The Opel GT was fun car from the 70’s that was an economical and sporty alternative to the muscle cars of the day.  My dad had one of these for a number of years and I wanted to build one for him.

I’ve never been a fan of AMT kits and this one represents an era when I formed my original opinion.  For the most part, the kit was decent.  There were a few details that I had to correct that accounted for the majority of the time I spent preparing the body.  The rear “trunk” panel had a ridge rather than a panel line.  I had to sand them flat and then scribe new lines.  The windshield trim was also very vague.  In the process of correcting the trim, I lost a little detail and decided to fill in the seam with filler and make my own panel lines.  It is not entirely accurate, but my work made it look like it was meant to be that way.

Other than the engine, the under-hood detail was non-existent.  To hide that fact, I painted everything black which allows the engine itself to be the highlight under the hood.

Beyond that, this kit also represents a few first for me.  I had only recently started using Tamiya spray paint.  This was the first time I used the spray can along with Tamiya clear.  I sprayed the clear with my air brush.  Sanding the clear was a bit of a challenge.  I let the clear set for over a month before I started sanding.  After a couple of weeks, the paint was still soft.  Once it fully hardened, it was difficult to sand.

The other first for me, was using black wash that I made using artists paint and thinner.  I’ve used black washes before, but not for accenting panel lines.  I was a bit reluctant at first, but once I understood how easy it was to clean up (mineral spirits will not strip the acrylic paint), I had no problems.  The results were subtle panel lines rather than the harsh lines that are created by using markers.  I was pleased.

Lastly, I used black ZING! embossing powder for interior carpet.

In the end, I was very pleased with this project.