109 replies to this topic

[Futurabat]

Ive seen on another site a pic from a model convention of a pile of proposed kits from AMT, and one was Christine. Box art shows scenes from the movie. Does anyone know anything else about this kit?? Will they include a dual carb big block?? Date of release??

I'm not doing the whole engine but I do have the carbs and air cleaners i'll be casting.

[MrObsessive]

If you want to spend a TON of time (and some bucks), that '58 Belvedere CAN be fixed. It would take a '59 Dodge roof section (bodies turn up on the 'Bay occasionally) and "bending" the body along with what Jon Cole did on a thread some time ago.

Now you'd also have to change the windshield frame, and this is where AMT's '57 Chrysler 300 would come in handy here. A lot of work to be sure, but don't look for them to EVER fix the body on that one. BTW, I figured out that one of the reasons the kit was so wrong, is that RC2 based the kit on diecast tooling, which came out just before the kit IIRC.

Now the diecast is just as horrible-------bent body, wrong roof and all.

Who knows........after I get done with that '59 Chevy, I MIGHT take on the monumental task of making a CORRECT '58 Belvedere/Fury.

[Michigan Madman]

I've heard the SnapFast Slammer '58 Plymouth's body proportions actually aren't all that bad (compared to this one). Any truth to that? Might be a bit easier on the wallet to kitbash that body with this kit if you want a better looking model and don't quite feel like ponying up for a JoHan or Modelhaus body.

[Skydime]

Chuck the slammer really isn't bad for what it is. Granted, the body has been stretched and modded. It is nowhere near stock but, It looks a whole lot closer to it's intended subject matter than the stock kit was. And at least the trim line is straight. I don't know what happened to mine but, here is one I found online. Apparently, this guy didn't like the kit's three point wheels though.

Attached Files

•  m140a.jpg   30.22K   40 downloads

Edited by Skydime, 23 October 2012 - 01:03 AM.

[jeffs396]

Here's some comparison pics:

AMT could at least mold the slammer body in white and package it with the glue kit to allow us the option to combine if they won't retool the glue kit body

[Futurabat]

Okay, couple questions here. First off: If someone were to make a set of replacement side trim for the kit, would that go a long way towards fixing the kit? In other words would it make it easier if you could just sand the old trim off and glue the new on?

And B: (And I can't believe I have to ask this) I have a homemade copy of the movie, and some screen caps but I could honestly never tell, is "Autumn Red", the alledged color of Christine, a metallic? Candy? Or just a bright red? Maybe my eyes are getting too old but this is one color i've never been able to nail down.

[Jon Cole]

I cut and straightened the body. Didn’t fix the roof.

[Futurabat]

Yes, well everyone has the lengths they're willing to go to don't they? I'm asking for the intermediate set, who don't want to cut apart and re-configure the whole car, if they want replacement trim.

And here's one of the reasons I ask if it's a metallic paint.

Edited by Futurabat, 23 October 2012 - 06:18 AM.

[Michigan Madman]

That Autumn Red is a tough one, Jacen. I know Ford currently has a color called Autumn Red, and it is metallic, but the shade is all wrong- Ford's Autumn Red is more of a burgundy or maroon color. In fact, most of the Autumn Red paint chips I've seen are way too dark, except for the non-metallic one used by IH in the '80's, which is a bit brighter but might work if you can get some.

Most of the 1:1 Christine clones seem to use Plymouth's 1958 Toreador Red, which was available from the factory on the Belvedere, and was not metallic. I never could find a specific brand or name for the red used on the movie cars- I'm guessing they just grabbed the first off-the-shelf bright red paint the set designer's gopher picked up. All I found was information along the lines of 'the cars were painted red'... no mention of brand name, etc. And since all but a handful of the cars used in the movie were actually Belvederes (not Furies) it is possible a few were in fact painted in the factory Toreador Red.

Oddly, though, the signed trunklid in your picture does look like it is a metallic red. The cars in the movie and most of the clones don't appear to have a metallic finish. Huh...

I suppose it would be like a General Lee or an Enterprise model... use whatever shade of red looks right to you, naysayers be damned. Personally, I'd go for something that resembles '58 Toreador Red.

[Futurabat]

I've been googling my butt off trying to find a definitive answer but to no avail. The scene at the football game when she first shows up in the sunlight looks like it could be a metallic. Then there's the scenes inside Darnell's where it just looks bright red. The Toreador red does look right.
What I was able to find out was the first scene in the movie was filmed first. Then all the other Plyms were taken off and painted for use as Christine's. I doubt with the severe lack of any other research of the cars that they actually bothered to use a factory color but it's possible. I guess i'm going to go with your suggestion and use what I like and hang the naysayers.

[MrObsessive]

Okay, couple questions here. First off: If someone were to make a set of replacement side trim for the kit, would that go a long way towards fixing the kit? In other words would it make it easier if you could just sand the old trim off and glue the new on?

Jacen, as you can see from Jon's post, the ENTIRE body is wrong. Just replacing the trim wouldn't cut it as you still have the incorrect angle of the beltline, and then there's that funky looking roof to deal with (too low).

Now if one just wants a simple shelf model, then there's no problem as I've not heard of any difficulties in building the kit. I personally can't get past the bad body lines, since I was up close and personal with one that my Dad had many years ago (a '57).

Jon, one way to replace the trim if you wanted to go the Fury/Sport Trim route---------you can replace the chrome trim of course with Evergreen strip. To replace the gold anodizing (or silver) check out your local Michael's for Cake Decorating Foil. It comes in gold and silver, and has a very close if not exact pattern that would have been on the anodized trim. Make a pattern, trim it out, and glue it on with contact cement.

[Futurabat]

Bill, like 98% of the guys on this and other forums I am well aware of the widely talked about flaws in the body of this kit. HOWEVER, since you obviously didn't read or understand what I said in my reply to John i'll say it again.

Everyone has different lengths they are willing to go to don't they? So i'm aiming my question at the guys in between who don't want to reconfigure the whole dang body but would at least like the trim fixed. I was willing to go to the trouble of making a set of trim for the kit so builders could easily sand away the old and replace it easily, getting a car that would at least have good looking trim, thus drawing the eye away from the flawed fenders, quarter panels and roof and giving a better looking model without all the work of chopping and re-building. Not to mention that the car in the pictures John showed or any kit of anyone following suit is obviously in need of a set of trim. I swear i've never met such resistance just trying to help out! Obviously i'm dealing with the all-or-nothing set here so I won't be doing it for anyone but myself.

Edited by Futurabat, 23 October 2012 - 01:29 PM.

[Jon Cole]

Jacen, I get ya. You don't want to go full tilt boogy on the thing... just sand off the trim and replace. That alone will be such a help. Looking forward to any progress you make. Be sure to share results!

[Futurabat]

Thanks John.

[Merkur XR4Ti]

I built the original release as a Christine. My personal opinion is that once built, painted like Christine, and placed on a shelf, the kit looks fine. I know full well about the body issues but IMO many of those issues go away when painted and presented as Christine. I like to keep in mind that the movie Christine was a driver and not a trailer queen.

I liked building the kit, even though I ran into many self-made errors along the way. I may build another and try to make it a bit cleaner.

Edited by Merkur XR4Ti, 25 October 2012 - 05:29 AM.

[gpugh1976]

Bill, like 98% of the guys on this and other forums I am well aware of the widely talked about flaws in the body of this kit. HOWEVER, since you obviously didn't read or understand what I said in my reply to John i'll say it again.

Everyone has different lengths they are willing to go to don't they? So i'm aiming my question at the guys in between who don't want to reconfigure the whole dang body but would at least like the trim fixed. I was willing to go to the trouble of making a set of trim for the kit so builders could easily sand away the old and replace it easily, getting a car that would at least have good looking trim, thus drawing the eye away from the flawed fenders, quarter panels and roof and giving a better looking model without all the work of chopping and re-building. Not to mention that the car in the pictures John showed or any kit of anyone following suit is obviously in need of a set of trim. I swear i've never met such resistance just trying to help out! Obviously i'm dealing with the all-or-nothing set here so I won't be doing it for anyone but myself.

Dude! Chill out! Bill was just trying to help out here. You don't need to freak out.

[Futurabat]

Dude! Chill out! Bill was just trying to help out here. You don't need to freak out.

Dude, you chill out. Do you see a bunch of caps and exclamation points? I know the bold font throws people off but relax..."things are indeed desperate...but they're not hopeless."-Finian McClonnigan.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

**edit** - this situation is better resolved than it looks, so I'll just say I enjoy Jacen's content and leave it at that. The more global observation, however, I'm gonna leave up:

There's a miserable little contingent of modelers who nit-pick everything to death, never find anything positive, and truly justify the term "rivet-counter".

But there's an equally (if not MORE) miserable contingent who'd have you believe that there are WAAY many more of that first contingent than truly exist, who just mess themselves with sky-is-falling hysteria every time an imperfection is pointed out in a kit, or in a test shot that's obviously indicative of what's coming. And some of this crowd have slathered Bill with that broad "rivit-counter" (sic) brush, with an unfairness crossing clean over into farce.

Irony is, that second group is also very fond of pointing out how critics have no skillz - and I ain't yet seen a one offer proof Geary couldn't MURDER him build-to-build.

Edited by Chuck Kourouklis, 25 October 2012 - 12:21 PM.

[Danno]

So, will the new issue kit come with a self-activating radio? Or not?

[Futurabat]

Danno, I tried to talk them into the self activating radio (with movie soundtrack) and a ratcheting front seat. For some reason they were superstitious about it.

Edited by Futurabat, 25 October 2012 - 01:37 PM.