Ramfins59 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 While continuing my 1950's model building "quest", I'm sort of lining up the cars that I want to work on. I had decided to try to concentrate on staying in the 1959 model year after I finished the '59 Buick. Since I've been told that I'm a bit anal about being organized, I figured that I would continue working on the '59 cars in alphabetical order, the next one being Cadillac. I have a Monogram convertible kit, but, I wanted to do one or 2 quick Curbside cars after all of the work involved in finishing the '56 Chrysler, as I'm not quite ready to do another "full detail" kit just yet. So I'm skipping over Cadillac for the moment and moving on to a '59 DeSoto because I already have a completed '59 Chevy and Chrysler. The DeSoto Is a curbside Johan promo and I have a resin '59 Dodge interior that I'll be using for it. In my mind's eye I see the car in a Silver and Red color scheme but I haven't yet decided if it will be Red over Silver with a Red side trim insert, or, Silver over Red with a Silver insert. In the meantime, continuing on the "plan ahead", after the DeSoto comes Dodge which I've already built when I replicated the car that I used to own. Now for the "Looking back"...... After Dodge comes Edsel. In March of last year I picked up a real SCORE. I won an original, in the original box, unpainted, unassembled 1959 Edsel convertible kit for $54 on EBAY. This afternoon I opened the box again (it was slightly wrinkled when I got it from apparent water damage) and I was taken back in time to when I first got this kit back in the early 1960's when I was about 14 years old. The skinny box with the Red price of $1.39 on the end and the cool, multi-colored artwork. The side panel shows the "extra parts" for customizing. The body is as straight as an arrow and the windshield frame and vent windows are straight and solid. No holes were made anywhere on the body for antennas or mirrors. The vent window frames do have holes for spotlights but it looks like the kit was molded that way because the holes are perfect with no other marks. All of the kit's parts are STILL ATTACHED TO THE SPRUE TREES...!!! The glass is scratch free with no embedded tire burns. The chrome tree is perfect with nothing looking like it'll need Modelhaus replacement parts. The screws for the chassis were in the box. The original decal sheet is in the box, although it looks a lot yellowed from time and may have gotten wet with the box. The only things missing were the metal axles (plastic or aluminum tubing will solve that problem) and the chassis (I got a resin replacement piece from Modelhaus). Looking at the parts on the trees brought back a flood of memories from my early, long ago, modeling years. All of the "extra parts...... fins, louvers, skirts, spotlights, antennas, lake pipes, moon hubcaps, mirrors, a full width continental kit extension...... Wow. Should I paint it with a 3 inch brush and have fingerprints all over it...... glue on every part with tube glue with a BIG splotch of glue on the windshield...... put on every decal,..... ruin the wheels & tires with a hammer putting them on axles......?????? I think NOT. It will certainly be a fun kit to put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordairgtar Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 This sounds like an awesome build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne swayze Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I am SO envious! You're actually living my dream! Good on you Rich! Your descriptive summary of the old days and the JOY is something I can really relate to. I found myself grinning as I was reading your entry. Really nice to hear such a great story, and for the perfect guy that deserves it! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I've had a couple of those in the past couple of years. A '60 Imperial & a '60 Mercury. I believe the Mercury had the bumpers off of the trees, but the Imperial was basically brand new! Unfortunately, It doesn't jog my memory, as I was a little too young then. I hadn't been born yet! Didn't get to start building models until about '71 or '72. By then I had pretty much missed out on all of the great old annuals, which may explain my "psychosis" today! My biggest memory of buying a brand new kit was the "sweet" almost sickening smell that would blast you in the face when you opened up one of those "molded in color" Monogram kits back in the 80s. Anybody else remember that? Maybe it was some sort of chemical to induce "Model kit mania" in young minds! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspex Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Should I paint it with a 3 inch brush and have fingerprints all over it...... glue on every part with tube glue with a BIG splotch of glue on the windshield...... put on every decal,..... ruin the wheels & tires with a hammer putting them on axles......?????? I think NOT. It will certainly be a fun kit to put together. You forgot.... add EVERY optional part to the car, no matter what it does to the final appearance of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramfins59 Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 You forgot.... add EVERY optional part to the car, no matter what it does to the final appearance of the car. Chuck, when I said "glue on every part" I actually meant every part in the box . I also forgot to say " Paint all the chrome trim with a shaky hand using the old Testors silver paint that never dries"... Wayne, I don't know about being the "perfect guy who deserves it", but it will be a ton of fun when I eventually get around to working on this kit.... ahhhhhh the memories. Steve, I wasn't into building models back in the 80's so I know nothing about those Monogram kits. Our daughters were born in '81 and '83 so we were busy with learning to be parents and earning a living to support a family. I didn't rediscover the hobby until 1992. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Chuck, when I said "glue on every part" I actually meant every part in the box . I also forgot to say " Paint all the chrome trim with a shaky hand using the old Testors silver paint that never dries"... Wayne, I don't know about being the "perfect guy who deserves it", but it will be a ton of fun when I eventually get around to working on this kit.... ahhhhhh the memories. Steve, I wasn't into building models back in the 80's so I know nothing about those Monogram kits. Our daughters were born in '81 and '83 so we were busy with learning to be parents and earning a living to support a family. I didn't rediscover the hobby until 1992. That didn't stop me. My daughter was born in '88 & my son in '93. I built models up until 2001 when we moved into our new house, & then started again in 2012. Although back then I could only manage to finish about 2 a year. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Congrats Rich, as you are "livin' the dream." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disabled modeler Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Congrats Rich...nothing like being able to re-visit ones childhood days....someday Id like to myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtx6970 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 A 1959 Edsel convertible, for $54. Oh the pain ,,you should save yourself the agony of how to build this one and just send it to me . I'll 'take one for the stryene team' on this one .............. lol I've been trying to get a 59 Edsel for a while now. Theres is one on the 'Bay now,,but the seller wants paypal only,,,and I dont do paypal ( long story ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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