NASCAR MODEL TIP by MR NASCAR

Building a NASCAR FORD FUSION from the REVELL INTREPID and TAURUS kits

Scene in a bar:

ATTRACTIVE COUGAR/WENCH: "And what do YOU do for a living?"

HANDSOME YOUNG REVELL MARKETER: "I figger out new ways to maximize the value of 40-year-old models.."

ATTRACTIVE COUGAR/WENCH:"Ahh, really??... Can we talk??..."

(Fade to black)

Anyhoo... MODERN MOTORSPORTS has provided a Charger, and are working on a FUSION, but to fill the gap, this is how I make a presentable FUSION body from an INTREPID and a TAURUS kit. IT is at least as accurate as a FUSION as Revell's "TAURUS" is as a Taurus...

Step 1		You'll need the bodies from a Taurus and an Intrepid kit. Mark and cut the front clip down each side from the A-pillar base to a point about one cm behind the rear of the front wheel opening. Make sure the measurements are the same on each body... Throw away the INTREPID front clip, and the Taurus body, so there's no confusion...
Step 2		To make cleaner lines, remove the side airdams from the rockerpanels of both parts. These can be replaced later in the build with strip styrene. Glue a tab of sheet styrene inside the INTREPID body on each side, to provide a glue point for the TAURUS front clip...Glue the front clip to the body, being sure to align vertically, so there will be a good fit for the windshield at tthe base of the A-pillar. To get the rockerpanel lengths right, just use an unmolested kit body as a "mirror"to align the wheelwell openings.
Step 3		At this point, you may want to angle the clip down a bit to better simulate the droop in the nose of the actual FUSION body. You should have a small gap at the joint that needs filling. I used crazy glue in the gaps, with baking soda sprinkled on it for an instant, hard sandable filler.
Step 4		Now comes the dirty work... Once you have filled and sanded as much as you can with cyano/baking soda, it's time to do the fine bodywork. I used TAMIYA grey putty for this. This is also a good time to add some strip styrene and filler to the rear bumper, to get a longer "kick-out" as on the actual racer body. Take your time, and don't forget to fill the crease along each side.
Step 5		After several putty/sand/putty/sands, you should have the bodywork to the state you want... don't prime and paint yet, there's still the front cowl/greenhouse issue to deal with...
Step 6		The more accurate greenhouse is one of the main advantages of the INTREPID body. But now you'll need to also use the INTREPID window part, and the contours of the Taurus cowl rear edge do not align, leaving a gap that is quite obvious and needs filling.
Step 7		Glue some small tabs of styrene in place to support the filler pice we will make in the next step.
Step 8		To make a filler piece for the cowl, trace the back edge of the cowl onto a piece of sheet styrene. This will be the leading edge of the cowl filler piece. Then use the bottom edge of the INTREPID windshield to trace the rear edge of the filler piece. You should have a thin crescent-shaped piece. Glue it in place, making sure it is level with the top surface of the cowl. Use crazy glue/baking soda/putty to smooth it all out. You will likely need to "fine-tune" the rear edge of the new cowl to get a snug fit for the windshield.
Step 9		NOW we're nearly there! File off the front lower grille opening, file down the "bumps" on each side of the grille opening somewhat. clean up the mold lines, and prime it. Now all you need to do is finish off any defects in the bodywork and you are the proud owner of a FORD FUSION, ready for any colour scheme you can find!

One other item that might further "accurize" this conversion would be to hog out the INTREPID greenhouse rear window, and use the Taurus rear window in it. But that would require some pretty precise work with a file, and I'm not sure the improvement is worth the effort.

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