The Fast and the Furious 1970 Dodge Charger 

Original Kit:

1970 Dodge Charger

Made By:

Revell-Monogram

Scale:

1/25

 

Other Charger Models
 

‘67 Charger (Review)
‘69 Convertible
‘69 Charger (Review)
Blade‘68 Charger
Bullitt Charger
Collier & Co: Hot Pursuit Traveller
The Fast & the Furious ‘70 Charger
Dukes of Hazzard General Lee
Wheels of Terror Charger

Other 2000s Movie Models
 

3000 Miles to Graceland Cadillac
Alone in the Dark VW Touareg
Austin Powers: Goldmember Shaguar
The Bourne Identity Mini
Bruce Almighty Saleen S7
Cars Lightning McQueen
Cars Lightning McQueen (Review)
Collier & Co: Hot Pursuit Traveller
Dale Daytona Winner
The Fast & the Furious Civics
The Fast & the Furious ‘70 Charger
The Fast & the Furious RX-7
2 Fast, 2 Furious Evo VIII
Final Fantasy VII Motorcycle (Review)
Gone in 60 Seconds Eleanor (Review)
Hidalgo 1970 Charger
The Matrix Reloaded Escalade EXT
Minority Report Lexus
Speed Demon Chevelle
Speed Racer Mach 5 (Review)
Speed Racer Mach 6 (Review)
Taarzan the Wonder Car Honda CRX
Terminator 3 Lexus
Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life Jeep
Transformers Barricade
Transformers Bumblebee
Revenge of the Fallen Bumblebee
Revenge of the Fallen Sideswipe
Revenge of the Fallen Skids
The Transporter BMW 735i
Twilight ‘63 Chevy Pickup
WALL·E
Watchmen Owl Ship (Review)

Revell's Dodge Charger was a good offering, and all it really needed was some detail work to make it stand out. I used the prebuilt Charger with Dom figure, and started by disassembling the model down to its major components.

The chassis required the least amount of work. I filled in the mount hole in the fuel tank and the extra exhaust holes in the frame rails, then added brakes to all four corners. I also replaced the metal front axle with a pair of short axles so that it wouldn't go through the engine.

Next came the interior. The seat was moved back and a five-point harness was added. I replaced the kit's simple roll bar with a scratchbuilt roll cage and the stock Dodge steering wheel was replaced with a racing wheel to more closely match the movie car. The riveted panels on the doors and rear seat/dash area were made using metal tape.

Outside, all of the trim was done in Bare Metal Foil and the wing window glass was replaced with thinner plastic to look more realistic. To make it look more like the prototype, I painted the grill solid black, added the radio antenna, and removed the front license plate. Finally, I replaced the headlights with a more realistic set from the parts box.

My last step was the engine. I started here by filling in the holes where the front axle went through the block. Details added to the engine include a scratchbuilt distributor with plug wires, a mechanical fuel pump with braided fuel lines, reinforced radiator hoses, a scratchbuilt fuel injection setup, and throttle linkage. The supercharger belt was hideously undersized, so I replaced it with a more appropriate piece from the parts box. The wider belt and new fuel pump prevented the radiator from going back in its original location, so I made a new radiator bulkhead just behind the grill.