History
The Interceptor
This well-known Australian car started out as a standard 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe. Then in 1976, film makers Bryon Kennedy and George Miller began pre-production on Mad Max. Murray Smith was hired on as part of the film crew, and one of his tasks was to put together the Interceptor. He started by acquiring the XB Falcon, and along with Peter Arcadipane, Ray Beckerley, and others, proceeded to modify the car to what was needed for the film. The main modification is the front nosecone, made of fiberglass and designed by Arcadipane (marketed as the "Concorde" style, and strongly influenced by the slightly earlier HPF Firenza), the eight individual exhaust side pipes and the supercharger protruding through the bonnet.
For the second film, the rear wheels, supercharger and pipes were changed. The car was further modified to fit the setting of the new film, with large petrol tanks fitted in the back, and its general appearance given a more used and stressed look. The front end was also modified by removing the bottom section, probably to give more clearance at the front in the outback locations it was required to be driven in for the second film. The front of the car was in fact broken off early in the film during a chase scene. As well as modifying the original car, a duplicate car was also put together for Mad Max 2. The duplicate car was used for most of the driving sequences, while the original car was used for the close ups and interior shots.
When eventually the story required for the car to be destroyed by rolling down a ditch and then blown up, the duplicate car was used, leaving the original car to be scrapped. The car was rescued and restored somewhat, having a new nose cone fitted but retaining the fuel tanks from Mad Max 2. It was shown widely in Australia before being sold and shipped to the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in United Kingdom.
the kit
Aoshima Models has released The Road Warrior Mad Max 2 Interceptor 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe as a 1:24 scale kit. The kit represents the Ford Falcon Interceptor as it is seen at the beginning of the movie “The Road Warrior”. The kit number is AOS 004661.
Packaging:
The box that the kit comes in is the typical soft cardboard box with artwork of the Interceptor on the lid. Some of the sprues, as well as the photo-etched brass pieces, decals and chain, are sealed within clear plastic bags. The other pieces were sitting free in the box.
The Instructions:
The kit that I received for the review did not come with a set of instructions. The kit was open when I received it so I don’t know if there were instructions included with the kit or not. The person that had the kit before me and opened it may have misplaced the instructions. I am not sure about that but I was able to find a set of the instructions on line which made getting a replacement set stress free. There are a total of 14 steps required to complete the construction of the kit. During the assembly I did find that there were a few sections that were not clear on where various items are to be placed. I found it very helpful to go on the internet and look at various pictures of the Interceptor as well as watching the movie “The Road Warrior” and pausing it at various scenes to help place items where they needed to go. The separate instruction sheet for the photo-etched brass pieces was sealed in the plastic bag with the photo-etched brass sheet.
The Decals:
There is one sheet of water slide decals provided (please see attached scan) with a total of 10 decals including the MFP rear license plate and two different versions of the MFP crest.
The Painting Guide:
The modeler has a choice of two brands of paint that are referenced for the completion of this kit. They are:
GSI Creos Corp. Aqueous Hobby Color:
2 –Gloss Black
3 – Gloss Red
8 – Metallic Silver
12 – Flat Black
27 – Gloss Tan
47 – Gloss Red Brown
73 – Semi-Gloss Dark Green
90 – Gloss Clear Red
92 – Gloss Clear Orange
GSI Creos Corp. Mr. Color:
2- Gloss Black
3- Gloss Red
8 – Metallic/Gloss Silver
23 – Dark Green
33 – Flat Black
41 – Flat Red Brown
44 – Semi-Gloss Tan
47 – Gloss Clear Red
49 – Gloss Clear Orange
The Sprues:
The kit comes with 8 black styrene sprues containing 83 pieces, the body of the car as 1 separate piece (black styrene), 2 chrome-plated sprues containing 18 pieces and 2 sprues of clear styrene containing 13 pieces for a grand total of which of 115 pieces. Also included are 5 soft rubber tires (3 front tires and 2 back tires), 4 poly caps, used for attaching the wheel assemblies to the axles, 1 sheet of photo-etched brass containing 22 pieces, 1 small length of scale chain and a fiber sheet which contains 2 punch-out dog food boxes. All of the pieces are attached to the sprue with a minimal amount of contact points. Please refer to my photographs of the front and back of the sprues so that you can see the individual pieces and their layout and location on the sprues.
As I examined the individual pieces I found what I would consider to be a normal to minimal amount of flash however there are seam lines present. I did not find any push out (knock out) marks in conspicuous spots on the individual pieces. The detailing on the individual pieces is nice.
Extra Pieces:
There are some extra pieces left over after the kit is assembled depending on which photo-etched brass pieces you use in place of the styrene pieces or vice-versa. There are also extra pieces that are not used on this kit that are for the Interceptor representing the car from Mad Max, the first movie of the series. The pieces that are not to be used are highlighted in gray in the instructions.
CONCLUSION
All in all this is a nice scale representation of the 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe Interceptor. I liked the detailing on the separate pieces as well as with the molded on details on the larger pieces. I was disappointed with the lack of an opening hood and no engine and some of the items in the instructions. Other than the few issues I mentioned throughout the build I did enjoy building this kit. I have no hesitation at all to recommend this kit to others as it is a nice kit. I am thinking about getting a couple more for myself. If you are a fan of the movies or just of the car itself you won't be disappointed with this kit
References:
The Aoshima Models web site:
Aoshima
Mad Max Movies:
Movies
Evolution of the Interceptor:
Interceptor Evolution
Interceptor walk-around:
Walk-around
A
Build Log is available in the forums.
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