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1:16 scale AMT/ERTL 1964-1/2 Ford Mustang Coupe


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This will be my next big project, one which I've been saving (savouring?) for a while and looking forward to starting now I feel I have the confidence to make a half decent job of it.  :fingerscrossed:

 

I have no idea of it's vintage other than it's pretty old and I remember it first being launched back in the late 1960s or early 70s.  I bought it as a previously owned kit from Kingkit who check and guarantee complete - as you'll see from the photos they've been pretty thorough about it too...

 

The box simply says "Made in U.S.A. by THE ERTL COMPANY, Dyersville, Iowa" with a part no. of #6722.

 

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It has obviously been inspected and carefully re-packed - this is what greeted me when I first opened the box...

 

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Each package carefully heat-sealed and it all looks to be in excellent condition...

 

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I must admit I'm impressed by Kingkit, this is far better packaged than most new kits I've bought.

 

I've seen one of these (I think) already built on this forum, to an amazingly high standard which I have no hope of equaling, but it will serve not only as a spur to do my best but an unashamed crib if I hit problems!   The body colour will be Tamiya TS-53, a beautiful rich dark metallic blue, with interior colours yet to be decided but I have white and light grey Humbrol satin paints in stock, plus a Revell Lufthansa Blue satin acrylic which has just arrived and looks promising.

 

This won't be a quick build as I want to take my time, savour the experience and put as much into it as I'm capable of, so updates may be few and far between but I'll try and make it interesting.

Edited by Neddy
Korrekting misspellin
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Yours is a mid '80s reissue.  I think it first came out in the late '70s; I have a Matchbox/AMT one from c. 1982.   There are a few niggles, especially the excessively raked windscreen, but it builds up easily.  🙂

Edited by Six97s
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Thanks for the interesting information regarding the kit's history - and the reassurance!   I find it impossible to keep track of all the takeovers, mergers and buyouts that occurred in the kit manufacturing world during the last half of the 20th century to the point where I haven't a clue who owns what, who built which, where or what the heck happened to them.

 

 

Edited by Neddy
Second thoughts - the fingers were running ahead of the brain.
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I built one of these waaaaayyyy back in the stone age .

The windshield is a bit off, and I seem to recall having issues with the tires/rims not wanting to fit.

But,  What you get when your done is TOTALLY  worth it ! 

 

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Good choice on the paint colour - I used that one on the XJ-S and never regretted it. The flake size is very fine so it doesn't give you that oversized flake look you see on some metallic cars, even under the camera. Not wanting to tell you how to suck eggs, but being metallic make sure you clear coat it before polishing or you'll spoil the finish.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, the longest journey starts with a single step and I've just bitten the bullet and commenced the build.  First job was to re-bag it in clear bags to make finding parts easier as quite a few are loose having become detached from the sprues.  I was pleased to note that the PVC tubing supplied for ignition wiring and radiator hoses is much nearer the correct scale diameters than the previous AMT 1:16th scale (Ford Thunderbird) build which had to be discarded in favour of garden tying wire.  Also pleased to note the old-fashioned instructions are much more comprehensive than more recent evolutions in that they have quite verbose and detailed written descriptions of each stage in addition to the excellent diagrams - a rarity it seems these days.

 

Basic engine assembly...

 

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...I'm going for the custom engine build, hence the twin carb option on the intake manifold.

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Indeed!  Having checked many images and found a bewildering array of different colours used I decided to go my own way having come to the conclusion that there won't be a 260 or 289 small-block still surviving that hasn't been rebuilt at least once and that  engine builders tend to use their own choice of colours anyway.  This is Tamiya X-13 Metallic Blue acrylic which I settled on simply because it looks good on a short engine.  The transmission colour is again a Tamiya acrylic, X-10 metallic gunmetal, as I think silver is a bit too bright to give a realistic look to a large hunk of dirty oily metal.

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Hi Neddy.

On my way back from Chinon, where I visit the Royal Fortress, an important place in the tormented history of the English and the French, I had the pleasure to see exactly the same Ford Mustang, same year, same colour. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures, because I was driving.

`

But what I noticed and I'm sure of, is that the real car has a lower ground clearance than the model you're building (It's a 1964 one, imho).

If this may help you...

 

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Interesting point, thanks!  I'll bear that in mind when I get to that stage of the build and compare it's stance with online pictures.  Adjusting the ground clearance won't be a trivial operation but worth it to get the look right.

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Progress and a confession - you may laugh, it is permitted!

 

Having posted the previous pic it occurred to me that the colours had come out darker than expected.  I then realised I'd made a rookie error.  Prior to painting I'd stirred both colours thoroughly but what I SHOULD have done is shaken the bottles vigorously instead.  Having done so I repainted the engine and the colours are totally different, much more as I intended them to be.  So remember folks, if you're using Tamiya acrylic paints, think 007 - shaken, not stirred...  :blush:

 

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Edited by Neddy
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2 hours ago, Neddy said:

Progress and a confession - you may laugh, it is permitted!

 

Having posted the previous pic it occurred to me that the colours had come out darker than expected.  I then realised I'd made a rookie error.  Prior to painting I'd stirred both colours thoroughly but what I SHOULD have done is shaken the bottles vigorously instead.  Having done so I repainted the engine and the colours are totally different, much more as I intended them to be.  So remember folks, if you're using Tamiya acrylic paints, think 007 - shaken, not stirred...  :blush:

 

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Gorgeous painting job and superb colors, love it 😍

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  • 2 weeks later...

Engine now complete apart from exhaust manifolds, plumbing etc.

 

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EDIT:  I've tidied up the wiring and posted new pics as the first attempt was a tad scrofulous.

Edited by Neddy
Refreshed images to save embarassment!
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Having successfully completed the wiring I realised I'd left some retaining threads visible and failed to tighten and tidy the plug leads leaving a functional but distinctly scruffy appearance.  I've now tidied everything up a bit, hence the refreshed images above.

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On 8/7/2022 at 7:14 PM, Neddy said:

Engine now complete apart from exhaust manifolds, plumbing etc.

 

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EDIT:  I've tidied up the wiring and posted new pics as the first attempt was a tad scrofulous.

Very clean work, Neddy 👍 I love it (already said but I can't resist to repeat !)

 

Just a constructive critic if you permit: the blades of the fan are too thick imho, and it would have been interesting to slim them down, at least on one side...

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You're dead right, I only noticed it in the close-up photos.  I reckon I can take a file or an emery board to the blades before I go any further.  Thanks!

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@CrazyCrank  ...and five very scary minutes with a Dremel and a drum sander bit has halved the thickness and shaped them a little more.  Using a full-size mains-driven Dremel on something that small is a bit like trying to trim your fingernails with an angle grinder.  :phew:

 

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Edited by Neddy
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2 hours ago, Neddy said:

@CrazyCrank  ...and five very scary minutes with a Dremel and a drum sander bit has halved the thickness and shaped them a little more.  Using a full-size mains-driven Dremel on something that small is a bit like trying to trim your fingernails with an angle grinder.  :phew:

 

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now it’s perfect 👍

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Engine now complete I'm pressing on slowly.  Next up for attention is the running gear, starting with the tyres.  The moulding is pretty dire - the treads are quite good but the mould alignment is off, meaning there's not only a rib of moulding flash round the centre of the tread but the two halves of the moulding (and therefore the tyre) were misaligned.  As you'll see from the before (right) and after (left) pic below, it took a fair bit of work with an emery board* to get them trued up and at all realistic-looking...

 

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(*I really must buy some of my own before Mrs Neddy notices they're going missing...)  :blush:

 

Edited by Neddy
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Another suggestion shamelessly plagiarised from someone on here (may have been @galaxyg but my memory is hazy there) is to mount the tyre on a drill and spin it up against sandpaper (or emery board). Much quicker and miles more suitable for the lazy person :)

 

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That's something I used to do to bed-in tyres for use on slot-racing cars I was building whilst still in single figures.  Mounting these on a suitable shaft would be a tad tricky at this early stage (the wheels aren't assembled yet) but it's a very effective method.

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