John Goschke

Thanks for the comments, guys! These shots bring back a lot of memories, some good, some not so good. A lot of stuff has happened since then, and I'd like to think I'm gained a bit of wisdom in the intervening years. Glad to say I'm still here and still building!

Terrific build! Interior detailing is especially well-done.

Wow! A nice surprise seeing this old thread resurface! Thanks for the additional comments, guys! And, Chris, a special thank you for supplying the answer to the question regarding the original source of the '59 Dodge caps! Come to think of it they would look great on a '62 Imperial!

Actually the engine in the '34 p'up kit is a 401 hp 390 cid FE, not the 430 cid MEL.

A few more shots... Of course there was also this appropriately named issue of the kit!

Here are some vintage shots of a circa-1977 build of Revell's notoriously "unbuildable" '56 Chevy two door sedan kit. Built in trade to the owner of the real car for a group of about 25 old, rebuildable models, including a '58 Ford hardtop. Got it finished after destroying one body trying to fix a warp. Guys who remember this kit from the '60s no doubt remember the cool artwork of a green custom with the door open that tempted them to buy, then discovered the nightmare of trying to build it! I made the job more difficult by consenting to build it as the owner's six cylinder, Powerglide car rather than the V-8 stick the kit came with. Also made the hood, trunk, and the (out of scale) BelAir emblems from scratch. Please excuse that crazy antenna!

Love that color combo! Who makes that green?

Outstanding job, particularly on recreating the markings on the original "Suddenly."

Very crisp looking build! The profile shot looks like a real car! Good call replacing the windscreen–makes quite an improvement. I also love how your paint work looks smooth and shiny without appearing too thick–a large factor in the realistic appearance of the model.

Very nice build of a classic AMT kit. Color combo looks very authentic. Well done detail painting under the hood, in the interior, and on the chassis bring out the best in the kit.

Looks like Bronze Rose from here in Philly! Nice work cleaning up those nasty moldlines at the base of the C pillar on this kit!

Job well done!

Good start on that top, Steve! I remember pirating some clear pliable plastic to use for a '60 Buick ragtop rear window from the case for a cheap electric blanket. Shower curtains and other similar products come in the same kind of cases. I think the window on those Mercs was the typical heavy clear pliable ragtop and roadster window plastic, and wrinkles, pulls, splits, tears, and yellowing were par for the course, especially in the "wrap around" area. Looked cool on the dealer lot though!

Have also been prepping parts for plating, including stripping the head and taillights, and cleaning up a second rear bumper, removing moldlines and Pontiac's non-functional "exhaust ports." Also working on the fit of this piece. Misfortune struck last night after I had done a quick "tape 'n screw" mockup assembly to take to our club meeting when I knocked the model in its box onto the basement floor! Landed on the roof almost cracking it all the way in half. Repairable, but kind of disheartening!

Thanks for the kind words everybody. Helps keep me going on this project. Haven't had a whole lot of time to work on the Bonnie – an hour here and hour there kind of thing. Anyway, managed to add some weatherstripping and window channel along the inside edge of the roof using styrene strip. The little gap above the vent window will close up when roof finally cemented on. Also added a ledge inside the roof for the rear window to fit against. Shaved the "Bonneville" script off the front fenders and worked on the headlight fit, removing moldlines and refining contours around the light bezels. Also shaved those crazy fake vents off the driver's side fender (still have to do the passenger's side.) A little kit accuracy trivia: the real car has four of those things on each side while AMT added five! Rep. stockers: shave off the top one and you're good to go!

Honestly, I'd rather see a well-done snap kit with an ACCURATE body and a decent interior than a full-detail kit with a dubious or mediocre body (like many recent releases.)

Another great project, Steve! The Bronze Rose is a really nice color choice. Are you doing a two-tone, maybe with "Polar White" or "Sahara Beige"? My build of this kit is the oldest one in my collection. Built from a fresh kit in 1976! Duplicolor lacquer pale yellow touchup for Ford Granada to represent Edsel's "Buttercup Yellow." Gotta love the simplicity of four screws and two wire axles!

Steve, that came out great! The black paint looks super smooth and shiny and I love what you did with the interior. The little details like the shift lever and antenna look just right. Superb work detail painting the grill and textured panel in the rear. Proof that these old annual kits, when carefully built, can hold their own against any new "full detail" kit!

Nice work, Steve! Go for the Alclad.

I think what you did is great! A little artistic license keeps things from getting stale. That's why I went over to "the dark side" and started doing traditional hot rods and customs instead of replica stock. That, and looking at the info from a friend's '59 Merc C.&U. book and realizing AMT has the pleats where the buttons should be and the buttons where the pleats go in their '59! May as well make it a custom!

Stellar job, Steven! I love what you did with the interior in two-tone red! Definitely the way to give a black car some impact! I have an original '60 Merc color and upholstery book and was struck by how unimaginative the interior color combos in the Park Lane ragtops were when I was considering building this kit (especially compared to medium-priced cars from GM!) – solid colors only and no leather available! Wonder if it was Bob McNamara and his bean counters keeping a tight rein on the choices. The Olds 98 convertible was a better buy, apparently ,in spite of its higher price... 7,284 built - base price, $4,362 vs. 1,525 built - base price, $4,018. Pontiac did even better with 17,000+ Bonnevilles built (base $3,476), with leather standard!

Might be worth the effort to see if you can find a restorable AMT '59 or '60 T-bird kit. They're both 1/25th, so the Lincoln motor from the '25 T kit would work, and the body in those 'bird kits looks WAY more like a proper "Squarebird" than Monogram's (now Revell's) humpbacked wonder! Here's one I sold a while back. This one's a '59. The '60 kits had an engine, but it was a 352 with a stick shift...

Good job!

Amazingly faithful rendering of the original artwork! As for the trim strip, if it were me, I'd cut a thin strip of masking tape and lay it in place to see where it breaks through the art, compared with photos of the original, if it's right on or close enough, I'd add the trim for accuracy's sake. Too far off, then no strip for art's sake.

Nice work so far. Looking forward to seeing how your masking technique works out.