[Back] Subject:  
Detroit
Tiger Car
Kit Used: AMT 1/24

Review & model by:
Ed Findysz
Pictures: R. Forys





[When the Tigers won the ALCS, I started thinking about building a model to commemorate the season.]



Ideology:  In my short modeling experience, I have learned a couple of things.   First, I believe that modeling has allowed me to tap into artist qualities I otherwise thought I didn't possess.   Second, I find that building a model for someone else is satisfying in that you can give them something memorable that could not be bought off a shelf.   In this case, I have friend who is a big Tigers fan and he lived the whole Tiger's phenomenon in '06.   He told me during the ALCS that he would just be happy if they went to the World Series.   When the Tigers won the ALCS, I started thinking about building a model to commemorate the season.




[This car is an AMT blank NACAR model and does not supply decals.]



The Kit:   This car is an AMT "blank" NACAR model and does not supply decals.   This seemed like the perfect subject to create a Tigers Championship car.   It may just be me, but I have found that newer AMT car models do not go together well and this was no exception.




[I wanted to incorporate all the colors that are associated with the Tigers.]



Construction:    My first step was to decide colors.   I wanted to incorporate all the colors that are associated with the Tigers.   The colors I used were white, dark blue, orange, and grey.   However, I did not want to go overboard and make everything these colors, so some parts are painted to match their normal appearance.   I painted the outside of the body white like their home uniforms with underside of the body painted dark blue.   The chassis was then painted grey and the cage was painted orange to match their away uniforms.   The cage was assembled completely which made painting and fitment to the chassis much easier.   To add more contrast, the seat, dashboard, and wheels were painted dark blue.




[I have found that newer AMT car models do not go together well and this was no exception.] [The worst problem I had was that I either lost, or the kit came without the front and rear windshields.]



Because I have bad luck with AMT car kits, the cage split several times during the building process.   Furthermore, the body did not fit over the cage onto the chassis well either and ended up having an unrealistic stance.   The worst problem I had was that I either lost, or the kit came without the front and rear windshields.   This caused me great distress because I am really not a great scratch builder.   The windshield is not straight and race cars have metal frames so that they don't fly off the car at high speeds.   I traced the openings and cut new windshields from a sheet of acetate.   Then with sheet styrene, I made the metal frames.   One was painted blue and the other orange, which I thought added a contrast effect of the car.




[The decals where created using Testor's Decal Maker kit and placed in locations similar to a Nextel cup racecar.]



Decals:    The decals where created using Testor's Decal Maker kit and placed in locations similar to a Nextel cup racecar.   The Testor's kit comes with 2 sheets of decal paper (1 white and 1 clear), a spray can of decal bonder, and a decal maker CD ROM.   Unless you buy the full software package, the CD ROM is very basic.   The decal paper is intended to be used with any inkjet printer, which is pretty handy since that is the most common type of home printer.   The only issue I had was I wish that I let the ink dry longer, maybe overnight, because the ink ran a little when I applied the bonder.   It was actually easy to create the decals using this Testor's kit.




[Important 06 team member names.] [I tried to capture every aspect of the season.]




Deciding what decals to use and their locations was the most fun part of this project.   I tried to capture every aspect of the season.   This included statistics, team member names, catch phrases, and ALCS/World Series logos. All of the clipart was found on the Internet and the text was simply typed.   I arranged the graphics on a Microsoft Word document and printed them on regular paper first to make sure the sizing was correct.   Once I was satisfied, I printed them on the decal paper.




[The best part of the build was creating a unique piece of memorabilia that represented a great baseball season by the Detroit Tigers.]




Conclusions:   The best part of the build was creating a unique piece of memorabilia that represented a great baseball season by the Detroit Tigers.   My only regret was that I had hoped the kit and decals would have come out better.   My friend did not seem to mind, and appreciated the effort




[Deciding what decals to use and their locations was the most fun part of this project.]