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'50 Olds Rocket 88 Diecast Repaint-Rebuild Finished!


John Goschke

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Ertl 1/25 scale die-cast "collectible," originally in Federated Auto Parts markings; if you want one this one doesn't have a coin slot!

Lowered, with wheels & tires ( and steering wheel) from a cheapo Chinese diecast '55 Super 88 convertible. Paint is Tamiya Racing White over Duplicolor Honda Hempstead Green Metallic. Interior is a dark metallic blue-green by Duplicolor, with mixed Testors enamel on the upper seat bolster and door panels. Custom-made 1960 PA vanity plates cover the Federated logos on the license plate holders.

I'm thinking maybe it needs some nice long lake pipes.

Hope y'all like it!

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love it wHERE DID YA GET IT?

Thanks, Tom. I got mine for $20 from a gentlemen who sells kits at our model club. However I just did a quick search on ebay for "Ertl '50 Olds" and there's apparently a whole series of them without coin slots in NFL team markings selling in the $30 range. HTH

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never thought i would say this about a diecast.......but it DOES look nice! would you mind taking a photo of it next to a plastic 1/25th car? i am curious to how close they are , i have never seen a 1/25 diecast before. usually they are way off. this might make me go get one haha!

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:rolleyes: Bob, that rascal is dead on 25th scale! I used parts from the 51 Chevy to do some work on it an everything fit perfectly! I THINK AMT was using this model when they were talkin about releasing it in plastic, a few years back.Too bad they didn't cuz I think it woulda sold well to us older guys. John's is just too nice! :lol:
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never thought i would say this about a diecast.......but it DOES look nice! would you mind taking a photo of it next to a plastic 1/25th car? i am curious to how close they are , i have never seen a 1/25 diecast before. usually they are way off. this might make me go get one haha!

Thanks Bob! George is right, and from what I can tell this sucker is a true 1/25 and captures the subtleties of the '49-'52 Chevy-Olds-Pontiac roofline WAY better than the AMT Chevy Fleetline kit! As I understand it, this diecast was developed from work done by Ertl for a proposed 1/25 kit. Believe me, nobody's more biased than me against diecasts and their scale problems and clunky working features, but as soon as I saw one of these I wanted it.

Granted, it does have a radically simplified interior and those kinda toy-like chrome-plated plastic moldings that fit in non-prototypical channels in the body, but you gotta love a simple model with an accurate outline of a subject you don't see everyday! When I get a chance I'll take a pic with a kit-based model for you, but meanwhile you can rest assured one of these is worth the effort.

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Great job on improving the Olds diecast. If you didn't mention it, I never would have thought that it was a diecast. It's unfortunate that AMT didn't go ahead with the Olds kit. I am not a fan of diecasts but I had to go diecast when I wanted to build a replica of my grandfather's 1950 GMC stake truck as I couldn't find any resin conversion kits for the AMT 1950 Chevy pickup kit. I found a diecast on ebay and unforturnately it looks more like a toy that a scale model. I plan on improving it and hopefully it will look as nice as your Olds diecast.

carrucha

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Great job on improving the Olds diecast. If you didn't mention it, I never would have thought that it was a diecast. It's unfortunate that AMT didn't go ahead with the Olds kit. I am not a fan of diecasts but I had to go diecast when I wanted to build a replica of my grandfather's 1950 GMC stake truck as I couldn't find any resin conversion kits for the AMT 1950 Chevy pickup kit. I found a diecast on ebay and unforturnately it looks more like a toy that a scale model. I plan on improving it and hopefully it will look as nice as your Olds diecast.

carrucha

finished auction but ebay #270251007131 Says:

This resin cast kit will convert the AMT 50 Chevy PU kit to a GMC. The kit includes the hood, grill, grill surround, park lights, front splash pan, tail gate and hubcaps. The finished truck is shown for reference purposes only and is not included in the auction. If you have any questions please e-mail me at scarpenter396@comcast.net. Buyer to pay $6.00 shipping plus insurance if desired. Master and castings by Shawn Carpenter.

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John, that is so sharp and clean, I wouldn't have known it was a diecast if you hadn't said so! :)

Yes, that would make an excellent kit! Offered as a custom, hardtop and even a convertible! You gotta have a pair of fender skirts thrown in a maybe a windshield visor. :P

Wonder how hard it would be to do a 88 Holiday hardtop based on the '51 Chevy?

Yeah, AMT missed the boat IMO by not kitting this one!

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Yeah, AMT missed the boat IMO by not kitting this one!

Amen, brother Bill, Amen!

Since they did announce the kit officially, I wonder if they were using the diecast's data as well. Hopefully, the new powers that be at AMT will resurrect this - and the bullet nose Studie too.

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finished auction but ebay #270251007131 Says:

This resin cast kit will convert the AMT 50 Chevy PU kit to a GMC. The kit includes the hood, grill, grill surround, park lights, front splash pan, tail gate and hubcaps. The finished truck is shown for reference purposes only and is not included in the auction. If you have any questions please e-mail me at scarpenter396@comcast.net. Buyer to pay $6.00 shipping plus insurance if desired. Master and castings by Shawn Carpenter.

Thanks for the info rollinoldskoo. I will look out for another resin kit.

carrucha

Edited by carrucha
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