MATCHBOX Superfast restoration: 8F Wildcat Dragster & 62D Rat Rod Dragster

Hello and welcome to DieCastRestos with me,  Jason. I have another duo of Matchbox castings up for restoration this week in the form of the  62D Rat Rod Dragster and the 8F Wildcat Dragster. Both models have interesting pasts and quirks  about them which I'll dive into shortly. Neither model is in a particularly bad state,  just pretty play worn. The Rat Rod has lost its towing hook which I'm really not fussed about,  especially as it looks like a clean break. Each of these brightly coloured mod

els will  allow me to test a couple of new paint colours out so I'm excited for that. I've picked up  some reproduction waterslide decals for each which match the remnants of what is left on  the sides. The Wildcat Dragster arrived in the Superfast series in 1970 and left in  1975, replaced by the De Tomaso Pantera. The Rat Rod also arrived in 1970 and was succeeded  by the Renault 17TL in 1974. Here's how both castings looked when new and I'll be aiming  to closely match these original colours

today. So here is a real 1965 Mustang Fastback-based  dragster that I found a photo of online. And funnily enough, here is a 'Wild  Cat' 1967 Mercury Cougar dragster. It's often been noted by collectors that the  Wildcat name on the Mustang rather than the Cougar was a huge missed opportunity. I'll  start with the history of the Mustang model as the original tooling first entered  the Matchbox line earliest in 1966. I've only very recently completed a restoration  and custom video on three Musta

ng models so head on over to that video to get the full  background on the model and the real Mustang. The 8E Mustang was converted to Lesney's  new low friction wheeled Superfast lineup in 1970 resulting in models having  their steering system removed. Base plates were modified to accept the new  larger wheel varieties. These lasted until 1970. The tooling was again modified to transform  the Mustang into the Wildcat Dragster. The hood was modified to fit a  large V8 engine poking through it. T

he casting lines for the doors were smoothed over  to allow the Wildcat decals to be affixed easily. And the base plate was again modified to fit  the larger rear wheels. This is why the base actually reads Wildcat Dragster instead of Ford  Mustang. Early issues were painted bright pink and had the square black Wildcat silhouette  labels on an orange background fitted. Larger volume production saw the colour  change to Day-Glo orange over pink primer. Like my example the colour on both models  r

eadily faded by exposure to light or chemicals. The Wildcat labels were modified in 1971 or 1972  to an orange cougar on a yellow background with a black surround. Black base plates were standard  for the model but don't be surprised to find them in whatever colours were going on the factory  floor! These include but were not limited to metallic green, yellow, gloss green, and orange.  Sometimes they would even be painted with a mixture of colours. Anyway let's now strip  the remnants of paint f

rom these castings. I restored a 62C a long, long time ago. It's  probably my favourite 1-75 era casting. When I get hold of another I'd certainly love to revisit  it. But for now the Rat Rod will do nicely. The 62C arrived in 1968 replacing the TV Service  Van. It was quite a late addition to the regular wheels era of Matchbox. The very early cream  painted run are extremely rare and valuable as the colour was quickly replaced by metallic  lime green. It carried over all of its features to the

Superfast line in late 1969, except for  its Autosteer system. It lasted for only one year before the modifications were made to the  tooling to turn it into the 62D Rat Rod Dragster. Again the bonnet was modified to allow for the  large V8 to expose itself. The opening doors were sealed shut and the sides smoothed to allow for  the Rat Rod decals. The base plate was modified to fit the new wheels but not so much so that it  warranted a change in name. It still carried the Mercury Cougar name on

the base unlike the 8F.  First run models were painted in Day-Glo yellow clear coat over white primer. This later became  a lime colour. Like the Wildcat, this casting was prone to paint fade. Unlike the Wildcat, its  decals remain the same throughout production. It also kept the original transparency where the  Wildcat's were coloured in translucent green. The bases were mostly plated metal except  for a short late run of silver painted ones. Neither model received any additional  trim. The Mu

stang lost its trim detailing on conversion to the Superfast line while  the cougar never had any to begin with. The plated base that provides the  grille detailing proved to be enough. I'll be true to form and stick to factory  spec on these two, though the Mustangs beautifully cast body cuts through well  enough without the need to highlight it. Now on goes the first of my two new paint  acquisitions. I'm relying on Tamiya's polycarbonate line to do the job for me today. I'm  really happy with

the shade of this Fluorescent Pink straight from the can. Being polycarbonate  I'm aware that this will dry flatter with a matte finish and certainly won't look this glossy.  Fluro yellow is the choice for the Rat Rod. I think this is an even better  shade and match than the pink. And the base of the Wildcat will be returned to  its original Gloss Black. Nothing fruity here. With all of the parts needing paint receiving  their first coat, I turn my attention to washing up the plastic parts. Als

o included was the base  of the Rat Rod for a quick rinse before polishing. While I do that I'll leave  you in peace for a moment. Next each of the now clean  transparencies are polished with Polywatch scratch remover to buff out  those small imperfections in the plastic. They are then dunked in Astonish wood  floor polish to restore their shine. Each of the axles have any surface rust  removed using this grinding stone attachment. I then again use my rotary tool  with a polishing wheel attachme

nt to polish up the plated metal base  which has been coated with Autosol. Any leftover polish is removed  with the clean buffing pad. Just look how much more shiny and reflective that  base plate is now, in particular that grille. Here you can see quite how matte that  polycarbonate spray paint looks when dry. If I were to apply decals to a polycarbonate  painted model again, I would clear coat twice; once before decal application and once after.  This is because the rougher finish is claggy, c

ausing the decal not to adhere quite as easily  or effectively as on a glossy finish. It didn't in this case but I was fearful it might give the  decals a rough finish. As ever I'll leave links to the decal source in the video description. Both  sets were very accurate high quality reproductions Here's a closer look at them as I top  them with some Mr Mark Softer Solution. Each engine has been pretty significantly scuffed  revealing the colour of the plastic beneath. Handily the Rat Rod's was gr

een plastic and  the Wildcat's orange, so they were colour-coded despite being identical and could be returned to  the original owner. Molotow chrome paint pens were used to return them back to how they originally  looked. After all eight wheels are washed in Citadel Gloss Nuln Oil, each cast body receives  the clear coat that they were crying out for. The wheel foils are treated with  Molotow chrome too before the already chrome coated engines can  be reacquainted with the castings. So let's pu

t the Rat Rod back together  first. With the engine already in situ, the transparency follows. This isn't  riveted in unlike the regular wheels model. The interior piece follows hooking over the  rivet post where the tow hook should be. And lastly the base connects at the front using the  grille and is secured at the rear rivet post. It's much the same for the Wildcat Dragster. There's a notch in the roof to prevent the  transparency from sliding around, while the interior piece also connects to

the casting  using the rear rivet post and present tow hook. The base is secured with a screw  at each front and rear rivet post. This is how my pair of Dragsters looked earlier.  Both were in a pretty play worn state with no real casualties, aside from the missing tow hook - boo  hoo! However they looked ripe for restoration with those scratched and faded paint jobs. These two  were some of my favourite early Superfast efforts. They were outlandish enough to stand out  before Lesney took it to

o far with some truly awful fantasy models. So let's see how  these Dragsters look now. I'm really pleased with the paint match on the Cougar. Tamiya's  fluoro yellow is very similar to the original Lesney shade. It's looking a lot healthier  with a polished windscreen and re-chromed V8. The pink is a bit more vibrant than the original  Wildcat Dragster but that is the drawback of using rattle cans sadly. Still it's an awesome  bright and fun colour. Each set of decals look very nice and crisp,

and are exact copies of the  initial designs. And that Rat Rod grille looks as good as ever after a polish, one of the best  parts of the Cougar casting. At the outro I show off each model next to their genesis castings;  the 8D Mustang and the 62C Cougar respectively. Make sure you stick around for that and do vote  in the comments for your favourite. Is it the Wildcat Mustang or is it the Rat Rod Cougar?  Don't forget to like and subscribe, but all that leaves me to say is thanks for watching

and  I'll see you again for the next one. Bye for now!