NASCAR Fantasy T-Bird 1:24 Scale MGRM Model Kit #85-0793 Review

RoR Step-by-Step Review 20131026* 
NASCAR Fantasy T-Bird 1:24 Scale MGRM Model Kit #85-0793 Review

Review and Photos by Alan Mann

NASCAR during the 90’s was on the rise as one of the hottest sporting events around. Television and media coverage let fans get access like no other sport with the drivers being very fan friendly and accommodating. Popularity soared and as a result unlimited collector items were created to appease the fans. By this time in the history of NASCAR all the cars were a general chassis and cage system that was standard for that design model, being Ford or GM as the base, with only minor differences in the sheet metal appearance. But the great thing was sponsorship of the teams and the custom paint jobs that were available to make these cars stand out. With one time promotions, standard paint schemes and individual driver changes on the cars it gave fans lots to collect. And this created one of the biggest booms in the hobby business – NASCAR MODELS!

For the Modeler: This is the MONOGRAM #85-0793 kit depicting the 88 Havoline “Welcome Back Ernie” Thunderbird 1:25 Scale Model Kit #85-0793. Even though the kit is no longer produced you can still find them easily at online auctions. Thanks to the plethora of NASCAR kits on the market and the almost unlimited amount of aftermarket details it is very easy to build any car ever run on the track. And for that matter to create any car you want. The base of this project is the MONOGRAM #0793 kit depicting the 88 Havoline “Welcome Back Ernie” Thunderbird. The kit is built direct from the box with no aftermarket parts.  Unfortunately, because of the standardization in the model industry if you build one NASCAR kit you have built them all for the most part. Chassis:  Monogram used a standard chassis for all kits through most of the 90’s. The only variances are GM or Ford designed chassis elements. Almost no updates were done to signify actual changes in designs of the 1:1 cars. Most teams painted the cage, chassis and framework as a whole and used a single color to match the paint scheme and it was usually flat to diffuse glare in the car. The cage builds frame up and is fairly simple as long as you got lucky with no warped parts as was typical for the era. Engines were generic and loosely resembled what you would find in a real car, with lots of top chrome, which was not realistic. But to ask the manufacturers at that time and you got “Modelers love chrome!”  Suspension was also generic and would fit any kit along the line. Body: The design basics of the bodies were again not updated with specific changes and resembled their 1:1 subject for the most part. Allowances were made to ease the fitment of the never-changing chassis that caused frustration to the detail purists. But it was the 90’s and we just accepted it. The dimensions of the bodies were off but the overall look was ok when built, the sides were too flat, height too tall, shape too square and lines just wrong! But we kept buying and building them!  Decals: This was the one place the manufacturers did work to create the right look. And as most designs were complicated they were done in clusters many times and laid as a sheet on the body. While it did create the proper look of the sponsored car it was unrealistic as the 1:1 car’s decals were on top of the paint and individual: replicating that was near impossible.

Overall: As earlier stated, If you build one 90’s NASCAR kit you have built them all. Over the years I have built dozens and this assembled as typical as the rest. Just take your time on the cage and fit it properly and the rest just falls together. As this was missing the decals I decided to build a fantasy team car. The idea was to use leftover decals and paint from previous projects to assemble a one of a kind paint scheme. I had just built the new 93 Mustang LX as a Florida Highway Patrol car so I had decals for FHP out of the Lindberg Charger kit and the paint from Scale Finishes.  Some Dale Jarrett Interstate Batteries scrap decals finished out the sponsorship and contingency decals.  So I have a fantasy one- time paint scheme Daytona 500 FHP sponsored Dale Jarrett Thunderbird from the 1995 race! The build was easy, as it was an original kit, and typical re-pop issues weren’t important. There was almost no flash and the parts were fairly detailed for the time. The motor is a simplistic block build and other than having too much chrome it was a nice build. The Chassis was straight but typical cage issues plagued the kit, a tad of heat from a blow dryer does wonders on NASCAR builds. Clear parts were good and tires typical basic slicks with that horrendous mold line.  Assemble direct from the instructions and you can build this car fairly easy.  Overall impressions are the same as every other NASCAR kit of its age, some minor build challenges but nothing that the typical builder can’t overcome.

 

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