Pro Stock 1987 Ford Thunderbird by CDW - FINISHED - Revell - 1:25 Scale - Plastic

[CDW]

Right around 1990, Revell came out with a very nice scale model kit of the Bob Glidden Motorcraft Thunderbird Pro Stock. This car was the 1987 World Champion in the extremely competitive and popular Pro Stock category. For those who don't know, the Pro Stock category morphed from the old Super Stock category/classification. The cars are of "stock body" production cars, carburetors (no fuel injection or superchargers), but every bit as wild as Funny Cars and almost just as fast.

The Glidden Thunderbird was a great build for me around 1990. The kit went together very well, very well engineered, and I liked the color scheme and markings. Recently I found an unopened copy of the kit on Ebay at a very fair price, and pounced on it.

Here, I will build this model once more to enjoy that experience one more time. Here's what I got:

 

The Kit Box

(check out that low KMart price tag from 1990 🙂)

 

The Kit Contents

 

The Instructions

 

The Decals

(I'm going to need to pull off a near-miracle to salvage these)

[popeye the sailor]

now....that's the way I like my windows!   back to the days when kits were cheap.......I miss those days >sigh<     the decals look in tough shape though  

 

I did some quick checking and Slixx does do some,  but they look different.  here is a site that I found

Drag Racing Decals - Mike's Decals

[CDW]

Yes, those decals are rough. 🤥

But I think I can make them work with just a little good luck. Yeah, the Slixx ones are different year model Thunderbird and others. When you buy an old kit like this, decals are almost always a liability, even though the kit was sealed. It was probably stored in a non climate controlled building or garage.

[CDW]

Humble Beginning

 

[Old Collingwood]

22 hours ago, CDW said:

Yes, those decals are rough. 🤥

But I think I can make them work with just a little good luck. Yeah, the Slixx ones are different year model Thunderbird and others. When you buy an old kit like this, decals are almost always a liability, even though the kit was sealed. It was probably stored in a non climate controlled building or garage.

I read somewhere  that you can restore old decals  with some kind of liquid  - cant remember  what though.

 

OC.

[CDW]

A clear gloss acrylic sprayed over the decal sheet can give new life to old, cracked decals....sometimes. It doesn't work 100%, but it often works.

Also, taping the decal sheet to a window, allowing it to get some sunshine for a few hours can clear/restore old, yellowed decals. I've done both to this sheet and have my fingers crossed.

[CDW]

Chassis's Filling Out

Engine Block Started

 

[CDW]

This is excellent news. Now, I can avoid the dreaded 'rattle cans', and it's also very economical by comparison. Tamiya white primer is a favorite of mine, now it's ready (after reducing) to shoot through our airbrush. Probably the very best plastic primer out there as far as I know.

 

https://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Paint_and_Construction/liquid-surface-primer-white/TAM00087096/product.php

[popeye the sailor]

doesn't say whether it's an acrylic or not.  if so,  I wouldn't be able to use it    it's interesting how far acrylics have come in the hobby.

[CDW]

1 hour ago, popeye the sailor said:

doesn't say whether it's an acrylic or not.  if so,  I wouldn't be able to use it    it's interesting how far acrylics have come in the hobby.

Well, yes it does say. Says it uses Tamiya lacquer thinner to reduce it. That's a sure bet it means it's lacquer based, not acrylic/water based.

You can use Tamiya primer under any kind of paint that I know of.

The other good news, these primers brushed straight out of the bottle make one of the very best small crack/gap fillers there are to be found. Fast drying and sandable.

[CDW]

I should also mention, acrylics are perfectly fine under lacquer based paints. That's exactly what you use (Tamiya gloss black acrylic) as a base coat under Alclad 2, and similar lacquer based metal colors. It's best to give them a full 24 hours to dry, or either use a food dehydrator on a low temp setting to quick-dry. Low setting so as not to harm the plastic.

[CDW]

Chassis's Got Wheels

 

This pretty much wraps up the chassis work. Still have some plumbing to do, but waiting for a wired magneto that's coming in on Monday.

Next, I'll start the body, paint, and decal work. Still have my fingers crossed on those decals. We shall soon see if the dead (decals) has been brought back to life. Rise Lazarus, rise. 

 

[CDW]

Body Work and Paint Day

 

Today was body work and paint day. It started off with a round of sanding the entire body with 2000 grit wet or dry paper to make sure it was nice and smooth with some tooth for the primer to stick. After that was completed, laid down the Tamiya white primer. Here she is in primer:

 

Next masking is applied for the white panel to go down. Here, I used Tamiya gloss white acrylic through my airbrush.

 

After painting the white and masking is removed, you can see the mask line/s. When I mask for red, I mask right along the raised line where the gloss white went down. This way, when the red goes down, it blends right in and more or less makes the raised line invisible.

 

Here, the red (Tamiya gloss red acrylic through my airbrush) has gone down and now all that's left is a few touch-ups where some minor over spray got on my white.

Tomorrow, the decals will go down (fingers crossed), then Monday everything will get a clear top coat to seal everything up and make this baby slippery-shiney...the wet look.

[Old Collingwood]

Really nice work there mate,   the only car kit I ever built was a 1/24  diecast body/plastic   Ford Focus Sport   (as I used to own a Focus in the flesh)

 

OC.

[CDW]

1 minute ago, Old Collingwood said:

Really nice work there mate,   the only car kit I ever built was a 1/24  diecast body/plastic   Ford Focus Sport   (as I used to own a Focus in the flesh)

 

OC.

These are a refreshing break-away from ship modeling. By comparison, they are cheaper to build, much faster to build, and just an enormous amount of subject matter to choose from.

Eventually, I will want to build a ship model again, but right now, I have some very interesting (to me) other subjects to do.

[Old Collingwood]

17 minutes ago, CDW said:

These are a refreshing break-away from ship modeling. By comparison, they are cheaper to build, much faster to build, and just an enormous amount of subject matter to choose from.

Eventually, I will want to build a ship model again, but right now, I have some very interesting (to me) other subjects to do.

Indeed mate I fully agree  with you  - I cant wait to start on my Mosi  as  Its ready to go, just the admiral will kill me if I do before finishing the pearl.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

nice job on the body........minor touch ups    I haven't done a thing to the sox.   the chassis looks very nice as well  

[CDW]

11 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

nice job on the body........minor touch ups    I haven't done a thing to the sox.   the chassis looks very nice as well  

Thanks for the kind words, Denis. I already started laying down the decals tonight. If they are dry tomorrow evening, will start putting on the clear top coat.

[popeye the sailor]

are they working out alright?!?!?!............good to hear!

[CDW]

1 minute ago, popeye the sailor said:

are they working out alright?!?!?!............good to hear!

They are holding together just fine. The trick to saving them is the clear acrylic top coat (Pledge/Future), but it also makes them more difficult to lay down and conform to the shape of the model because they are now thicker. Even a potent decal solvent like Solvaset has a difficult time softening the decal so it lays down to conformity. Will have to give it over night to celebrate success or cry uncle, don't know yet, but so far, so good. 

[Old Collingwood]

54 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

are they working out alright?!?!?!............good to hear!

I was wondering the same as denis.

 

OC.

[CDW]

As much as I hate to do it, I am going to strip off the decals I put on so far, then put this model on hold to finish until I find a good set of decals for it. 

The decals are not laying down properly and decal solvent won't help fix the problem. It may take a while to find a good set, but I don't want to continue it as it is.

 

To be continued....

 

[Old Collingwood]

Contact the company - see what they can do  with replacement decals.

 

OC.

[CDW]

2 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Contact the company - see what they can do  with replacement decals.

 

OC.

The kit has been out of production for way too long so I doubt they would have any laying around, but who knows? Secondly, Revell (USA) went out of business a while back, so I don't know who's in charge anymore.

[CDW]

The body is in the strip tank now. All the decals and paint will have to be removed. Thinking about doing a custom, fictional paint job. 

Digging in my stash now for the next project. Decisions, decisions. 😎

[Old Collingwood]

16 hours ago, CDW said:

The body is in the strip tank now. All the decals and paint will have to be removed. Thinking about doing a custom, fictional paint job. 

Digging in my stash now for the next project. Decisions, decisions. 😎

Could  you not have a go at making your own mask  from tape and doing your own paint job.

 

OC.

Edited June 9, 2019 by Old Collingwood

[CDW]

1 hour ago, Old Collingwood said:

Could  you not have a go at making your own mask  from tape and doing your own paint job.

 

OC.

If you mean recreating the Bob Glidden graphics, no, I can't make those same graphics as depicted by the decals. Beyond my abilities. If you mean, can I create my own paint scheme using masking tape, yes certainly. But a car like this needs graphics and for me, that means at least sponsor decals. Those I must choose from some existing commercially available set. 

[CDW]

Stripping Paint and Decals off a Model

 

Just to share the total experience, thought I would share my magic weapon secret for paint removal and decal stripping. It's even perfectly safe on clear plastic parts, too. Won't fog or screw up clear plastic if you happen to have windows glued in.

 

In your local WalMart, head over to the automotive section and pick up a gallon of this product. It costs about $8, and will last a long time, years even, as long as you keep the lid sealed tight.

 

I take a gallon size freezer zip lock bag, put my model parts I want to strip inside the bag and fill it with just enough Super Clean to cover the parts. Seal the zip lock bag and let the parts sit in that Super Clean bath until the paint comes off. Happens almost instantly on chrome parts, and it took only a couple of hours to strip off all that red and white paint on my model car body. Use an old tooth brush to scrub away any stubborn spots and/or let it soak in the bath a little longer. 

Now I have to warn you, do not put your bare hands into this stuff, because it's very potent and will do undesirable things to your skin. Probably will be absorbed into your system through your skin. So wear a good pair of latex gloves when you're working with it. When I am done with my paint stripping session, I pour the contents of my strip project right back inside my container and use it over and over again until it loses it's strength. But that's going to be months if not years away.

Here's what my car body looked like after a 2-3 hour bath. Slick as a whistle.

 

 

[CDW]

Decided to paint the body in Createx Wicked Pearl Red. That's an acrylic paint. It has no clear coat on it yet. The clear top coat should really make the color pop, and the pearl stand out. 

When using these pearl colors, you can get a lot of variation according to the base coat. Mine is painted over white primer. Either a silver, gold, or copper, could give an entirely different look to the finished pearl red. 

Going to give this a little time, then put the clear coat on later today. 

[lmagna]

11 hours ago, CDW said:

Here's what my car body looked like after a 2-3 hour bath. Slick as a whistle.

Does it weaken the glue joints for parts that have already been glued on? I have a Porsche that is probably at the stage that it would be better to start all over rather than do touch-up work.

Edited June 10, 2019 by lmagna