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Janet Guthrie's 1976 Laguna

 
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octopusmotor



Joined: 19 Mar 2018
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 11:39 am    Post subject: Janet Guthrie's 1976 Laguna Reply with quote

Okay, this build is no surprise to anyone. The fact that I quit procrastinating and got one built is the surprise.



This represents Janet's car early into her NASCAR days, about the time of the September 1976 Dover race. A film crew working on a documentary followed her around at that race and there were some good shots of the Laguna in that footage, so I based the model on that. The car had the original-style numbers and had yet to get the Kelly Girl trademark on the rear quarterpanels. I decided to build this one as a testbed for future Lagunas, notably the 1977 variant that extended the white trim along the front fenders. But for now, I just wanted to see if I could make it work.



The body and driver's seat are from the MPC kit, and just about everything else is from an early-'90s AMT Thunderbird (yes, including the engine - I didn't have any GM donor kits around and the MPC engine was too big and a little simple, so I converted the Ford engine into a reasonable-looking Chevrolet engine). The chassis was stretched and the roll cage somewhat backdated, and a lot of things got adjusted. That's part of why the build took so long. I used a guide that was on the old forum from a builder who had done a lot of these conversions, and it made things a lot easier.

A close look will reveal some changes to the body, notably around the windows. I added the fairings in the door openings, which, while mine aren't completely there, do make the model look more plausible. I also didn't like the molded-in louvers for the B-pillar window openings, so I cut them out and made replacements based on pictures of the real louvers. While working on that I found the MPC window openings appeared too far aft, so I moved them forward. It looks much better. I also reworked the fuel filler, not only giving it more detail but moving it forward to match Janet's car. There are also other adjustments you'll find if you look closely. Some of them work better than others, but it's a start.



I'd been warned the windshield in this kit didn't fit well at all, and that was borne out in test-fitting - not to mention the Coke-bottle effect of thick molded clear plastic. I ended up building up and recontouring the kit glass fore and aft, using those as bucks to thermoform new windows.



The body is Duplicolor Dark Jade over Tamiya Pure White. I was skeptical at first but as it cured, the better I felt about it. I've seen this car with white wheels and silver wheels, and finally stayed with white because I'd painted the wheels once and didn't feel like re-doing them. The decals are from a rather comprehensive sheet I had designed in 2006 when the Model King reissue was imminent, and it was in the pipeline to be screen printed, but it ended up not happening (long story). I had a handful printed by one of the on-demand decal printers, kept a couple sheets and sold the rest. The only decals on this model that aren't my work are the tire markings (from an aftermarket sheet) and the grille (from the Model King decal sheet).



And here it is next to my model of Janet's SCCA Celica. Both await the arrival of the #27 Bryant Heating and Cooling Special, which should soon be in work.

There's a lot about this model that's not quite right, but it has the virtue of being complete. I am glad I've done this, but I'm not planning to do it again any time soon. I'm hoping the Salvinos JR chassis and drivetrain turns out to be a good donor, because that would take about 85% of the work out of the next one. But, if not, I know how to do this again.

Anyway, if you have any questions, ask away and they will be cheerfully answered.

Jodie Peeler


Last edited by octopusmotor on Fri Jun 29, 2018 3:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jim N



Joined: 29 Jan 2018
Posts: 650

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great job! Really stellar work.
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Firefly



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 808
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great job with that! Love the Celica too. You can post more of that one in the Non-Nascar forum if you like!
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"Fireball"



Joined: 09 Feb 2018
Posts: 202

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Awesome job!!! As you said, it may not be exactly right, however, it looks right to my eye. The nose, and front fenders look to me to be massaged to get the "graz'n in the grass" stance. Great attention to detail!!! Thanks for sharing with us.
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Henryjint



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 1957
Location: NY State's Hudson Valley

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 4:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good looking build! Both cars nicely done!
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octopusmotor



Joined: 19 Mar 2018
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, everyone! And I may put up a post about the Celica if I can find time and motivation soon.

Jodie Peeler
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sentsat71



Joined: 03 Feb 2018
Posts: 1237
Location: Fenton, IA

PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow!!

VERY NICE looking build(s)!!!

Cool Cool Cool
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Silver Foxx 1



Joined: 05 Feb 2018
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A lot of nice work in this , well done .
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Rob Spires
Board Moderator


Joined: 27 Jan 2018
Posts: 185

PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 10:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Happy to see you back, Jodie.

Very nice work!
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Rocketman



Joined: 30 Jan 2018
Posts: 64

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy I like it!
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octopusmotor



Joined: 19 Mar 2018
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you all very much for the compliments and kind words. It's good to be back.

Jodie Peeler
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tko24



Joined: 29 Jun 2018
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 7:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Janet Guthrie's 1976 Laguna Reply with quote

octopusmotor wrote:
Okay, this build is no surprise to anyone. The fact that I quit procrastinating and got one built is the surprise.



This represents Janet's car early into her NASCAR days, about the time of the September 1976 Dover race. A film crew working on a documentary followed her around at that race and there were some good shots of the Laguna in that footage, so I based the model on that. The car had the original-style numbers and had yet to get the Kelly Girl trademark on the rear quarterpanels. I decided to build this one as a testbed for future Lagunas, notably the 1977 variant that extended the white trim along the front fenders. But for now, I just wanted to see if I could make it work.



The body and driver's seat are from the MPC kit, and just about everything else is from an early-'90s AMT Thunderbird (yes, including the engine - I didn't have any GM donor kits around and the MPC engine was too big and a little simple, so I converted the Ford engine into a reasonable-looking Chevrolet engine). The chassis was stretched and the roll cage somewhat backdated, and a lot of things got adjusted. That's part of why the build took so long. I used a guide that was on the old forum from a builder who had done a lot of these conversions, and it made things a lot easier.

A close look will reveal some changes to the body, notably around the windows. I added the fairings in the door openings, which, while mine aren't completely there, do make the model look more plausible. I also didn't like the molded-in louvers for the B-pillar window openings, so I cut them out and made replacements based on pictures of the real louvers. While working on that I found the MPC window openings appeared too far aft, so I moved them forward. It looks much better. I also reworked the fuel filler, not only giving it more detail but moving it forward to match Janet's car. There are also other adjustments you'll find if you look closely. Some of them work better than others, but it's a start.



I'd been warned the windshield in this kit didn't fit well at all, and that was borne out in test-fitting - not to mention the Coke-bottle effect of thick molded clear plastic. I ended up building up and recontouring the kit glass fore and aft, using those as bucks to thermoform new windows.



The body is Duplicolor Dark Jade over Tamiya Pure White. I was skeptical at first but as it cured, the better I felt about it. I've seen this car with white wheels and silver wheels, and finally stayed with white because I'd painted the wheels once and didn't feel like re-doing them. The decals are from a rather comprehensive sheet I had designed in 2006 when the Model King reissue was imminent, and it was in the pipeline to be screen printed, but it ended up not happening (long story). I had a handful printed by one of the on-demand decal printers, kept a couple sheets and sold the rest. The only decals on this model that aren't my work are the tire markings (from an aftermarket sheet) and the grille (from the Model King decal sheet).



And here it is next to my model of Janet's SCCA Celica. Both await the arrival of the #27 Bryant Heating and Cooling Special, which should soon be in work.

There's a lot about this model that's not quite right, but it has the virtue of being complete. I am glad I've done this, but I'm not planning to do it again any time soon. I'm hoping the Salvinos JR chassis and drivetrain turns out to be a good donor, because that would take about 85% of the work out of the next one. But, if not, I know how to do this again.

Anyway, if you have any questions, ask away and they will be cheerfully answered.

Jodie Peeler


Your build looks fantastic. I have this kit and I'm finally about to start it. I'm also using an early 90's AMT Thunderbird kit for the donor chassis, but also have 3 Salvino Baker olds kits on the way and might build the chassis from one of those to experiment using with this Laguna body. The stance of your build is exactly what I'm looking to get with my build. Did you use the wheels and tires from the AMT Thunderbird donor chassis, or did you use some other wheels and tires on this build?
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octopusmotor



Joined: 19 Mar 2018
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you much for the kind words. I used the tires and wheels from the AMT Thunderbird kit under this model. The stance was achieved through a certain amount of trial and error, and I wish I remembered exactly how I achieved it (I think I ended up cutting the spindles off the front suspension, jacking the car to the desired stance with some coins underneath the chassis, and then gluing the spindles/wheels back in place, centered in the wheel openings). Don't be afraid to experiment.

Good luck with your builds.

Jodie Peeler
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hawk22



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 290
Location: Northern Virginia

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice job!!!
I did one of these years ago (1988?) Fred Cady two part decals,
which really worked well. Have keep it dust free all these years
and it still looks clean...

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tko24



Joined: 29 Jun 2018
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2018 8:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hawk22 wrote:
Very nice job!!!
I did one of these years ago (1988?) Fred Cady two part decals,
which really worked well. Have keep it dust free all these years
and it still looks clean...



Wow. your build looks great too, especially because you got that stance down perfect as well. I hope mine turns out as well as your guy's two builds did. It's really motivated me to get mine right. That Laguna S-3 was one sleek looking race car. I've been in the Coast Guard a long time and mostly build naval models. But I've also built lots of 1/24 Monogram/Revell 1980-1990's NACSAR kits, and they're pretty easy builds compared to some of these 1970's 1/25 NASCAR kits, especially the ones that require donor chassis to get right. Thanks to both of you for sharing pictures of your builds and the details on how you built them.
Cheers!
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octopusmotor



Joined: 19 Mar 2018
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2018 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hawk22 wrote:
Very nice job!!!
I did one of these years ago (1988?) Fred Cady two part decals,
which really worked well. Have keep it dust free all these years
and it still looks clean...


Thank you very much! I like your build, too. I have that same Fred Cady sheet in my archive and came close to using it once upon a time. Your model can still hold its own after 30 years! Thank you for sharing it here.

Jodie Peeler
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hawk22



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 290
Location: Northern Virginia

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes really liked those Fred Cady decals. That model is not even clear coated and after so many years no yellowing or any issues at all. Have other models with cady decals and all look great and nothing is new.
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hawk22



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 290
Location: Northern Virginia

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

tko24 wrote:
hawk22 wrote:
Very nice job!!!
I did one of these years ago (1988?) Fred Cady two part decals,
which really worked well. Have keep it dust free all these years
and it still looks clean...



Wow. your build looks great too, especially because you got that stance down perfect as well.
Cheers!


Thanks.
Mainly an early 80's Monogram Buick chassis reworked to fit the MPC chevy.
With a little work can make one of those roll cages fit nicely, no gaps or just
the wrong look in general. Fact is if you make the roll cages fit properly then
you will hardly see the bars at all in a picture!!!
Time flies, hard to believe I did that Kelly Girl car so long ago! But I have
older ones that still look good Laughing

Here's whats under the chevy,
mostly refitted Monogram Grand National with some
evergreen tubing wear needed.
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tko24



Joined: 29 Jun 2018
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

With the Buick Monogram chassis, did you have to rework the length, a 1/24 chassis under a 1/25 body? If so, how much?
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hawk22



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 290
Location: Northern Virginia

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

tko24 wrote:
With the Buick Monogram chassis, did you have to rework the length, a 1/24 chassis under a 1/25 body? If so, how much?


Compared the wheelbase of the chevy to this 81 Buick, an early eighties build,
and everything matches up. Also don't see any evidence that I shortened the
frame under the chevy. The chevy roof line is lower, will require some adjustments to make the roll cage fit properly. It's a tight fit.
Have shortened the monogram grand national frames to fit other bodies, but
we are talking about centimeters, and some guess work...

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Rocketman



Joined: 30 Jan 2018
Posts: 64

PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks great Very Happy
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