Indy 500 Kraco Special - March 88C

[ModelcarJR]

This is any AMT kit that I am going to start next. It is the car that Michael Andretti drove to 4th place in 1988, the year that Rick Meyeaars won his third Indy 500.  I grew up in Indianapolis and have been to over 50 Indy 500 races. 1988 was a good year because that was the fourth year that I traveled from Houston to the race and I brought 3 of my friends for their first Indy 500 race. I rented a Cadillac for that weekend and the weather was great so we had a great time. 

Building Indy 500 race cars has also been a great way for me to get into modeling and also helped me with model contest competition. I was frustrated with going to contests and not placing so this category, competition open wheel was something I knew a little bit about and I had research materials and it was a category that didn't have a lot of entries. So I have added two photos of the 1989 Indy 500 winner that I built many years ago.  It took 1st place At the Southwest Challenge in 1990. the lettering for the decals was Letraset letters rubbed onto clear decal film one letter at a time. The red paint is a 50/50 mix of Testors model master red and a dayglo red I found somewhere. the white is Testors white and both color were airbrushed. There's a lot of wiring and plumbing in the engine from studying some photos of engines at the time. 

So I won't be going to that level of detail on this one but I am going to get started tomorrow! Thanks for looking! ?

 

 

[Straightliner59]

Very cool! Congrats on that win! That was a very competitive contest, back then--one of the big ones. 

[afx]

Back when Indy cars were still cool - look forward to watching the project come together.

[drodg]

3 hours ago, afx said:

Back when Indy cars were still cool - look forward to watching the project come together.

Correct on that one!

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Daniel, JC, and David! I appreciate your comments! 

I finished the painting today, hopefully, since it is going to rain tomorrow and the rest of the weekend. I'll rub it out tomorrow and see where I stand.  The paint is Tamiya yellow and Krylon Short Cuts Forever Blue. I also used this Krylon Blue on the last one I built because I can never find a good solid blue in model paint lacquer. The last one I built is the 1988 Al Unser Jr. #3 car below. Al won in 1992 and 1994. And look - there's a seat with a 5 point harness in the Valvoline Special! That will fit perfect in this one! Imagine that! Thanks for looking! ?

 

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by ModelcarJR
correct an error

[ModelcarJR]

I have the cockpit and although it doesn't look like much detail, I did use a couple of old Fred Cady decals for the gauges and added some paint to the dash and steering wheel. The front part of the body has been rubbed out and I have added a red decal stripe as a paint separator.  Next, I'll work on the engine. Not as much detail as above but I add some lug wires and do some paint detailing. Thanks for looking! ?

 

 

[ModelcarJR]

I finished the engine assembly, including plug wires and the rear suspension. I will add some additional plumbing after I mount the engine behind the bulkhead.  The nice thing about building these engines is that you can use a brush to swab some additional colors over many of the parts to make it look like a running engine.  I used aluminum, Model Master metalizer burnt iron, (I still have some!) and Model Color brass. A few more pieces and this one will be on its way to final assembly. Thanks for looking! ?

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by ModelcarJR
Copy text

[ModelcarJR]

Finished the rest of the engine plumbing that I am going to do although you may not be able to see it due to my poor camera. I also added a wickerbill to the rear wing. I am working on the tires and I thought I had decals for the tires but the one I have are for Slixx decals for Stock Cars. They would probably fit on the rear wheels but would be too big for the front tires. So I have ordered some from IndyCals. The rest of the construction is done except for the windscreen and mirrors that I will do last. I'll finish sanding down the tires to remove the raised lettering and scuff up the surface of the tires and add the decals to the body. After that its just a waiting game for the tire decals. Thanks for looking! ?

 

[ModelcarJR]

Decals are almost done and the tire decals from IndyCals were mailed today. I have to be careful with these decals as they are very old kit decals and will split very easily. I noticed that there are slim red decals meant for the paint separators but I have already added some that I cut from another decal sheet that are thicker. I'm sure that the thin ones on the sheet would have broken apart.  Once I have the tire decals I will apply them and then mount the very tiny mirrors and add some mirror foil before mounting them. I probably can finish this year! Thanks for looking! ?

[ModelcarJR]

This is a mock-up of the finished race car without the tire decals and the mirrors. The tire decals will be much easier to apply with the tires and wheels off. I'm leaving the mirrors off until the end so I don't inadvertently knock them off while mounting the tires and wheels. Thanks for looking! ?

[Gloozalot]

Howdy JR!  I remember that 90 winner like it was yesterday.  I think I drooled on it at the contest table more than once.  I never get tired of seeing your Indy rides or anything you build for that matter.  I kinda miss those SWC days but my fingers and hands do not let me build much anymore.  Great work and I am always watching on the side. 

[ModelcarJR]

Great to hear from you, George! I can't believe its been 33 years since that contest and I remember visiting with you during those days. I hope you are doing well! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ?

[ModelcarJR]

This one is done! I received my tire decals from IndyCals and they were excellent! The white letters on a blackwall decal laid down nicely and the edges seemed like they disappear into the tire surface. They look like they were stamped, just like real tires.  What is that in the last photo? Is that another Indy car? Hmmmm....

[Sledsel]

Looks fantastic!

 

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Andy! I appreciate your comment!