Fast Friday: End of an Era

This isn’t a record for the longest it ever took me to finish a model, but it was a long time. More than two years. I have GOT to pick up the pace!

Earlier this week I finally finished this, A.J. Foyt’s 1964 Indianapolis 500 winning Watson roadster. The basis is the venerable AMT Watson roadster kit. After that, a lot was added and done:

• Lance Sellers’ 1964 Watson conversion set. This supplied the nose, and the main part of the body around the cockpit and the rear, as well as the wheels and tires.
• Indycals decals. Both the main livery and all those dzus fasteners you see. Highly recommended.
• Cockpit rebuild: the black and white checker pattern on the seat is a decal, the seatbelts feature photo etch buckles. I also redid the instrument panel with photoetch gauge bezels.
• Paint I think is Testors pearl white with Tamiya Italian Red.

The 1964 500 was one of mixed emotions. It featured many accidents, including the horrific Sachs-MacDonald crash in the early stages. In the end, the day belonged to Foyt. It was a bittersweet win, though, and marked the end of an era: it was the last time a front-engine car would win the 500.