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“Continue building your Ecto-1 by adding the chrome-effect headlights and grille section. You will also fit the anti-collision strobe lights.”

Buckle up, this is going to be a long one!

Contents

Parts

Materials: Everything in this stage is plastic.

Magazine – Issue 2

• Model Instructions
• Ivan Reitman Interview
• Ecto-101: Classic Comedy Influence

Build

Headlights & Grille

Step 01

Fit the Front Grille Strip to the center of the Front Grille, as shown:

Secure these together from behind with three (3) black AP screws:

Step 02

Fit the Left Grille Strip to the left end of the Front Grille, aligning the holes as shown.

The two Grille Strips are marked ‘L’ and ‘R’ for the left and right sides:

Secure these together from above with one (1) black AP screw:

Secure the rear section  of this Left Grille Strip to the Front Grille with two (2) more black AP screws:

Repeat this process on the other end of the Front Grille using the Right Grille Strip and three (3) black AP screws:

This is what we should have so far:

Next, attach the Left Side Grille to the Left Grille Strip with two (2) silver BP screws.

These parts may look identical…

…but if you look closely at these parts, they are indeed marked with a tiny ‘L’ and ‘R’:

You may need three hands for this, but try to align these to the holes to have the grille mesh to wrap around the front:

Finally, on the right side, attach the Right Side Grille to the Right Grille Strip with two (2) silver BP screws:

Step 03

Press one of the Anti-Collision Strobe Light Bulbs up through the Anti-Collision Strobe Light Frame (Left).

These frames are marked with ‘L’ and ‘R’ so you can tell which side is which:

Do you get the feeling that these Anti-Collision Strobe Light Bulbs should have been LEDs? I do. These strobes should light up! See my Mod Zone at the bottom of this page for details on lighting them up:

Press one of the Anti-Collision Strobe Light Lenses over top of the Anti-Collision Strobe Light Frame (Left):

Attach the Anti-Collision Strobe Light Frame (Left) assembly to the matching two holes on the left side of the Front Grille Strip using two (2) silver BP screws:

Repeat this process using the Anti-Collision Strobe Light Frame (Right) along with the remaining Anti-Collision Strobe Light Bulb and Anti-Collision Strobe Light Lens. Secure it to the right side of the Front Grille Strip in the same way with two (2) silver BP screws:

Our strobes should look like this:

Step 04

Starting with all of the left headlight parts, fit the Left Headlight Gasket to the Left Headlight Rim, aligning the pins.

It may help to lay the ‘left’ side parts out in this order:

Then, you can see how this works. The parts stack on top of each other over the two alignment pins:

Push the Left Headlight Lens onto the same pins of the Left Headlight Rim as shown. Make sure it is the correct way up.

Correct way up means the open end of the Headlights should be facing up towards you:

Push the Left Headlight Reflector onto the same pins of the Left Headlight Rim as shown:

Fit this entire assembly into the Left Headlight Base.

These Bases are marked with ‘L’ and ‘R’, so use the left one here:

The headlight assembly should be fit to the front of the base:

From behind, secure all of these parts together through the bottom hole with one (1) black CP screw:

Finally, secure the top holes with two (2) black AP screws:

Repeat these steps to assembly the Right Headlight assembly in the same way:

Step 05

Fit the posts of the Left Headlight assembly to these holes of the Left Grille Strip.

The two posts of the headlight will match the two holes in the strip:

Secure from below with two (2) black BM screws.

This is your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:

Repeat this step on the right side with the Right Headlight assembly and two (2) more black BM screws:

That completes this stage, but hey, I found a home for that Ghostbusters sticker (from the previous stage) on my screw box:

If you would like your anti-collision strobes to actually work, check out my Strobes Mod page!

Thoughts

The size of this bumper gives us an idea of just how huge this model will be. I am bummed that these strobe lights are not designed to be lit up. They should be, even on the restored Ecto-1. Thankfully, there is already a mod for it!

Next Up

Stage 3 – Front Bumper, Fog Light Casings/Frames/Lenses