http://www.ScaleAutoMag.com 5520
The base of the windshield molding
needed to be shaved to allow the
doors to fit to the body and for the A-pillars
to meet the front fenders. Canopy glue
attached the lower edge of the windshield to
the car. While the instructions have the dash
installed before the roof, it’s easier to do so
after mounting the roof.
21
Test-fitting the upper body to the
lower, I noticed the deck lid hit the
turbo on the left side. I removed the turbo
and trimmed the manifold where it attached.
The passenger door opens and closes, but the
fit is worse than the other side when closed.22
I’m glad I waited to install the wheels
until last: On the passenger side, I
took off about .050 inches from the front-
wheel mounting boss and shaved about .040
inches off the rear upper-control arm. The
driver’s side wheels had enough clearance to
fit, and, like the funny car, do not roll.23
Many of the details inside the funny
car are obscured by the upper body. If
you plan to build it sealed up, you don’t have
to paint and detail all the parts like I did.
24
I masked most of the body and shot
the side trim and cockpit semi-gloss
black. The side trim can be chrome silver or
black; my reference had black.25
When I tried to mount the upper body
onto the frame, I broke the headers
off the engine. After more test-fitting, it
became obvious the headers could not be
installed after mounting the upper body, and
there was no way they were going to fit into
the deflectors if attached to the engine —
probably because of my guesses about
positioning. So, I cut them off about 3/8 of an
inch from the flanges and cemented the
headers into the deflectors. While not the way
I expected it to turn out, I still think it is a fair
trade for the body to fit better over having
part of the headers removed.26
It took a lot of superglue and
accelerator to get the upper body
mated to the rest of the car. Installing the
wheels prior to mating the body halves limited
access to apply glue.
27
The rear wheels fit fine, and I like the
way the model turned out even with
the detour I had to take with the exhausts.28
The funny car has to be placed on to the trailer
facing rearward or the trailer will tilt down and
not stay attached to the tow car, but, with the mass of
that Hemi, I’d want it that way in real life for the tongue
weight.
Final Thoughts
These models build into quite a presentable set. Most of
the subassemblies are easy to put together, with a few
challenging exceptions. And even if the results don’t exactly
match the instructions, the work-arounds are fairly easy to
achieve, and most are not visible on the final model.
The gullwing doors on the coupe did not fit well due to a warp
in the roof piece and one door — that single detail takes the
biggest toll the model’s appearance. If I were to build this kit
again, I’d probably pin and cement the doors closed so I could
make them fit better. The large windows allow for plenty of
visibility inside.- Mark Jones