Gunze Sangyo 1/32 1963 Thunderbird

The third generation Thunderbird was produced by Ford for the 1961 to 1963 model years. It featured new and much sleeker styling (done by Bill Boyer) than the second generation models. Sales were strong, if not quite up to record-breaking 1960, at 73,051 including 10,516 convertibles. A new, larger 390 cu in (6.4 L) FE-series V8 was the only engine available (in 1961). The Thunderbird was 1961's Indianapolis 500 pace car, and featured prominently in US President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade, probably aided by the appointment of Ford executive Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense.

I bought several similar kits at a recent show and as luck would have it, this one was the only one that still had tires and metal parts. For some reason, those seem to disappear from these kits.

Anyway, this is pretty simple kit. It is designed to be motorized so there isn't a lot of chassis detail. The body is molded in a light blue with a nicely done chrome sprue and the rest of the sprues in white. A metal axle holds the front wheels in place and there are stub axles for the rear due to the battery box being in the rear. This kit is not the motorized version so that construction step can be skipped.

The interior already has the front seats molded in place. The side panels, rear seats, and instrument panel with steering column/wheel are pretty much it. The body is a single piece and molded as a convertible. There is a separate roof if you want to build the hard top.

The front grille and rear section that include the bumpers are each a single piece. Windscreen, rear window, and tail light lenses are all on the clear sprue. There is a tonneau cover to cover the rear seats if one wants and the kit also includes rear fender skirts as an option.

Instructions are a single folded sheet with six construction steps. On the other side of the sheet are color photos of several build ups to provide inspiration. Most of us will look on the 'net to find an appropriate scheme, but there was no Internet when this kit was released.

As with many of the 1/32 car kits I purchase, there was an idea that it might be feasible to convert this one into a slot car. Certainly that is all I can really do for those missing tires and axles. However, since this one is actually complete, I may just build it as is and see how that works out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thunderbird_(third_generation)

August 2024