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One of the kits that's driven several generations of modelers insane with its fit, symmetry, and accuracy issues is the AMT '36 Ford roadster, 3-window, and 5-window coupe series. When originally released in 1961 it could be built as a chopped 3-window or, by changing out the cowl door and top section, as a roadster. What AMT conveniently chose to ignore was that the roadsters have significantly shorter doors than the 3W! Nevertheless, if you want a '36 Ford in 1/25th scale, this kit is still the only game in town. And I've always wanted to do a '36 roadster with a chopped top in scale, so ignoring the 20 other projects I've got started, and this week I decided to fix the doors and chop the top on the '36 using bits from a couple junk original issue kits, and yellow and grey parts from a couple later issues. The result looks a little like a crazy quilt at the moment but here it is in mockup stage.
The windshield is chopped three scale inches. The top was chopped by eye by shortening it lengthwise in front of the middle bow while the sail panels were piecut so the rear window could be leaned forward, keeping the stock window height. The side opening was reprofiled to echo the curve of the fenders and rear deck. To keep the flow going along the lower body I made a set of skirts with a curved lower edge that follows the curve of the bottom edge the running board. The lower trailing edge of the rear fenders were modified to follow the same curve.
Edited by John Goschke, 05 May 2013 - 01:30 AM.
