1/25 Revell Mustang Mach 1: Diamonds Are Forever
I'm not a car guy, and you can count the number of car models I have built on one hand. But I am a fan of James Bond, especially the early, Sean Connery films. I am old enough that I read all of the Ian Fleming books long before the movies ever came out. When I saw this model advertised, based on the car in Diamonds Are Forever, I thought it would be really cool to build the model and 3D print a James Bond figure to go with it.
First, a little background on the movie. Diamonds Are Forever, starring Sean Connery as James Bond (007), was released in 1971. It is based on the Ian Fleming novel (same title) that was published in 1956. The "Bond-girl" in this movie was Jill St. John, playing Tiffany Case. One of the really cool parts of the movie was a car chase between police and James Bond, driving a red 1971 Mustang Mach 1. The chase was through the streets of downtown Las Vegas, which was really fun to watch.
The model of the 1971 Mustang Mach 1, was originally released in 2023, and was re-released in 2024 as the Bond car with new parts and decals. One of the things I have hated in the past about car models is the chrome parts, which tend to lose their detail under a layer of chrome, and really don't look realistic. This kit has very few chrome parts, and those that are there are well-molded with only a thing chrome layer. The kit was really fun to build.
I wanted to try the new Cobra auto paints from Ammo on this kit. I never could quite get the red paint to work well for me on some practice pieces, so I switched to Tamiya paints. I used Tamiya Dark Mica Red from a spray can for the red color, and then finished it with a few layers of Tamiya Clear Gloss. The decals worked perfectly with Tamiya MarkFit Strong after first trimming away the clear carrier film. I used a chrome paint pen to paint the chrome trim on the car. The build went well until the very end. The car was 97% done when I laid it upside down on the instructions. I didn't realize that there was a drop of glue hiding there, and of course, the top went directly on the glue. When I finally lifted the car, it was glued to the instructions. I figured the car was a total loss, but decided to try and rescue it. I sanded the top, masked it off, repainted it with red, and then sealed it with gloss. I let it dry for 24 hours, then used real car wax on the finish.
The Bond figure was printed from a file I found online for just a couple of dollars. It is Sean Connery in one of the classic 007 poses. I haven't really done figures before, so this is about as good as it gets. If you squint when you look at the figure it sort of looks like Sean Connery.
Thanks for stopping in. This was a fun build, but it is time to build something with wings. Thanks to everyone who followed the build with encouragement and suggestions.
Beautiful build and great save on the finish, George. Hard to believe you don't have much experience with cars. The mirror finish looks perfect to me, as does the colour (having also seen the movie).
Thanks, Colin (@coling). We can chock this one up to beginner's luck. I really need to get more practice painting figures.
Looks great, George, enjoyed your WIP as well, Miss Moneypenny would be very pleased.
Thanks, George (@chinesegeorge). Thanks for following along. Tell Moneypenny we can go for a spin later.
Excellent job and really great result, George! Excellent save on the mishap! 007 himself looks great, too and your build thread was, as always a joy to follow!
Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten). Thanks for the encouragement as I muddled through this model.
George
You have done an incredible job with your Mustang. It looks amazing and is so hard to believe that you are not a car builder. To me it looks like you have been building cars for years.
Outstanding job here my friend !
It was a pleasure to follow along with your build journal. It was very informative and inspiring. I learned some things about painting, but I’m sorry that you had such a difficult time with dust specs and the hood disaster. Even though you had some set backs, what sets your build apart from others is how you persevered and carried on to eventual victory.
I’m definitely going to be clicking on several of the various “like” buttons.
Bond is so cool. Great choice for a build.
There are some really cool car movies that have excellent chase scenes.
Bullet with Steve McQueen
Vanishing point with the white 70 Challenger RT
Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry with the Lime Green Charger, and this one you built the Mustang for. There’s another one that has a Mini Cooper in it that is driving up and down stairs but I’m not quite sure of the name. Maybe it’s the Italian Job ? I’m not sure but it’s another good one that has some excellent chase scenes as well.
We can’t forget about Inspector Callahan in Dirty Harry. There were some good ones in the various Dirty Harry movies too.
Thanks for the kind words, Louis (@lgardner), and thanks for following the build. Lots of cool 007 cars available as plastic models, and many more as diecast. The car you may be thinking about was from You Eyes Only and was a Citroen.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
What a wonderful result, George @gblair
Glad that there is nothing visible anymore of this mishap.
Mister JB himself looks very realistic, great paintwork.
Thanks for following the build, John (@johnb). I appreciate the suggestions and encouragement. I classify it as a miracle that repainting the roof actually worked.
George (@gblair),
I managed to do the same thing with your Mustang. Got a blob of glue on the landing gear cover for my F-104. Chewed out the project manager royally. However, reading your blog and knowing stuff happens the Sky didn't fall and this wasn't the end. Enjoyed reading your journey in making this kit. For some of us, this build of yours represents pop culture that we all experienced on the silver screen. Muscle cars, fast women, sin city ( that never sleeps), the constant element of danger, the lone wolf who makes it by the skin of his teeth.
Diamonds are Forever, the theme song, sung by Dame Shirley Bassey is a classic, the movie wouldn't be the same with out. Your, build represents all of the after mentioned comments. Your blog was entertaining and I know the frustrations of all of your road blocks. "They're by the grace of God go I." A lot of modeling is about the journey and the process and that natural high of being able to write I made this. Congratulations,on doing a fun build.
That is exactly why I decided to break my long string of airplane models and build this car, Stephen (@stephen-w-towle). I had already read all of the Ian Fleming novels before the movies came out, which were pretty racy reading for a young teenager. By the time the first movies came out, I was dating, and who knows where Bonds movies might lead (at least in my head). Lots of nostalgia here for me, and I am glad you found the same. Thanks for following along with the build.
That's a beauty, George @gblair!
Your paintwork looks fantastic, great save, my friend! 
Thanks, Gary (@garybrantley). After all the work making this shiny, I had to resist the temptation to commit bodily harm to the model when I messed up the top. Then I reminded myself it wasn't the car's fault that I stupidly set it down in a drop of glue. So, I calmed down and tried the repair. I didn't really think it would work, so it was a real surprise and a good lesson for me.
Well, not my favourite Mustang model (meaning the real car) but you did a sweet job! I like the finish and the Bond figure.
I agree, Reinhard (@grimreaper). I always liked the fastback version from the mid-60s, and the dark green Mustang that Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt. But you throw in the extra cool factor of 007 and this model becomes fun to do. Thanks for stopping by.
Nice Mustang, George!
Thanks, John (@j-healy). It was a fun build, but time for a plane or two.
Well done, George.
Thanks, Gary (@gwskat).