One of my hobbies is building model cars. I like watching a scale automobile take shape in my hands as all the pieces come together. Looking at the completed cars on my shelf bring back memories of similar cars I saw growing up or at shows. It's also the only way I will ever own a certain type of car. I also occasionally build a model of a subject that someone else likes and give the model to that person. But I have something in common with nearly every other model builder: the Holy Grail project.
Every modeler has a project that for them would be the culmination of their efforts, either in skill or subject. For most it is a subject that has never been produced in kit form, or one that is so rare it is almost never seen anymore. Most of the subjects are something that mean a great deal to the individual modeler; mine is no exception.
The subject of my holy grail project is a 1976 Plymouth Fury Salon. My mom had one of these cars when I was little, and it was probably my favorite family car from my childhood. It was the same model used by many police departments during those years, and it had power as well as looks. For years I've wanted to build a model of that car, but no kits were available. The closest was a 1978 Dodge Monaco, which has the correct body, but until recently was out of production. MPC did a kit of the 1975 Road Runner, which was based on the Fury, but that kit has never been reissued.
Fortune struck about a year ago, however, as I found a promotional model of the 75 Road Runner on eBay for a bargain price. I had already acquired a 78 Monaco (reissued as the Joker Goon Car), and a 1974 Plymouth GTX. All that remained was a kit to provide a suitable chassis, which I found in the form of the 1971 Charger.
Now I find myself intimidated. It has come to the point, and I have everything I need. I sit and look at the kit boxes on my shelf, imagining just what processes I need to go through to assemble my dream. It will involve learning some new skills, such as mold-making and casting, as well as modifying parts and scratch building. I think I'm ready, yet the boxes sit there, staring back at me. So many modelers never reach this point, yet here I am. Will I be successful? It's time to find out.
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