John Goschke

Thanks, Mark! It can be a tough kit! Thanks, Snake! Yeah, it is fun and this particular survivor means a lot to me! Thanks, Cliff! I'm surprised how well the paint cleaned up. This thing was really dirty.

Thanks, Tulio! You could do a great job with one of these kits, I'm sure! Thanks, Rick! Oddly the small scale made foiling a bit easier I think. Maybe because the pieces are a more manageable size, Thanks, Dennis! I wish I looked as good lo these 42 years later!

Thanks, Peter! Nice review of the Buick! If they'd made it a two-door hardtop I probably would've built it. But when they first made the '55 kit, four-door hardtops were a big deal! Thanks, Mike! I like to think I'd do a better job now, but I'm not prepared to do it over completely to find out - life's too short! Thanks, Scott! I always loved the '55 and '56 Mercs, too!

Thanks, David! In spite of the small scale and difficult assembly sequence these kits have a ton of potential. Thanks, Ray! It's held up surprisingly well over the years. Thanks, Dan! Unfortunately not too many get built anymore, I think.

Some more work on the interior details. Created a shifter for the console using a straight pin, and turned a knob with a lock-out button on top from a piece of ABS rod. The base plate was built-up and shaped from styrene strip. The idea was to replicate a '57 T-bird automatic shifter. Also made a turn signal lever with a shaft from a dressmakers' silk pin (which is thinner than the typical straight pin) and a turned styrene rod knob. Also agonizing over paint! These two spoons are where I'm at for the body color (roof will be pearl white). The color on the left is a mix of tried-and-true Tamiya paints. The spoon on the right is "Plum Ice" by Bob's Paints, which I think has a lot more punch, with a great shift in tone from highlight to shadow. The problem is I have no experience shooting Bob's on a model. It needs to be thinned with lacquer thinner and I hesitate to risk all the work I've got in this car with a new paint regimen. Yikes!

In 1975 I was building model airplanes but was actually a frustrated model car builder. Then I discovered Duplicolor rattle cans and Bare Metal Foil, which unleashed an orgy of car modeling that lasted into the early '80s. Along with that was an orgy of vintage kit buying that included the whole series of these 1/32nd scale kit, the result of a collaborative effort between Revell and AMT. This Merc was the only one I actually built, because, I suspect, making the windows from scratch out of acetate report covers scared me out of doing the rest (that, and the small scale!) Anyway, here she is with her original paint and windows (since aged to a nice amber shade!) and fresh foil. The box and instructions are original, too!

I admire not only your craftsmanship but your commitment to this project, documenting in scale a mainstream family car, the kind of vehicle that is often taken for granted by modelers and auto enthusiasts. The model looks highly realistic in the photos - just amazing and inspiring!

Heck, Manuel, we're all out here figuring it out as we go along. I still feel like every paint job I do is an experiment. With my shaky hands I still have yet to master those nice fades like you did on your panels! I'm envious and inspired!

Such a crisp, clean build!

Outstanding as usual, Steve! That engine looks very authentic – nice use of washes to highlight the detail. FWIW, I think the air cleaner might be from AMT's '62 Buick, or one of the other 60's Buicks with the 401.

I thought Hendrix Resin did this in, well, resin... http://www.resinrealm.net/Star/HendrixGallery/index.html

The main project was detailing the interior side panels. I burnished some ribbon solder over the outside trim so it could be repeated inside. This worked reasonably well, though the solder's softness, which is a virtue for copying the necessary detail, is a liability during the cutting fitting and fitting process. Then I added the trim moldings from styrene strip, and marked out, scribed, and carved a tuck & roll pattern into the panels. The front arm rests were carved from ABS, while the door handles were robbed off of Revell Skyliner door panels. A member of the MCM forum copied a set of power window switches in Bondic from a Revell '57 Country Squire (Thanks, Chris!) Most recently I scribed and carved a tuck & roll pattern to match that on the seats into the top of the dash. Final details will be a turn signal lever, '57 T-bird auto shifter for the console and an inside rear view mirror. I'll also drill the redundant heater control from the console and replace them with a tach dial.

Been a busy time since the last update on the Fairlane, but I have been working on it! Painted the chassis in my customary dual-texture black with touches of color (looks like I skipped the oil filter!)

Outstanding! Wish I could do fades like that.

Really beautiful paintwork! Love the tuck & roll inserts too! I wonder what it'd look like with whitewalls and some nice flashy wheelcovers like Fiestas or Lancers?

Cool. That car's got to have a gigantic turning radius with those crazy huge wheels on the front.

Michael, I'm reasonably certain that in the case of a manual shift car, Dodge would've used a blank aluminum plate in place of the push buttons. If you use some careful knifework to shave off you pushbuttons and repaint the space matte aluminum you'll have a solution to the dual shift control problem.

Amazing! Wonderful to see such cutting-edge work done on one of my favorite cars!

Nice work! And I love your other projects!

Just perfect build! Beautiful photo, too!

Nice Galaxie! What scale is the BSA?

Excellent output for just one year!

Brilliant work!

SMP '58 Impala ragtop

Terrific work on this custom rod!