John Goschke

Rebuild with a Hook! It's NOT a Black Widow... It's a WILD CANARY! Not exactly a Holy Grail, but I always liked this old kit, having built one when I was a kid. Found a nice disassembled, but rebuildable, example on ebay with a decent box, instructions, decals and the ever-popular Monogram kit catalog. I wanted to do something a little different, since I've seen a few nice rebuilds in black, and also wanted to try masking and spraying whitewalls on the rubber tires to set it apart. Looking around the workbench for likely rattlecan colors, focused on three possibilities, with Tamiya's TS-16 Yellow (sprayed on top of their white Surface Primer) being the ultimate choice for ease of application and to contrast with the red and ivory I wanted to retain from Monogram's original color scheme. The paint went on well enough that I could skip the polishing bit! WooHoo! The red on the engine, frame and dash is Tamiya TS-49. The ivory on the top and interior is Testors Flat White with a little Flat Yellow and a tiny dot of Flat Red mixed to closely match the original ivory plastic of those components. The red on the upholstery and floor is Testors Flat Red. The model was built "box stock" except for scribing in the door lines and the addition of the molding around the doors and top of the cockpit using Plastruct half-round strip. Originally, the back of the body was molded with the seat. I cut that part away and blended it into the body before adding the body moldings and painting. I also added taillights from the first issue of AMT's '32 roadster, since Monogram didn't supply any! MV #228 lenses replace the glue-damaged original headlight transparencies. Also needed was a transmission since Monogram's drivetrain detail stops at the end of the bell housing! The bed cover is a scratch replacement for the missing kit piece, made from Evergreen sheet and strip plastic. I also had to recreate the front fender brackets, since the originals had been welded to the fenders in the wrong place. Fortunately the fenders were salvagable! The steering wheel rim is the original unpainted ivory plastic, with the shift knob turned from a bit of ivory sprue to match the wheel, and mounted on the kit shift lever. The windshield is tweaked a little from the more upright position designed by Monogram to a more rakish angle, and to give the top more overhang at the front. It was a really fun build! Hope you like it!

Just beautiful! Period-perfect color!

That came out real nice! Great color choice and super clean build!

Super nice work! Engine detail is terrific as is the paint, and, well, everything!

Very nice! Really smooth paint and foil work.

Nice work! I like your color choice and tutoning on the '62 BelAir.

Very, very nice!

Very slick! The top definitely works.

Beautiful! I love it! Needs dirt!

That's really nice. Always likke these late RWD Caddies!

Vintage 1959 AMT original issue Deuce inspired by photos in "The Birth of Hot Rodding" by Robert Genat, "Rodders Journal" and models by John Cunningham and Tommy Kortman... Vintage 1980-something issue Monogram 1/24 kit built as a tribute to the original "Little Deuce" issue and rods of the late '50s/early '60s... Hope you like 'em

Awesome detail!

Nice. The curved edge to the skirts really works!

Really nice color combination and a clean build!

Thanks, Ariel! Which '32, with fenders or without?

This model is beyond outstanding! Concept, color, detail, all are terrific. An inspiring piece that's chock full of great ideas and makes one want to build!

Again, thanks guys for your kind words!

...And usually an Aurora or Frog plane at that! Thank you for helping me see the light, Mr. Epstein!

Yow! That looks nice and nasty. The stance and stretched wheelwells really make it.

Thanks for feedback, guys! It's much appreciated.

That's really nice! Great modern take on a great old kit.

Hi Guys, I'm a newbie, here on the Model Cars forum. I see a lot of fine work here! Here's my first contribution... It's a conversion of the Monogram 1/25 '55 convertible to a two door hardtop, using the roof and glass from the old tool AMT '57 Chevy. I absolutely had to get this done before Revell/Monogram releases the kit this year! The engine is the dual-quad 283 from AMT's new tool '57 with valve covers from their '57 Vette, and air cleaners from the '62 Super Duty Catalina. The transmission mounts had to relocated and new header pipes were needed to mate the '55 exhaust to the '57 manifolds. The fan and front engine cover from the '55 and a little shaving of the fan pulley were necessary to clear the radiator. Bumpers are from the AMT '55 Nomad and wheel covers are from their '53 Corvette. Paint is Tamiya Gold with Tamiya Clear. Interior colors are Testors enamels mixed to the '55 red and ivory color combo, except for the lower dash which is Tamiya Gold/Clear. The car's also been lowered a little--about 2 1/2" front, 2" rear and of course it's been "nosed, decked, and shaved"! Hope you like it!