Ok guys had some time so I went ahead with this build tonight. It is no secret I love American cars from the 80’s. These are the cars I grew up with. One of my all time favorites is the Buick Grand National. Though a pretty popular car they are hard to find in diecast. There were several made over the years, Johnny Lightning, this one by Ertl which is actually the old Racing Champions mold, etc. and of course there is the multiple Hot Wheels versions but I wanted something a little bit more detailed.
I was able to source the below kit form a retailer online. Looked like it would fit the bill however my absolute favorite Grand National is the “GNX” version. Hot off of doing my GreenLight Pontiac GTA semi custom I thought maybe I could get those wheels and tires to work with the Grand National since they were pretty much the same type found on many Grand Nationals or Grand National GNX tributes. So I ordered the Black Bandit 87 Pontiac GTA off of ebay.
Guys I can tell you this 1:64 scale car is not cheap to do. Kind of embarrassed but all told there is approx. $25.00 - $30.00 or so tied up in this piece, so I have to make it work, lol.
Let’s begin.
Wheel donor:
Ertl Grand National Kit:
GreenLight’s excellent quality control. See guys every one of these Pontiacs is like this!
Pretty detailed interior for a 1:64 scale car
Let the drilling begin.
Rant on: Ugg come on GreenLight really? Center cap non-existent and hole drilled off center. Guys I know I am being harsh here and I am the first one to support GreenLight, they are one of my favorite diecast manufacturers, but the quality control has been sub par here a bit lately in my opinion.
Rant done, let’s get back to the build ;-)
Test fit. I might just be able to pull this off! Stock rim and tire for comparison. They are not really that bad and with a little detail they would look fine as well.
I like it when a plan comes together!
Very realistic paint on this model, just like the wonderful GM paint jobs all the cars in the 80’s had, lol. Little bit of wax should make it a bit better. I like using this wax on my diecast cars.
End results:
Very fun project and all in all I am pretty happy with it! I have to do a little work on the hood, will probably glue it down to get it to shut all they way, and the mirrors are a nice detail but a bit big. Other than that I would say my mission was accomplished.
Thanks for stopping by and checking it out!
David.