NEW BUILDS: “Pantera Party” Round 4 – “Dragon Fuel”

And finally we come to the 4^th of the new Road Race Replicas Pantera GT5’s I’ll be adding to the numbered sports car fleet. I won’t say this is the last one I’ll be building, but it is the last one I’m adding to the fleet, at least, for now…heh heh 😉

For this one, I went with a lurid lime green offset with gold wheels, a combination which just screams late 60’s muscle car, appropriate since the GT5 is a schizophrenic car stuck between the ‘70s and the ‘80s and between Italian sports car and American muscle. As with “War Hammer,” I opted for the matte black boot decal, and again managed to cut two individual numbers out of a decal sheet to make another number that is not in use in the fleet up to this point, done in gold foil to complement the wheels. Initially I took the wing off but I then decided to put it back on, so for now it stays, but we’ll see what happens in the future. The whole package is finished off with Road Race Replica’s inimitable low profile silicone tires, resulting in a single shim at the rear and no material removed from any part of the body to get the chassis to fit perfectly. A new-school Auto World combo screw and metal guide pin finds the path.

I went way dark on the Lore for this car for no particular reason other than dark stories make for great Lore: this green mo-sheen is named “Dragon Fuel” and is brought to DCR by a driver who fans and judges alike are very wary of: to say that the half Irish, half German immigrant Balor Baddock has a checkered past is an understatement, and his disturbing nickname, “BARON BLOOD,” may be indicative of what is to come.

Baddock claims the name was inspired by the obscure early ‘70s Euro horror film directed by Mario Bava. It seems more likely, however, that this moniker was bestowed upon him by other drivers who know that his take-no-prisoners style of racing has led to more than a few injury-causing incidents on the track. Though his qualifying times were impressive and earned him a good start for the fall season, the judges are watching carefully to make sure no rules of sportsmanlike conduct are violated…while the fans are watching just as carefully to see if he lives up to that nickname! When the start flag comes down, let the bloodletting begin!