Monogram 1971 Plymouth GTX

[Firemist]

I painted this model with Gravity Colors Tawny Gold; which is an authentic Plymouth color. In preparation for the clear coat I applied the decals, foiled the trim, and sprayed the applied decals with some Testors decal bonder to help protect them from the lacquer clear coat. I also added some tabs to the lower front part or the car to add strength and make it easier to cement in place. 

[Firemist]

I finally got back on track with this build. I cleared over the decals and the BMF with Testors "Wet Look" clear lacquer. As a precaution I sprayed over the decals with Testors Decal Bonder to protect them from the solvents in the Testors clear Lacquer before applying the clear coat. I found this practice really worked well because there was no reaction between the bonder and the Testors Wet Look.



Moving on to the engine, I painted it with Tamiya Bright Orange lacquer, painted the Headers with Testors Steel Metalizer, and the transmission with Tamiya Flat Aluminum. I also wired the engine with a pre-wired distributor from Morgan Automotive Detail. Originally, the distributor was black with red wires that I sprayed over with Tamiya semi gloss black acrylic, and touched it up after doing the wiring.  



For the underside of the chassis, I used Tamiya Semi Gloss Black along with Testors Silver lacquer for the tank, Stainless Steel Metalizer for exhaust, and Steel Metalizer for the leaf springs. This kit goes together really well, and part of the reason behind this is that Monogram used integrated assemblies like incorporating the differential and the suspension together; which not only made the kit easier to build but reduced the number for parts. As I see it, painting was a bit more difficult and I had to employ silly putty masks, but I feel it was well worth the trade off. One note on the suspension is that I noticed Monogram left out the shock absorbers. 



By using slightly different colors of Metalizer and Lacquer paints I feel it makes the model more interesting to look at as well as adding to the realism. When ever I build a kit, I view a fair amount of pictures online. Sometimes I drive myself crazy, but I usually like the end result. As far as the chassis is concerned I have found some pictures of real cars with a black finish, and others with the body color as well. 

 

[Firemist]

I managed to get a little more done on the GTX. Here are a couple photos of my progress. The problem of getting a good clean satin black finish on the hood scoop portion of the hood took a bit of time to figure out. I tried a couple techniques like a silly putty mask and using Tamiya masking tape alone, but in both cases I realized I would not get a good clean edge from Satin Black to the car's color. Finally, I used BMF to mask the edges of the hood scoop which seemed to be only way I could get a masking material to conform to the tight spaces around the hood scoop. The result actually came out really nice, and I will post the picture of the finished hood when I have a chance. 



Also, I just finished the interior this evening. I used a combination of Tamiya Semi Gloss Black along with a small amount of Tamiya Gloss Black acrylic to simulate the black vinyl interior. I also painted the wood trim with Testors wood enamel paint as the kit's direction called out. The door handles and the rest of the chrome trim in the interior were done with a Moltow pen. 



So far the kit has fit together really well, but still does not match up to the level of fit I have seen on Tamiya kits. 

[Firemist]

A little more work done on the GTX. I managed to finish the work on the hood; which involved painting the semi gloss black portion, painting the air grabber scoop applying the decals and cementing the scoop into place. The BMF masking job worked especially well and resulted in nice clean paint job. I had to take extra care when applying the decals and cementing the hood scoop in place because you can't polish satin black!



I also finished the assembly on the chassis. At this point I have to hand it to Monogram for doing an excellent job on designing an molding the snap in wheels because they fit perfectly, seemed fairly secure, and even rolled very nicely. I have seen this feature on some of their other kits but with this particular kit it worked especially well. 





I am taking my time on this one because its turning really well. Unfortunately, I am back in the office this week so it may be a while until I finish.