doorsovdoon Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 While I've been away doing other work I've been itching to get started on this one, so much so I did some priming and added a few details while I was busy on my other work. Multi tasking! I've heard good things about this kit, so when one finally turned up I bought it before they disappear again. The details I added was to scribe panel lines where the front wings meet the scuttle panel. I also scribed panel lines for the fresh air vent by the wipers and under the rear lights. The doors are a good fit but I did shave off some very fine flash on both the doors and the interior door cards for a perfect fit. I also found the hinges were touching the inside of the front wings preventing the doors from closing properly, they did close but depending on room temperature they would pop open, so I made extremely shallow 'pockets' on the inside of the wings where the hinges touched. I still haven't decided on a colour yet but it will be a two tone combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I look forward to your build on this. I have always been a fan of this kit and despite it's age I think it still represents the '57 Ford well. You mentioned the fitment on the door hinges. Besides a little sanding for clearance my only suggestion would be to consider replacing the plastic hinge pins with some sort of a metal pin. This should reduce the natural binding that takes place between the two plastic surfaces and would ad some strength to the pin its self. I removed the roof on one I built years ago to make a model of a Convertible that I owned years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Agreed. Be careful with the plastic hinges. They were engineered some 50 years ago and especially the one on the drivers door has some wear on the tool. Also make sure your door fit is good and allow for paint, they can be tight. Also check fit with the door interior piece attached or taped to the door. Had some issues with the back edge and the jam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Can-Con Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 This was one of the first "real kits" I had back when I was a kid. Notice I did not say "built" as you couldn't really say I had finished it. Sure had fun playing with it though. ? I'd advise attaching the head and tail light bezels, get the fit dialed in and re-prime before paint. And good luck with those doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 Thanks for the tips, guys? I did some more test fitting of the doors. There are little hinge brackets that stop the door from opening too far and falling off. When fitted, the doors are too tight against the front wings and wont open. Pushing those little brackets back a little gave a nice panel line around the doors again but the hinges were then interfering on the pillar itself and pulling the brackets away:( Solution: I opened up the holes in the A pillar where the hinges slide in and out and now the doors open and close perfectly with a nice even panel gap all around. Light bezels fit pretty good, I'll glue those on before paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Nice work so far. The doors can be finicky, but you got a handle on it. I love the 57 Fords, I'll be watching this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatz4u Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I have the original issue of the 57 Fairlane, with the Edsel tailights & the faux carpet, haven't had the nerve to start it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 6 minutes ago, Bainford said: Nice work so far. The doors can be finicky, but you got a handle on it. I love the 57 Fords, I'll be watching this build. They're not too bad to start with surprisingly for such an old mould but yeah, they do need a bit of finesse if you want them working properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, thatz4u said: I have the original issue of the 57 Fairlane, with the Edsel tailights & the faux carpet, haven't had the nerve to start it.. ohh, I wouldn't be able to resist, haha! Looking at the box art there, a lot of those parts are in this kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 4 hours ago, doorsovdoon said: ohh, I wouldn't be able to resist, haha! Looking at the box art there, a lot of those parts are in this kit. It’s a fun kit with a lot of options. I have a couple of old builds I have restored with the custom parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 On 11/19/2020 at 12:09 AM, Tom Geiger said: It’s a fun kit with a lot of options. I have a couple of old builds I have restored with the custom parts. It's great when you can finish another kit using parts. I did that with my '65 Grand Prix Grand Slam, I built the custom and had enough stock parts left over to complete an incomplete custom '65 I found on ebay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 Progress is a bit slower than my usual pace due to casting 1-1 trim parts for a customer (pic below) but I should be back to full speed in the next day or two. I got some paint on the body and did the engine bay yesterday, I hope to at least do the doors and the hood today, maybe even get the second colour on. I'm thinking light blue if I go stock, but after seeing a mild custom version of this on Images I'm very tempted to go black with red stripe, red steels and maybe side pipes with a couple of pinstriping decals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 (edited) Got the doors and hood done. I've masked off the doors so not to get too high a build of paint when I add the secondary colour, I'll do the second colour next week when the paint has cured cos if you put masking tape on fresh paint too soon the tack leaves marks which are a nightmare to polish out. Edited November 23, 2020 by doorsovdoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 Enjoying your build Gareth really nice work so far.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 1, 2020 Author Share Posted December 1, 2020 On 11/24/2020 at 5:04 PM, slusher said: Enjoying your build Gareth really nice work so far.. Thanks, mate. Applying the second colour tonight, two tone paint jobs are a masking taping nightmare! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 1, 2020 Author Share Posted December 1, 2020 Masked up the body ready for the secondary colour, I've decided to go with blue. I was tempted to go all black with red stripe and use the side pipes with red steels and no hubcaps but I'd already laid on the white, so blue it is. Masking up a body for two tone paint is not my favourite part, but they look so good when done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 Second colour done today including the doors. I got some bleed-through around the headlights from where the masking tape lifted, also took some of the paint with it on the o/s wing! but nothing some patching and polishing won't fix. Unfortunately I dropped the body on the floor, marked the roof and broke the windscreen pillar! I've glued the pillar a few times now but it keeps splitting every time I pick it up. The glue is starting to damage it so I'll leave it for now and hopefully one more attempt when the glass is in will fix it for good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Sorry to hear about the damage as this is really looking great at this point. A thought on the Windshield Frame repair. Maybe a very thin strip of Brass on the inside the post out of sight. I would even think about leaving it longer so that it can be glued to the underside of both the body and the roof for additional support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, espo said: Sorry to hear about the damage as this is really looking great at this point. A thought on the Windshield Frame repair. Maybe a very thin strip of Brass on the inside the post out of sight. I would even think about leaving it longer so that it can be glued to the underside of both the body and the roof for additional support. Yeah, it is annoying but looking on the bright side, at least the paint was semi dry when I dropped it. Thanks for the tip Dave, you give me an idea of what to use there. I have some old cassette tapes which have a thin piece of metal strip in them for the head sponge. Should do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, doorsovdoon said: Yeah, it is annoying but looking on the bright side, at least the paint was semi dry when I dropped it. Thanks for the tip Dave, you give me an idea of what to use there. I have some old cassette tapes which have a thin piece of metal strip in them for the head sponge. Should do the job. Unless they are very ridged they may not be strong enough. I'm thinking of some of the materials that we can get at many hobby shops and craft type stores. I'm sure you have something along that order locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 They are pretty strong, definitely strong enough for something like this, and when the glass is in it wont move again. I trimmed the square part off the strip where the sponge was glued, being so thin, after some paint it'll be invisible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 Got the floor in red primer with a touch of blue overspray, when it's dry I'll mask around the chassis rails, paint them and then do the same with the exhaust and fuel tank. I love detailing the underside, one of my favourite parts of kit building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 Looking good mate, sorry about your mishap. The piece from the cassette sounds good as it is spring steel I think, very strong. These cars always look best in two tone schemes I think, especially in pastel shades like you've chosen. Paint looks very good mate, I can't hope to paint in my garage at this time of year. I have this kit from about 15 years ago and hope to build it one day! I don't know if the opening doors are a blessing or a curse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 Thanks, Stephen. Yeah, old audio cassettes still have a use, haha! I found the doors to be very well moulded, though the engineering of the hinges, door pillar holes and the brackets that hold it all together need some work if you want the doors to close properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 Masking up the underside now ready for chassis paint. When that's done I have to mask it all up again the same way to do the exhausts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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.