Up-to-date for convertibles

[misterNNL]

I recently scored some original release 1958,'59 and '60 SMP/AMT Chevy convertibles at a toy show. All are cleanly stock built,no paint, decals or added parts like skirts,etc and I want to rebuild them using correct up tops. Any suggestions on where to source those tops?

[stitchdup]

There was a thread on the forum a couple of years ago. It may have been in aftermarket or tips section. I think the thread was called working tops or similar and someone mentioned where to find resin up tops in the thread. sorry i'm not more help

[Ace-Garageguy]

Monogram '59 Impala up-top should do for all of them.

EDIT: The shape of the front bow may need work to fit the '58 windshield frame.

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy

[misterNNL]

15 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Monogram '59 Impala up-top should do for all of them.

EDIT: The shape of the front bow may need work to fit the '58 windshield frame.

 

Thanks Bill. I'll look into that. A 1/24 top on 1/25 convertible might in fact take some modifications.

[Ace-Garageguy]

25 minutes ago, misterNNL said:

...A 1/24 top on 1/25 convertible might in fact take some modifications.

 

My boxes all say the Monogram (& Revell) kit is 1/25.

scalemates.com appears to agree.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-2437-59-chevrolet-impala-convertible--1093956

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy

[misterNNL]

6 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

 

My boxes all say the Monogram (& Revell) kit is 1/25.

scalemates.com appears to agree.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-2437-59-chevrolet-impala-convertible--1093956

 

Thanks again Bill. I have never owned that kit. Great to know that the top should work nicely.

[gtx6970]

The revell 59 is 1.24th.

Ive tried to fit the top from one on my 58 Pontiac or Buick vert kits.

 

I tossed the idea. I think making one from scratch would be easier than all the cutting it would take to make one of them work and look right

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, gtx6970 said:

The revell 59 is 1.24th.

So all the boxes are printed wrong?

[MrObsessive]

6 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

So all the boxes are printed wrong?

When I did the roof swap on my "Revell" '59 Chevy using their '60 roof, the swap was made with no issue in size difference, and the Revell '60 is definitely 1/25. In the days of Monogram (which my '59 was), everything they did was marked in 1/24, and when Revell came in and did the takeover, new tooling was done in 1/25 if memory serves me. I have Revell in quotes as it was originally a Monogram kit, and then a few years later Revell came in and took over the show.

I'm quite certain when Monogram did their '59 Cadillac in the early '90's, that kit was 1/25 as it would have been TREMENDOUS in size compared with other 1/24th's given the actual size of the 1:1. In fact, curiosity struck, and I'm looking at the original Monogram box pink Cadillac 'vert from '92, and it's marked 1/25th.

So yeah........those early boxes may in fact have had the wrong scale on 'em........I just want them to look correct without out of place proportions/dimensions.

7 hours ago, gtx6970 said:

The revell 59 is 1.24th.

Ive tried to fit the top from one on my 58 Pontiac or Buick vert kits.

 

I tossed the idea. I think making one from scratch would be easier than all the cutting it would take to make one of them work and look right

Bill, is it possible those very early kits were a bit undersized? Like Johan, AMT might have scaled their models so they'd all fit in the same type boxes. Remember who their clientele was in those days.......drug stores and your Mom and Pop five and dime/hobby shops. They might have had criteria that dictated certain size boxes need to fit on the store shelves without a lot of drama. 🤔

Edited March 29, 2022 by MrObsessive

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just to make 100% double-dog certain, last evening I dug out the Monogram '59 and fitted up the up-top to an AMT '60 Pontiac.

Almost like it's made for it, easy adaptation.

Other in-period AMT GM cars should be similar.  

Edited March 29, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy

[SfanGoch]

On 3/28/2022 at 9:05 PM, gtx6970 said:

The revell 59 is 1.24th.

Nope. It's 1/25, released in 1993. It was the second 1/25 kit produced by Monogram after the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, which was released in 1992 and was the initial 1/25 scale model car kit in the Monogram lineup. Subsequent '50s GM kits by Revell/Revellogram were also 1/25 scale, including the '59 Eldorado Biarritz, '55 Bel Air Convertible and HT, the '59 and '60 Impala HT's, The '56 Delray and Nomad, the '57 Bel Air Convertible and Sedan and the '57 Black Widow.

[gtx6970]

I have a top around here from what I was told was a Revell 59 Impala. I tried it on a few old 58 annuals. and it was to big My kits are still boxed up from a move 3 years ago. SO I have no idea where said top is at right now to dig it out

 

Ive never actually had an  unbuilt 59 Impala kit ever. I got the top from someone here several years ago and thats what I was told it came out of . And it was to long and wide to fit the 58 Bonneville I wanted it for . So tossed it back in the  box

[gtx6970]

On 3/29/2022 at 1:49 AM, MrObsessive said:

When I did the roof swap on my "Revell" '59 Chevy using their '60 roof, the swap was made with no issue in size difference, and the Revell '60 is definitely 1/25. In the days of Monogram (which my '59 was), everything they did was marked in 1/24, and when Revell came in and did the takeover, new tooling was done in 1/25 if memory serves me. I have Revell in quotes as it was originally a Monogram kit, and then a few years later Revell came in and took over the show.

I'm quite certain when Monogram did their '59 Cadillac in the early '90's, that kit was 1/25 as it would have been TREMENDOUS in size compared with other 1/24th's given the actual size of the 1:1. In fact, curiosity struck, and I'm looking at the original Monogram box pink Cadillac 'vert from '92, and it's marked 1/25th.

So yeah........those early boxes may in fact have had the wrong scale on 'em........I just want them to look correct without out of place proportions/dimensions.

Bill, is it possible those very early kits were a bit undersized? Like Johan, AMT might have scaled their models so they'd all fit in the same type boxes. Remember who their clientele was in those days.......drug stores and your Mom and Pop five and dime/hobby shops. They might have had criteria that dictated certain size boxes need to fit on the store shelves without a lot of drama. 🤔

Thats very possible, Ive never done any measurements to ck actual scale length

[Perspective Customs]

If you've considered aftermarket, 3D Scale Parts might have what you're looking for.

[bisc63]

19 hours ago, gtx6970 said:

it was to long and wide to fit the 58 Bonneville I wanted it for . So tossed it back in the  box

I'd bet the person you got it from mistakenly mis-identified it as from a '59 Impala, when in fact it was from the '59 Cadillac convertible. Both were newer tooled 1/25 kits, both Monogram, but a Caddy roof is bigger in all dimensions than an Impala, and that would explain the discrepancy.

[gtx6970]

I have a spare uptop thats off an early 61 or 62 Bonneville / or maybe its an early AMT/SMP Impala I think

( dont remember )

 

Its  around here someplace. I tried it on my 59 or 60 Bonneville and it fits like a glove .