Mike Vitale of
MEV Originals has been making cars for over a decade now. There are 2 reasons I think you should check his work out. First, his site is so cool. Second, he makes the the most unique cars around, that no one else ever thinks of making. Take a little time to look at this site if you haven't already. Go back and look again if its been a while. Mike's imagination is working overtime in the last several years.
Mike has come up with another very special car. The 1963 Mercury Marauder. The car is special in it's own right in the 1:1 version. It was never a popular muscle car (sales numbers), but it was "muscled". The car, in it's original incarnation, debuted in 1963 1/2. The "half" was used to describe cars that came out mid-way through the year, with that special roofline many of the manufacturers were using. It almost resembled a convertible look. GM started it in 62. It made the cars look quite glamorous
The car was produced in 3 separate "eras", right up through 2004, but it was the 63-65 models that were the most special. You could get a 427 in these beauties, but the standard engine was the 390.
Mike's work on this car is pretty well detailed. He captures the rear end perfectly. Hood and trunk is accurate, Side lines contain the aluminum trim strips, and rear fender emblems precisely. The roofline has all of the angles. Fog lights are there in the front bumper. Even the door handles are visible.
OK, here are my nits to pick. Though accurately detailed, the front grill has two minor flaws. It could be just a shade deeper, and the top line is arched, instead of straight. In the rear I would have liked to have seen the gas door detailed in.
For you people that appreciate cars of this era, the Marauder is one of the special period Muscle Cars, and Mike captures it beautifully, as only he can, and only he does. If you yearn for those rare reproductions, and you are tired of 57 Nomads, and Willys coups, look at the stable MEV Originals offers. We are lucky to have his artistry, and choices available to us. He brings a special style to this hobby.
In His Own Words
The "DNA"of the car is from the 63 Ford. I removed the seats and attached a slightly widened roof. After re-sculpting and enhancing the body using squadron putty . I made a copy of it in resin. This now enables me to keep sculpting and polish the final piece. The bumpers are a combination of shrunken grill parts from a 1/43 model and homemade parts. They are all assembled and painstakingly made to fit in place.
Mike Vitale, MEV Originals
