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IMC 1/25th GT-40 Mk. lV markings

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  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: USA
IMC 1/25th GT-40 Mk. lV markings
Posted by JGUIGNARD on Tuesday, April 1, 2003 6:28 PM
I have one of the old IMC Ford GT-40 Mk. lV kits, and the decals are totally unuseable. Would love to build it up into the one that Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt won LeMans with in 1967. Anybody out there know if there are decals available for it ? Will not be surprised if nothing exists.
Most of us are acquainted with at least one "know-it-all". He may be as close as the mirror. [}:)]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, April 1, 2003 8:06 PM
Fred Cady makes the correct decal set. However be aware that neither the IMC OR MPC kits do not correctly represent the LeMans winner (Chassis J5) but rather the Sebring winning car. The early Mk IV had rounded lower sills like these kits. The LeMans cars had more "squared-off" sills with small radius bottoms. However if it does not bother you, so what! Go for it!

It is possible to modify the kits or just say "what the He!!" and build it as is.

Don't have a current contact for Fred Cady Decals but you should be able to search them out.

Rick
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by JGUIGNARD on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 9:47 AM
Rick:

With a handle like "Mark lV", I guess that if anyone would know, it would be you !
I was not aware of the differences between the Sebring and LeMans cars, so thank you for that info. The Sebring winner would also be a nice one to build, since Mario Andretti and Bruce McLaren were a couple of my favorite drivers. Maybe I can find another one of the Mk lV kits ( ha ha ) and build both of them.

I built a couple of the other IMC kits back in the mid 60's - Jim Clark's Indy-winning Lotus-Ford, and the GT-40 Mk. l. Has it really been that long ago ? I can still visualize both of those finished models.
Most of us are acquainted with at least one "know-it-all". He may be as close as the mirror. [}:)]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 12:26 PM
Actually the "Mark IV" handle comes from the AC Cobra MK IV but I am pretty familiar with the GT 40 MK IV.

Other stuff to look at: between Sebring and LeMans several other changes took place with the cars, many dependant upon wether they were Shelby entries or Holman-Moody entries. Front brake openings in the nose were covered over with aluminum or glassed in, tail was hinged from the "B" pillar bulkhead rather than the rear of the car (failure of Shelby to change this caused a real problem with J6, McLaren lost the tail on the course and had to pick it up and return it to the pits for lenghthy repairs. Lots of racer's tape fixed it. But the officials required the tail to be "openable" so latches were made with belts including Shelby's EXPENSIVE alligator belt)

I too, built all the IMC kits in the '60's. I loved the Ford GT and still have several but in retrospect they were flawed kits. Several scale liberties were taken with them. But then again how many kits in 1965 had thay level of detail and operating features? I have all the versions, MK I, the IMC MK II (also released by AMT, Testors and Union over the years. The "J" car and of course the MK IVs. Plus the MPC "J" car and the MK IV. The re-release MPC MK IV can still be found on occasion at a decent price.

There are some 1/24 scale multi-media kits of the MK IV available that are very nice including an "end of race" weathered version.

Rick

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by JGUIGNARD on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 6:02 PM
Rick:

Thank you very much for all of the other info.! You sure know a hell of a lot more about the GT-40 then I do. From now on, whenever I have a question about the GT-40, I will certainly know who to ask first !

Right on about the level of detail in the IMC kits vs. the kits from other companies. During that same time period I built a Monogram model of the Chaparral 2 coupe with the flipper wing ( 2F ? ). It was a nice kit, but it was basically a shell with only a cockpit tub for interior detailing. It did look nice when it was done though.

I was lucky enough to attend the Shelby American Automobile Club gathering at California Speedway last year. Amongst the Cobra roadsters, there was one of the six original Daytona Coupes ! There were several of the Cobra replicas present, as well as a GT-40 replica and Daytona Coupe replica. So the next GT-40 replica I build I want to be 1/1 scale ! Of course, all you need is cash.

Jim
Most of us are acquainted with at least one "know-it-all". He may be as close as the mirror. [}:)]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 7:22 PM
JGUIGANARD-
Lotsa GT40 replicas to choose from out there now. I had the real pleasure of taking a GT 40 to the 1989 Watkins Glen GT 40 reunion and doing laps with it. High point was taking my sons for rides and holding up GT 40 P1075, the two time LeMans winning Gulf car....not because I was a faster driver mind you but because I was all over the track!

I just got one of the Fujimi GT40 Mk I kits from Hong Kong (no SARS included) and am working on it now. Nice kit but not as crisp as the MK II kits and there are some real Boo-boos in the kit but it is still a heckova lot better than anything to date.

BTW, has anyone ever seen or done the 1/16 scale GT40 kit? It was Japanese, the manufacturer will not come to mind right now. I will recall it tonight about 3 AM.

RickBig Smile [:D]

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by JGUIGNARD on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 10:44 PM
Rick:

While at the SAAC gathering, I ran into an old acquaintance who had just finished building a Factory Five Cobra replica. He took me for a ride around the parking lot. That's as close to driving something like that as I will ever come, I think ! At the time I saw him, he was planning on ordering an FF Daytona Coupe replica kit.

A couple of months prior to SAAC, I was at Cal. Speedway for a vintage racing event. One of the cars there happened to be a GT-40 Mk. I replica - white with blue trim, and it was for sale with the price being somewhere between $30K and $40K - not bad for something like that, I think. Don't know who's kit it was built from. I do seem to recall that it had a 5.0 engine in it. If I had only had my check book with me....... Yeah Right !

Isn't the twice-winning Gulf car the only individual car to ever win LeMans twice ?

You got to drive a GT-40 ???? Green with envy ! Tongue [:P]

Jim
Most of us are acquainted with at least one "know-it-all". He may be as close as the mirror. [}:)]
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