Double Black! (Grand National Completed**)

[mrversatile]

I bet you thought this had something to do with Johnny Walker, but alas, I disappoint. This is build about two iconic vehicles from my childhood that I wish I had and wouldn't mind having today. These would be the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am SE in 1/25 scale(Bandit version...can there be any other?), and the legendary 1987 Buick Grand National in 1/24 scale. Both are by Revell. Ordinarily I am not a big fan of black painted cars but these have to be black, so I figured I would paint both at the same time.

A little about the kits: The Trans Am is a recent release by Revell which was originally a pre-painted metal kit. According to reviews, it is the best TA example but lacks the "Trans Am" decals and is marketed as a firebird for licensing reasons I presume. I have already prepared the body and have found, like the last Revell car build I did, (2010 SS Camaro), the castings are covered in flash. The front fascia, which has to be added after painting, seems to be a bit narrower than the fenders, so some more work was needed there to make the joint more flush. The hood was warped and needed to be heated and bent so it too sits flush, and the side scoops, separate pieces, didn't fit well and had prominent gaps which needed to be filled around each. So I worked all this out as well as sanding the whole body twice, removing seam lines, and preparing it for primer. The Grand National, an older 90's or earlier release, was actually a better casting with nicely molded engine compartment details. Just some minor body filler was used to fix some flaws and the usual mold lines removed before it too was sanded and prepared for primer.

PAINT: I will be using a black base coat from automotivetouchup.com. This is a single stage urethane touch-up paint that I have used before, and when cut with MEK, spray beautifully. The clear coat will be my usual UPOL synthetic lacquer clear.

Boy, I need this scale right now after my 1/350 microsurgery build.






Both have been wet sanded and need to be washed and primed.  Ok, let's get on with it.

[Leon]

Pulling up a chair and putting my seat belt on for this double header!

[eastrock]

Gil, let's keep walking!!! you can actually have a shot while working lol!!!

looking forward to it

Cheers!!

[noname]

I remember being a teenager in the 80s. The Grand National was the car to have. Even the Camaros and Mustangs were relatively gutless compared to the 60s and todays cars. It was a slow time literally for muscle cars. But the Grand Nationals turbo V6 had lots of potential.

Personally, I think black is beautiful. I don't think a car exists that doesn't look good in black.

[Deleted]

Two of my favorites!

[mustang1989]

Well given the last spectacular effort on the ship, this outta be one helluva ride. Bring it. I'll be watching.

[mrversatile]

Primed with my primer of choice, Tamiya fine gray primer, the body painted parts are ready for the black base coat. This primer is silky smooth and I rarely have to sand it before painting. I will also be using a new double action trigger airbrush by Master. This comes with a fan nozzle, which I bought specifically for spraying car bodies. I will be testing this out this weekend and hopefully the clear coat will be applied as well.

[Leon]

Primer looks good Gil!

[deafpanzer]

My second car was a 1984 Monte Carlo... it was similar body so it is going to be fun to watch this!! Looking good so far...

[eastrock]

Great start with the double header, Gil

[fhvn4d]

generally speaking, I am not a car guy.... but im gonna make an exception on this one!!! Thank you Gil for sharing!

[mrversatile]

A quick update since I have been working on these. I painted both with my new airbrush and the fan nozzle worked perfectly. However, the clear coat from the can didn't go on as nicely as I wanted. This can is a little old and I think the propellant is low. It just didn't atomize that well and I ended up with a number of small runs (5 on the TA and one on the GN. It also "orange peeled" more than I like necessitating the use of a polishing kit. When I had to sand more for the runs I ended up "burning through" some color in spots so I spot painted those areas and finished with airbrushed decanted clear coat. I then polished with Tamiya polish and got it to this. I only finished the Trans Am body right now and painted many of the other components which you can see below.
When building cars I often put a bit more effort into the undercarriage because I believe this sets car models apart. I decided to concentrate on the Trans Am first so the parts will stay separate.

Front of the Trans Am showing the installed headlight assembly. I used a gold sharpie to paint the bezel.



Many of the remaining parts. I painted the interior with different sheens of black



Better pics on future updates to follow. I

[Leon]

Nice progress on the TA Gil! Interior parts look good.

[eastrock]

Good Progress, Gil!!! good thing that the parts don't mix

[mrversatile]

I am approaching the end for the Trans Am and I have some progress pics. I have finished the body to include all decals glass, lenses etc. Although extensive, the decal sheet doesn't include any "Trans Am" decals so I had to take these from a 1/24 Monogram kit. It also didn't include some gold decal striping for the front and rear bumpers, side scoops, and door mirrors. I added these with the use of a gold sharpie marker. The rear taillight was one clear part so I had to hand paint black trim, color the lens red, and then back light it with silver for reflectivity. The T-Tops were tinted with Tamiya smoke and all black trim was hand painted. I also finished the chassis and engine. I wired the engine and will be adding some prominent hoses under the hood. I also detailed the chassis with various correct metallic shades while slightly weathering for a new/used condition.   As a note, I probably shouldn't have taken pics of the body on top of the model box bc the reflection of the box detail in the paint makes it look a little distorted.  I promise the final pics will be better.  Now to finish the interior, wheels, and tires.

[Leon]

That is looking fantastic Gil!

[deafpanzer]

I always wanted that Firebird when I was a teenager. LOL But yours is really looking good!

[wbill76]

Looking sharp Gil, brings back a lot of memories.

[mrversatile]

Interior is done and I really like how it came out. Dash insert was chrome and was painted gold with black bezels. Compared to real 1:1 pics, I like the overall detail of the interior and engine compartment. I used Embossing powder as the interior rug, drilled out the spokes of the steering wheel before painting, and used a warm gray colored pencil blended in by rubbing along the edges as a highlight for the monochromatic black. (tough to see through pics). I then finished assembling the interior tub and installed it on the chassis. I also finished the wheels and tires. The wheels were also chromed, and since the actual inside of the honeycombs are gold with the top edges a dull aluminum, while the hub covers and lugs are chrome, I had to hand paint them accordingly leaving only the aforementioned chrome. The tires were decorated with SHABO dry transfers. (Yes, I still thankfully have a bunch of these). Now on to final assembly. The next pics will be of the completed Trans Am.

[Leon]

WOW...That is looking fantastic Gil!

[mrversatile]

The Trans Am is finally completed! and the end result wasn't disappointing. The windshield glass was the easiest I have ever installed and the body to chassis mating was pain free and attached with screws. I still don't know why model cars are still designed to be made to "roll." Revell in particular continues to use the solid axle for the rear which is really vexing, especially when one needs to adjust the ride height. All in all a decent kit, the decal shortcomings and lousy casting notwithstanding. Now to finish the Grand National.

[eastrock]

Nicely done, Gil!!! looking forward with the finsih

[Leon]

Excellent finish on the T/A Gil! Looking really sharp.

[deafpanzer]

She is truly a beauty!!! I'd love to drive that car one day...

[mustang1989]

I really like this build a lot as these cars have always captured my interest. That single exhaust was a terrible idea from the factory though........! lol. I just don't know if I could have kept that feature.  Really good job on this one all the way around through. Great build on a great car!

[mrversatile]

Yeah, I agree. This car was one of the best of their era and the auction prices are starting to show that. These late 70's early eighties cars didn't have much HP but some really looked cool.

[mrversatile]

If you are wondering, I have not stopped building, but I have been sidetracked working on my 70 Mustang Mach I which has developed a "hot starting" problem, but I think I finally got it licked. Now back to modeling: I have nearly completed the Grand National and, after initially thinking this would be the easier of the two builds considering the decals involved on the T/A, I have changed my mind. This build has been more complicated in that the molded detail is super nice for an older kit. The complicated engine is beautifully rendered and the interior trim, also extensive, is better than most newer kits. Because of this, I decided to take some extra time detailing and accentuating these. Here are some quick pics of the progress.



The interior comprises of at least 4 different colors and textures and was mostly hand painted

NOtice the molded details including the ignition

The engine with added ignition wires. There are a few more parts to add after the body is joined.  I plan to add more plumbing as well

The undercarriage looks the part when painted and slightly weathered.

Here is the front of the body with the hood off.  The tape is used to hold the glass when gluing.  I tinted the top part 80's like.

And here is the rear

wheels and tires are accurately rendered and needed to be painted in the recessed areas to be accurate.

[Leon]

Nice progress on the Grand National Gil! Detailing looks great.

[mustang1989]

Great progress thus far Gil. I built one of these things about 12 years ago but it didn't come out all that well looking back. You're making me want to do a street machine version of this thing. lol

[mrversatile]

Thanks, the only downfall of this kit is the amount of cleanup required. Every part had seam lines which had to be removed. Very tedious. I also don't like the way the glass installs. No locator points. Much tougher than the T/A.