Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Revell 1950 Olds Whitewalls Question


Recommended Posts

Revell was having a big problem with their promised whitewalls, since they did not make it into the kits they were promised to be in. They did send them out to hobbyists who requested them, and that seemed to take care of the problem.

Well, now I have built the Custom release twice, and I have discovered a new problem with the whitewalls in this kit... They were supposed to be very wide whitewalls, as shown in the box art, but they were printed wrong! There is a small raised line of vinyl marking the extreme width of the whitewall, but they did not follow this line. Instead, whoever did the work looks to have simply printed the whitewall in the original smaller size without adjusting the width. I was wondering if anyone heard about Revell admitting to the error or are they just waiting and hoping no one noticed??? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably whoever built the boxart model masked and painted the tires themselves.  I think they look goofy that wide anyway but there were tires like that at the time.  I like when the white wall ends at the apex of the sidewall bulge.  I haven't seen a set of those 50 Olds tampo whitewalls yet that wasn't all chipped up,so the better alternative is to paint them anyway.  (tampo on the right, painted on the left. taken from IMPS US review page.  

7.jpg

Get one of these and an airbrush loaded with white acrylic, it's easy.    

85T.jpg?lr=t&bw=800&bh=800

 

 

 

Edited by Brett Barrow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably whoever built the boxart model masked and painted the tires themselves.  I think they look goofy that wide anyway but there were tires like that at the time.  I like when the white wall ends at the apex of the sidewall bulge.  I haven't seen a set of those 50 Olds tampo whitewalls yet that wasn't all chipped up,so the better alternative is to paint them anyway.  

I have always had great success in ordering replacements for the chipped-up ones, through Revell's customer service. Never got one that wasn't in perfect condition. So, do you think these (the ones shown on the box) were printed incorrectly for the kit? 

Edited by fseva
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I doubt they made two different widths for the stock and custom versions.  I think the boxart modeler just painted them to the line like he assumed the printed tires would be.   Honestly I like the smaller ones better. 

I understand. Thanks for your input! B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On your white wall issue I think Brett's post is an excellent example of the changing times of white walls. In 1950 most white walls were like the first picture. As time went by white walls got smaller and smaller. By the mid 50's if you bought white walls they would look more like the second picture. By the 60's they were quiet a bit slimmer and about 1961 or 1962 you would see mostly the narrow whites with a black band between the white wall and the rim. This got slimmer and slimmer to a point in the mid 60's you had a white wall no wider than the new red line tires of the day. The size of white wall you use would depend on what time line you were going for with your build. As an aside, besides the changing style of the day, one of the practical reasons for the change was that people would bounce off curbs when parking and really make a mess off the white wall. Used to have to clean my mother's with SOS pads. If you look at the side walls of the 60's you will notice a raised ridge on the side before the start of the white wall. This went a long way to protect the white portion of the side wall.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The size of white wall you use would depend on what time line you were going for with your build. 

Well, I was attempting to build the car on the cover of the 1950 Olds Custom, which used humongous whitewalls that were sadly not included in the box (there is a raised ridge but the white stops well short of it). Also, I'm assuming the Sombrero wheels would look great with the huge whitewalls...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frank, You made me go pullout the '50 Olds Custom that I keep threatening to build. I have the pad printed wide whites in the kit, and even though they are in the plastic baggy I'm going to have to redo them anyway. If the ones that Revell sent you are like these they are very close to a wide white of that time line. You mentioned using the Sombrero hub caps, are you thinking of the Merc. kit's Sombreros or the kits '55 Olds. Fiesta caps ? Either would look good. You might consider painting the very small edge of the hub caps that would represent the wheel. I don't build a lot of models with full wheel covers but the ones that I have this little touch seems to give then hub cap a more realistic look to my eye. Look forward to the rest of your build.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frank, You made me go pullout the '50 Olds Custom that I keep threatening to build. I have the pad printed wide whites in the kit, and even though they are in the plastic baggy I'm going to have to redo them anyway. If the ones that Revell sent you are like these they are very close to a wide white of that time line. You mentioned using the Sombrero hub caps, are you thinking of the Merc. kit's Sombreros or the kits '55 Olds. Fiesta caps ? 

I was referring to the 50 Olds Custom. They are close, but the white doesn't go all the way to the ridgeline, which would seem to be the outer boundary for a wide-white like pictured on the box.

Do they call them "Fiesta Caps"? Hmmm... wonder where I got the "sombreros" name from... I have not received the replacement tires yet. Revell asked me to send the UPC code from the box.

Btw, these caps are a dog to get into the tires - even when you insert from the rear, which is preferable because of the danger of damaging the whitewalls when inserting/flexing the tires from the front (like the instructions call for).

Edited by fseva
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was referring to the 50 Olds Custom. They are close, but the white doesn't go all the way to the ridgeline, which would seem to be the outer boundary for a wide-white like pictured on the box.

Do they call them "Fiesta Caps"? Hmmm... wonder where I got the "sombreros" name from... I have not received the replacement tires yet. Revell asked me to send the UPC code from the box.

Btw, these caps are a dog to get into the tires - even when you insert from the rear, which is preferable because of the danger of damaging the whitewalls when inserting/flexing the tires from the front (like the instructions call for).

Sombrero wheel covers look just like sombrero hats. Fiesta wheel covers are totally different. They normally had three blades running out from the center to the edge of the wheel covers. Cadillac in the early 50's came with and made the Sombreros famous. Oldsmobiles of the mid to late 50's did the same for the Fiestas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sombrero wheel covers look just like sombrero hats. Fiesta wheel covers are totally different. They normally had three blades running out from the center to the edge of the wheel covers. Cadillac in the early 50's came with and made the Sombreros famous. Oldsmobiles of the mid to late 50's did the same for the Fiestas.

Gotcha!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A further note about "sombreros". The most desirable ones in the real-car world cover the ENTIRE wheel like the upper photo on the right, without having the wheel rim showing, as on the left-hand photo.

Of course, the smaller OD on the left is good for getting a different look, with possibly a contrasting-color painted wheel, as shown.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brett's right, and both styles are also sometimes called "flippers" too.

And then you've also got single-bar "flippers"...    prd_lg_100.JPG?img_id=201110261446110

I'm glad you brought the "flipper" name up. I was never sure. But I too though Fiesta may have also been called "flippers" too. It sounds like this is your understanding too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This whole hub cap thing can get very involved and there are as many tastes as there are hub caps. The photos that others have provided are an excellent reason for this. The picture of the white '57 Olds shows the '56 Olds style hub cap. The Revell Custom '50 Olds kit has the hub caps that Olds used from the '53 Olds Fiesta show car thru the '55 model run. With several years of production and vast number of aftermarket suppliers this is the most common. Depending on your like or dislikes the '56 style was the most popular and caused the invention of hub cap locks. In '57 Olds came out with another design but it was no very popular on anything but Olds. The Dodge Lancers were very popular also and suffered the same problems that most '56 Olds owners had with theft.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...