Revell 1/24 Ford Escort mk2

[Pettersson]

Hi! I've been here since 2009 following some great projects but this is actually my first post... Apologize for that. I thought I might share one of my current projects, a Ford Escort mk2. The kit is the good old ESCI kit in a Revell box. I built a Cosworth powered mk2 10-15 years ago. It's the first time I'm building the same kit for the second time. It's not a high quality kit, but since I'm modyfing a lot most of the negative aspects can be adressed.


The old Escort I built long ago, together with a Heller R8 Gordini.

And now for this new project! I started building this in October 2018, but it has been laying around gathering dust from time to time. I've made some progress up until today, but I'll start from the beginning in these first updates.

The idea is to du the opposite of what I normally do. Normally I go all-in which instantly makes me dream of a mk2 with a BDG or Millington engine and tarmac wheel arches etc. Modelling is about making dream cars, but what if I have a bit more down-to-earth approach? I went for a tuned street car with stock wheel arches and a mix of different Ford parts, like what you would find in every issue of Retro Ford Magazine or Classic Ford. Also, everybody else are building rally spec versions so it was a fun idea to go down a different route.


I began cutting out the wheel arches and rear wing. They are out of proportion anyway.


An old Monogram Capri donored the wheel arches. The Capri was about to become a modified race car, so it was a perfect match.




After some cutting and patched some panels.


Cutting the front end.


Making a few adjustments.




The hood has really bad fitment, as many of the parts in this kit. I added strips of styrene to each end to reduce panel gaps.


Test fit.

More to come! This is where the project halted but restarted during 2019.

[Pettersson]

Some more progress from last year:


I worked on making some corrections on the body. Some shapes were wrong.


Put some primer on to see where I'm at. Some more sanding, filling, sanding etc. needed.


Did some work on the oversized front bumpers.


Some more corrections, this really annoys me as it ruins the appearence.


Looks more like an Escort now.


Mock-up with bumpers. There's something wrong with the front end and the trunk that ruins the proportions. I will work on that.


The rear lights has very poor fitment, so I added some styrene to try and make it better.


The front window has a very odd shape and it sits a bit too low. I sanded it down and did some scratchbuilding


I need to make new windows since the kit ones don't fit now. But the fitment was bad even before my modifications . The stock windows sits to deep and makes the finished model look more like a toy.

[360spider]

Quite a surgery going on!

[Pettersson]

As I said, not happy with the shape of the trunk. The rear end looks too long and the angle of the trunk lid looks strange.


I cut out the upper part of the trunk...


...and raised it, as well as modifying the rear window.


I also modified the front end. I straightened it up as the front has a weird looking slope. These two adjustments are minor (in result but not in effort ) but I think it looks a bit better. I have another trick to try on my next mk2 Escort, but that involves a bit more cutting.






Drilling holes to make the vents look a bit more realistic.


Such a stupid task to commence, but what the heck!


Added primer again.


And some paint...


Preview of the color (Tamiya TS-26 rattle can) before polishing.

Next update will focus on the interior and a mock-up with wheels.

[360spider]

Looks good!

[Pettersson]

I did a mock-up with the engine before painting the body and chassis.


I'm going for a classic 2 litre Pinto 8v, and I'm going to use the gearbox that came with the kit.


Test fit.


The chassis is lacking some details, so I'm adding some more parts.


Moving on to the interior!


I cut out the rear seat which was molded in with the interior bay of the donor, the same Monogram Capri mentioned earlier.


The rear seat wasn't wide enough so I had to add some styrene.


Front seats from the same Capri.


Making a new centre console.




Working on the dashboard.


I modified the side panels as the fitment is really poor.


Mock-up of the interior. I also made some adjustments to the chassis/engine bay.


Modifying the front seats. I'm not looking at any specific Ford seats, I'm just making something that I think fits with the build.


Modifying the crossmember.


Test fit.


Added some paint on the chassis and interior, and added flocking.

And finally a mock-up and stance check! It might end up sitting just a tad higher, but we'll see. I'm using the Reji photoetch front grille.

[afxracing]

Very impressive work!

[stratos75]

Cool!

[chris24]

Wow ! Though I am a hardcore rally Escort guy, this is the best Esci Escort build I've ever seen together with afxracing's one !

[Pettersson]

Originally Posted by chris24

Wow ! Though I am a hardcore rally Escort guy, this is the best Esci Escort build I've ever seen together with afxracing's one !

Thank you! That's a huge compliment, his build is one of the builds that has been a great inspiration for this and my other Escort projects.


Moving on with the project:

I kind of messed up when painting the black trim. A typical rattle can mistake when you have limited control, I had some black paint bleeding under the masking tape. I decided not to strip and repaint, I managed to save most of the mess.




Some work on the Pinto engine






First time testing the carbs from Scale Production










Engine painted and pair with the gearbox.




Suspension painted. I'm using the ones supplied with the kit.


After a while, the engine is finished.




I used some cheap mesh bags for detail.




Last week I spent a few hours on attaching different parts on the body, and today I took these pics. Still some parts and details left.






Cheers!

[afxracing]

Great work on the engine.

[chris24]

Great work on everything, this definitely looks like a real MK2 Escort !
Makes me wonder why nobody ever released a droop snoot

[Pettersson]

Finally took this one over the finish line. Pictures can be found here: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul....php?t=1156577

[Viccario]

Awesome work, the end result looks fantastic! Would you be able to let me know what product you used to make the windscreen surround?

[Pettersson]

Originally Posted by Viccario

Awesome work, the end result looks fantastic! Would you be able to let me know what product you used to make the windscreen surround?

Thank you! I used styrene strips 0,5 x 0,5 mm from Evergreen Scale Models (item no 120).