Post by ChrisV on Dec 3, 2023 9:55:48 GMT -5
Well, I guess I can't really complain about the dwindling activity on this board if I don't contribute actively myself, so here goes...
Have you ever seen a picture of a car you instantly knew you had to build a model of?
A while ago I was going through my stash of unbuilt models, trying to weed out just a few of the ones I'd probably never get around to actually building. Among the kits was an utterly uninispiring eighties' issue of the old AMT Trophy Series '57 Chevy Bel Air. You know: The boxart with the tan background and the model itself molded in a similarly unappealing color - Yuck!
Though I generally enjoy the old AMT kit despite it's shortcomings, I find this particular boxart downright depressing.
However, my plans to pass the kit on to another modeler quickly changed when I stumbled across this old picture at the HAMB:
I instinctly knew, that this was the project to bring me out of the year-long building slump.
Knowing that I tend to get completey carried away and eventually "beach" my projects trying to piece them together from parts sourced from as many different kits as possible, I decided to limit myself this time, and just to add to the personality of the model I decided to build it exclusively from tan styrene parts.
Upon close examination of the one picture of the actual car I have to go by, I realized that a very passable replica can be built using parts from just ONE donor kit. One which incidentally happens to be molded in the same hideous color:
Not wanting to waste a perfectly good set of wide Chrome Reverse steelies from the '57 Bel Air kit I sourced a set of wide rear steel wheels from a nineties' issue of AMT's 1932 Ford 5W Coupé (molded in tan of course...)
Since the last picture was taken, I've filled in the various sink marks and begun adressing the notorious mold alignment issue between the windshield/cowl area by cutting out the cowl and engine bay along the top seams of the fenders.
Have you ever seen a picture of a car you instantly knew you had to build a model of?
A while ago I was going through my stash of unbuilt models, trying to weed out just a few of the ones I'd probably never get around to actually building. Among the kits was an utterly uninispiring eighties' issue of the old AMT Trophy Series '57 Chevy Bel Air. You know: The boxart with the tan background and the model itself molded in a similarly unappealing color - Yuck!
Though I generally enjoy the old AMT kit despite it's shortcomings, I find this particular boxart downright depressing.
However, my plans to pass the kit on to another modeler quickly changed when I stumbled across this old picture at the HAMB:
I instinctly knew, that this was the project to bring me out of the year-long building slump.
Knowing that I tend to get completey carried away and eventually "beach" my projects trying to piece them together from parts sourced from as many different kits as possible, I decided to limit myself this time, and just to add to the personality of the model I decided to build it exclusively from tan styrene parts.
Upon close examination of the one picture of the actual car I have to go by, I realized that a very passable replica can be built using parts from just ONE donor kit. One which incidentally happens to be molded in the same hideous color:
Not wanting to waste a perfectly good set of wide Chrome Reverse steelies from the '57 Bel Air kit I sourced a set of wide rear steel wheels from a nineties' issue of AMT's 1932 Ford 5W Coupé (molded in tan of course...)
Since the last picture was taken, I've filled in the various sink marks and begun adressing the notorious mold alignment issue between the windshield/cowl area by cutting out the cowl and engine bay along the top seams of the fenders.
