How to make a 1980 Buick Regal?

[Davoski]

Hello Brains Trust,

Can anyone help with suggestions for a kit or kits that I could use to make something resembling a 1980 Buick Regal?

The closest I can find is a 1987 Grand National, is there anything closer?

For example, was the Regal rebadged as something else back in the day, and is there a kit for that?

All suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Davoski

[ZTony8]

The '87 is the only Regal of that era out there but it's noticeably different than the 1980 on down version. It's longer with a sleeker nose and a different "C" pillar. It would take a LOT of work to make it look like a 1980 version. How developed are your scratch building skills? How about doing this, Juha Airio?

Useless bit of trivia- on the real cars the 1980 and older hood could be used on the newer cars if you could find the little adapter brackets that GM made back then ( discontinued long ago) just for that purpose

.

[RAT-T]

A 77 OLDS WOULD BE CLOSER, THE NEW LAGUNA KIT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE EASIEST KIT TO FIND IMO, BUT THE JOHAN 77 OLDS WOULD BE MY FIRST CHOICE

[afx]

Maybe this?

[RAT-T]

OK, MY MISTAKE. I WAS THINKING IT LOOKED LIKE THE '75 VERSION

 

[Toner283]

A 77 OLDS WOULD BE CLOSER, THE NEW LAGUNA KIT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE EASIEST KIT TO FIND IMO, BUT THE JOHAN 77 OLDS WOULD BE MY FIRST CHOICE 

The 73-77 Collonade (sp?) style GM's were full sized "A" body cars. The later 78-88 GM "G" body cars were classed as an intermediate sized car. They were smaller, lower, narrower and lighter than their earlier cousins and shared almost no parts with the "A" bodied cars.

[MrObsessive]

The 73-77 Collonade (sp?) style GM's were full sized "A" body cars. The later 78-88 GM "G" body cars were classed as an intermediate sized car. They were smaller, lower, narrower and lighter than their earlier cousins and shared almost no parts with the "A" bodied cars.

I learned something new today! I never paid attention to what GM called those 1978-87 "intermediates". I always knew that they were "replacements" for the 1973-77 Colonnade cars-------and I never thought they looked as nice, but never knew what the letter class of body they were.

Now I know!

BTW, it would be really nice if we could somehow, someway, get a kit of at least one of those Colonnade cars. My vote instantly would be for the 1973 Pontiac Grand Am! I thought those were the coolest cars on the road when they were new, and they still look fantastic today!

Maybe this?

That might be about as close as you get to that '80 Regal--------and not without quite a bit of surgery. The basic "bones" are there, but just about every body panel is different.

[RAT-T]

The 73-77 Collonade (sp?) style GM's were full sized "A" body cars. The later 78-88 GM "G" body cars were classed as an intermediate sized car. They were smaller, lower, narrower and lighter than their earlier cousins and shared almost no parts with the "A" bodied cars.

GOOD TO KNOW, THANKS CHRIS

[Davoski]

Thanks JC (and others)

I Think the Monte Carlo will do the job well enough. The nose is pretty good and the droopy tail looks good too. I am sure I can live with the sweeping guards (fenders).

Now to find a kit from somewhere else other than the US. For reasons unknown, postage for kits from US to Australia generally costs more than the price of the kit. :-(

For those playing at home, this is for a Breaking Bad diorama with a scratch built Fleetwood Bounder (and no, the Lego kit didn't cut it!)

Cheers

Davoski