71 Mach 1 Model Kit Builds

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RocketFoot

Stangin' ain't easy but somebody gotta do it!
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1971 Mach 1
I'm just starting to dip my toes in the modeling world...so far I have a Top Gun F18/A Hornet and I just picked up an 1/25 scale AMT 71 Mach 1 kit! I am collecting tools and paints to start building and I still need to select an air brush kit to finish off my hardware list.

The big question here is who else has built the AMT kit? Any tips or tricks that I should know? How detailed did you get with painting and interior detail work? What parts did you air brush vs brush paint? I'd love to see some photos of your AMT kit for inspiration!

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I built several of the AMT 71-73 kits. They're "ok" at best. If you're new, definitely build it, then look at the newly released Monogram 71 Mach 1.

My workhorse airbrush is a Badger 350 that I bought in high school. Easy to clean, set up and get very good results. The internal mix brushes will give you a better finish, but are more finicky and honestly, I've used the couple I have a only a handful of times. The 350 just works for me. For an air source, I have a Badger compressor from 1987. Still kicking, works great. If you have a compressor, buy one of the tire filler tanks. You can swap out the fittings, put a regulator on it and have a completely portable, silent air supply. You can also retrofit an empty propane or refrigerant tank.
 
Where di you find that one. I've been looking, but not seen that one. I have only seen 73's
I found it at a local discount store...it was the only one I could find. I got it for $30!
I built several of the AMT 71-73 kits. They're "ok" at best. If you're new, definitely build it, then look at the newly released Monogram 71 Mach 1.

My workhorse airbrush is a Badger 350 that I bought in high school. Easy to clean, set up and get very good results. The internal mix brushes will give you a better finish, but are more finicky and honestly, I've used the couple I have a only a handful of times. The 350 just works for me. For an air source, I have a Badger compressor from 1987. Still kicking, works great. If you have a compressor, buy one of the tire filler tanks. You can swap out the fittings, put a regulator on it and have a completely portable, silent air supply. You can also retrofit an empty propane or refrigerant tank.
I've been shopping around and honestly, I like the Harbor Freight offerings at $89 or $99 for a complete kit. It's not like I'm painting the Mona Lisa or something, LOL! I might give it a try...

https://www.harborfreight.com/airbrush-compressor-combo-kit-57637.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/1-5-hp-58-psi-compressor-and-airbrush-kit-95630.html
I'm sure I can dig up a few coupons to save some money also!
 
I built several of the AMT 71-73 kits. They're "ok" at best. If you're new, definitely build it, then look at the newly released Monogram 71 Mach 1.

My workhorse airbrush is a Badger 350 that I bought in high school. Easy to clean, set up and get very good results. The internal mix brushes will give you a better finish, but are more finicky and honestly, I've used the couple I have a only a handful of times. The 350 just works for me. For an air source, I have a Badger compressor from 1987. Still kicking, works great. If you have a compressor, buy one of the tire filler tanks. You can swap out the fittings, put a regulator on it and have a completely portable, silent air supply. You can also retrofit an empty propane or refrigerant tank.
I'll look for the Monogram 71 kit, Thanks for the tip.
 
Yeah, this will be good practice for me...then I'll look for a Monogram kit. Is it Revell/Monogram?
 
How detailed you go depends on your skill level, available modeling tools, budget, eyesight, and ability to deal with frustration. There are a lot of aftermarket detail options out there - from hose kits, clamps, engines, decals, wiring harness kits, suspensions, wheels, interior dressups, hood/deck/door hinges, - you name it. It's easy to spend three to four times as much on detailing as the original kit.

I airbrush everything save the few bits to highlight with a brush. Washes are good for helping bring out details. I use an Aztek system, but also have a trusty Badger 350 for large coverage requirements. Like real cars, your final finish will depend on prep work. No matter how good the model, you will find sunken areas on the body that need to be filled, seams that need to be removed, etc. Polishing kits are your friend for prepping primer and color coats.
 
I see the now AMT have a model of the 007 James Bond movie car complete with stickers.
These are listed on Amazon.ca so I expect they are on Amazon.com too.
WIN_20230829_06_10_39_Pro.jpgFound one of these about a month ago at a local antique shop, then had to find a DVD so I could watch the scenes.
 
Too bad it's not in 1/24th scale to match the '70 Boss Mustangs, and others in the series, '70 Pontiac Trans-Am for instance.
 
Too bad it's not in 1/24th scale to match the '70 Boss Mustangs, and others in the series, '70 Pontiac Trans-Am for instance.
Yeah, but apparently 1/24 and 1/25 are pretty close. I am looking for some replacement wheels that look more like my 5 spoke Appliances (or Cragar Keystone Classics) and they all say that they fit 1/24 and 1/25 scale.
 
Anyone that has the AMT kit with the Wide Oval vinyl tires...can you get me a measurement in MM's for the inside diameter and also width? I'm hoping they ar 16.5 MM dia and 6.5 MM wide! If so, I found a set of resin Cragar American Classics that will work! (I'm stuck at work and don't have the kit here to measure myself)
 
I picked up one of the Harbor Freight airbrush kits, and it's a solid compressor, the hose is fine, and the AB itself is craft quality (keep it absolutely clean, and it'll be fine). However, tankless air compressors suck - the pressure builds up a little bit in the line, and when you first hit the button, it surges a little bit at a higher pressure then settles down to what you dialed in, which gives mixed results on the paint.

I picked up one of these compressors as a kit a few years ago, and it's much better. https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Runner-Compressor-TC-326T/dp/B07ZQM6R83

The air tank acts as a buffer and doesn't allow the line to pressure up nearly as much.

The water trap is necessary if you have lots of humidity, and the pressure regulator is super helpful for dialing in the right pressures depending on what paint you use. I normally prefer the more flammable paints (like House of Kolors urethane enamels, etc.), but decided to make friends with water-based acrylics, since my booth has a normal fan, which could cause a fire with the fan motor being in the airstream. I'm planning on building a booth using a bathroom fart fan that has the fan motor outside of the airflow by using a squirrel cage motor set-up (needs to be bigger, too).
abstation5-1024x768.jpg


I found the booth on Amazon as well, and it's OK for small model cars and similar sized projects.
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Once I got the color I wanted, I shot it with some Future Acrylic Floor Finish (now called Pledge something or other), and it's really awesome. Dip your glass pieces in the stuff, and they'll look like real glass after it all sets up. I'm still working on this kit after years (pesky job and other life things get in the way), but it's coming along nicely. My real version of this car also had buffer burn marks in the paint when I bought it back in '87, so that was a happy bonus, but be careful when sanding between coats as airbrush paint usually goes on thinner than spray cans and covers better.
82mustangbuild14.jpg

That hood ornament was not a decal, BTW - I hand-painted that with a Molotow 1mm chrome paint pen, 1mm red, white, and blue Sharpies, and made the running horse with another blob of Molotow chrome.

As for the kits, the new AMT kits are a LOT closer to being anatomically correct than the Testors or others before (those have the same plastic bits as the Testors die-cast kits, which are '73 bumpers and headlight doors on a '71 grille - I ordered some resin grilles and bumpers for a couple of those kits I have. Stay away from the Lindberg Mach 1 kit - it's atrocious. I haven't seen the new Monogram kits yet, though. If you want something that's really close (only a few minor things wrong), find an Otaki or Doyusha 'Vanishing Mach 1' kit on ebay (they ain't cheap, though - I got mine 1/12 + 1/24 dual kit for $125 several years ago).

Something else I've learned to have a lot of fun with is weathering. When I made my original model version of this car, I didn't pay attention and painted all sorts of things with whatever colors I had, so the underside of the chassis is silver, stuff under the hood is completely wrong, and I used an '83-'84 kit... but, it'll all I could find at the time. This kit was weird, as I had to make the rack since neither of the poseable front wheels were connected. Lots of fun.
82mustangbuild12.jpg

Anyway, hope that helps. Have fun, no matter what.
 
My parents had an 83 Mustang 6 cylinder in that exact color! It was monotone beige though, no black grille or quarter window accents.
 
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