customline

Yup, sorry. I need to stay out of this stuff.

Thanks, Greg, you just reminded me to check this one ? It says Monogram on the box but the instructions are clearly in a Revell format with the parts list. Look ? That Monogram logo had me fooled but this is a really nice full detail kit. Beyond that, who knows? Hey, maybe it's time has come. EDIT: I just went through this '55 kit and there is no flash, very little in the way of parting lines and the chrome is quite nice. The rear quarter side trim is cast separately and plated a la the Lindberg '53 Victoria. It has white wall inserts, decals for the scripts, wheel covers, engine, and dash guages as well as custom freehand pinstriping. This seems like a great kit to build OOB. Hopefully, there won't be any surprises. The mold is dated. I can't believe I didn't build this yet. ?

Wow, yeah. No escape out there ?

I've used the "hypodermic" double tube stuff and it's too difficult to handle for me and I promptly ?-canned it. I have found the Bob Smith "Quick Cure" stuff to be quite forgiving and I mix it on small paper plates. Never a problem (unless I forget what I'm doing and it hardens up before I make the assembly ☺️) Jes' tryin' ta hep ?

Back in the mid '70s, my sister drove up to RI from FL in a '70 Challenger she bought down there. The firewall was rusted out. THE FIREWALL! ? I guess she never opened the hood.

Yeah, I get it, Dave. 50/50 can be tricky. ?

Not done yet, Rob. Still need a grille. Gotta go talk to a caterpillar.

It does look pretty bad. If the frame could be separated from the glass without wrecking it, and the glue is CA, it can be scraped off with a sharp blade and the "glass" can be sanded out and micro-polished. If the glue was the thick melting type, your chances are much slimmer but unless you are using it as is, you have nothing to lose by trying, Mike. The glue is somewhat clear and if it's old and brittle it can be sanded down smooth and polished. I have repaired glue smears like this on clear parts because there was no other choice. Try it.

I love the '34 coupe (and the phaeton, and the tudor, and the roadster and the....well...all of them really) and this one is bad to the bone, Bil ! edit: did the bench squirrels chew the roof off that beige 5W?

I have not seen better weathering (even on a 1:1 !) - than this rust-bucket chevy ?,

Why not 5 minute epoxy for a glass install? It cures out absolutely clear....in 5 minutes ?

Well, the '56 Del Rey for sure, David, that's a pretty decent kit.

It wasn't AMT, I checked. The shape is a lot better, though. The Revell maybe? OK, ANYBODY, WHO MAKES THE MOST ACCURATE '57 CHEVY? see what I did there? I shouted to get everyone's attention ?.

So the next question is what did David dilute the PVA with?

Thanks, DJ, I am very happy to get this info.

Compare these two fronts. This stuff bothers me. After you look at it a while, it will bother you too. It's as if they didn't even try to get it right. Oh well, here I go again... Two things are being dealt with. The hood trim is now on the hood where it belongs and the grille height is more in line with reality. I removed about 1/8" from each end of the upper piece. Then I sanded off the plating (I was excited) and cut it into three pieces....and this is where I begin my journey down the rabbit hole. I glued the 3 pieces in their places. I can, at this point, leave it at that and proceed as if the bumper and trim will remain as stock, with foil applied to the upper trim (after paint, of course ?) and I may be able to obtain a can of chrome everybody is excited about or just do a Molotow touch-up on the bumper. I would need to get some PE mesh and I would retain the center bar and paint the badge correctly this time. Or....or mold it all to the body and paint it for a monochrome look. It is, after all, a custom. The grille would be something as yet not imagined. There's body work either way because I had to butcher the lower front corners of the fenders to get the bumper to fit up where it should be. Wish me luck. ?

Thanks, David, that sounds like a fool-proof technique. I just remembered, though, why I was saving that dash; a "kustom" Fleetline Chevy. It'll be pretty snazzy in that car. ? Stick around - you can follow me down the rabbit hole.

It's looking like a junkyard queen now, Boss. Who could drive that anywhere? ? in most states you'd get stopped just to see if it was registered and inspected. Don't forget to put a pair of bald tires on the front, worn really bad on the inside with belts showing (I speak from experience ?.)

Oh heck, you can fix that windshield. ?

Yeah, long story. What is PVA?

PT-17, AT-6, P40(E), P-47, P-51, B-25, C-47, P-80.

I figured I would do some detail stuff today, you know, odds and ends. When I got around to the grille, I checked the kit box photo to see how the grille emblem was painted (too lazy to get off my duff and get my tablet - big mistake) So I used the box art photo as my reference ? Later I was looking at reference photos for another reason and I spotted it ? The kit continues to fight me at every turn. I can't explain it. ?. And then there's the gold anodized mesh that I forgot about (no help from Monogram on this either.) Time for a do-over. ?

Yeah. It took me a while but those kit wheels..... naaah. I don't have much 1:24 stuff that I could adapt so they'll have to do. I'm tempted to just go ahead and swap the chassis with that Del Rey but there's too much work already on both of them. There is one small possibility.....

I suppose it could, Dave. The big thing, of course, is how it mates with the windshield. I just my explore that. Thank you! It would be a very cool mod. I found the dash in an ebay buy of model A junk along with motorcycle fenders. A nice little junkyard ?

Welcome to your new home, Greg. ?