2006 Dodge Magnum R/T

Dodge Magnum R/T (2006)

This one is a piece I picked up on sale at a hobby store on a whim. It's actually a very nice kit with a well detailed interior, multiple wheel and tire options and some nice accessories.

After fiddling around with the kit for a while, I decided to go a little retro with it. I took a "Shaker" hood intake from a 1970 Dodge Challenger and grafted it to the Magnum hood. This is actually available for the Magnum now so it's accurate as well as cool looking. The body is molded in white, the interior is molded in dark gray and the undercarriage in black. Side and rear windows are tinted and the windshield is clear.

The undercarriage is well detailed, and with a little painting it really pops. The metal exhaust tips the kit provided are another nice touch.

 This hood attachment isn't actually attached to the hood, but is part of the engine. It's just tacked in place on the hood to check placement. I will have to remove it later to finish the hood. 

 I also smoothed out the area where the rear spoiler went for a cleaner look.  I basecoated the model silver for a planned two-tone candy finish but I haven't decided on the color just yet. 

To add the trim around the hole I cut in the hood, I used some very thin styrene sheet and .020 styrene rod to build a lip around the opening and integrate it into the peak of the hood. Once the filler hardens I will blend it together and repaint. It also does a nice job of cleaning up the opening
and making it look more integrated, like a factory part. 

 

  I had several colors in mind for this kit, and after lining them all up I decided on Model Master Bright Green Metallic. It's a little translucent so it will take several coats over a fresh silver base to get the look I want. 

First color coat

First color coat on hood

 The second coat got me to the color I wanted, and after letting the paint cure for a few days (and waiting for a day with good temperatures) I sprayed two wet coats of clear Model Master Lacquer.
Once the clear was cured, I started test fitting headlights, taillights and windows. 

 

 

 I also did a final test fit of the body over the chassis to check for any areas of paint I might need to remove for gluing. I noticed that the intake is a little crooked, but I will wait until final assembly to level it out.

 With the headlights and taillights installed, I went on to hand painting the areas of the body that need to be matte black - window trim, grilles, underhood bracing and rear exhaust panel. I also painted the back side of all glass parts that needed blackouts.I used Createx matte black acrylic basecoat black, which does a nice job of replicating automotive trim and plastic. It also levels out very nicely when brush painted. Since it is an acrylic, it's also very easy to remove and won't damage the body color if I make a mistake.

 Once all the window painting was done, I glued the sunroof, rear and side windows in place. The front windshield has sunvisors and a rearview mirror that still need to be painted before I can install it.

The fit on the windows was very good, but they won't stay in place on their own. I had to do some creative clamping to hold them in place until the glue dried. My Busch Gardens stone gargoyle made for a convenient hanger.

 I left the body to dry overnight, and worked on finishing up the engine and undercarriage. All that's left after that is painting and detailing the interior. I've decided that the interior will be painted in various shades of gray and black with silver trim.

The painting on the undercarriage probably isn't exactly accurate, but I didn't want the whole thing to be in various shades of black. I painted the exhaust system, heat shields and transmission in various shades of aluminum, steel and silver.