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I thought I would share another project Ive been working on. Another trans-am team from 1970. This time The Plymouth AAR cudas.

First up is Dan Gurneys #48



& Swede Savage #42



Im also maybe thinking of building the Testcar as well



Just like the Javelins these will be built in 1/25 scale. That is the first problem. Monogram/Revell have a 1/24 1970 AAR cuda kit but when you compared the size of the body to the other 1/25 TAs I have the body is HUGE!!!!! Most people think that 1/25 & 1/24 is the same scale but when place them side by side there is a big size difference. The only other kit that leaves me with is a MPC 1/25 cuda kit. Only problem is they are super rare & expensive.

So where does this leave me? The plan is to use the 1/25 Johan 1971 Sox & martin Cuda kit & backdate it to a 1970 cuda. Sounds like fun & this is exactly the type of modeling I enjoy. No idea if its going to work but lets start hacking up the vintage bodies!

I sourced some resin MPC 1970 cuda parts & a AAR cuda hood from various places -



After some hacking with the dremel see my progress below. The orange body is my modified 1970 cuda with the parts from above photo. The white body is the original 1971 cuda body with front & rear panels molded in. Dremel time!

Front -



Rear -



The AAR cuda hood is to large, damn, lets start hacking that too



Fits like a glove



In the photo from the rear notice the rear spoiler. I stole that from a 1968 Camaro kit I have. Looks about right, just may need to narrow it slightly. I need 3 of these spoilers. If anyone has any in there spare parts please let me know. Either a rear spoiler from any of the 67, 68 or 69 Camaro kits will work, Or if anyone has spoilers from the 1/24 revell AAR cuda kit they will work as well. Please let me know.

Next up time to turn this into a race car.

lookin good so far brother greg. im a huge fan of the AAR team and especially Dan. i had the opportunity to sit in the real swede savage car at the mopar nationals back in 95. amazing car even if the record didnt reflect it .cant wait to see the progress on your build here. have you looked at any corvette front spoilers as theres many kits of road racing vettes out there? the angles might be a little different but workable.

Thanks Ill look into the corvette front spoilers. I was planning to scratch my own front spoilers at this stage. Just the rear spoiler on the truck lid is what Im hoping to source. I actually just found a source of resin 68 camaro rear spoilers for $1.50ea so Im hoping they will work.

Oh & as for sitting in Swedes car. Man, super envious. I can only hope one day!

pass on the source brother. im always on the lookout for parts for myself as well.

Now this is good work. I will watch this one close.

Good to see you fired up :)

This is a great project, looking forward to seeing your progress. It looks really good so far!

Harry when it comes to building cars Im always fired up. My problem is time! Such is life. Thanks Lee, hopefully they will turn out good.

Well, it is about time! Looking good so far!

I really appreciate your commitment to size and look. I'm bad at thinking "close enough" and then when I finish the car the detail that I blew off is the one thing that drives me crazy.

Thanks guys, its comments like those above that give inspiration. These days I try to get the cars as close as I can. Sure it takes longer but it pays off in the long run.

I was debating about building these cudas now using the 71 Johan models & backdating them. Revell announced that next year they will release a new mold 1/25 70 Cuda. The first release wont be an AAR but it would of saved alot of work. Ive had these kits & these parts for a while & thought what the hell! Even though most of the work will be done in the forthcoming revell 70 cuda kit I figured This will be a fun project modifying the Johan model.

When it comes to painting these cudas Ill be asking for help on color choice. WHen I sprayed these in 1/32 I wasnt happy with the colors I chose so I dont plan on making the same mistake again. Ill get some color samples soon.

These ought to be nice when finished! Are you building the Classic Wax Dodge Challenger's too? Years ago I built the Dodge Challenger's as static kits with a bit of scratch building.

Yes dge when I get the Cudas & Javelins done the Challengers will be next on the chopping block. I built the #77 Challenger ages ago & used a Revell 1/25 kit. Problem is it is way out of size, its closer to 1/24 & the body proportions are way off. So I have some AMT Challenger kits to build both Classic Wax challengers. The 1/25 AMT Challenger kit is spot on in body proportions & spot on for size in 1/25. The only issue with it is the roof is a seperate part. Other than the roof a seperate part the body is perfect!

....Nice work indeed, will enjoy watching this project come together :)