Here we are at Chapter 3 of the Matchbox Ford GT's DLM dilemma.
Chapter 1 - The model coming my way for DT, and me chickening out after telling him I would open it at the Gathering.
Chapter 2 - It finally arriving in the UK, and DT asking fellow collectors whether he should destroy the one-of-a-kind packaging or preserve it. Here many are exposed to DT's commitment to DLMing, no matter what the model.
And now, Chapter 3 - Doing the deed:
(Chapter 4 is coming, and DT decides where the packaging will go. Stay tuned...)
So, here we are with the dilemma of how to open the Ford GT.
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Well last week I asked the question, how am I going to open this model? Well you answered and it was pretty obvious that people were mainly looking for the more careful type of opening. I know there were some who, much like me, really wanted to just tear it apart and destroy the package. I know I do this most of the time, but this time I was going to go with the majority. And the majority clearly wanted the package to stay around.
Now there was a lot of talk of using various types of lubricants in the opening procedure. But this is me we are talking about. A pair of scissors is as good as I am going to get. That’s your lot! So to start with I gently pry the scissors into the top left corner of the blister, and start to wiggle.
I have to admit, the blister, being preproduction, is likely not sealed as well as a regular production blister is. It does start to pull away rather easily.
So I keep wiggling the scissors across the top edge of the blister and surely enough, the blister is coming apart from the card without any real damage. Okay okay, I did catch the scissor on the picture just above where the 73 roundel is on the hood of the car. There is a white scratch mark in the card. I am not the best at these. Give me a break, this is my first time (careful opening that is).
So a little wiggle down both sides just a little bit, and it is enough to allow the car to slip out the gap. Luckily it is a Ford GT, so is not a tall model. A rattle to pop it on to the side, and it pretty much just slips out the gap.
And there you have it, one preproduction model released carefully(ish) from its packaging.
And for all you people who thought I would just rip the thing apart regardless, here is the blisterpack post-opening. Amazingly, the glue that was used was sticky enough that I could actually pretty much stick it back into place. A very close look will show up a few marks and lines in the sticky section, but for the most part, this is almost as it was with the model inside.
It can be done, but I have to admit, it is not something I think I could do too often. It took about 10 minutes of careful wiggling with those scissors to pull apart about half the blister from the card. I am not going to be doing that very often.
So now I finally have the model loose.
And here is the first photo of the classic Ford GT in preproduction silvery blue with white stripes and 73 roundel. Eight years it took to get this shot, and to me, it was totally worth the wait. This model is a beauty!
I have to admit that this is one of the best liveries I have seen on this model. I truly believe that they should have actually released it like this (maybe with different wheels though).
Now being a prepro model, the rear wheels are a little loose in the back. They wobble around a little. But hey, that is not a big deal to me. It still looks good.
And something that would never have been known had the model never been taken out, the base is unmarked. It does not have any details written into it. This model is an early example of the casting. The front rivet does look like it is loose (or unrivetted), but I gave the model a pull and the base does not detach so something is holding it together there.
So now I am happy. I have my loose model and after 8 long years, I can finally scratch it off my wants list. All that is left now is to work out where to send the remains. The package is of no interest to me. I don’t want it, and have no interest in it whatsoever. So I will start another little competition to see where it goes. Expect that to be up shortly.
