Sourcing issue: 1973-76 Ford Falcon XB GT AKA MAd MaX's Interceptor

[SludgeMunkey]

Yeah, I know. It was an Aussie-only car in reality. I am not a car guy, unless you are talking VW Beetles...

Anyway, I sure could use the Pro input around here on options to source a kit or find a comparable kit I can convert to the proper chassis. I have managed to track down 1:25 scale wheels of the proper sort, and have enough pictures to free-sculpt the blower and cowl, but my shameful lack of male "car talk" has seriously impacted my ability to track down a body or select a comparable body that can be modified by sculpting.

I have purchased a 2012 HotWheels of the '73 Ford Falcon XB GT, but frankly I am too old and grouchy to put forth the effort with the micrometer and the math to upscale it to 1:25. I also managed to find a set of a copy of a copy of a copy original blueprint dimensions for the custom front end in actual scale I can downsize.

Dredging Google leads me only to dead websites and horribly overpriced resin recasts of recast of recasts.

I was curious if any of the gang here could point me in the right direction. With the multi-project schedule I am about to embark on next week (I like to do three to four projects at the same time...). I have dedicated December to research and acquisition of the stuff I need to build a Road Warrior Interceptor in January or February.

Thanks in advance!

 

[FlyingDachshund]

HLJ will be selling this pretty soon... I have one of the older issues, it's a nice kit.

Mark in Okinawa

 

[Junk Pilot]

SludgeMunkey,
Being one of several Aussies here I commend you for the excellent choice you've made. The XA/B/C series of cars, especially the GT's, are legendary Aussie muscle cars and I really do wish a decent injection molded kit was available.

 

[28injection]

This site may have what you need, MadMaxModels.com: Die Cast and Remote Control Vehicles

 

[TheRealMcFly]

Aoshima has a habit of always improving their kits, usually adding parts or figures to existing toolings. This time the kit includes photoetch parts, and is what they call "Super Detail." I know the kit had also undergone interior improvements previously, and once included the dog and a diecast metal blower.

So the good news is there is already a 1/24 kit of the car you want to build. The bad news is you'll have to rework the kit back to the Mad Max version.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

HLJ will be selling this pretty soon... I have one of the older issues, it's a nice kit.

Mark in Okinawa

Excellent! This is a good start and at a price I can handle! Thanks! Beats the heck out of clay sculpting over a different model car to make it look like this iconic body style, then do castings and vaccu-forming, which was what I figured I would end up having to do...

SludgeMunkey,
Being one of several Aussies here I commend you for the excellent choice you've made. The XA/B/C series of cars, especially the GT's, are legendary Aussie muscle cars and I really do wish a decent injection molded kit was available.

Thanks! I have decided that I will focus my efforts in the hobby (been out of the game a long time, me...) on building models of the iconic stuff I grew up with. Mad Max's car(s) were/was one of my favorites, along with the dragon from Dragonslayer, the USS Sulaco, and pretty much everything from Disney's The Black Hole. While I admire and drool over many of the Iron Man, Mass Effect, Star Wars and Star Trek builds on here, I'll leave that stuff to those folks- I couldn't do projects like that any justice...but those great movies no one seems to really be into anymore are where it is at in my opinion.

This site may have what you need, MadMaxModels.com: Die Cast and Remote Control Vehicles

That was where I got started at. The reviews made me a bit leery of all of the USD200ish resin kits floating around, as by all reports I read they were pretty lousy quality or no longer available for the price and effort. However, this was where I was able to get so many pictures, dimensions and details I downloaded into a project folder, just in case I had to do the entire build completely from scratch. I have a feeling I will be spending a tonne of time there in the future.

Aoshima has a habit of always improving their kits, usually adding parts or figures to existing toolings. This time the kit includes photoetch parts, and is what they call "Super Detail." I know the kit had also undergone interior improvements previously, and once included the dog and a diecast metal blower.

So the good news is there is already a 1/24 kit of the car you want to build. The bad news is you'll have to rework the kit back to the Mad Max version.

Thanks! I'll have to dig more into the Aoshima kit. I have absolutely no qualms about retrobuilding and modifying to get what I want. In fact, in the past my favorite part of the hobby was doing extensive mods. The more I mull this future project in my mind, the more I think I should build three- the Yellow interceptor, The Road Warrior mod, and a stock "factory" version just because folks look at you funny here in the states when you ask about a Falcon XB GT...usually I get told there was no such car....

 

[TheRealMcFly]

If only there was such a car over here in the States. The closest thing we have here is a Torino, but IIRC it is a much larger car than the Falcon. Not to mention it was on the tale end of the muscle car age, and didn't offer anything close to the performance of the Falcon XB GT.

Wish I could tell you which of the Road Warrior kits lend themselves best to the conversion. Undoubtedly I would expect older versions to pop up on ebay after the Super Detail version is released. I'd love to see the yellow version done too. If you're going balls out, sell a body conversion kit after yours is done and make all your money back. I'd take a set.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

If only there was such a car over here in the States. The closest thing we have here is a Torino, but IIRC it is a much larger car than the Falcon. Not to mention it was on the tale end of the muscle car age, and didn't offer anything close to the performance of the Falcon XB GT.

Wish I could tell you which of the Road Warrior kits lend themselves best to the conversion. Undoubtedly I would expect older versions to pop up on ebay after the Super Detail version is released. I'd love to see the yellow version done too. If you're going balls out, sell a body conversion kit after yours is done and make all your money back. I'd take a set.

I may try something like that eventually.

I had toyed around with a Torino conversion, but as you stated the differences appeared to make it more work than it was worth. Somewhere on the web I read about a build where someone did just that, and it looked great, but not quite "right" to me. I am by no means one of those screen perfect types, but its a case of "No one else would even notice, but I would, because I built it" type deals.


I am digging further into the web as I attempt to grow a list of possible sources.

 

[JMChladek]

Just get the Aoshima kit. The most recent pressing has all the parts you need for a Road Warrior version. It is a proper Falcon XB and they made some improvements to the first kits they did about 6 years ago. The first one they did was based on a full size replica which was half Mad Max and half Road Warrior in its features. The newer ones give a more proper stripped out interior, proper rear wheels (the RW car didn't have the original Sunraysias in the back) and a little more accurate equipment rack.

Now if one wants to do a Mad Max car, that requires a little more work. The first kit issue is a bit better since it includes the radio box and the siren. Granted a rear trunk will need to be made in addition to a lower airdam for the nose (not to mention a passenger seat the same size as the driver's seat), but you get everything else pretty much, including Sunraysia rims on all four wheels.

If Aoshima is indeed reissuing the newer version of the kit, that is MOST excellent as the later pressings are going for stupid money on ebay. The earlier issues are a bit more reasonable in price.

 

[Smiling Demon]

I have a 71' Torino kit that I was going to pervert unto the Interceptor!!

I have a completed Aoshima kit that i got from Hobby Lobby several years ago. I wish not I would have bought at least 3.

Kenny

 

[JMChladek]

If only there was such a car over here in the States. The closest thing we have here is a Torino, but IIRC it is a much larger car than the Falcon. Not to mention it was on the tale end of the muscle car age, and didn't offer anything close to the performance of the Falcon XB GT.

The Falcons were sort of a hybrid of a mid-70s Mustang II (with a little Ford Maverick thrown in, mainly on the four door sedan side) with a Torino styled body. They may look like Torinos, but the chassis and engine package tended to be closer to the Mustang II in other features (although the biggest engine one could find in a Mustang II was a 302 as opposed to the Falcon's 351).

 

[TheRealMcFly]

JMChladek, again you have impressed me with your knowledge of specific kit variations, and in this case their larger full scale counterparts. Thanks for clearing up the details on the many Aoshima kit releases. I had no idea about the rear wheels on the Mad Max version, or that their kit was originally based on a hybrid replica car. Personally, I really enjoy knowing this stuff as it really helps to know where a tooling started when you're improving a boxed kit.

I had read the Torino is about 20% larger overall compared to an Aussie Falcon. IIRC the XB GT was the first production vehicle to use a dual pneumatic clutch? Something you never would have found in a production Ford of that era here in the States.

I repeatedly passed up the Aoshima kit at my local hobby shop, and regreted not grabbing one of the two they had at its original price of $37. The guy who places the orders there told me to buy one, but they eventually disappeared. Years later I still joke about how I should have bought one there. Recently he confessed to having one, and since he only build RC airplanes now would be willing to give it to me at cost. Too bad, I already preordered the Super Detail version off of HLJ... along with three more BTTF Time Machines. Now there's a kit I have too many of now because of later add ons, totaling 9 now on my shelf.

Regardless, if you need an older version for the Mad Max car SludgeMunkey I'll check with my hobbyshop guy about his kit. Now which box was the first version?

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Wow.


It is so excellent we have model experts AND car experts on here. I'm waiting for some primer to dry, so I'll dig around on the web and report back what I have found, then once again cash in on the fountain of knowledge here to make sure I have processed all that great data preceding this post.


(It is a busy night here in the Sludge Cave, got three modeling projects in various stages of build/planning and not enough beer to get me through to completion of today's schedule...)


So, I'll report back shortly with what I can find on Aoshima kits. It is days like today I miss living in San Diego where I had a dozen wicked-good hobbyshops to choose from. Pickins are slim in this town unless you are into planes and US cars.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Well upon looking into it, I have pre-ordered one of the New Aoshima "Mad Max Interceptor" kits that features the Road Warrior car. Just got an e-mail that confirms the Interceptor model is out in a week and a half, and is purported to be an all new pressing.

I am still on the hunt for a "regular" XB kit though, as I am bound and determined to build a "Yellow Interceptor" now too.

I haven't decided if I want to buy another Aoshima and backconvert or perhaps just use the Aoshima as a reference for a scratch build. I always wanted to try my hand at sculpting a car body in plastacine...

 

[JMChladek]

I don't believe that Aoshima ever did a regular "XB" issue, although there were hints on the parts trees that they were considering it. Standard XBs in typical everyday Aussie trim would be nice to build, which is one reason why I've got two of those Hot Wheels XB Falcons in my stash (and I wondered if I was in the Twilight Zone when I first saw them in the store as I wondered who at Hot Wheels was enough of a Falcon fan to do it as a 1/64ish diecast). To me, the Falcon XA through XC coupes had perfect looking lines which screamed "instant classic" compared to the Aussie Plymouth Furies and Holden Monaros of that era. It looked like a brute because it was a brute, be it in stock trim, racing war paint or with the slightly customized lines of Mad Max's machine. I would love to find a copy of Eric Bana's documentary "Love the Beast" in this country as he owned an XB for many many years.

Doing the yellow four door Falcons requires forking over a bit of cash as the only ones out there are expensive resin ones. I've got both the Max Rockatansky Interceptor and Big Bopper Pursuit units that Planet X Models (one of the Comet companies) in the UK did about a decade ago. While not perfect, they do look reasonably good for XBs and at least have the proper grill and hood setups. Cavalier in Australia may also have done XB four doors, but I don't recall for certain if they did or not. I know of nobody who has done them in styrene, which is kind of a pity as those yellow four door machines probably have more character than the "black on black" did. I've even toyed with the idea of building an Aoshima Interceptor as a MM car (with original trunk and lower nose) and painting it up in the yellow colors as an alternative version, just to give it a nice splash of color.

 

[StuntmanMike]

Hi there

Thepartsbox has just released two 4-door XB's in resin, stock and Interceptor.
http://www.thepartsbox.com/

The Aoshima kit will probably not be released before February 2013 as they have licensing issues again. I have pre-ordered the new upgraded kit from a guy who has a friend working at Aoshima. So this is a pretty reliable source for information on the upcoming release.

Tomorrow I'll post some pics of the last issue of the Aoshima model. I have converted it into the original Mad Max Interceptor with trunk lid and front spoiler. It's not finished yet, but it already looks cool.

Greetz,
Kevin

 

[JMChladek]

Thanks for the tip on these new bits Mike (I think I saw the site once before, but completely forgot about it). If I am reading it right, one might be able to get an XB 4-door body and interior to use with an Aoshima kit if they have a donor handy (I need to email them about that) or go with a complete kit instead. The stock seats would at least work well for a Mad Max one car interior.

Plus, that XB stock version without the scoop should work fine for the Big Bopper and March Hare rides although fender flares would need to be added I believe at least to the Big Bopper one. I'm not entirely sure about the March Hare police car as that one was an inline 6 ex-taxi that was kind of on its last legs before they wrecked it (but they wrecked the Bopper ride as well, so go figure).

I also can't wait to see your Mad Max 1 car conversion as well given how masterful you've done your other builds. I am curious as to how you are tackling the back dating work.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Hi there

Thepartsbox has just released two 4-door XB's in resin, stock and Interceptor.
The Parts Box

The Aoshima kit will probably not be released before February 2013 as they have licensing issues again. I have pre-ordered the new upgraded kit from a guy who has a friend working at Aoshima. So this is a pretty reliable source for information on the upcoming release.

Tomorrow I'll post some pics of the last issue of the Aoshima model. I have converted it into the original Mad Max Interceptor with trunk lid and front spoiler. It's not finished yet, but it already looks cool.

Greetz,
Kevin

Excellent! Looks like I am going to add a few of their kits to my Christmas list.

 

[StuntmanMike]

I also can't wait to see your Mad Max 1 car conversion as well given how masterful you've done your other builds. I am curious as to how you are tackling the back dating work.

Thanks for the compliment. To be honest, this build made some problems with the paintjob. I have to leave the body all shiny. The paint I´ve used is too sensitive for masking and now I can´t add the matte black areas. I´ll probably strip and repaint the body if I can get my hands on another set of decals...:unsure

The back dating was not too difficult. The parts that are needed to be scratchbuilt have no curves and everything can be done with plain sheet. Still need to add the rear window. Here are two pics of the Interceptor:

I have used pics of an Australian 1:1 replica for this build and when I watched the movie I realized that I forgot to add the indicators to the front spoiler. As the replica was all gloss black aswell, I have at least an accurate model of a replica of the movie car...:rolleyes

The model is sitting in the box and waiting to get finished for over two years now. I got slightly frustrated when I realized the probblems with the masking tape. I think I should finish it as it is a freakin´ cool looking car from a great movie.

Cheers,
Kevin

 

[JMChladek]

What about perhaps masking the matt areas with wet newspaper (old newspaper with fully dried ink)? I hear that is a technique that can work well for fragile natural metal finishes, although I admit it might be tricky negotiating the front spoiler angles. Post It notes could also work in a pinch, although the tricky bit with them is making sure they don't come off while painting.

At least with this model, to do the flat black areas you could just shoot on flat clearcoat. Then if you get some flat overspray in a spot, hit it with some micro mesh polishing pads to polish the flat off. Even if it stays gloss black though, it looks awsome IMHO.

You wouldn't happen to have any drawings for your front spoiler fabrication, would you? As I see it, that is likely the trickiest bit to make.