revell 55-57 chevy info needed

[jeffdeoranut]

anybody know which issues of the tri 5 chevies had opening doors-really looking for a newer issue that still has the parts for opening doors-dont care if doors are precut...tia

 

[Mark]

The '55 hardtop hasn't been available in about twenty years or more.  The last issue may have been the Skip's Drive-in issue, molded in black and with non-stock wheels and tires that don't fit.  Look for an earlier issue if at all possible.

The last issue of the '56 was the Hot Rod magazine issue in the Eighties.  Again, non-stock wheels and tires.  You don't want this one, as the windows don't fit; they fall through the openings.  Avoid the low rider issue too, those are molded in very brittle plastic.  With the '56, if you have to have one, get the earliest issue you can find.

The last '57 hardtop was the Ed Roth one of a few years ago.  These can still be found new if you look, I bought one last year.  The '57 is still buildable though (like the others) not the best one available.  I'd avoid the '56 entirely unless you can get a very early production kit.

[Snake45]

38 minutes ago, Mark said:

The last issue of the '56 was the Hot Rod magazine issue in the Eighties.  Again, non-stock wheels and tires.  You don't want this one, as the windows don't fit; they fall through the openings.  Avoid the low rider issue too, those are molded in very brittle plastic.  With the '56, if you have to have one, get the earliest issue you can find.

The last '57 hardtop was the Ed Roth one of a few years ago.  These can still be found new if you look, I bought one last year.  The '57 is still buildable though (like the others) not the best one available.  I'd avoid the '56 entirely unless you can get a very early production kit.

What he said. Church! 

[440 Dakota]

i'll also mention that the 57 nomad was last issued in the Skip's era iirc

[Mark]

A lot of the Skip's Drive-in Nomad kits have crushed bodies, due to everything not really fitting in the box.  I'd "skip" on it unless it were opened (and even then...)

 

[Mike999]

1 hour ago, Mark said:

A lot of the Skip's Drive-in Nomad kits have crushed bodies, due to everything not really fitting in the box.  I'd "skip" on it unless it were opened (and even then...)

You made me go check the "Skip's" kit I found a few months ago, at a flea market.  It was open and is OK.  But that box is really packed full. And the body rides on top of all the other parts, in a perfect position to be crushed by the box top when it's closed. Like the Skip's '55 kit, the Nomad is molded in black. At least this one is.

So it's buildable...as soon as I get over that kit's reputation as a build that can take years and cost thousands of lives.

[Snake45]

2 minutes ago, Mike999 said:

So it's buildable...as soon as I get over that kit's reputation as a build that can take years and cost thousands of lives.

The situation absolutely demands that a stupid and futile gesture be done on somebody's part. 

Back on topic: I think I bought the Nomad back in the '90s. The body must have been bad because I have a second body for it. Back in those days I did a LOT of complaining to AMT, Revell, and Monogram about this kind of thing.* I bought two Revell '56 Chevies and both had bad bodies. I complained and they sent me two new bodies, both equally bad. A while later I found a built glue bomb at a club meet for $100. It was a hot mess, but it was an old issue and the body was straight! I still have it and if the mood ever strikes me again, I'm all set to build an old-school Revell '56. 

*I still have a sizable box of bodies with crushed roofs from that era. 

[Mark]

I have one Revell '56 that is a first issue, partially assembled with very little cement, very straight, very little paint.  After I get an in-progress '55 finished, I might just tackle a '56.  It would probably be a Bel Air, just to differentiate from the newer kit.

[Rodent]

I sold one in this box a while ago. Unbuilt. Been in my stash since the 80s. I always thought I would build it, but it just never made it to the bench. My cousin and I built one in 1974 and gave it to our uncle as a replica of the 1:1 he had as a young man. I seem to remember it going together OK. It was presentable when we were done anyway.

 

[Don Sikora II]

I believe the ‘55 hardtop was last available in the Hot Rod series 3-pack with the ‘54 sedan and ‘57 hardtop. It’s number 7447 and was originally released in 1985, but I’m pretty sure it was still in the catalog after the Skip’s version was discontinued. The ‘55 in the tree pack included the stock wheels and tires, unlike the Skips or the regular Hot Rod version. Strangely you can sometimes find the three pack for less than any other issues of the three kits usually sell for individually. 

[Bills72sj]

CRUSHED BODIES!!!!! I just went and visited my stash of tri-5s. (4) are sealed so I didn't open them. (6) others that are open are not crushed (whew!) I did relearn that my Hot Rod '54, '55, '57 triple kit box actually has (0) '54, (2) '55s and (2) '57s. Both are one of each. (opening doors and non-opening doors). The '55 with opening doors is molded in blue. I think the only one I do not have is the '55 Nomad. My skillset needs to get better before I attempt anything with opening doors.

[Mark]

The '53/'55 sedan/sedan delivery kits have optional opening doors.  The inner door parts have hinges molded in, and the door lines can be scored to separate the doors from the body.  But the bodies lack door jamb detail.  

The hinges in all of these kits are sloppy.  I tightened them up on a '57 by building up the retainer pieces with thin sheet plastic, but they still came out less than what I wanted.  I bent some new hinges for the '55 I'm working on now.

[unclescott58]

On 5/13/2020 at 3:33 PM, Rodent said:

I sold one in this box a while ago. Unbuilt. Been in my stash since the 80s. I always thought I would build it, but it just never made it to the bench. My cousin and I built one in 1974 and gave it to our uncle as a replica of the 1:1 he had as a young man. I seem to remember it going together OK. It was presentable when we were done anyway.

 

Great box art. To bad the kit wasn't as nice as the box depicted. I found Revell kits designed during this period left a lot to be desired compared to AMTs or MPCs kits of the time. But good box art, like the above could get me to part with my hard earned coins from time to time. Revell's first release of their '57 Nomad was a good case in point. 

Edited May 15, 2020 by unclescott58

[Tom Geiger]

 

As a kid I fell in love with this box art. Still my favorite box of all time! Of course the kit was another story! I tried to build it as a 10 year old and failed. At 11 I reasoned that I was older and up to the task, um no!

As an adult and new modeler some 30 years ago I tried again and got further than ever before but it’s still in a box unfinished. 

I eventually want a 57 Nomad for my shelf, and I’ll either start with a resin body conversion  off the modern tool Revell 56 Nomad tool or do that conversion myself. 

At one point Danbury Mint was going to do the Hollingsworth Nomad, and got as far as developing the prototype, working with the guy who built the 1:1 replica of the car. The original car disappeared and is thought to exist today in another form. 

That’s when that issue with the Chinese supplier caused the end of the Danbury car program. Rick Hanmore told me they gave the prototype replica to the car owner.  It’s a shame, that diecast would have sold well and I would have surely bought one to scratch my Nomad itch!

[Snake45]

30 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

I eventually want a 57 Nomad for my shelf, and I’ll either start with a resin body conversion  off the modern tool Revell 56 Nomad tool or do that conversion myself. 

Hmmmm, now you got me thinking. Start with the '56 Nomad body (upper body and roof) and then graft on the body sides and front clip from either the Revell '57 Bel Air 2DS or their '57 snapper? 

Just last night I was wondering how hard it would be to bash a '55 Sedan Delivery out of an AMT '55 Bel Air 2DS and a Nomad roof. I'll bet it could be done. 

[Tom Geiger]

4 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

Hmmmm, now you got me thinking. Start with the '56 Nomad body (upper body and roof) and then graft on the body sides and front clip from either the Revell '57 Bel Air 2DS or their '57 snapper? 

Just last night I was wondering how hard it would be to bash a '55 Sedan Delivery out of an AMT '55 Bel Air 2DS and a Nomad roof. I'll bet it could be done. 

There is at least one aftermarket company that was offering this Nomad.. I believe it was SEL.  Very doable and doing the conversion yourself may very well be easier than building that original Revell kit!?

[Mark]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

 

 

At one point Danbury Mint was going to do the Hollingsworth Nomad, and got as far as developing the prototype, working with the guy who built the 1:1 replica of the car. The original car disappeared and is thought to exist today in another form. 

That’s when that issue with the Chinese supplier caused the end of the Danbury car program. Rick Hanmore told me they gave the prototype replica to the car owner.  It’s a shame, that diecast would have sold well and I would have surely bought one to scratch my Nomad itch!

The ex-Hollingsworth Nomad does still exist, it's in western Canada.  Repainted candy red but otherwise pretty much the same.  For some reason, the inner doors and door jambs weren't repainted and are still in the gold paint scheme.  Rodders' Journal ran a small feature on the car as it now exists.

[Tom Geiger]

2 minutes ago, Mark said:

The ex-Hollingsworth Nomad does still exist, it's in western Canada.  Repainted candy red but otherwise pretty much the same.  For some reason, the inner doors and door jambs weren't repainted and are still in the gold paint scheme.  Rodders' Journal ran a small feature on the car as it now exists.

Cool. Last article I read said the car disappeared after its show run and was probably restored back to stock. Glad they found it. 

[SfanGoch]

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

Hmmmm, now you got me thinking. Start with the '56 Nomad body (upper body and roof) and then graft on the body sides and front clip from either the Revell '57 Bel Air 2DS or their '57 snapper? 

Just last night I was wondering how hard it would be to bash a '55 Sedan Delivery out of an AMT '55 Bel Air 2DS and a Nomad roof. I'll bet it could be done. 

Darin Bastedo had a thread about kitbashing '55-'57 Bel Airs using the roof from the Revellogram '56 Nomad. Unfortunately, all of the photos are gone.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by SfanGoch

[jeffdeoranut]

On 5/13/2020 at 11:38 AM, Mark said:

The '55 hardtop hasn't been available in about twenty years or more.  The last issue may have been the Skip's Drive-in issue, molded in black and with non-stock wheels and tires that don't fit.  Look for an earlier issue if at all possible.

The last issue of the '56 was the Hot Rod magazine issue in the Eighties.  Again, non-stock wheels and tires.  You don't want this one, as the windows don't fit; they fall through the openings.  Avoid the low rider issue too, those are molded in very brittle plastic.  With the '56, if you have to have one, get the earliest issue you can find.

The last '57 hardtop was the Ed Roth one of a few years ago.  These can still be found new if you look, I bought one last year.  The '57 is still buildable though (like the others) not the best one available.  I'd avoid the '56 entirely unless you can get a very early production kit.

does the 57 roth version have the parts for opening doors, trunk?

 

[Mark]

The Ed Roth '57 Chevy is the 1963 tool, with opening everything and poseable front wheels.  Molded in white, and cleaner than some Seventies and Eighties issues.

[Casey]

14 hours ago, jeffdeoranut said:

does the '57 Roth version have the parts for opening doors, trunk?

 

[Casey]

[TransAmMike]

Yep, my "Skips"  Nomad was crushed at the back. Bought it on ebay a few years back and the seller refunded my money and told me to keep it so I came out good on that one. Have yet to built it tho.

[Casey]

With Atlantis soon to reissue both the (originally Revell) '57 Nomad and Bel Air 2-door Hardtop kits, people should at least be able to get decent kits, provided Atlantis has cleaned things up a bit.