2010 Dodge Charger R/T

[mrmike]

The Build

My newest project is one that I have designated a model year for...2010.  There is no model year on the box and for all I know, this is a 2006 model.  This has been in the stash for quite a while and I am building it for a Facebook site group build.  I am using the Testors/Lincoln Mint Dodge Charger and my paint will be Dupli-Color Forest Green Pearl with a grey interior.  I plan on adding some Police bits and pieces to the mix and a change of wheels from the Dodge Charger Police Car kit.  I am including a McNally, Boston PI story called "For A Day".

The Story

It is around 1 AM in the morning and the young man drives his car slowly in a parking lot just across the street from Fenway Park in search for a parking spot close the baseball institution.  Suddenly a car backs out of a space and the two cars collide creating minimal damage to either car.  The young man gets out of his car to inspect the damage as the owner of the other car gets out of his and he is very angry.  They both look at where the two cars hit each other and the owner of the second car reaches into his jacket and pulls a Walther PPK 9mm pistol and shoots the young man.  The young man falls to the pavement dead and the man gets into his car and drives away.

At 5 AM, Lt. Det. Adam Troy gets up from bed and he goes into the shower to start his day.  After he showers and towels off, his wife Natalie knocks on the door and presents his cellphone to his.  Dispatch reports a body was found in a parking lot next to Fenway Park and night detectives are responding.  Lt. Troy has Dispatch call Det. Darvell to respond to the scene.  

McNally will return...

[mrmike]

The Story

Lt. Det. Troy drives out to the parking lot across from Fenway Park and he gets out of the car and he inspects that there are plenty of detectives, the coroner and her assistant, the Crime Scene truck and crew.  He hears a siren coming and he sees Det. Steven Darvell racing to a stop and getting out of his Detectives Car with his 32 ounce coffee travel mug, taking a drink out of it and then throwing the travel mug back into his car.  No wonder this guy is a slob!  One of the night detectives comes over with a wallet and hands it to the Lieutenant.  lt. Det. Troy looks through it and he finds $32 in cash, two credit and one ATM card and a business card for someone he knows...McNally, Boston PI

The Build

I assembled the engine, transmission and painted a few other parts.  Once I clean out the paint booth, I will start painting some of these parts with spray cans.

McNally will return...

[mrmike]

The Story

Lt. Det. Troy pulls out his cellphone and he calls McNally and asks that he come down to the parking lot near Fenway Park to identify the corpse.  Det. Darvell walks over to update the Lieutenant and he sees McNally's card in Shawn Whittaker's wallet and asks if Lt. Det. Troy had called him.  Adam is getting upset with Det. Darvell's poor attitude towards McNally and tells him he should show more gratitude towards someone who has helped solve a few cases when Darvell couldn't.  Darvell says that McNally has messed up a few cases which is not the truth and then Adam yells at him and he apologizes and he waddles away from the Lieutenant looking for more clues and he doesn't find any.  A short while later and McNally arrives on the scene and he is ushered in.

The Build

One of the things I don't like about this kit and it varients is the transmission and the engine are two different items and they are mounted in the chassis that way.  I added a piece of .020 inch thick styrene between the two and glued them together and place them in the chassis.   A perfect fit!

McNally will return...

[Zippi]

Looking pretty good there Michael.

[mrmike]

Thanks Bob!  I have assembled many, many model car kits over the years and every single one of them in full detail has the transmission connected to the engine except this one and its variants.  The other Dodge Chargers I have assembled over the years, I have left the trans seperate from the engine, but no more as I have joined them together.   

[mrmike]

The Story

The Coroner opens the body bag and McNally looks at the face of the victim and he says he doesn't recognise him.  Lt. Det. Troy says that he had his business card in his wallet.  Maybe he got the business card from Attorney Charlotte Rothmann and he never got to contact McNally?  McNally will ask her when he meets her for breakfast at the Comet Diner later in the morning.  The Coroner zips up the bag and his assistant moves the body to the Coroner's Van for loading.

The victim is Shawn Whittaker from Alston, MA and he was reporting to Fenway Park for work helping with the cleanup.  Why he was killed is now a complete mystery to the Police and they were just starting the investigation.  McNally will ask Charlie about the business card that was found on the victim and Det. Darvell would be in charge of the investigation from this point on since Lt. Det. Troy has to get back to the Precinct for the Commander's Meeting. 

The Build

At this point, the Hemi engine is complete.  My guess is that the car would be a 3.5 Ltr. V6 powered car, but this kit has a 5.7 Ltr. Hemi.  I've been painting other necessary parts including the chassis.  The chassis will need to be painted with overspray.

McNally will return...

[mrmike]

The Story

McNally arrives at the Comet Diner, a dining establishment built into an old trolley car that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner all day and he takes a booth up front by the windows.  A short while later, Attorney Charlotte Rothmann aka Charlie arrives and she sits across from McNally and asks, "What's good?"  Charlie always asks that question when she joins the Boston PI for breakfast.  He asks her if she gave out an of his business cards lately and she says yes, to a Shawn Whittaker who was to ask him to investigate a traffic accident.  McNally replies that Shawn was murdered the night before.

The Build

I washed the Charger this afternoon in prep for primer and paint.

McNally will return...

[espo]

Glad to see this one is back on the bench. We had a 2010 Charger RT with the AWD. I have a couple of pictures if you want any for front or rear exterior trim pictures, and there is the net of course.  

[mrmike]

Thanks for the offer David!  You are correct that there is the internet as well and I do use it quite often, especially since my laptop is on the workbench next to my projects. 

[mrmike]

The Story

Det. Steven Darvell returns to Boston Police Headquarters.  He waddles into the Homicide Squad Room and he clears his small desk of the empty coffee cups, candy wrappers, and a rotting bologna sandwich that he never finished eating, which is unusual in itself now that it sat on his desk for two days.  He takes his trash can to empty it and when he returns; he sits down and opens a bag of donuts he picked up on the way in.  The donut he pulls out is covered with a lot of powdered sugar and he takes bite out of it and the sugar falls all over the computer keyboard that he was trying to type on.  Adam is watching him from his office and only shakes his head knowing that McNally is correct about Darvell, a waddling, talking slob.

He finds the mouse to his computer and finds an empty report to fill out.  His best and fastest typing is the old hunt and peck method.  This is going to take a while.

The Build

The chassis is mostly assembled.  I just need to add the exhaust system and then do some touchups.

McNally will return...

[slusher]

Real nice engine and chassis, Mike….

[mrmike]

Thanks Carl!  This build has been on the back burner for some time and a Build-Off on another forum  presented an oppotunity to build this Charger. 

[mrmike]

The Story

     McNally arrives home from his breakfast meeting with Attorney Charlotte Rothman.  He parks the Super Bee in the driveway and goes into the house and upstairs to his bedroom to change into his work clothes so he can work on his old Plymouth ‘Cuda.  An old t-shirt, jeans and sneakers and he is off to the garage with a bottle of water to work on the Dart.  He unlocks the garage door and lifts the door over his head and walks inside and over to the bench where the Six Barrel carbs are sitting on the bench.  He turns on the lights and picks up a screwdriver and finishes assembling one of the three carbs that go on the engine and he works on the carbs for several hours.  

     The old Plymouth ‘Cuda was a project for him and getting it running again was a requirement for McNally.  The car had been between his garage and his friend Vic’s shop for some time and he wanted to get it running again.  He had been working on the carbs for several hours when he hears someone coming up the driveway towards the garage.  He kept a Smith & Wesson Model 36 .38 caliber revolver with a 3 inch barrel hidden on the bench top just in case of emergency, but it wasn’t needed today as it was only Det. Steven Darvell waddling up to the garage.

    “McNally, you should post a sign on the front door telling people you are in the garage,” says Darvell walking into the garage.

    “Detective, I don’t do that with the hope that they would just go away.  What do you want?”

    “You are going to introduce me to Alexander Cannon.  Let’s go,” he says grabbing McNally’s arm.

     McNally throws off Darvell’s hand and says, “Why should I introduce you to Cannon?”

    “Because I said so,” Darvell says as he grabs McNally by the arm again.

     Once again, McNally throws off Darvell’s hand, jumps off his workbench stool and grabs and twists Darvell’s arm behind his back and pushes him up against the ‘Cuda.  Darvell rests his head against the roof of the ‘Cuda and sighs.  McNally lets go of the over-weight detective and lets him turn around to face the Boston PI.

    “What the Hell is the matter with you?  You have never approached me like this before.”

The Build

I got the Charger into a coat of Dupli-Color grey primer in prep for the Dupli-Color Forest Green Pearl paint.

McNally will return...

[mrmike]

The Story

McNally tells Darvell to stay put and he walks out of the garage and he pulls out his cellphone and he calls Mr. Virden to set up a meeting with Alexander Cannon.  Virden says to meet at Legal Seafood down by the dock at Boston Harbor at 1:30 PM for a quick meeting.  This is where Cannon will be having lunch with his wife.  McNally says thank you and he hangs up while he goes back to the garage and he tells Darvell to be on his best behavior and everything will be fine.  McNally goes into the haouse to change clothes for his meeting with Cannon.

The Build

The chassis is 95% complete!

McNally will return...

[Mattilacken]

Nice build! These chargers are so good looking!

[mrmike]

Thanks Anton!  I need to to up my pace on this one as time is running out for this build-off I am involved with on another site.

Edited December 7, 2021 by mrmike

[mrmike]

The Story

McNally and Darvell drive down to Legal Seafood for the meeting with Alexander Cannon.  As they approach, Virden and an associate get up and stop the two detectives.  Virden says that Cannon has changed his mind and he will not meet with them today.  McNally can tell that Darvell wants to bust some heads and he tries to calm him down.  Cannon gets up from his table and walks over to them and he has them sit at a table away from away from other customers.

McNally asks about the Red Sox game last night and if Cannon saw anything about a young man being killed after the game.  Cannon says no, but he will ask his friends who were at the game with him if they saw anything.  Cannon asks if he could speak to McNally alone and McNally tells Darvell to wait for him by his car and Darvell gets up and he walks over to McNally's car and waits.  Cannon asks why was Darvell with him and he tells Cannon that Darvell is trying to find his killer and he wasn't trying to entrap Cannon.  He thinks for a moment and tells McNally that all is good and he thanks him for his time and he gets up and returns to his table and his wife. 

The Build

Paint was flying tonight as I painted the body, interior and related parts.

McNally will return...

[mrmike]

The Story

Darvell questions McNally about Cannon talking to him in private and McNally tells him that Cannon had asked about him.  Darvell wants to knkow if Cannon is going to help him and McNally says that he thinks he will.  Darvell goes wild and his erratic movements and gestures caught the attention of Mr. Virden and Cannon's body guards with McNally telling Darvell to get into the car and be quiet.  They leave Legal Seafood and drive back to McNally's house and Darvell is quiet the whole way.  At McNally's house, Darvell gets out of McNally's car and slams the door, lights his cigar stub and he gets into his Crown Victoria, slamming the door and he drives away.

The Build

I clearcoated the body, hood and front and rear panels with Testors Gloss Clearcoat Lacquer.  Three coats of paint and three coats of clear.  The clearcoat really brought out the color.

McNally will return...

Edited December 9, 2021 by mrmike

[slusher]

Great looking shade of green…

[espo]

The color seems much darker after the clear coats. This may just be the lighting in the photos. 

[mrmike]

Thanks Carl and David.  

The Story

Darvell drives back to the parking lot and the crime scene.  He looks around on the pavement for any additional evidence and he finds nothing.  He then looks at the light poles and surrounding buildings for any cameras and he notices several on the building across the street at a business called Fenway Collectibles and Memorabilia and he waddles across the street and he enters the store.  He meets the owner and he asks about the cameras around the building.  The cameras have been recording all the time and Darvell asks about one that is aimed towards the parking lot across the street.
The owner shows Darvell to a back room and the recording equipment.  The recorder is backed up to the time of the murder and the camera recorded the entire incident.  Darvell wants the disc and the owner pops the disc out of the recorder and hands it to Darvell who writes a receipt on his notebook and tears ot out and gives it to the owner.  Darvell races out of the store and back to BPD to view the disc.

The Build

I painted the interior, detailed it and assmbled the fronts seats and the console. 

McNally will return...

Edited December 10, 2021 by mrmike

[mrmike]

The Story

Lt. Det. Troy observes Det. Darvell rushing into Homicide and he takes the disc in his pocket and inserts it into the D Drive of his computer and he watches the screen.  Adam walks out from his office to Darvell's desk and he asks what he has found.  Darvell points out the car in the video backing out and hitting Shawn Whittaker's car.  Darvell wants to view the license plate of the car that hit Whittaker's but it was too small.  He says that he has to take the disc down to Audio/Video Forensics to get an enhance picture of the plate. 

He pops the disc out and he waddles out of Homicide to see if they can enhance the picture.  Lt. Det. Troy likes to see Darvell working so hard.  Maybe he is turning over a new leaf!  He heard that Darvell is thinking of taking the Sergeants Exam. 

The Build

I have assembled the interior and added a laptop computer and a two-way radio to the interior.  I will add a power cord and an antenna cable to the back of the radio.

McNally will return...

[espo]

Nice looking interior and I like how the gauges look almost like they are lit up.  

[mrmike]

Thanks David!  In the past, I have used left over gauges for use in these Chargers.  I no longer have any since they were all used.  

Edited December 19, 2021 by mrmike

[mrmike]

The Story

Darvell rushes back to Homicide with pictures of the license plate from the mystery killer's car and the car belongs to Mr. Virden, Cannon's right hand man.  Lt. Det. Troy calls the ADA for an arrest warrant for Virden and whne they do get the warrant, they drive out to Virden's condo to arrest him.  Except, he wasn't there.  They drive out to Brookline, MA to Cannon's house to see if he is there, but Virden hasn't been seen since lunch at Legal Seafood.  When the cops leave Cannon's house, Cannon yells to find Viden NOW!

The Build

The interior is now complete, or so I thought.  The laptop computer sits on top of the shifter and I have been thinking about creating a dash-mount shifter like the cop cars actually have.  I have been slowly polishing the paint having finished the hood, roof and trunk lid.  I still have to polish the sides.  A mockup showed some resistance on the front, so I removed the fender mounts and sanded the fender lips with my Dremel and a sanding bit.

McNally will return...