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Post by mrmike on Jul 20, 2020 15:07:55 GMT -7
My friend Dirk started a build of the Vega$ '57 T-Bird the other day and I pulled mine off the shelf and it was filthy dirty and in need of a rebuild. I first built this model back in 1979 or 1980 when the show Vega$ starring Robert Urich was on the air and I had to build the model. Back then, I didn't care about accuracy too much and I just built the model as per the kit instructions. It wasn't very accurate looking and I need to correct some things on it. What surprised me was how quickly it came apart and now it will be off to the kitchen sink for a bath with Dawn dish soap and an old toothbrush.    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by leon on Jul 20, 2020 15:34:23 GMT -7
Another rebuild Mike! this is going to be interesting.
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Post by stitchdup on Jul 20, 2020 20:38:49 GMT -7
Cool car, should be fun to watch. I'm not familiar with the show though, is it a cop show?
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Post by DeeCee on Jul 21, 2020 3:50:31 GMT -7
Was that Dan Tanner ? i remember a T-bird he parked in his garage, which was open to the house...
is this the same show. I was pretty young back then.
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Post by mrmike on Jul 21, 2020 5:57:51 GMT -7
Thanks leon, stitchdup and DeeCee! Vegas$ was a private eye drama. The lead character was a man called Dan Tanna, played by Robert Urich, who worked for Philip Roth, played by Tony Curtis, the owner of the Desert Inn Casino and he let Tanna live in a converted warehouse which included a drive-in garage and he parked his red '57 T-Bird in his living room.
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Post by mrmike on Jul 21, 2020 7:08:25 GMT -7
I have been sanding the enamel clearcoat from the Vega$ T-Bird. If it was lacquer, I would have been sanding a lot harder to remove just as much. I'm using a 280 grit sandpaper to remove the clearcoat and I will follow it up with 400 and 600 grit sandpaper. This may take a bit of sanding, but at least it is enamel and not lacquer and I had applied it with a brush back then. I'm being extra careful on the scripts which are molded on the body and I have no decals to replace them with. I replaced the hand painted whitewall tires with a set of pad printed whitewalls from the AMT '60 Chevy Fleetside pickup.    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Jul 21, 2020 12:40:56 GMT -7
I took a red Sharpie and traced around the edge of the wheel cover to create the red wheels underneath. The metal axle was exposed and while there are no holes in the engine block, I didn't want the axle showing, so I added some short pieces of styrene rod and glued them into the wheelbacks and the chassis. No more front metal axle! Now to find details about this engine (292 CID or 312 CID).    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Jul 24, 2020 14:30:35 GMT -7
I decided to use some of the parts from the AMT ProShop '57 T-Bird on this old Vega$ model. The parts are cleaner, crisply molded and already painted. I'm starting with the engine and I have glued most of it together. I need to drill holes for plug wires in the cylinder heads and the coil which already molded into the intake manifold. The valve covers have been detailed. I have also found a mobile phone in the kit and I will drill a hole for a cord to the handset and paint it like the one on Vega$.    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Jul 25, 2020 10:19:24 GMT -7
I went shopping on Thursday and decided to pick up some Easy-Off oven cleaner and I sprayed the T-Bird with it to removed the excess clearcoat and paint from the body and parts. I just scrubbed and rinsed those parts and they are drying in the paintbooth. Not all the paint came off, but whatever paint remained easily comes off with my fingernail. A light sanding and a rinse and everything will be ready for primer and paint.    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by leon on Jul 25, 2020 10:50:14 GMT -7
Parts are cleaning up nicely Mike! Looking forward to some primer and paint.
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Post by mrmike on Jul 26, 2020 4:55:55 GMT -7
Thanks leon! Maybe today?
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Post by mustang1989 on Jul 26, 2020 10:55:14 GMT -7
Primer and paint..................YES!!!! Looking good so far Mike!!
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Post by mrmike on Jul 27, 2020 9:20:26 GMT -7
Thanks Joe! I didn't get to paint the T-Bird since all my stands are being used at the moment. Too many projects going at once! I'll get to it eventually...
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Post by mrmike on Jul 29, 2020 12:19:04 GMT -7
I have been picking away at the Vega$ '57 T-Bird. Just little things. I added a wire to the phone receiver, coiled it and painted the holder and receiver. I added the wired distributor to the engine block, but I haven't run the wires yet. I also detailed the air cleaner assembly and will add that after I have run the plug wires.    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Aug 1, 2020 13:26:15 GMT -7
I finally got the engine wired and installed into the chassis and I completed the mobile phone.    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by stitchdup on Aug 1, 2020 13:45:32 GMT -7
She's moving along nicely Mike
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Post by mrmike on Aug 2, 2020 6:42:12 GMT -7
Thanks Les! I just need to motivate myself and git movin'!  |
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Post by mrmike on Aug 2, 2020 12:38:45 GMT -7
I got the '57 T-Bird into primer this afternoon. Now to let this dry thoroughly and then some sanding.    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by leon on Aug 2, 2020 14:27:09 GMT -7
coming along nicely Mike!
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Post by mrmike on Aug 3, 2020 6:04:45 GMT -7
Thanks leon!
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Post by mrmike on Aug 13, 2020 13:37:44 GMT -7
I fired up the paintbooth and painted the '57 T-Bird with Tamiya TS-86 Pure Red. Looks pretty good, too!    Vega$ will return... |
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Post by leon on Aug 13, 2020 13:48:25 GMT -7
Looking really good!
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Post by mustang1989 on Aug 14, 2020 8:16:09 GMT -7
Your paint coating looks great. I feel your pain with trying to get the correct shade of red showing up in the photos. I've been able to get better results with the brightness turned down a smidgen in manual mode. I white background helps with the paint tone in pictures as well. Looking really good here.
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Post by mrmike on Aug 14, 2020 9:23:14 GMT -7
Thanks leon and Joe! Red is not that bad of a color to match. White is the worst! Too many shades of white around. BTW, the flash of my camera washed out the red some. The red is much darker.
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Post by mmthrax on Aug 15, 2020 14:41:51 GMT -7
Ooh, another Mike rebuild.
Cool.
Watching this space...
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Post by mrmike on Aug 15, 2020 14:53:47 GMT -7
Thanks Mark! I had thought about writing a story for this build, but I changed my mind at the last minute.
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Post by mrmike on Aug 22, 2020 9:37:04 GMT -7
I decided to add another, deeper coat of Tamiya TS-86 Pure Red to the T-Bird!    More Vega$ to come... |
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Post by Deano on Aug 22, 2020 17:27:43 GMT -7
This is coming up very nicely Mike.
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Post by mrmike on Aug 22, 2020 18:48:47 GMT -7
Thanks Deano! It's been on the bench for far too long and I need to get moving on all of my projects.
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Post by leon on Aug 23, 2020 5:15:24 GMT -7
Paint looks really good Mike!
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