1970 Jo-Han Javelin SST Mark Donohue rehab.

[swede70]

Greetings,

A brief promotional model rehabilitation project this.  Here is seen a recent $8 antique store purchase originally painted in some mystery black enamel finish complete with lurid decals, Jo-Han Maverick promotional model wheels, plus scale rear slicks!  Happily the awful paint finish fell away for delicate efforts made to strip the same, whereas given this Big Bad Orange example remained far from perfect (i.e. both A-pillars are twinged if you will), I thought I'd make a mild effort to create an unofficial Mark Donohue edition of what remained (see the adjoining period advertising image).  A spare Jo-Han 1970 Mark Donohue Trans Am spoiler was added with white glue after painting the part with Tamiya aerosol - a fair match it seems.  Noticed too will be the very acceptable Fred Cady '70 Javelin SST stripe work rarely seen applied.

The rims are Jo-Han Magnum 500's with promo-style axle mounting points, while more appropriate tires perhaps might otherwise have taken the form of Goodyear Polyglas GT's with the tiny raised white letters.  A defense can be offered up to the extent that Javeiin SST promotional models in '70 typically featured redlines. Given this, I opted to use a set of Stevens International vinyl tires from the early 1990's I had which seemed to employ the original Jo-Han tire molds but substituting softer material and featuring much better quality control on the redline detail itself.  Obsolete kit glass replaces the damaged original fitment (not fitting too well in full truth), whereas the front and rear bumpers have been rechromed.  Thanks for examining this brief post...

Mike K.

M.K.

Edited March 28, 2017 by swede70

[Snake45]

Absolutely magnificent restoration! Simply superb! I have a glue-bomb '70 awaiting its turn in the Snakepit Resto Shop, and I hope it turns out as clean as yours. Well done and model on!

[tedd60]

BIG fan of Mark Donohue.  I bought Unfair Advantage when it came out and read and re-read the covers off of it.  I seem to recall this car gets a mention in the AMC chapter.  

[kelson]

Great save on a rarely seen kit or promo.

[afx]

Nice work Mike.  Paint detail on the wheels would really make it pop.

[Snake45]

Nice work Mike.  Paint detail on the wheels would really make it pop.

I agree, as would the window frame chrome and other trim, but I think he was going for an "as-issued" promo look.

[disabled modeler]

that is beautiful...!

[DrKerry]

That turned out awesome!!!!!! Great restore!!!!!!!

[Snake45]

Bumping this to ask a question: I just realized this is in Workbench and not Under Glass. Is it finished, or is this just a waypoint before further amazing work?

[swede70]

Thanks for the unexpected and kind replies all...

Actually I maintain a sort of 'Home for Wayward Jo-Han American Motors Javelins', and as such one project feeds into another.  Foil and elaborate grille paint masking will feature on another '70 Mark Donohue Javelin kit build, very likely to be painted Scarab Gold less stripes but with the pressed steel 'Rebel Machine' wheels.  I'm also partial to the race release front and rear bumpers with live without the egregious and cast-in 'JAVELIN' identification!  Both an early-season and late-season '70 Trans Am racer are 'in-development' as it were - see below for my Riverside Donohue entry sans finish.

As to this 'faux-mo' effort, I have collected some parts consistent with going a step further with the wheels, although if I can't come up with something that mounts true and remains stable the parts will be set aside or rolled into a proper kit project.  Seen below are a set of Missing Link Magnum 500's cast in two separate parts to better facilitate paintwork.  '69-'70 (maybe later?) AMC Magnum 500's were finished a bit differently than industry standard, featuring as they did a semi-gloss black finish across the entire face of the center wheel stamping versus leaving the five raised spines exposed and chrome plated.  Further, they dusted the semi-gloss black surface with what appears to be silver paint.  Given masking won't be the awful trial it might otherwise be with the Missing Link product, hopefully I can go somewhere in this direction.  A silver-painted raised center trim cap as well as some means to mask the raised chrome lug detail is also being pondered...

Anticipated troubles revolve around firmly mating the new Magnum 500's to available tire options as well the existing Jo-Han promo wheel axle mounts per se.  I resolutely don't want to cut up the promo chassis in any way, whereas if the resulting wheel/tire assemblies aren't as strong or do not roll as well as the usual promo fare, then again I'll not use what I've worked up.  Tire options are as shown; i.e. the new pad-printed AMT usual, but also the old MPC vinyl renditions first seen on promotional models way back in 1971.  I might take some old Jo-Han Rebel Machine wheels and apply a length of Tamiya tape to dimensionally 'take up the gap' between the radius of the wheels versus tires, create a mold and cast the results, etc.  Although progress might be slow, nevertheless - watch this space.

Although hardly rating as a major effort for the week that was, I did swap in the barely salvageable standard promo glass into the '70 promo shell hoping that the extra mount material cast-in to the base of the 'glass' would result in better and tighter fit all around.  No luck in this regard, although doesn't it look nice parked next to my '68 promotional of the same topic? 

...and lastly, a purely optional celebration of period Jo-Han Javelin box art, positioned if you will atop all my other cases.  Thanks for skimming this update.

Mike K.

 

M.K.

Edited April 1, 2017 by swede70

[Snake45]

Thanks for the details, Swede. I too love the first-gen Javs. Have rehabbed a blue one, and have a red one waiting in line, and then a gold-painted one. If you didn't see it, here's the blue one: