Back in 1977 there were some movies released, one was called Star Wars – it did quite well, perhaps you’ve heard of it? The second most successful movie of the year was similar except the Millennium Falcon was replaced by a Firebird TransAm and the weird talking wasn’t done by a Wookiee but on a CB radio. That’s a big ten-four, good buddy.
Every hero needs an adversary, and this movie’s co-star also got most of the best lines. Sheriff Buford T Justice is one of the most quoted film characters ever.
“There’s no way, no way that you came from my loins. Soon as I get home, first thing I’m gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth.”
As well as supplying the hero’s car for the movie, Pontiac also supplied the Sheriff’s car. Three Pontiac LeMans sedans were given to the production company. You can build your chase-cars kit to look just like this.
Although you may want to build your car to look more like this one.
The 1:32 resin bodyshell is cast from a 2 part mould with body mounts already fitted, and the windows are much thinner and easier to cut out than with my older bodyshells.
In the kit you get
- Resin bodyshell
- Vacform windows
- Vacform interior
- Resin driver and passenger’s heads
- Resin wheel centres
- Waterslide graphics set
Bodyshell preparation is here, detail follows below.
Check for clearance with the chassis, particularly around the steering and suspension on the front wheels.
The paint I used was metallic brown which recommends a grey primer.
While waiting for the primer to dry I painted the resin wheel inserts silver with red dots at the centre.
I use 600 grit wet & dry paper after the primer coats, then start with the brown top coats making sure each coat is fully dry before sanding again. 600 grit between top coats, and usually 3 coats is enough.
Use silver for the headlights, radiator and bumpers then red and silver for the rear lights, with orange for the marker lights.
Now is the time to fit the graphics. The decals have already been coated with one thin coat of a water based acrylic to help protect them whilst they are applied, however they are very thin and can tear easily. The clear film is continuous and so each decal must be cut carefully from the sheet. Cut with a sharp scissors, craft knife or scalpel but leave a small clear margin around each decal. This will help to prevent any potential solvent ingress when the decals are coated with clear lacquer and will reduce the chance of any ink flaking off.
The decals should be dipped into warm water for 20 seconds and should not be allowed to float off the backing paper in the water. Shake off any loose water, then within 30 seconds, slide into position on the model.
Once the decals are completely dry, apply some clear lacquer to the whole bodyshell to seal the decals and protect the paint.
Add the windows, using canopy glue to avoid the windows from going cloudy. If you can add the glue just to the inside of the bodyshell it looks a lot neater from the outside.
Cut the vacform interior to size and get in with your paints.
You might need to trim the top of the hats to fit better, use a sanding drum on the Dremel and it only takes a few seconds.
Using the same canopy glue, stick the interior in place and let it dry.
“Nobody, and I mean NOBODY makes Sheriff Buford T. Justice look like a possum’s pecker!”
Have a look at the video here. And don’t forget to get the other vehicles too.