This is a project that I've been wanting to do for over 20 years! I tried to find models of this car and had no luck except for ebay where they go for $100 + in a 1:24 scale and $200 + in a 1:16 scale depending on condition (The only plastic models of this car were made by MPC and were discontinued in the 1970's) So I began looking on ebay for a charger diecast (I had heard that action made a 1:24 scale Dale Earnhardt charger) and I found these and the #42 Marty Robbins car there. I knew slixx made a sheet for the #43 plymouth's and I found a picture of a #43 charger with the same basic layout of the STP logos and trunk # and ordered it and bid on a Marty Robbins charger which I won (It was cheaper than the Earnhardt!) I had fun with this project but I also had some headaches!!!

Painting and Decals (body):

I first painted the body (after removing the bumpers and masking the windows...they are not removable!) with Testors Racing Colors Petty Blue. I then masked the red areas using scotch magic tape ...which I trimmed with a razor blade around the windows and other tight curves. After masking I airbrushed the red areas with testors gloss white for a base coat for the red. I then oversprayed this with a mixture of Testors Model Master Florescent Red (FS28915) and Model Master Italian Red (just enough to darken it a tad. Sorry but I can't say what the exact mix was...only a few drops though! I then airbrushed the red mixture on the body. I masked and painted the silver areas around the windshield and back glass with Model Master chrome trim. I painted the rest of the silver areas after decal application so I will go to the decals now! I first applied the white divider stripes between the red and blue on the car. This was a very tedious time consuming process!!! I had to cut the stripes from a piece of microscale white decal stock. I used a stainless steel ruler and a razor blade and made them approximately 1/32-3/64 wide. The long straight pieces were easy but I had to cut a piece for virtually every corner (14 of them). I tried to cut pieces long enough to have some to curve around for the corners but they just were too awkward to do that way. When I tried to curve the end it would move the long piece and then when I straightened out the long piece it dislocated the curve! I used Microscale Micro Sol (the heavy duty softener) and worked the stripes at the corners. I then allowed these to fry for several hours before I applied the slixx decals. I started with the roof # which was the only decal that overlapped the stripes. Note: Almost forgot! I waited to put the stripes on the hood until after I put the STP logo on it so that I could cut the stripes even with the white outline on the STP logo. I hadn't painted the rear spoiler so I waited to put the #43 decal on the trunk until last! Alright, now I used Model Master chrome trim for the rest of the silver areas around the side windows and the false door latches. I masked the long straight areas of the windows and hand painted the areas at the rear. Note: I used slixx hood pin decals on this car! I painted the red on the rear bumper in the same manner as I did the red on the body! I then applied the white $43 to it. I painted the grille and headlight areas aluminum, then I applied grill decals (slixx pontiac ..1998...rectangular lower grille..all silver) and the #43 decal which I turned into a black with white outline number with a extra fine sharpie marker! Well now comes my most frantic episode of this whole painting adventure! When I gloss coated the body the silver paint RAN!!! On the door handles and a couple areas of the windows! The petty blue was easy to touch up. The red was another story! I had to try to mix and brush on the red where the door handles ran. One side went on nice and smooth but the other left a slight unevenness which I will not make the time nor the effort to change. As it dried it looked much better and isn't bad at all. Phwew! That was a relief!!! Thought I'd done all that work ...well I think you know what I mean!!! :-) That's it for the body!

Chassis painting and mods:

I cut the chassis apart starting with the floorpan and roll cage. I then removed the dash and seat. I used the basic rollcage with the addition of bars from a 1983 Monogram T-Bird kit including the bar from the passenger side upper corner to the center of the rear of the cage behind the seat and back to the floorpan in the rear. I also used the bar from the same center point to the area under the dash at the firewall. I was going to use the seat out of the T-Bird kit but got a pic that showed a custom seat instead of the modified stock bucket from the T-Bird. I then cut and trimmed the seat from the diecast and painted it to match the picture. I used the headrest from the T-Bird kit because the one in the picture of the interior (same one with the seat) was mounted on the roll cage separate from the seat. I then painted the whole cage petty blue and detailed it (rollbar padding and seat headrest. I then painted the floorpan petty blue (I covered the shifter and fire bottle beforehand) Then I detailed the floorpan and glued the seat in. I painted the dash flat black and made a instrument panel out of a piece of sheet styrene and a slixx gauge decal with hand detailed switches and screws. The chassis itself I painted petty blue up front where the fenders extend down and are part of it. I then cut a piece of white decal stock for the front spoiler and applied it. I then hand lettered the spoiler with "THE RACER'S EDGE". Oh yeah, one other thing I almost forgot! The wheels!!! I had to remove the tires from the wheels to paint them! I twisted the rear wheels and one slipped off the shaft and I pilled it out and was able to do the rear wheels easily but the front wheels don't come off (I tried to remove the front suspension but couldn't get the screws out and didn't want to push it! Anyway, I got the wheels painted and the tires back on...these are a bear too but they will come off the rims and go back on! Now, I put the floorpan in the chassis, I then put the roll cage in I didn't glue it (it will hold by itself once the body is screwed down to the chassis! I then mounted the body and screwed it down on the chassis. I painted the fuel filler which I had forgotten! Lastly I painted the window net red and glued it to the upper rollbar with craft glue. The window net was made from the 1983 T-Bird kit net with 1 row of the webbing removed for a better fit in the action cage. Note: I added a styrene strip to the top of the net for a better look at the top! Well there it is! I am going to get the pics I took during assembly of this car and put them up on the site later!

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!

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