The subject? A 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am



Well, I threw a coat of primer on the body today, so far, first thing this morning. I'll rub it out tonite.
I also shot the same ultra-flat black on the undercarriage.

I'll work on the engine tonite too. I'll snap some pix and post them.

First pics are just a general overview of the parts.



It's funny, it came with an extra engine. A straight 8, I think, though, it might be a sixer, I didn't really look close.

Cuhail

That was quick work Murph and the engine is a 6 cyclinder i have this kit in my stash some place.

Rubbed it out with some 1000 grit and then a coffee filter. Gives the ultra black a sort of "slate gray" color. Look at the differance between the body and the hood here. The body's been smoothed, the hood has not.



So, I went ahead and rubbed out the hood. Since this thing is going to have a vinyl top (Firebird-style) I masked over the roof area.



The 400cid Tiger-heart motor is going to gleam. I slapped the engine halves together and ran some super glue gel into the bad seams to smooth them out. I then decided that the header options that came in the kit just did not deserve a place on this engine, so, I pulled the spare exhaust drawer out and found a pair that didn't work on a previous Pontiac.


We'll just have to see if they'll work on this one. If not? I'll make a new pair. No sweat. Maybe this time I'll remember to photograph the process and do that tutorial.

So, that's what's done today. Ending Monday, December 1, 2008.

Cuhail

Quite a lot of work in only one day. Excellent.

Nice work Murph you got a lot done in a short time and i like the polished flat black paint i will have to remeber that for another build.

Yeah, I usually use the technique on Armor, but, I thought I'd try it with a car. I won't do it with the "Ultra Flat" again. It gave the roof the texture I wanted, but, a regular flat black or semi-flat would work better for autos.
I had to re-paint the front-left fender (like it's been replaced IRL) after I shaved off the trim and drilled tiny, tiny holes to represent the trim attachment points. It will stay black, as will the vinyl top.
The rest will be faded green. Oxidized and a bit rusty.

This is the car that inspired my vision.





Ugly, ain't it? Mine will do it's best to be uglier.

Anyway, I brightened up a few bits on the undercarriage. Just a little.



Just to change the textures a little. I may do some more after I install the rearend assembly, but, for now, that's what I've done to that.

The engine is assembled and the block, heads, intake manifold and oil pan are factory Pontiac Engine blue. Holes were drilled in the heads and the distributor for wires. You know, the usual stuff


More later.
Cuhail

so-far so-good
What is your technique in making a vinyl top?

The Ultra-flat paint leaves a texture that, for metal surfaces, I normally rub out. The texture is kept by just not rubbing it out. I still do, but only lightly. You don't want it smooth like the body panels, you want it with a bit more texture. Hope that makes sense.

Cuhail

yes, makes sense, thank you.

Okay, Wednesday, done.

Didn't do anything really photo-worthy either. Spent a while attaching the headers to the heads, just to find out they were not going to work. No biggie. Did a few more coats on the body. Did the interior base coat (black).
I did take a couple of pics so you all could get an idea of the color. Moss green is very similar to Olive drab. But, there's a bit of shine to it. Once I buff it out, it will be gorgeous! Then I have to dull it out again.




Yeeeaaahhhh, that's PLUG ugly! Ain't it.

Tomorrow, I wrap up the engine, detail the interior and dashboard. I may wrap up the chassis too. Friday, I buff out the body. I want it totally dry and set before I do that.

So, that's where I'm at!
Any questions or constructive feedback? Always welcome!

Cuhail

Halfway through Thursday report.

Interior...done.


Bad mold on the dash. Broken stickshifter. No detail whatsoever! I just love AMT.

Painted the firewall....ho hum.


Tried another set of headers from the parts box.


For these to work, I'd have to carve a lot of plastic from the molded front suspension. Almost worth it, but, no. I'll just have to actually build a new pair just for this car.

So, tonite I do wheels and rear undercarriage. Friday, it's rubbing out the green paint. Saturday, full assembly and Sunday?

Sunday involves beer and football.

Cuhail

Looking good, Murph.

I have to admit to smiling a bit after reading the words "molded front suspension". Those early AMT kits have big nostalgia points, but look positively awful in light of current model technology.

-YL

Looking good Murph.

Good going Murph it looks like you will make the deadline as well keep up the good work and i am also thinking about the next build i can torture you guys with.

Yeah...I'll finish.

But I'm sick of AMT. Blah, blah, blah, yuck.

Bad fit all around. Horrible molds. There's a reason this one was on the clearance rack.

But, it is ugly, which is what I was shooting for. I have a bit more to do tomorrow, mainly assembly and I have to wrap up the engine compartment.
Took a couple of pix though. Just a last dryfit before wrapping up the night.





So, tomorrow, I'll wrap it up and take some good pictures.
Tally-Ho!

Cuhail

Nice work Murph your almost there, don't you just love those old AMT molds. I would buy another one of these kits and fit the new Revell chassis and interior you you can get a really good looking 69 Firebird and it can't be much more work than the AMT mold.

Same here with AMT I had to put a project down and back into it's box half way through the build.

Well, in all honesty, AMT is hearing a death knoll, I believe. RC2 (Ertl) has passed it's molds to another company and I'm haveing a hard time finding info on a re-surgence of kit-making/distributing.
It may be that AMT has hit bottom in the market (No suprise).

I build them out of a sense of nostalgia. I built them as a kid and many of the offerings now are the same models I built 30 years ago. Sad.

I think that now, since my modeling skills have improved and I take a bit more time and detail-sense into consideration, it's time to move on. I still have a few in the stash, but, I think I may just leave them there and focus on the Revell in the world.

The finished product where this 69 Firebird is concerned is mostly my decision to hurry through it. One week to whip out a model car, using an AMT product, does NOT a pretty build make. My pride and joy model is an AMT 70 GTO and I spent more than a month just cleaning and scratching out all the details that were lost by AMTs (MPCs) molds. The 69 Firebird molds were actually made in 1969 when the real car was made. (I read an article on this model in a search for refs).

So, I summarize my build as:

60% Lousy model.
30% Build time constrictions.
10% Meh factor.

Meh.
Cuhail

Good job on cranking this one out. I know that the quality of the older AMT kits really takes the fun out of a build, but you got a finished Poncho to show for your determination.

Just hold on to those old AMT kits in your stash, Murph...they may be worth something in another 10 or 20 years.

-YL