Dom Toretto's Dodge Charger Gets Restored as a Scale Model Muscle Car

Wouldn't it be nice if we could grab the keys, take it to Chip Foose, fix it up better than new and surprise him a couple of weeks later? It's ok, Dom, you don't have to hold back the tears!

Unfortunately, fixing a Dodge Charger of that vintage probably costs new Corvette money, and all we can afford is a scale model. But there's a YouTube artist by the name of Good Restore who specializes in restoring destroyed scale replicas of movie cars... you know, for the feels.

We think the real craftsmanship here is in making the model appear destroyed. It's not like hitting it against a wall or setting it on fire will result in a realistic wreck. We think the distressed look is achieved through dry-brushing, were you use a sponge or a brush with only a little paint on it, plus some work with the airbrush.

As with a real build, the first step is the teardown. The doors come off, giving access to the interior. It looks like some rats have nested in there, and after a good cleaning, the "Furious" Dodge Charger is starting to look a little better. Paint stripper is applied to the body, which fortunately is a metal casting on this model; if it were plastic, the stripper would melt it.

The builder scuffs it up with sandpaper to ensure the primer has something to stick to. A few coats of that, and she's ready to satin black paint. The interior also gets an upgrade, as we see a kind of powder being glued onto the floors to mimic real carpets.

It's the details that make a good scale model, like getting the chrome to shine or having the intricate parts for the mesh grille. All in all, this should make Dom pretty happy.