I returned to model building during COVID. I built many military planes (plastic), balsa wood planes, and car models in junior high and high school. I enjoyed models of all kinds. I did a few car models when my kids were young in the late 90s. Now I focus on car models. I am a subscriber to HPIguys YouTube channel and like his style and techniques. I often buy kits from 90’s and I’m not partial to any brand, I like all brands each with their unique approaches. I’m not a perfectionist (but I try to do nice work) and don’t compete at model shows. I don’t let perfect get in the way of good enough for me (for my talent level and patience). I just build models because I enjoy the hobby. I have an airbrush, but I really don’t have a good place to set it up in my house, so I prefer to use rattle cans and paint in my unheated attached garage. It can be tricky painting out there on cold winter days here in Minnesota. I like to use aftermarket wheels, usually Pegasus and Jays Resin Wheels from eBay. I’ve had some fun customizing some kits, with new motors, rusty/weathered paint or custom colors, fabric interiors etc. I have had some failures along the way, but problem solving is part of the fun for me.
With that background, I wanted to share my current project. It’s a 69 Charger Daytona, Johnny Lighting version from AMT/Ertl. It doesn’t have many parts and some details are absent (like no radiator hoses, no shocks, no gas/brake/clutch peddles). It was released in 2006 during the Ertl era, so it has lots of flash and injection molding issues. At the end of the build I noticed that the windshield glass didn’t fit well. Turns out the roof is warped (pushed) to the driver’s side creating a challenge with fitment and appearance. Also, this kit is based on the original MPC version I think, so some details are a little light or not thought through when it was engineered, but I enjoy problem solving.
Many mistakes were made during this build, so don’t do as I did on this one, but it turned out okay in my view. I got way ahead of myself and painted the car body before attaching the nose cone and front fender extensions. It was a bad choice (I knew better), but I made it work with some light touch up painting after the body work was done. This kit is engineered with the front end of the 69 Charger R/T bumper/grill opening to be covered by the Daytona’s aero nose cone and fender extensions, which is kind of a bad design. Revell did not do it that way on their version of this car, so their kit requires a lot less body work and could turn out better with less work in my opinion. Here are some pics of my process and experiences with this kit. I have included a picture of tools I used and the paints used for this kit. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for the kind words mrb865. I found an inspiration car online that was this color combo. I really didn’t like the model box cover look for this body style.
That turned out fairly well. It’s an interesting design choice as to how they fit the nose, I can see where it would be challenging even before paint. Your fix after paint is pretty decent.
I really like the colour chosen (I have a few cans of it for a project later), it really pops with the white decals and interior.
Thanks for checking out my post. I appreciate your comments. I had trouble getting that aero nose on straight, it slid up on the driver’s side. I could have gotten much better results without worrying about the paint job. I could have removed the nose and tried again for a better fit or could have sanded more. Also could have used putty to cover the un-natural seam where the fender extension meets the fender. Looks like the designers expected the fender extension to be glued to the side of the fender which would have left a large bulge on the sides, making them wider than the nose. I saw videos of some builds doing that. Scribing the fenders using the extensions as my guide and cutting off the fender and carefully sanding it to match seemed to have a good result. I was able to carefully spray the front area without disturbing the rest of the car.
Peter I think you did a pretty admirable job on your Daytona project…honestly, you’re being a little hard on yourself about the nose cone fitment. If your looked at on-line examples of 1:1 Daytonas, you were likely looking at restorations that had many hours to make fitment precise. I can recall the actual factory Daytonas and Superbirds and the companies that did the finish work on them didn’t do much in that regard. These vehicles were for NASCAR Homologation purposes and I remember some that were noticeably rough. Likewise modelers attempt to straighten out areas like you struggled with so yours turned out pretty well all things considered. The balance of your work is quite good, especially the undercarriage, which is painted really well. B body chassis are difficult to paint and trying to mask is maddening. The engine and interior show well. Top-flite modelers spend many hours adding wires, hoses and interior appointments making them quite intricate and impressive. Personally, I also enjoy seeing “box stock” models such as yours here. Most model shows/competitions include this category and your Daytona would show well there. Looking at your workbench, I see you are an organized and clean modeler, kudos there. As you relate in your post, you are modeling for your pleasure, to the level that satisfies “You.” Well, good on you Sir…while I haven’t had the pleasure to see others that you’ve completed, this one is well done and will give you years of pleasure as you build your collection. Kindest regards…
