History of the MPC Fox Body Mustang

[stavanzer]

The Monogram has a taller opening on the hood scoop. To my eye, the Monogram kits looks better, and the headlight issue is non-existant, as I can't see it.

But, I'd buy and build either kit.

[sfhess]

Which is closer to this?

Edited September 7, 2024 by sfhess

[Luc Janssens]

6 hours ago, sfhess said:

Which is closer to this?

Although powertrain wise they were lambs, I think the styling was spot on. In a perfect world, I would take the powertrain of a '88 GT and put it under a pre-facelift model, a wolf in sheep's clothing

 

[Fat Brian]

8 hours ago, sfhess said:

Which is closer to this?

The red Monogram 79 will build the top car with the standard nose and forward facing hood scoop, the Monogram pace car version will build the lower car with the front air dam and cowl hood. The MPC 79 pace car kit has parts for either nose and a flat or cowl hood.

[Fabrux]

Both noses and the base hood are in the MPC kits up until the Wild Breed '82 annual. While the TRX wheels are in there, too, the tires aren't.

[sfhess]

13 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

Although powertrain wise they were lambs, I think the styling was spot on. In a perfect world, I would take the powertrain of a '88 GT and put it under a pre-facelift model, a wolf in sheep's clothing

 

I did exactly that.  I had a 79 Pace Car Replica with a really tired 4-cylinder Turbo and 4-speed.  It received a 92 GT drivetrain with a T-5.  It was a lot of fun to drive.   The swap was surprisingly simple.

[rattle can man]

I would like to see a return of the Revell fox body Capri.

[Stef]

1 hour ago, rattle can man said:

...Revell fox body Capri

Yes yes yes 128% yes, Harry! I don't think Revell sold their OG fox body to Atlantis, so hopefully this one is still around in the archives!

[Robberbaron]

On 9/7/2024 at 7:23 PM, rattle can man said:

I would like to see a return of the Revell fox body Capri.

 

On 9/7/2024 at 9:08 PM, Stef said:

Yes yes yes 128% yes, Harry! I don't think Revell sold their OG fox body to Atlantis, so hopefully this one is still around in the archives!

Unfortunately, like almost everything else Revell tooled up in the mid-to-late '70s, the Capri has multiple accuracy/proportional problems.  Numero uno is the incorrect Mustang-style wheel openings.  Since Revell decided they had to share the basic body shell with the Capri and the Mustangs, it has the Capri fender blisters but the Mustang wheel openings/arches.  So out of the box it's really neither fish not fowl.

Aside from that, the front contours of the hood are way off.  The headlights aren't inset enough, and I think they're too tall to boot.  The rear taillight side reflectors aren't right either.

I will say it would be easier to turn the Capri into something presentable vs. one of the "Mustang" variations.  But it would still take a significant effort if you want it to look "right".  I have one that I got cheap back in the nineties.  When the Revell 5.0 was released, I initially thught about bashing it with the Capri.  But the more I looked at it, the more I saw wrong, and I don't think I love the Fox Capri's enough to go through all the effort to correct everything.

 

[Robberbaron]

On 9/7/2024 at 7:23 PM, rattle can man said:

I would like to see a return of the Revell fox body Capri.

 

On 9/7/2024 at 9:08 PM, Stef said:

Yes yes yes 128% yes, Harry! I don't think Revell sold their OG fox body to Atlantis, so hopefully this one is still around in the archives!

Unfortunately, like almost everything else Revell tooled up in the mid-to-late '70s, the Capri has multiple accuracy/proportional problems.  Numero uno is the incorrect Mustang-style wheel openings.  Since Revell decided they had to share the basic body shell with the Capri and the Mustangs, it has the Capri fender blisters but the Mustang wheel openings/arches.  So out of the box it's really neither fish not fowl.

Aside from that, the front contours of the nose and hood are way off.  The headlights aren't inset enough, and I think they're too tall to boot.  The rear taillight side reflectors aren't right either.

I will say it would be easier to turn the Capri into something presentable vs. one of the "Mustang" variations.  But it would still take a significant effort if you want it to look "right".  I have one I got cheap back in the nineties

 

Edited September 9, 2024 by Robberbaron

[Robberbaron]

[Stef]

1 hour ago, Robberbaron said:

...the Capri has multiple accuracy/proportional problems...

Right you are, Robert! It truly is crude and rough, for sure. Me personally, I'd love to take a crack at it again, warts and all, as I'd butchered one back in the day.

Maybe I'd try to marry the Capri-specific elements to an MPC Mustang body, blister the fenders, play around, and see what I can come up with.

I'm curious, anyone know of any aftermarket solutions for converting either the MPC or Monogram Fox bodies?

[Hondamatic]

23 minutes ago, Stef said:

Right you are, Robert! It truly is crude and rough, for sure. Me personally, I'd love to take a crack at it again, warts and all, as I'd butchered one back in the day.

Maybe I'd try to marry the Capri-specific elements to an MPC Mustang body, blister the fenders, play around, and see what I can come up with.

I'm curious, anyone know of any aftermarket solutions for converting either the MPC or Monogram Fox bodies?

I feel like this would be in Canuck3d wheelhouse and hopefully he will come up with something @Wylde

Edited September 9, 2024 by Hondamatic

[rattle can man]

Even if not 100% correct, I'd still like one.

[Kenmojr]

The only new car I purchased was a 1980 Ford Mustang Cobra with TRX suspension and 2.3 turbo engine, 5 speed manual tranny. I sold the Mustang in 1983 when I purchased my 1960 Corvette in 83 (which I still own). At the time I owned a 1980 Mustang, 60 Corvette and 74 Toyota Celica. And one of them had to go. So I kept the Celica as a winter beater. 

After I sold the Mustang, I wished I would have kept it as my brother had two Toyota Landcruisers and offered to sell me one. Landcruiser was the perfect beast for a snowy Nova Scotia winter - get me to work and to the rink to play hockey...

Edited September 10, 2024 by Kenmojr

[Kenmojr]

I did own the Revell (or was it Monogram) kit of a McLaren Mustang along with a 1/16 AMT 55 Chevy convertible and 1/24 1970s Toyota Celica which I later gave away to the son of a friend. Now I wish I would have kept all those kits. They were unassembled and most of my time was spent working of the Vette (it was a previous drag race car) or playing hockey. This was in the 1980s.

[sfhess]

37 minutes ago, Kenmojr said:

The only new car I purchased was a 1980 Ford Mustang Cobra with TRX suspension and 2.3 turbo engine, 5 speed manual tranny. I sold the Mustang in 1983 when I purchased my 1983 Corvette (which I still own). At the time I owned a 1980 Mustang, 60 Corvette and 74 Toyota Celica. And one of them had to go. So I kept the Celica as a winter beater. 

After I sold the Mustang, I wished I would have kept it as my brother had two Toyota Landcruisers and offered to sell me one. Landcruiser was the perfect beast for a snowy Nova Scotia winter - get me to work and to the rink to play hockey...

83 Corvette?

[Kenmojr]

Oops - mind fart of a 70 year old man... I meant to post I purchased my 1960 Corvette in 1983. I edited my prior post to reflect what my mind was shouting and not what my fingers typed...

Sorry about that....

[Wylde]

On 9/8/2024 at 10:47 PM, Hondamatic said:

I feel like this would be in Canuck3d wheelhouse and hopefully he will come up with something @Wylde

hmmm...never considered this. Seeing how hard it is to find a Fox Capri, maybe I should look into it.

[mk11]

9 hours ago, Wylde said:

hmmm...never considered this. Seeing how hard it is to find a Fox Capri, maybe I should look into it.

...and maybe an '85/'86 front fascia conversion too  

[Zen]

14 hours ago, mk11 said:

...and maybe an '85/'86 front fascia conversion too  

85/86 Capri .......... for sure

85/86 GT ........ absolutely

[FoxFordCatGuy12]

On 9/11/2023 at 11:58 AM, 1972coronet said:

Thanks much for sharing your composition. One of my all time favourite kits ! 

The one-continuous-piece shear panels-interior door cards-rear panels has its origins in the MPC Pinto and Mustang II annual kits. Interesting that this was employed on the then-new Fox Body platform kits.

Funny thing about the "5.0 " badging from that era : some (all ?) were actually the 255 cube Windsor , but were referred - however erroneously - to as five litre. An artifact of the energy crisis era coupled with 'artistic licence' . The true 302 cubes / 5 litres engine returned en masse for 1982 or 1983 (someone with more knowledge on these cars will correct any of my unintentional errors).

FWIW, I'd like to see Round2 perform some upgrades to the 1987/1988 annual tooling :
1.) Revised head lamps and bezels ( plated buckets with clear lenses )
2.) Proper tyres (Good Year Gatorbacks - sans lettering)
3.) Revised tail lamps and lenses (clear lenses, so that the turn signal/hazard portion can be painted the correct amber)

The 255 was the only V8 available in '80-'81 & in '82 if you wanted a V8 w/ an automatic you got the 255/4.2. The 302/5.0 was available in '79, '82-'83 w/ manual trans only ('83 V8 Mustang was only available with a manual trans) & '84-'93 5.0 was available with either an auto or manual ('84-'85 5.0 were lower HP CFI, '84-'85 T-5 5-speed were 4V carburetor.)

'87-'93 did not have amber rear turn signals. Only '83-'86 & '93 Cobra had amber rear turn signals.

[FoxFordCatGuy12]

On 9/11/2023 at 11:17 PM, Dave Darby said:

The 255 was only available in 1980 and 81. They never referred to it as a 5.0. The 5.0 (as a designation) came out in 1982.

Ford started using "5.0" on the Mustang Cobra II. It had "5.0" decals on the hood. The famous chrome "5.0" badges debuted in the '79 Mustang.

'82 was the first year it was referred to as "5.0 H.O."

[FoxFordCatGuy12]

On 9/12/2023 at 9:56 AM, iamsuperdan said:

Very good looking car, but I'm guessing about 150hp...maybe...out of that 5.0L?

The malaise era. Awesome, yet awful.

 

 

 

 

That is a '79-'82. '79 5.0 was rated at 140HP. '80-'81 the only V8 available was the 4.2/255 rated at 119HP in '80 & 120HP in '81.

[FoxFordCatGuy12]

On 9/12/2023 at 5:01 PM, baycolony said:

I had a few myself.  I was the second owner of a 79 pace car V8 with a 4 speed (140hp. They also came with the lousy 2.3L 4 banger turbo).  I had an 82 GT with the H.O. engine (Maybe 200hp).  I still love that white Saleen (1989/90?)  Stock versions were a whopping 225HP.   I also always liked the front end of the 85/86 with the ten hole wheels. 

The 5.0 in the '82 Mustang GT was rated at 157HP w/ a 2V carburetor. Quicker than the '82 Camaro which had a 4V & was rated at 145HP.