Revell 1970 Plymouth Superbird: WIP

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

This is Revell's 1970 Plymouth Superbird. I've been wanting to build this kit for a while. My plan is to build it as part of a set using my three favorite of Chrysler's High Impact Paint (HIP) colors of the late Sixties and early Seventies. These colors are each known by one of two different names depending on whether they come from the Dodge or Plymouth catalogue.  My plan is to build a Charger in Green Go green, a Plymouth Superbird in Vitamin C orange and a Barracuda in either Plum Crazy or Panther Pink. I already built AMT's 1971 Dodge Charger in Green Go green so next up is the Superbied in Vitamin C.

One of the things holding me up was that this version of the kit didn't come with the licensed Roadrunner cartoon decals. I just couldn't bring myself to build this kit, this Plymouth Roadrunner, without the iconic Roadrunner cartoon character decals. Fortunately I found just what I needed at Slot Car Fever by Cheyna on Etsy. Here's a link

So, on with the show!

 

 

ah, this thing is yuge! Granted it's 1:24 scale, but that nose cone adds an extra 2 feet to the overall length of an already large car. 

Initial inspection and test-fit after primer reveals only a couple of minor concerns. There are some standard parting lines on the tops of the rear quarter panels and the obvious fit adjustment for the hood. Other than that, for a kit that's been around since 1995 it's in pretty good trim.

 

 

Here's my version of Plymouth's Vitamin C orange, Tamiya's TS-12 Orange over DupliColor oxide primer. It's actually closer than I thought it would be.

 

That's all for now.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment.

David G.

Edited June 7, 2023 by David G.

[deuces wild]

??

[Force]

None of the Revell (originally Monogram) Superbird versions comes with the correct Roadruner Superbird cartoon decals, even the Jo-Han Superbird kits doesn't have them, the only kit I have seen so far with those are the old MPC 1971 Roadrunner and those were only black or white, no color.
I believe Warner Bros wanted too much for the license.
There are a couple of missing decals on the Slot Car Fever sheet...the small bird for the rear edge of the quarter panel above the passenger side tail light and the Beep! Beep! horn button decal seen on the pictures below.
Keith Marks has them on his decal sheet, https://public.fotki.com/mofobow/plymouth/road_runner_decals/70_superbird/

[David G.]

Thank you for the information Håkan.  

I put out a request in February (link) and received a couple of responses that pointed me to the Fred Cady black & white decals. Those weren't what I had in mind so I did some more searching on my own and found these. 

As far as cost and quality, I'm satisfied with them and I think I can live without the two missing decals. I've added Keith Marks to my list of resources and I'll certainly keep them in mind for the future.

Thanks again,

David G. 

[slusher]

Nice start David!  I never thought of using red oxide primer under orange ?…

[TooOld]

This is on my to do list so I'll be watching !  Good tip using the red oxide primer !

[David G.]

6 hours ago, slusher said:

Nice start David!  I never thought of using red oxide primer under orange ?…

Thanks Carl. It does give a different bump to the orange, doesn't it?

2 hours ago, TooOld said:

This is on my to do list so I'll be watching !  Good tip using the red oxide primer !

Thanks Bob. I did a spoon test on the color over the four primer options I have: 2 greys, white and oxide. Oxide is the one that got me the closest to where I wanted to be.

I usually do this test for most of the main body colors I shoot. It's amazing how much a color can change with different primers under it.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I'll be away for a few days so I'll check in when I get back. But until then here's another update.

Though I used Tamiya TS-12 for the engine, I wanted to add a little variety by making the engine color just a little different from the body. So I decided to spray some white primer over the oxide to brighten up the color a bit and do a black wash to add a little depth. In researching engine colors for this build, I've seen them painted in what looked like Chevy engine red to Hemi Orange and everything in between.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to stop and look. And as I value the opinions of the members of this community, please feel free to favor me with a comment.

David G.

[Tuffy's Garage]

Getting ready to start one of these as well I tried to email Keith Marks and my email keeps coming back just checked your link on slot car fever and they aren't carrying them at the moment. Might just start mine and wait. Good luck on yours 

[Force]

I have not seen if he's still in business or out of it, it was quite a while ago since I bought something from him.
But someone must know.

[Shark]

I am pretty sure Keith Marks makes decals for that.

[Tuffy's Garage]

1 hour ago, Shark said:

I am pretty sure Keith Marks makes decals for that.

Problem is his email box keeps saying there is an error on his end 

[FLHCAHZ]

Looking good David!

[David G.]

On 4/30/2023 at 5:17 AM, Tuffy's Garage said:

Getting ready to start one of these as well I tried to email Keith Marks and my email keeps coming back just checked your link on slot car fever and they aren't carrying them at the moment. Might just start mine and wait. Good luck on yours 

Thanks Charlie, II can't wait to see your build when you get it going. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it.

On 4/30/2023 at 3:22 PM, FLHCAHZ said:

Looking good David!

Thanks Chaz.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Splitting my attention between two on-going builds seems to be a good way to help avoid build fatigue. That feeling wherein one just gets tired of looking at, let alone working on the current project. This project is my sanity break from the Aoshima Lamborghini Countache that I've been working on since last September. Here's a link to that build for those who may be interested.

Now on with the show.

Revell's version of the Superbird comes with the one-piece rear axle and exhaust assembly. Handy for installation but a bit more of a chore when it comes to painting it. Here it is installed on the chassis plate along with the front K-frame.

I was going to mask and shoot the subframes in semi-gloss black but every photo I could find on line showed that they were painted in the body color along with the rest of the floor.

 

I started detail painting the interior by working some "woodgrain" on the center console pocket change receptacle. I did the white piping on the front seats by scraping away the black paint and used Molotow paint to add chrome bezels to the detail painted gauges on the dashboard.

 

Meanwhile, detail painting and assembly continues on the engine.

 

And who can't resist doing a test-fit mockup!

 

That's all for this round. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment.

David G.

[Bainford]

Looking good David. Even better that it's not a Hemi. Will be great in orange.

[SpikeSchumacher]

Coming along nicely David ?

[atomicholiday]

Looks good David.  That interior is really nice.

[David G.]

On 5/18/2023 at 7:02 AM, Bainford said:

Looking good David. Even better that it's not a Hemi. Will be great in orange.

Thank you Trevor. BTW what do you have against Hemis?  

On 5/18/2023 at 7:21 AM, SpikeSchumacher said:

Coming along nicely David ?

Thank you Mathias.

On 5/18/2023 at 9:14 AM, atomicholiday said:

Looks good David.  That interior is really nice.

Thanks Jeremy, It's coming along. 

David G.

[deuces wild]

I have the #43 Petty edition of this kit and plan on using a hemi from one of the 1/24 scale Cuda kits...

[David G.]

6 minutes ago, deuces wild said:

I have the #43 Petty edition of this kit and plan on using a hemi from one of the 1/24 scale Cuda kits...

That sounds like it would be a fun build.

David G.

[slusher]

Coming along nicely David!  Looking forward to body paint…

[David G.]

8 hours ago, slusher said:

Coming along nicely David!  Looking forward to body paint…

Thanks Carl, me too.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here's a little bit of an update.

Unsurprisingly, the chrome coating on the wheels left a little to be desired so I decided to strip and repaint them.

 

Here they are with Rustoleum Chrome Silver, lightly sprayed.

 

 

And now with the basic detail painting. I'll do the touch-up work after the tires are mounted, right before installation.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here's the last update for this weekend.

The interior is completed.

 

 

I managed to get a satisfactory looking woodgrain on the center console and pistol grip shifter.

 

 

I also added a turn signal lever using a bit of guitar string.

 

There'll be more updates as they occur... and as I have time to post them.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.