parts and brush it on; if you load up the brush liberally and brush quickly it dries smooth with no brush marks.

 

I still use a pen for really small parts. 

[mustang1989]

That Molotow airbrushes on very nicely. I've used Spaztix Ultimate Chrome Clear to seal it so it can be handled as Molotow and handling do NOT mix.

[Pouln]

On 7/24/2020 at 12:09 PM, Deegee13 said:

Looking nice.

 

Shame about the bumper, I may strip mine and use Molotow; the kit chrome is a bit too bright I think.

 

I bought a Molotow Chrome refill bottle, and put a few droplets in a plastic cup when I want to chrome parts and brush it on; if you load up the brush liberally and brush quickly it dries smooth with no brush marks.

 

I still use a pen for really small parts. 

I too do this. The molotow chrome tends to be on the thick side. If you want to brush it on add a bit of alcohol to it. Works great and gives a very smooth finish.

[Mark4700]

Well, that’s it. All finished. Really pleased with the result given that it’s the first car I’ve built for years. The kit went together really well and there’s scope here and there for a bit of scratch building. I suppose those that like to really go to town on the engine compartment have plenty to add or change, but I’m happy with the extra work I’ve done and how it looks, which I suppose is the all important thing. 
 

So here’s a few pictures to celebrate completion. I’ll post more in the appropriate place when I’ve had time to take them. 
 

Oh, and many thanks to those who have provided help, guidance and words of encouragement through the build.