FenderMender

An older 1/24 scale Maisto 1965 Chevrolet Malibu SS that was taken from storage to see what upgrades it might need. Realized that the only thing it needed was a painted engine on the chassis underside. Carpet was added previously to the trunk and other minor detailing had been done. Really like the interior with the dash mounted tach, the floor mats, the heavy duty gear shifter and the beefy rear slicks!

This 1/24 scale diecast 1966 Dodge Charger by Classic Metal Works (2001) was bought in kit form about two decades ago. I recently got it out of storage to see what modifications I might do to it, if need be. During my inspection what really struck me as curious are two things: 1) did Classic Metal Works produce this mold themselves or was the mold from another company, such as Ertl Authentics? 2) but the most perplexing and amusing as well is what was embossed on the chassis: "DaimlerChtyslel Corp". Was the misspelling of Chrysler on purpose for licensing avoidance or just Chinese ignorance of spelling or a mis-translation of verbal communication from the producer? Whatever the case it is weird. The model is quite substantial and detailed. However, I do remember, when building it, that to get the front wheels to move the steering wheel, that proved to be impractical by way of design, so the front wheels are non-poseable. I left everything as is on the car to date. It is a cool rendition of an early Hemi Charger.

Four 1/25 scale Maisto 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup trucks. The two red ones, one stock and the other with white walls, are older versions with movable front wheels; whereas the current newer orange version has straight metal axles and was lowered as much as humanly possible (all wheels roll with nothing scraping the ground). The yellow lifted version is older, too, with straight metal axles also. Lowering the orange version took a great amount of effort and force to achieve and I would not want to repeat the process. It was a royal pia to do and a strong grown adult would have the same experience as the wheels are pressed on AND super glued to the metal axles. Severing the axles in two wasn't a viable option as one would still have to remove the axles from the wheels and come up with replacement axles to boot. Plus the chassis would be in danger of damage as well when cutting the axles in twos. The procedure might warrant a tutorial in the future for those thinking about doing this. Thanks for looking and reading the rant. LOL

Thanks. I'll try this. Will let you know how it works with the Chevy 3100 wheels. SEE my newest post "1/25 scale Maisto 1950 Chevrolet 3100s- tall, medium, stock and low"

February 2024 Hello Richard, I'm in the same boat as you, but with a new 1/24 Maisto Chevrolet 3100 pickup that I want to lower radically, but, like you, one wheel on one axle turns easily but won't move outward any. I have considered the heat method but the soldering iron would be awfully close to the chassis and would probably distort it . Looking for any alternative other than hacking the axles in two. Thanks for any tips.

2020 Corvette Stingray by Maisto in 1/24 scale just out of the shop. The interior was fully carpeted. The frunk lid and the rear engine "hood" were freed from their rivets and were detailed accordingly. The frunk compartment was scratch-built and carpeted. Ironically, the last two components to be installed, the rear taillights, were extremely difficult to seat properly and took an inordinate amount of time and physical pressure (psi) to get them in properly. The last two photos show the frunk and engine "hood" riveted on another 1/24 scale Maisto 2020 Corvette Stingray. This version is a pre-assembled Maisto Special Edition version while the white version above is a Maisto Assembly Line kit model. You would think this Assembly Line version in white would not have the frunk and engine "hood" riveted shut like the Special Edition model. Both have the panels riveted shut.

This vintage SMP model of a 1961 Corvette convertible was in my "junk" model collection. Its badly painted body was intact, the interior was partially finished but the chassis had been cut into two pieces and a 1/2 inch section removed and gone forever. The engine is not from the kit, the wheels were ruined from a heavy application of glue which had totally distorted them. Other lost parts had to be substituted or scratch built. Carpeting was added to the interior and trunk. Body was stripped of black paint and repainted a matte white. Considering where it came from, it is fortunate that all the wheels roll and that it is now finally complete after a month's work.

Thanks for all the nice comments guys. I know my limitations so I work with the discarded, damaged and downcast models to give them a second chance. And to try out some techniques that I am too scared to try doing on the expensive kits nowadays. LOL And I humbly accept with much appreciation the coveted Black Belt in Snake-Fu.

Thanks David and Steve. Please hold off until this question is answered. As a neophyte to these clips, is it possible to secure them to the model AFTER the model has been assembled and is complete? If so I can use them. Otherwise I'll live with the panels being loose.

I am extremely late to this discussion but I am currently rebuilding an old glue bomb from the 60s, an SMP 1961 Corvette convertible that is missing TWO of those metal clips for holding down the hood and trunk lid. My question is: are there any easy- to -make alternatives to the clips. I have thought about just leaving the hood and trunk lids loose, but I would prefer them to be attached and openable. Reason being, my 1960 F-100 Ford pickup model had its hood fall off, hit the floor and a sizable chunk of plastic cracked off since it was so old. Want to avoid this with the Corvette having two opening panels. Thanks for any suggestions.

Very cool collection. I noticed quite a few Jadas in your groupings and like all of them, especially the '60 Chevy! Is the chopped top VW Bug a Maisto?

Yes. It would have been a pyrrhic victory to remove it as the part would have been mutilated, ruining both the top and the part leaving a gap in the windshield frame too.

These three 1932 Ford Five Window coupes are 1:18 scale from MotorMax and are available either with an exposed engine (a higher priced version) or with an inaccessible lower half engine under a hood screwed to the chassis. Note that Motor Max doesn't reveal this fact in their ads for this particular version. However, upon disassembly of the red and the black-flamed version and removing a huge metal stub molded to the underside of the hood, the upper halves of the engines were scratch built to look authentic as possible. All versions got custom exhaust extensions, "chromed" rear ends, black added to the chrome wheel slots. All grilles were blackwashed, too. The red and flamed versions had their firewalls "chromed" with metallic adhesive-backed tape and scratch-built components; their engines have custom-made valve covers, exhaust manifolds, radiator fans, alternators, oil filler tubes, and fuel injector apparatus as well as the 60 year old decals, "Fuel Injection". The flamed version has no front fenders as the item arrived defective with only one front passenger-side fender, so this was removed for continuity. Thanks for looking....

These three Maisto 1/24 scale 1948 Ford F-1 pickup trucks date from about seven or eight years ago to the present. The red one is the oldest followed by the orange and black Harley Davidson version from five years past roughly. What is curious about them is the red was made in Thailand and the two H-Ds were made in China. However, the current matte black H-D version features straight metal axles with non-steerable front wheels whereas the other two have the flexible front axles that steer. All units were modified to include either carpeting or rubber mats, painted interior door panels, finished faux wood plastic floor beds , detailed chassis with painted engines, exhaust pipes and exhaust pipe extensions of aluminum tubing. The matte black version had its rims painted black. All had their rear-view mirrors detailed too, as Maisto had molded these as clear plastic and a part of the windshield. By the way, the red truck's motorcycle is a super cheap generic that was all chrome! I did what I could to make it somewhat realistic. Thanks for looking...

Very well done. It looks great! Nice wheels and a fine vinyl top.