78 replies to this topic

[mrmike]

I bought this kit several years ago for $7.00 at a discount store that has since gone out of business. I bought this kit mainly because of the price and I wasn't really sure if I would ever build it. Earlier this year, I started writing another McNally, Boston PI story and thought the '59 Caddy would be a great fit for the story. This WIP is more about the build than the story. All characters are fictitious and are not related to anyone living or deceased.

The Build

I am using the Monogram '59 Cadillac Eldorado Seville Hardtop kit No. 85-7808. This is a skill level 3 kit and the body is molded beautifully without any visible mold lines.

The paint will be Tamiya X-34 Metallic Brown and sprayed through my Badger Universal 360 airbrush.



The Story

Old Stocks And Murder A McNally, Boston PI Story

McNally walks up to the police officer at the tape line and shows his PI license to the officer who then speaks into his radio. Shortly afterwards, Det. Darvell waddles out of the front door and approaches the tapeline while he lights his cigar stub. "McNally you'll keep your hands in your pockets at all times. I don't want any evidence disappearing and ending up on eBay." McNally replies, "I won't contaminate the crime scene with my pocket lint like you will with that cigar, Detective." He stuffs his hands into his pockets and is allowed onto the crime scene. He is lead up the driveway and notices rusted scrape marks on the pavement and an old Cadillac pushed out of the garage on semi-flat tires. They approach the front door as the Coroner pulls the gurney out with the deceased body on it.

"Who's the victim," McNally asks? Darvell answers, "You figure it out, you being the great PI that you are." Sgt. Adam Troy sticks his head out of the front door and says, "You two stop sniping at each other. Darvell, help canvas the neighborhood, McNally come with me and take your hands out of your pockets!" McNally walks into the house, removing his hands from his pockets and asks,"Who's the victim?" "Mary Parregrin. Her husband passed away about 3 months ago of natural causes and she was pushed and hit her head on the kitchen counter. She may have known her attacker since the Caddy was pushed out of the garage and she may have caught them in the act. I remember them being your first clients when you became a PI, so I called you down here."

McNally, Boston PI will return...

[Custom Mike]

I'm in Michael, a cool old Caddy and a story to go with it!

[charlie8575]

Yay, a new McNally story!

Charlestown? West Rox? Rozy? 'Cause Beacon Hill ain't got no garages!*

Charlie Larkin

*For our non-New Englanders.....West Rox= West Roxbury, Rozy= Roslindale, which, along with Charlestown and Beacon Hill, are sections of Boston.

[bryan_m]

very cool mike!

cheers
bryan

[mrmike]

Yay, a new McNally story!

Charlestown? West Rox? Rozy? 'Cause Beacon Hill ain't got no garages!*

Charlie Larkin

*For our non-New Englanders.....West Rox= West Roxbury, Rozy= Roslindale, which, along with Charlestown and Beacon Hill, are sections of Boston.

Sorry Charlie, there I go again with the tuna commercial reference, the location is Cambridge. There are homes with garages there! Just cross over the Charles River and see! And, thanks for pointing out to our non-New Englanders what the short terms mean!
In order to shorten the story for posting on the forum, I had to leave out some details of the story. Hopefully just enough that wouldn't affect the story or its outcome. And, like some novels or even TV shows, I took certain liberties to try and make it all work.
Thanks Mike and Bryan!

[Space Cowboy]

Mike I have my cumfy chair and bowl of popcorn. Now I am waiting for the show to start with McNally as the main man...........Keep it coming.

[Erik Smith]

I have always liked that kit, even though mine has stayed in the look-at-it-in-the-box mode for a long time. I like the color choice too. Do you clear over the Tamiya? If so, what clear do you use?

Thanks for taking time and creating the storyline to go with the build too - always more interesting than a straight up build!

[mrmike]

Thanks Bruce and Erik!
Erik, I do clear over Tamiya paint and I usually use Tamiya TS-13 Gloss Clear. I have switched over to using Testors Wet Look Clear and i have had really good results with it.

Edited by mrmike, 29 October 2012 - 11:59 AM.

[mrmike]

The Story

Mary's husband Walter was 93 years old when he past and Mary was 88 years old when she was murdered. Walter had parked the Caddy in the garage when he decided that he was too old to drive anymore. As McNally looked around the house, he noticed that the study was ransacked...papers and books everywhere, pictures pulled off the walls, furniture torn apart...someone was looking for something! McNally and Sgt. Troy walk outside and looked at the Caddy on it's semi-flat tires and at the scrape marks on the driveway in front of the old car. McNally says, "These scrape marks could be from a flatbed wrecker which would explain why the Caddy was pushed out of the garage."

The Build

The hood is a two piece unit with the lower front edge as a separate part. I glued the two pieces together and sanded the edge a bit.

I did not notice this until now, there is a vinyl roof molded onto the body!

Closer examination showed this mold joint and this is the worst one! The other three points of the roof have much smaller mold joints to be removed.


McNally will return...

[mrmike]

The Story

McNally decides to investigate this case along with Sgt. Troy's cooperation. He looks around at the neighbors homes from the driveway and sees Mrs. Crane looking out her window next door. McNally goes over to her house and asks her if she heard or saw anything unusual that night to which she says that she heard and saw a noisy flatbed truck in the Parregrin's driveway and she could only make out some of the faded lettering on the truck door...PAR R T NG. She said that the truck made a lot of noise and smelled bad which McNally deduced to be an old diesel truck. McNally thanks her for talking to him and leaves the house. While going down the front steps, he sees Det. Darvell coming up the sidewalk and Darvell asks him what he is doing. "Investigating, you should try it sometime, Detective" McNally says passing the overweight cop.

The Build

I painted the body and hood this morning with Tamiya X-34 Metallic Brown.




McNally Will Return...

[Mark R]

Paint looks good,and always liked a good detective story.
Keep it going...Mark

[66belair]

Great subject! Your stories I find very interesting also.i will be following this one.

[mrmike]

Thanks Mark and Mike! I'm happy that my fellow modelers are enjoying my stories. My goal is to keep them interesting and to help move my WIP along.

[charlie8575]

Cool, Mike. This will be another nice build of yours. And a cool story.

Gotta do a low-number plate for this one.... I'd suggest a 3-number one...you can say it was Mr. Parregrin's father's plate (the originals plates up to about 3224 were issued in 1903.) http://www.mass.gov/rmv/history/

I was hoping to make it up to Lowell yesterday, but didn't get moving early enough.

Charlie Larkin

[mrmike]

Thank you Charlie! I am trying to get better at painting so I am paying extra attention to prep and procedure. Thanks for the link on Mass. plate history. I haven't given any thought at all to plates for this car. I'll read it though and then decide on plates later.

Edited by mrmike, 04 November 2012 - 03:10 AM.

[Dr. Cranky]

Beautiful color. Looking forward to more progress.

[mrmike]

Thanks Dr. Cranky!

[1972coronet]

Mike , I keep going over the idea of the colour choice ; I've never even seen Tamiya Metallic Brown until now !
Well , maybe I have seen it , but just didn't pay it any attention ...

Can't wait to see that colour :
1.) In the light , and ;
2.) with the car completed (i.e. , with all its chrome and whatnot ).

** Addendum **
I should add that I applaud your decision to paint this Cad in an untraditional colour !

Edited by 1972coronet, 04 November 2012 - 01:31 PM.

[cobraman]

Very entertaining .

[Duntov]

Great start!!