ChrisBcritter

Looks great in baby blue! Any issues assembling the chassis or engine? (By the way, if you're not using the Fiesta wheelcovers, would you be interested in trading for something or other?)

Well, the Country Squire was the first '57 Ford kit; molded in a color similar to Ford's Silver Mocha (the original darker version; Ford changed it mid-year to a lighter version). Despite the multi-piece body and lack of glass, it resembled the 1/1 car very well for the time. It was later modified into a Ranchero by filling in the rear door openings and cutting off most of the roof, but they didn't extend the front doors to match the real car, so it's always been inaccurate. When it was reissued in the 1970s it was custom-only (mainly a modified '59 Ford front bumper and grille surround with a tube grille and moon discs). It was later reissued in the 1980s with a severely chopped top and new wheels, and the original grille and front bumper were put back in.

How about the Auburn rubber version? Not 1/25 but as close as you'll probably get. Maybe do a resin copy and work with it?

Maybe Bondic? The UV light should pass through the clear plastic and cure the liquid, theoretically...

Two-tone paint was standard? Was single-tone considered a delete option?

Change "58 Biscayne" to "61 Dart Seneca" and "Sears" to "Motorola" and you've got my dad listening to the Cubs losing on WGN. Similar for us - we bought a '78 Olds Delta 88 equipped the same way; the delete plate was fake wood to match the dash panel and snapped into the radio hole with metal clips. And here's a base-model '77 Pontiac LeMans dash; no radio, clock or A/C:

While on vacation, I got the AMT Polyglas GT tires at the Hobby Lobby in Paducah, KY - with the coupon, natch. (Every other HL I've been to only has slicks for some reason.) I'll see how they look on my '64 Malibu, but they might be a bit anachronistic with the Radir wheels...

The Le Mans was a one-family-owned car, sadly - idiot woman down in Orange County hit the wrong pedal and clobbered it; it was all over the net a while back. The remains went to an insurance auction not long after.

Specifically the Monogram '56 T-bird, not the '58 which would have been an FE?

Yes, the exhaust manifolds and crossover are molded to the engine block and you're on your own from there to the exhaust pipe. It's not too visible when installed, fortunately. I went with duals (second one cut from a spare chassis and modified) and bent some copper wire to go from the manifolds to the pipes. Not totally perfect but pretty good.

I know what you mean - it's a great old kit that captures the lines of the real thing very well - but it's a fiddly monster to assemble. You did a great job!

Just got the glass from a '64 Continental sedan - I've already fitted the roof from the '64 I scrapped to a '65 convertible body; now I've got no excuse not to finish it...

Meanwhile, a few ABnormal people will be running in LeMons this weekend... http://hooniverse.com/2015/06/09/24-hours-of-lemons-b-f-e-gp-preview-at-high-plains-raceway-2/

Somewhat, but the grooves are deeper on the T-bird covers. I'm using a couple '58 T-Bird parts cars for tires (they fit the wheelcovers perfectly), drivetrain and front suspension bits.

Big spender today - a buck seventy-five: Been watching these for months and finally got 'em. They're the custom wheelcovers from the old Monogram '55 Chevy kit, which just happen to be near-perfect copies of '61 Ford units in 1/24 scale - so I can use them on my 1/24 Hubley '61 Country Sedan and they won't be undersize.

Oh yeah - love that car! When the taillights lit up, they read "Genuine Ford Parts" - and its owner was a very pretty blonde girl named Riki Krieger. Wonder if she still has it?

Cherry in color and quality! How was the fit of the new AMT tires on the old AMT wheels?

William, you can find pretty near anything on YouTube now: The very beginning and end are production music that wasn't part of the original record - easy to tell which is which; the added-on stuff is stereo.

A corollary to that from the great-but-eccentric Canadian aircraft builder Bob Diemert: "It was a great idea; it just didn't work." Seriously, I'm doing all my builds right now practicing my strengths - carving/whittling/filing/sanding - and trying to work up the nerve to start painting again. Case in point - a '61 Comet on which I've whiled away hours reshaping Opel GT wheels to look like four-lug Cragar mags, realigned the axle blocks to get the stance and wheelbase just right, and now carving the dual exhausts out of a Ranchero chassis to adapt to the Comet chassis. But when it comes time to paint...

I went for the FD-100 in hope that it will get Revell to keep their word and tool a new '56 Ford pickup (is the FD-100's body stock?). And went for the Eldorod as a potential parts bin and base for more interesting custom material (as in On the Workbench postings that read "I started with a Foose Eldorod and threw away about half of it..." )

I know what you mean - I'd like to get a '64 Bonneville vert and a '64 GP to make my old Catalina 2+2.

Huh? Has it gotten worse in the last ten years since I moved out? I was right near Los Angeles St. and Maine Ave. Baldwin Park's motto could have been "We're not as bad as El Monte!" And another thumbs up for Brookhurst Hobbies - plus there was a dollhouse supply place in the same center for your diorama needs, and a good wrecking yard a block or so away.

And the giant reflected in the front bumper. Seriously, a little photoshopping is all it needs - fortunately the consistent overcast sky helps:

Got one that may qualify - '35 and '36 Ford Victorias. According to a list published in Hot Rod's Complete Ford Book, 3rd Edition in 1973, there were 92 '35s and 143 '36s. Maybe some of the Model 40 '35s could have been late-production or leftover '34s, but 1936 is a bit late for that...?

Sharp, sharp, sharp! I remember seeing a few finback Mopars in this color scheme (including a '58 Savoy that was abandoned in my neighborhood). Hope the mold for this one turns up again like it did for the Dodge.