62 Catalina Mild Custom

[Alyn]

This is the AMT Pontiac Catalina from a WIP several months ago. Finally got some decent pics for an "Under Glass" post.

The WIP can be found here:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=45830&hl=

I chopped the top 1 1/2" and built a custom grille using straight pin heads on a scratch built grill shell. I also added the chrome bar across the top (under the front of the hood).

The paint is air brushed Sally Hansen nail polish. The color is called "Hard to Get" although I'd describe it as burnt orange. The roof is covered in Model Masters AMC Sterling Silver metallic. Both are topped off with Tamiya rattle can clear.

The AMT kit comes with 2 4-barrel carbs, but I replaced them with a Hilborn fuel injection setup. Between the injection system, manifold and various other under hood parts, there's around 140 scratch built pieces. I went with clear insulation on the plug wires, chrome wheel wells and a shaved firewall for the show car look. No photo etched parts were used.

[the goon]

Beauty Love the colors, love the wheels, great job on the grill.

Mark

[Joker]

Insane work on the engine and engine bay...seen the chrome wheel wells back in the day at car shows too.

The clear/transparent steering wheel is a new to me item...nice touch in a custom.

Thanks for posting...big fan of burnt orange...go Longhorns !

[Erik Smith]

That turned out great. Nice chop, paint, and details.

[blunc]

nice finish on a very tedious to build grille and a great lookin engine bay.

super work!

[cruz]

Followed the WIP on this one and thought it was phenomenal, thanks for sharing, turned out awesome. One of my all time favorite kits!!!

[W-409]

That turned out great! All the extra work you did to this paid off, it looks really good. These cars are hard to Chop, because it's very easy to lower the top too much and then the car will look bad. But you nailed the Top Chop, it's perfect height right now. Also the Custom Grille looks very good to me. Those, together with nice paint and detail, make really nice Model Car, just like in here.

Oh and the pictures are top notch too.

[crazyrichard]

awsome , that engine bay ... looks so good !!

[Helix]

Nice work Alyn

[PappyD340]

Extremely NICE build Alyn!!

[slusher]

Very sharp build. Very good work. love the grill...

[Burnout]

I remember seeing your WIP when you were building the grill. It all turned out really nice. I like your take on the engine too.

[crazyjim]

Very nice build with terific details. I really like the SHINY :)

[Jantrix]

Very few people seem to chop 60's cars because it can be a nightmare shaving the glass to fit. Did you have any problems? Did you just sand it down from the top until it fit?

Fantastic work. It has a great authentic feel.

[vintagercr]

That turned out very nice! Great job on the grille.

[Chris White]

way cool

[Albie D]

I was wondering when this would be Under Glass. Great build!

[vintagedragfan]

well Alyn, its about time!! I have been lucky enough to see this beauty a few times, every time you look at it you see some thing you missed before, the craftsmanship is as good as it gets as with all of Alyn's builds, awesome build my friend, and congrat's again on the article and cover of the next MCM!!! very well deserved brother!

[Custom Mike]

Absolutely gorgeous Alyn! The engine is a true work of art, the grille is stunning, hell, it's just right for my display case, send it on over!

[Danno]

Superb!!!

[Alyn]

Thanks, Mark. A local modeler here in the KC area, Steve Barnes, encouraged me to try the nail polish. Glad I did. Lot's of interesting colors available

Thanks, James. I love doing engine details. Glad you like it. The clear steering wheel comes in the kit. I just added some burnt orange to segments of it.

Appreciate your interest, Erik, and by the way, love your sig quote by the Dalai Lama

Thanks Mike. My focus on the grille was accurate spacing. That will make or break the end result.

Glad you took a look, Marcos. Your Catalina was an inspiration in quality execution and a great example of your trademark perfect paint jobs

Hey, Niko, thanks for the great comments. The chop is deceiving. It's so simple that all the work involved is not readily apparent. This is one of those "wish it was 25 times bigger" models.

Thanks for the props on the engine, Richard. It's one of my favorite aspects of model building.

Appreciate your interest, Ray

Thank you for the generous comment, Larry

Thanks, Carl. Comments from our resident, MCM Model Building booster club president are always appreciated !

Thanks, Ken. Don't know if you made it to the IPMS Nationals in Loveland, but I had the car there.

Jim, I can honestly say I thought of you when I decided to go with a shiny finish on this one

High, Rob. Always appreciate your point of view. Most of the glass trimming was at the bottom edge, with slight shaping and trimming at the top. You can't cut much from the top because on the windshield, the curve increases right as it meets the roof. On the rear, there is a stepped edge where the glass meets the window opening, so it was easier to trim from the bottom here as well. If you look closely at the photos, you can see gaps, mostly at the top. I considered going with scratch built windows, but in the end took the easy way out. I see it every time I look at the car

Thanks Stephen, alot of work in that grille for such a minor change.

Thanks for checking it out, Chris

Thanks, Albie. I was just waiting for the combination of weather, time and

Hey, Bill, my master fabricator buddy! Thank you so much for the words of support.
Always, always much appreciated

Mike, since your are known as a master customizer, I already assumed you would want this car, so I've already shipped it. It's on the way. Hope I got your address right...
Bates Motel, correct?

Dan, my builds aren't complete until I get your point of view; short but sweet. Thanks,

[Ryan S.]

Such a beautiful build. I'm going to have to get one of these kits at some point since it builds so nicely.

That grill is a work of art and really gives it that custom touch.

[jeffs396]

She's a BEAUTY Alyn!!!

Great details underhood!

[Dr. Cranky]

Another great addition to your collection, Alyn. That grill is excellent.

[Custom Mike]

Mike, since your are known as a master customizer, I already assumed you would want this car, so I've already shipped it. It's on the way. Hope I got your address right...

Bates Motel, correct?

Yup, I'll be waiting by the mailbox,,,in Mother's dress and a wig!