MPC ‘71 Demon kit corrections

[Radretireddad]

For me, the most important elements of a finished kit’s appearance are the ride height, front and rear track, and the proportions of the wheel and tire combination. Ensuring these are correct for my taste are the first things I check out, and if necessary correct before building. Although the MPC ‘71 Demon is mostly great right out of the box, I found the ride height to low, the front and rear tracks to narrow and the wheel diameter to large for the skinny hollow wide ovals included in the kit so here’s what I did to correct them.

I corrected the front and rear ride height by gluing two pieces of thin evergreen strip between the chassis and the axle holders at all four corners. Two worked for me but you can add or subtract as many as you like to suite your tastes. I think it still looks a little lower than stock which is perfect for me.

I corrected the front and rear track by adding 1/32” long pieces of evergreen tubing behind all 4 wheel inners.

Finally I decided the kit wheels, which look more like 15 or even 16 inches in diameter and way deeper than stock, look much more proportionally accurate inserted in a set of wider Goodyear Eagle GSCs in place of the skinny Firestone wide ovals. I posted pics of both for reference.

The final look, I think, is more like a tasty corner carving resto-mod which is spot on for me. I’d love to hear what you guys think.

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2024 by Radretireddad

[slusher]

Real nice mock up!

[johnyrotten]

Nice job on the track width, "duster" based cars have that awkward offset look front to rear, so getting that right make a huge improvement. Nice job. 

[drodg]

Nice mock up.

[ModelcarJR]

I like the changes you've made to the Demon. The  "Model Car Magazine" issue 224 also indicates that the engine block and front seats are bit undersized and suggests that they could be substituted from the AMT 340 Duster.  I have built this Demon with none of those changes but I did Dullcote the decals on the decal sheet before application and they look nice along with the flat black painted scoops and rear spoiler. Still managed to finish 2nd in a large model car contest. I plan on building it again and will incorporate your changes and the engine and front seat changes and see what happens.  I hope you don't mind a couple of photos. 

[Radretireddad]

4 hours ago, ModelcarJR said:

I like the changes you've made to the Demon. The  "Model Car Magazine" issue 224 also indicates that the engine block and front seats are bit undersized and suggests that they could be substituted from the AMT 340 Duster.  I have built this Demon with none of those changes but I did Dullcote the decals on the decal sheet before application and they look nice along with the flat black painted scoops and rear spoiler. Still managed to finish 2nd in a large model car contest. I plan on building it again and will incorporate your changes and the engine and front seat changes and see what happens.  I hope you don't mind a couple of photos. 

Very nice build. Looks great in blue. I agree on the engine size. I was thinking about going to a 3d printed small block assembly with some aftermarket speed parts added. Thanks for sharing.

[Can-Con]

I've always viewed what's in the box as just a starting point so it's really an non-issue for me.

Honestly, I'd be more concerned with the lack of lower control arms. ?

Edited October 19, 2024 by Can-Con

[LennyB]

Nice stance, and I hope you keep the Rally Wheels, always loved those. Considering the comments above this would probably be a good candidate to do a chassis swap with the AMT Duster kit. The wheelbase should be the same but you never know. Has anyone tried that?

[deuces wild]

The 5-spoke Magnum 500 wheels would look great on these also... They would give these demons and dusters a more aggressive look...

Just an opinion....☺️?

[Ken Car-Fanatic]

I agree that wheel/tire size, ride height & stance can easily make or break a car build.  Your changes definitely help make it look good.  Nice attention to detail & getting it right.

[Radretireddad]

On 10/19/2024 at 1:43 PM, Can-Con said:

I've always viewed what's in the box as just a starting point so it's really an non-issue for me.

Honestly, I'd be more concerned with the lack of lower control arms. ?

Yeah, in a perfect world it would have been great for this kit to have been spun off the excellent ‘71 Duster 340 kit but I’m still very happy Round 2 chose to redo it based on the original annual tool. 

[Radretireddad]

On 10/19/2024 at 3:13 PM, LennyB said:

Nice stance, and I hope you keep the Rally Wheels, always loved those. Considering the comments above this would probably be a good candidate to do a chassis swap with the AMT Duster kit. The wheelbase should be the same but you never know. Has anyone tried that?

I have a bash in process using an old ‘74 Duster body I hung on to and it’s a slam dunk. If you carefully cut out the inner fenders, radiator and firewall from the ‘71 Duster kit, they should drop right in to the Demon as they do here. The interior door panels, although not correct for this year Duster also perfectly line up. The only place you’ll need to pay attention to is in the difference between the Duster and Demon front wheel openings. 

Edited October 21, 2024 by Radretireddad

[Radretireddad]

16 hours ago, deuces wild said:

The 5-spoke Magnum 500 wheels would look great on these also... They would give these demons and dusters a more aggressive look...

Just an opinion....☺️?

Sure! You can put any wheel and tire on it you like! ?

[Radretireddad]

3 hours ago, Ken Car-Fanatic said:

I agree that wheel/tire size, ride height & stance can easily make or break a car build.  Your changes definitely help make it look good.  Nice attention to detail & getting it right.

Thanks Ken! I wasn’t sure if anyone else felt the same way. I’ve got lots of other kits I’ve done this to (like those two in the background) so maybe I’ll post more like this.

Edited October 21, 2024 by Radretireddad

[1972coronet]

16 minutes ago, Radretireddad said:

The interior door panels, although not correct for this year Duster also perfectly line up.

IMO, the 1971 Duster door cards are 'close-enough' for the 1973 & later models (see image). 

[ EDIT ] : Yes, the uppers are different ; 1970-1972 are metal (and shaped differently) vs. the moulded plastic of the 1973 & later panels.

I, too, have a '74 annual (as well as a '72 and '73) , which I've been planning to do that very bash you've presented. 

Edited October 21, 2024 by 1972coronet
AMENDMENT

[Radretireddad]

1 minute ago, 1972coronet said:

IMO, the 1971 Duster door cards are 'close-enough' for the 1973 & later models (see image). 

I, too, have a '74 annual (as well as a '72 and '73) , which I've been planning to do that very bash you've presented. 

Awesome! In addition to this one, I’m doing one with the MPC ‘69 Barracuda, ‘76 Dart, and one using the LA Dart wheel stander.

[Radretireddad]

On 10/18/2024 at 4:22 AM, johnyrotten said:

Nice job on the track width, "duster" based cars have that awkward offset look front to rear, so getting that right make a huge improvement. Nice job. 

Thanks John. I’m always glad to hear from fellow modelers who share in the same sense of accuracy and proportion.

[Moparman18064]

On 10/19/2024 at 4:13 PM, LennyB said:

Nice stance, and I hope you keep the Rally Wheels, always loved those. Considering the comments above this would probably be a good candidate to do a chassis swap with the AMT Duster kit. The wheelbase should be the same but you never know. Has anyone tried that?

My 72 Demon build that is almost done is based on it. You do end up cutting a little bit off the rear of chassis for bumper to fit. You also end up making little inner front fender splash shields to cover firewall/ chassis/ body gap. Otherwise, wheelbase turns out perfectly.

Edited October 21, 2024 by Moparman18064

[Moparman18064]

On 10/19/2024 at 1:05 PM, Radretireddad said:

Very nice build. Looks great in blue. I agree on the engine size. I was thinking about going to a 3d printed small block assembly with some aftermarket speed parts added. Thanks for sharing.

The VCG Resins small block fits in there very nicely. Great subject matter on this post.

Edited October 21, 2024 by Moparman18064

[Radretireddad]

4 hours ago, Moparman18064 said:

My 72 Demon build that is almost done is based on it.

Awesome! Be sure to post pics.

[Radretireddad]

3 hours ago, Moparman18064 said:

The VCG Resins small block fits in there very nicely. Great subject matter on this post.

That’s exactly what I was planning on using. There are plenty of other kits that engine would be perfect for.

[Moparman18064]

47 minutes ago, Radretireddad said:

Awesome! Be sure to post pics.

I already have the build on here, 72 Demon street/strip- I did use the VCG engine in it

Edited October 21, 2024 by Moparman18064

[Moparman18064]

48 minutes ago, Radretireddad said:

That’s exactly what I was planning on using. There are plenty of other kits that engine would be perfect for.

I used it in my 72 Demon, as well as my 72 Charger Rallye kit bash, both on here. I have 3 more on order, and he is making M/T valve covers for me also.

[Mopar - D]

Nice changes to the kit chassis. I chose to replace the chassis with the Duster and as noted above there is a little bit of reworking to make it fit. My WIP was back in July.