This is the 1997 #44 Hot Wheels Pontiac driven by Kyle Petty! The
model is a 1997 Monogram Pontiac Grand Prix and the decals are from slixx!
This is a very familiar paint scheme in that it reminds me of my days as a
boy playing with my hot wheels with that orange track looping and curving
all over the basement! Since it s a 1997 Pontiac kit it has the slab
sides, jack posts and skirts molded in! The exhausts are also stock from
the kit! All this makes for a much easier model to build!!
Painting and Decals:
Painting this model was fairly simple just paint the whole thing blue
(gloss bright blue from testors, in a can) I tried mixing colors but didn't
really like what I came up with so I went with the bright blue spray! The
chassis and body interior are airbrushed with standard light grey. The
white is again a decal (white microscale sheet stock) cut to extend just
above where the slixx decals come down to (around the sides, front and
rear). This is much easier than painting ...no masking.. And a nice smooth
finish! The colors are bright but have no neon in them so they laid down
pretty easily. There is one note on these Grand Prix kit bodies, they
have to be the most accurate from Monogram to date. Especially the slope
of the hood. Most NASCAR WC cars have a pretty steep rake to the nose and
this kit is the closest to the real thing I've ever seen! The Monte Carlo
is close also but the T-Birds almost have the hood level with the ground!
Just a note I thought might be of interest! I'm hoping that when the new
Taurus kits come out they will feature this also! The wheels are painted
with a mixture of florescent red and a touch of orange! With a coat of
gloss to bring out the shine! This is one of only 3 models I have that do
not have the basic black wheels, the other 2 being the #43 96 and 97 and
the #28 10 anniversary car. As usual I added the Earnhardt bar since it
is a 1997 car! BTW I paint all of the center caps on my kits with testors
Model Master chrome detailing paint!
Complete instructions for painting and assembly of chassis, clear
parts, and construction of slab sides can be found at the bottom of the main page!