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1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe


ModelcarJR

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I can't go too long without building a tri-five Chevy! This one is the AMT kit that is also known as the "Pro Modeler" series although it doesn't say so on the box.  I've built it before and I like this kit because of all the detail and the body proportions seem right to me. In addition, my 1:1 is sitting in the garage so I can always use that for reference. The drawbacks for the body are that the scripts are too thin and small, the tulip and rear quarters near the fender spears have some sink marks caused by the trunk hinging and trunk sides of the opening trunk. In addition, the fender spears aren't rising to the rear but that's a small point. 

When I bought it at a contest and vendor show the owner let me know that it was missing the PE. So I have ordered some PE for it. I have removed the scripts on the body and I am in process for filling and sanding out the sinks. Not much I can do today other that prepping parts as it is rainy and cold.  I saw another tri-five on this forum painted Tamiya Metallic Orange which looked surprisingly like Sierra Gold. I plan on doing the same, Ivory or beige top with an Ivory or beige and black interior. Thanks for looking and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Great start. I really like this ‘pro shop’ version too. It’s a very nice kit. I’ve made a start on my one too, but hit some fit issues with suspension and engine/transmission mounts. You’ll probably sail through these!

There’s many great videos and pics available online for reference, but nothing beats having your own 1:1 in the garage!

Are you going to build a replica of your own?

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Thanks, Guido, Dominik, and Sonny! I appreciated your comments!  Sorry, my memory is slipping again, I meant "Pro Shop" series. Sonny, I have already built a replica of my 1:1 so this one will be different. Here are a few pics of that 1:1 replica. In addition, the front grill, light bar and bumper somehow fell off one of my previous builds. Although the bumper won't fit, the grill and light bar should work on this build. Dominik, I guess I am lucky that I rebuilt the 1:1 years ago with the help of a Classic Car shop that let me work on certain things on Saturdays for about 3 years while they did the skilled work. Costs would probably be prohibitive nowadays.The hardest part now is keeping it running. These old cars really don't like corn in the gas.  Thanks for looking! 😎

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2 hours ago, ModelcarJR said:

Thanks, Guido, Dominik, and Sonny! I appreciated your comments!  Sorry, my memory is slipping again, I meant "Pro Shop" series. Sonny, I have already built a replica of my 1:1 so this one will be different. Here are a few pics of that 1:1 replica. In addition, the front grill, light bar and bumper somehow fell off one of my previous builds. Although the bumper won't fit, the grill and light bar should work on this build. Dominik, I guess I am lucky that I rebuilt the 1:1 years ago with the help of a Classic Car shop that let me work on certain things on Saturdays for about 3 years while they did the skilled work. Costs would probably be prohibitive nowadays.The hardest part now is keeping it running. These old cars really don't like corn in the gas.  Thanks for looking! 😎

00-Y-8Yc6DVh--ZPkGITLwl4ftFjzPT9fAvEBf1aalWdFzVoGy3twtohyDPtQVm1_aFldMTLfbtJ__wYVBQ_4iTow?cn=THISLIFE&res=large&ts=1637937085

00-Y-8Yc6DVh--ZPkGITLwl4ftFjzPT9fAvEBf1aalWdFzqwar8_g4c6A3xD4lGd0sCKwg5ydwHipy3aIZBf9dNYQ?cn=THISLIFE&res=large&ts=1637937084

00-Y-8Yc6DVh--ZPkGITLwl4ftFjzPT9fAvEBf1aalWdFxRxC2ZKZCns3mrMLQNWGbornHjCyIZu59oV2we_kMG9A?cn=THISLIFE&res=large&ts=1637937082

00-Y-8Yc6DVh--ZPkGITLwl4ftFjzPT9fAvEBf1aalWdFyQlPV3uk5XV2qpgR49pBnw5cYdfB3jRoL_VZILaXEufg?cn=THISLIFE&res=large&ts=1637937081

Wow, your car is a beauty - the 1:1 one, and your scale one. You could never have too many ‘57 Chevys. 

We have some premium fuels here in the UK that are fine for classics. Of course, we have to pay more for them though. 

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Thanks, Mike and Sonny! I appreciate your comments! 

I painted a the platforms/seat folding mechanisms for the front seat to see what the Tamiya metallic orange would like like compared to MCW Sierra Gold that I painted a 57 Nomad.  Looks like a pretty good match! The Nomad is also one of my favorite built models. This hardtop will be its sister. Same colors inside and out. 

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Yes John, the '57 Nomads are such cool cars..   If memory serves  me right, there are no actual engine/body style production numbers and the specific engine is not indicated in the vin. I wonder really how many Nomads actually had the FI engine.  No doubt, there are probably way more now than were produced.

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Thanks, Mike, Bob, and Carl! I appreciate your comments! 

Still rainy and cold so not much progress. I did manage to get the dash and a few other small parts painted yesterday so I've been working on the dash and taping off the door panels. This is about as good as I can do on the dash without decals. Thanks for looking! 

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Thanks, Bill and Carl! I appreciate your comments! Carl, the center of the dash is painted with Testors metalizer Aluminum with a brush. Its one of their best paints as it is thinned for airbrush but can be painted with a brush and because it is so thin it doesn't mat up or show brush strokes. Unfortunately, Testors has stopped producing the whole Modelmaster line so I'll have to find something else once this last bottle is gone. 

Here are a few photos of some progress and regress (a few tape issues). I sanded out the tape bleed-throughs on the body and touched up the seats and door panels. Finally, one door panel is done and it foils very nicely. I only need to add a touch of black to the knobs on the window cranks. Thanks for looking!

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Just a little more touch-up and some foil and the seats will be done. 

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Thanks, Tom! I appreciate your comment! 

Got some paint on it yesterday. Looks pretty good but my paint bleed-through on the top and my subsequent clean-up didn't quite work on the B pillars. So I cut a piece of thin sheet plastic to add to the B pillars. It not only helps cover the error but it is more correct as there is a stainless plate that covers the B pillar on the 1:1. So I am going to sand this out to get the edges smooth and then foil it and see what it looks like. Thanks for looking! 😎

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I'm just cu

1 hour ago, ModelcarJR said:

Thanks, Tom! I appreciate your comment! 

Got some paint on it yesterday. Looks pretty good but my paint bleed-through on the top and my subsequent clean-up didn't quite work on the B pillars. So I cut a piece of thin sheet plastic to add to the B pillars. It not only helps cover the error but it is more correct as there is a stainless plate that covers the B pillar on the 1:1. So I am going to sand this out to get the edges smooth and then foil it and see what it looks like. Thanks for looking! 😎

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I'm just curious John, why did you have to use filler on the pillar, it looked fine in the unpainted pics?

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Thanks, Mike, Carl and Guido! I appreciate your comments!  Mike, although it might look alright from a photo, both pillars had lumps, gouges, and scratches from trying to scrape out the bleed-though in an area that was tough to clean up. And it would show through the foil. So I thought the next best thing to do since the body was already painted, was just to add a plastic piece to cover the errors. I think it worked but there are a couple of rough spots. 

I've finished the painting adding a coat of clear to the top blending in the trunk by painting the rear with the trunk in place. I've rubbed out the paint and finished the filler plate in the B pillar. Now its time for more foil! Thanks for looking! 😎

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Thanks, MrMIke! I appreciate your comment!  Finished foil on the left side and window trim. Used matte aluminum foil for the rear fender insert. I'll add the gold scripts, lettering and front fender emblets once assembled. Still one of the most beautifully trimmed cars ever manufactured, IMO. 

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2 hours ago, ModelcarJR said:

Thanks, MrMIke! I appreciate your comment!  Finished foil on the left side and window trim. Used matte aluminum foil for the rear fender insert. I'll add the gold scripts, lettering and front fender emblets once assembled. Still one of the most beautifully trimmed cars ever manufactured, IMO. 

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Lookin good John.  Since the darn chrome BMF sucks now I will try the matte in hopes maybe it sticks better. Looks good to me👌 BTW, the color is great on it!!

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