1955 Ford Fairlane Victoria WIP

[george 53]

Clay, by tamer, he probly means the engine won't run,or the radio won't tune, or the wheels won't mount using 5 little lugs or.......

[kk916]

Clay, by tamer, he probly means the engine won't run,or the radio won't tune, or the wheels won't mount using 5 little lugs or.......

Not being made with the intentions of Stuart Little driving it?

[MrObsessive]

Not being made with the intentions of Stuart Little driving it?

;)

[OLDERGUY]

MR. OBSESSIVE, YOU JUST BLOW ME AWAY WITH YOUR DETAILING. Your one of the most inventive builders I see. Great talent, I should be half as good.

[stump]

Bill....absolutely beautiful work mate..

I've really missed seeing your builds....thankfully I found MCM just recently.... I guess when you (me) get stuck on one board or the other, you don't tend to search out an alternative...now I have......I am here.

Your attension to detail on this one is "as expected"...Can not wait to see more progress. (LOVE the colour choices too..)

Coffee is brewed, snacks at my finger tips.......I'm set and ready..

cheers mate

Greg

[MrObsessive]

I gotta tell ya.........not since the GTO (Which I never finished) have I had so much trouble with a model! What you're about to see is round 2 of a paint job which I had to redo.

The first paint job wasn't bad, but I could still see the body work where the roof was sectioned and that to me was unacceptable. Especially after the clear coat was put on was this magnified to my view.

To add insult to injury, I was about out of paint------so another order to Paintscratch.com had to be made. I originally ordered the Regency Purple, but after second thought after a couple days, I decided I better get the Snowshoe White also.

I was able to get that locally, in fact I had called the local place originally about the purple, but they couldn't get the Regency Purple as they didn't have anything in their database that matched that color.

So here's what's up so far.....................

I got the whole passenger side BMF'd now save for the vent window...........

Another issue...........

When I tried to clearcoat the body using Tamiya X-22 acrylic clear,the new batch of paint I got from Paintscratch.com DID NOT like it! The paint beaded up like rain on a waxed car!

After a couple attempts even after I had rubbed the paint out with clean polishing cloths, I gave up and rubbed the paint out and waxed it with rubbing compound.

It's not super glass shiny like an exotic, but very smooth and glossy for a car of the '50's.

Here's the rubbing compound I got from Paintscratch back when I did the '61 Cadillac a couple years ago. I gotta admit it's good stuff although it's strictly for the tougher automotive paint. I wouldn't use it on the softer Tamiya synthetic lacquers.

Okay.........time for a bit of another rant------what in the heck has happened to Bare Metal Foil company?? I have a sheet that I know is not more than six months old.............it has all sorts of fissures and cracks and I've babied that sheet in it's envelope like gold!

When I got it, it was perfect. No cracks, no fissures, perfect!

Well I went to our LHS and of course they only had the Matte Aluminum, and the "Super Chrome" stuff. (I refuse to use that)

So the only alternative was Detail Master's foil which he had a sheet, so I sprang for the $4.99 and bought it.

Here's a pic of what it looks like on the driver's side drip rail......................

This layed down very well.....the only drawback is you have to make yourself two paper "handles" as it will curl up easy otherwise, when you take it off its backing.

So I think I've got something new to use here on out..............I will NOT pay $8.99 for a sheet of BMF and can't get a least 2/3 cars out of it! I'll keep an eye on Detail Masters sheet for cracks and stuff down the road. I do remember using this a long time ago and the sheet I had for quite a while. I just didn't like the not so user friendly way of keeping it from curling.

But...........in this day and age of everything costing too much I'm gonna go with what gives me the best bang for the buck!

Thanks for lookin' and I've still got a ways to go..............hang in there!

[Clay]

Absolutley gorgeous. No words can equal your builds Bill.

[cruz]

Well, I for one can attest to the professional workmanship being employed in this build, can't wait to see it finished Bill, thanks for sharing. By the way, I know that you have talked to me about that paintscratch paint, can you elaborate more on this, how much do you buy when deciding on the model you are building? Do you thin it down and with what? How much time you wait between coats when doing your painting sessions? Do you decant it or do you buy the bottles? How much do you pay? Sorry for acting as a teacher and giving you some homework!!! Thanks in advance.....

[Frank Steffens]

Okay.........time for a bit of another rant------what in the heck has happened to Bare Metal Foil company?? I have a sheet that I know is not more than six months old.............it has all sorts of fissures and cracks and I've babied that sheet in it's envelope like gold!

When I got it, it was perfect. No cracks, no fissures, perfect!

Well I went to our LHS and of course they only had the Matte Aluminum, and the "Super Chrome" stuff. (I refuse to use that)

So the only alternative was Detail Master's foil which he had a sheet, so I sprang for the $4.99 and bought it.

Here's a pic of what it looks like on the driver's side drip rail......................

This layed down very well.....the only drawback is you have to make yourself two paper "handles" as it will curl up easy otherwise, when you take it off its backing.

So I think I've got something new to use here on out..............I will NOT pay $8.99 for a sheet of BMF and can't get a least 2/3 cars out of it! I'll keep an eye on Detail Masters sheet for cracks and stuff down the road. I do remember using this a long time ago and the sheet I had for quite a while. I just didn't like the not so user friendly way of keeping it from curling.

But...........in this day and age of everything costing too much I'm gonna go with what gives me the best bang for the buck!

Thanks for lookin' and I've still got a ways to go..............hang in there!

I agree wholeheartedly on the BMF issue Bill. I've never been a big fan of foiling as it is, but lately every sheet of BMF I've bought has been a real dud, its either cracked and unusable as soon as I open the package, or the adhesive won't stick, or it just rips when I cut it (and yeah, I use a brand new blade). Its gotten so annoying, I've even masked off the trim and painted it with Alclad a few times (with mixed results). I'll have to give the Detail Master foil a try.

Keep up the great work, I'm sure this one will turn out to be another show stopper!

[MrObsessive]

Well, I for one can attest to the professional workmanship being employed in this build, can't wait to see it finished Bill, thanks for sharing. By the way, I know that you have talked to me about that paintscratch paint, can you elaborate more on this, how much do you buy when deciding on the model you are building? Do you thin it down and with what? How much time you wait between coats when doing your painting sessions? Do you decant it or do you buy the bottles? How much do you pay? Sorry for acting as a teacher and giving you some homework!!! Thanks in advance.....

No problem Cruz!

The first time I got paint from them, I got what's known as a touch up bottle. This was unthinned out of the bottle so I thinned it "by eye" as they say-----basically to the consistency of milk. I usually thin it down with acetone, as that I found to cut through much better than plain lacquer thinner.

I'll wait roughly 3-5 minutes between coats, with the first few coats just dusted on. This'll minimize "fisheyes" if you give the paint a chance to "get used" to the primer it's laying on.

Now this last time I ordered from Paintscratch, I got a whole can (12.5 oz.) which BTW, starts at $24.95. I figured in case I mess up again, at least I got plenty to use! I figure too that you can do other cars in this color as I still have a bit left to do maybe two or three more cars yet.

When I decant it, I spray it into a snow cone cup..........cut the tip off at the bottom and spray into it. I found it's best to tape the cup to the airbrush jar as there's quite a bit of propellant to blow it off!

In fact, that may be the culprit to the Tamiya X-22 clear not adhering...........when I sprayed the paint into the jar, I had to wait at least a ½ hour to let all the propellant gas out! It foamed up like a good Budweiser poured into a glass! There was no propellant of course with the touch up bottles.

HTH!

[MrObsessive]

I agree wholeheartedly on the BMF issue Bill. I've never been a big fan of foiling as it is, but lately every sheet of BMF I've bought has been a real dud, its either cracked and unusable as soon as I open the package, or the adhesive won't stick, or it just rips when I cut it (and yeah, I use a brand new blade). Its gotten so annoying, I've even masked off the trim and painted it with Alclad a few times (with mixed results). I'll have to give the Detail Master foil a try.

Keep up the great work, I'm sure this one will turn out to be another show stopper!

Thanks Frank!

The sad thing about it is I've been using BMF since around the late '80's.........it's not 'til recently that their quality control has just been plain sucky!

Case in point: I've got a sheet of their "Matte Aluminum" that I know I've had at least 5 years................there is nary a crack or fissure in it. I don't use it as I'm just not crazy about the finish since the intro of Aclad and such------but if that lasted that long with no problems, what the heck's going on now?

...............and we're not the only ones complaining about it-----there's others I'm sure.

BTW, the Detail Master held very well without "lifting", so I know the adhesive is good.

[Clay]

Thanks Frank!

The sad thing about it is I've been using BMF since around the late '80's.........it's not 'til recently that their quality control has just been plain sucky!

Case in point: I've got a sheet of their "Matte Aluminum" that I know I've had at least 5 years................there is nary a crack or fissure in it. I don't use it as I'm just not crazy about the finish since the intro of Aclad and such------but if that lasted that long with no problems, what the heck's going on now?

...............and we're not the only ones complaining about it-----there's others I'm sure.

BTW, the Detail Master held very well without "lifting", so I know the adhesive is good.

I've only used BMF for a few months. The sheet that Raul sent me, not sure which one it was. It was whichever they carry at Hobby Lobby. I've had no problems with it.

[cruz]

Thanks Bill, I will hit you w/ a few more questions the next time we get together!!!

[Raul_Perez]

Looking good, Bill, as usual!! You can't stop now...this one is looking too good to set aside.

Yes, I've had good and bad sheets of BMF. When I complained about it, I was told that what I got was probably from the end of the roll. With that I replied "thanks for sharing your defective material!".

What I sent Clay was a clean, new sheet of the standard "chrome" BMF. Yes, the ultrabright stuff only seems to be good for things like mirrors. It does NOT conform to the shape of the model like the standard stuff does. I think that it's actually a mylar based material.

Anyway, keep up the good work!!

[stump]

Yes...Looking real good Bill.

I love the colour scheme you've chosen for this build.

I've just broke open a new sheet of BMF myself..purchased about 2 months ago......yep, it's all cracked up as well....

Mainly contained to the centre of the sheet, but it still means I'll have to discard over 30% of it....frustrating.....

[kustoms]

Great job on your piant I really like the color choice But I want you to know that words really cant describe

how much insperation you give us all with you great modeling skills. with pictures and words that help make us think and dream of pushing the envlope a little futher. you even let us know the down

sides of things when they dont go as expected and you still stick with it . I think it gives us hope that whatever we build or how ever we build it if we try we can build just about anything we want Thank you Bill for all that you do for our hobbie you inspire us all

Bud Ellis Kustoms

[8bahead]

Great job I've been following this build since you've started it,coming along nicely.Keep it up!

[Moon Pie]

Thanks Frank!

The sad thing about it is I've been using BMF since around the late '80's.........it's not 'til recently that their quality control has just been plain sucky!

Case in point: I've got a sheet of their "Matte Aluminum" that I know I've had at least 5 years................there is nary a crack or fissure in it. I don't use it as I'm just not crazy about the finish since the intro of Aclad and such------but if that lasted that long with no problems, what the heck's going on now?

...............and we're not the only ones complaining about it-----there's others I'm sure.

BTW, the Detail Master held very well without "lifting", so I know the adhesive is good.

Bill,

Your '55 is looking great. My older brother had a '55 Crown Vick, and my brother-in-law had a '56 Crown Vick, but I was always more fond of the '55. You've done a great job on yours.

I have had the same problem with the BMF, lately. The only thing I can account it to is thermal expansion and contraction. Aluminum has a TE of .00005 per degree in temperature X per inch. I've always kept my stored flat in it's own little space in my desk, and still this last sheet I bought, has done the same thing with the cracking.

I've used the Detail Master and it was a nightmare for me. I have heard of some folks using a light weight kitchen foil and adding their own adhesive, but I refuse to go down that road. Maybe if enough of us complain to BMF about the situation, they'll look into it and fix the problem.

[FordRodnKustom]

Magnificent work Bill. I really like this Ford. Your color choice is perfect and it looks just right to me. BTW I have the same problems with BMF and I ordered mine directly from BMF CO. hoping to eliminate the second party "shelf time". Same results. I tried the DM stuff years ago and wasn't happy with it but maybe now time to revisit. Thanks for the tip. Again, fantastic 55!

[E St. Kruiser50]

Hey Bill

This is really a beautiful build. It has a subtle quiet "elegance". The colors and the finish really make it stand out .

I'll keep following this to see how it turns out.

Don't we love this hobby - Dave

[John Goschke]

The car looks fantastic! The foil really makes the colors pop. In the end, not having a clear coat on it certainly makes for a more authentic finish. I s'pose getting the right result sometimes takes a lot more agony than we might want!

[MrObsessive]

Just a quick mini review of what's been happening the last couple of days.

I finally got the toughest part of the build under my belt!..............And that ain't no easy task! I finally got the front and rear glass in using clear stencil sheet.

In an earlier post you may have seen templates I had drawn on 3x5 cards......these were traced on the clear stencil sheet and cut out. After numerous fit and trim sessions, I felt confident enough to go ahead and place 'em in.

Here's what we got..............

One drawback of doing windows this way is the sheet can only be bent one way--------either vertically or horizontally. So the only tiny nit I have with the rear glass in this side profile is there should be a very slight curve in the rear glass vertically. Not worth trashing the model over, but someday, I'll get a handle on vacuforming my own and then I can make this type curve if needed.

The major benefit of using this method for me is that there are no ripples or waves unlike what's in a lot of kits today. That's been a pet peeve of mine for years, but there are certain kits where I'll have to swallow it and use the kit glass...............(1959-60 GM cars come to mind........).

I also am very fussy about large gaps around the perimeter of glass, so I try to make the glass fit as flush to the bodywork as humanly possible. I've judged cars in contests in the past where the builder did a decent job, but the glass was so ill fitting it took away from the entire model. Just my 2¢ worth in this regard.

The front glass was not as difficult as the rear................with both front and rear glass, I'm going to simulate rubber weatherstripping to hide some of the epoxy joints that can be seen in a couple areas. This'll add to the realism too.

I can now finish up the rest of the foiling job now that the glass is in and firmly set in place.

Here's a view from inside where the channels I had made to hold the glass can be seen. I originally thought about tinting the glass before installing, but my epoxy jobs are so messy with wraparound windshields that I wrote that off. It took a bit of alcohol and wax to get rid of the residue and give the glass a squeaky clean look.

Now that this part is done I can focus on getting the rest of the foil on, getting the dash in, interior door panels on and the downhill slide (I hope) to final assembly!

Stay tuned and thanks for lookin'!

[CAL]

Just a quick mini review of what's been happening the last couple of days.

I finally got the toughest part of the build under my belt!..............And that ain't no easy task! I finally got the front and rear glass in using clear stencil sheet.

In an earlier post you may have seen templates I had drawn on 3x5 cards......these were traced on the clear stencil sheet and cut out. After numerous fit and trim sessions, I felt confident enough to go ahead and place 'em in.

Here's what we got..............

One drawback of doing windows this way is the sheet can only be bent one way--------either vertically or horizontally. So the only tiny nit I have with the rear glass in this side profile is there should be a very slight curve in the rear glass vertically. Not worth trashing the model over, but someday, I'll get a handle on vacuforming my own and then I can make this type curve if needed.

The major benefit of using this method for me is that there are no ripples or waves unlike what's in a lot of kits today. That's been a pet peeve of mine for years, but there are certain kits where I'll have to swallow it and use the kit glass...............(1959-60 GM cars come to mind........).

I also am very fussy about large gaps around the perimeter of glass, so I try to make the glass fit as flush to the bodywork as humanly possible. I've judged cars in contests in the past where the builder did a decent job, but the glass was so ill fitting it took away from the entire model. Just my 2¢ worth in this regard.

The front glass was not as difficult as the rear................with both front and rear glass, I'm going to simulate rubber weatherstripping to hide some of the epoxy joints that can be seen in a couple areas. This'll add to the realism too.

I can now finish up the rest of the foiling job now that the glass is in and firmly set in place.

Here's a view from inside where the channels I had made to hold the glass can be seen. I originally thought about tinting the glass before installing, but my epoxy jobs are so messy with wraparound windshields that I wrote that off. It took a bit of alcohol and wax to get rid of the residue and give the glass a squeaky clean look.

Now that this part is done I can focus on getting the rest of the foil on, getting the dash in, interior door panels on and the downhill slide (I hope) to final assembly!

Stay tuned and thanks for lookin'!

Looks good.

I hear ya on glass. That is typically what bothers me the most.

I finally got a Mat Vac U Form and works out great. If you ever get a chance to hop on one do it. You will not regret it.

[MrObsessive]

I finally got a Mat Vac U Form and works out great. If you ever get a chance to hop on one do it. You will not regret it.

Actually Chris, I do have a Vac-U-Form-----but I remember you have to have certain kind of sheets to use because of the fixture.

Years ago I bought one of those clear sheets off the 'Bay, but the end result was so hazy and cloudy looking, it was unacceptable looking to me.

Is there a source of of some really clear plastic (Not styrene) to use in that? I know how to make a buck for the windshield and backlite if need be.

[Marcelspeed]

Bill your attention to detail never ceases to amaze me. I have been inspired to try many new things from your builds. I just want to say thanks for sharing.