Decided to do one of Lindberg's 'generic' mid-90s style 1/25 Ford Crown Victoria police models, in the colors of the local constabulary...the Baltimore County (Maryland) Police Dept.
Charged with aiding the public and keeping the peace in the sprawling watershed area around the separately-administered City of Baltimore, their 'beat' ranges from gritty urban areas to (reasonably) quiet suburbia, to far-flung pastoral farm areas. I've had nothing but good and fair-minded interactions with them in my 30+ years living in the area, and I've always particularly admired the elegant simplicity of the paintwork on their vehicles.
The Lindberg kits are highly-simplified---just a short step above 'snap tight' design---but their fit and detail are quite pleasing. Single-piece body, no-frills interior 'tub' (with separate front seats), and a one-piece chassis that screws in place to hold it all together. Tail lights and light-bar sections come nicely pre-tinted.
The only concessions to 'police' design for the interior are the optional 'cage' barrier between front and rear seats, and a small but nicely-detailed electronics console for the front 'hump.' Outside there's the afore-mentioned light-bar for the roof, and the option of two spotlights for the 'A' pillars.
I was going for a more-or-less straight OOB build, but I had to make one significant 'tweak' to the body: because of the sheer size of the long 'county map' insignia on their doors, the BCPD gets all their vehicles with the 'shopping cart' bumper strips removed from front doors & quarter-panels. This was a relatively easy job with a selection of modeling chisels and sandpaper. The rest was built 'kit stock.' (The kit's body style differs slightly from the 'real thing' as used locally, but I didn't let it slow me down; I just adapted the fit of the decals to get as close as possible.)
I did feel it useful to add a few basic details: seatbelt harnesses for the seats front and rear, and a headliner with dome light for the roof. BCPD mounts only one driver's-side spotlight, and I added the control handle for that inside. No sign of a rear-view mirror in the kit, so one was quickly added from scrap. Likewise no antennas---though they're shown on the box-art---so I whipped up the stub aerial with its dog-leg mount, and the longer 'whip' antenna, from stretched sprue and bits.
Last details were purely for fun: a clipboard with paperwork on the dash (remember, this was the '90's---they weren't using electronic 'clipboards' yet) and the omnipresent citation pad by the steering wheel. A newspaper for the front seat. No coffee-cups---since a veteran of my acquaintance shared that they're carefully admonished against the very-visible vehicles being seen (by the snarky public) as 'rolling doughnut shops.'
The very last add-on was one of those things I've noticed strolling past many a parked cruiser, over the years---the obligatory 'traffic safety' vest on an old-fashioned wire coat-hanger, hanging behind the driver's seat. (Sandwich bag and canopy PVA glue, painted with Testors Fluorescent acrylics.)
A fun, low-stress summer project. Hope you enjoy!
