StevenGuthmiller

There we go. All finished and ready for paint. Steve

Possibly, but I can't imagine anything more obscure than a '53 Hudson, and they rode that pony 'till the very end. My thought is that being as the 300 kits already exist, it would be a fairly short leap to the Desoto. New body, front and rear chrome, dash, seats and door panels and you're done. The Desoto would use all of the existing chassis and engine parts, as well as glass, wheels and tires, interior floor pan, firewall, etc. They went from the '52/'53 Hudsons on to the '54, and I can't imagine anything more obscure than a '54 Hudson. Steve

Had to throw together a quick power steering pump for my '64 Pontiac. Steve

Thank you fellas! This morning I began rummaging through my stash to try and locate a power steering pump to no avail, so I quickly threw one together. Not very difficult and it looks like it should do the trick. Just need to fill the hole in the tubing and fashion a mounting bracket and it should be good to go. Steve

By the way, it appears that "F&F Resin" was the caster of the '56 Desoto, but it was a convertible. I can't say anything about the quality of these kits, as I have never even seen one in person, but just from this photo alone, I can tell that there is at least one issue. It's evident that there is no body "hooded" portion above the tail light assembly as there should be. It's just flat all of the way up. I also have no indication of whether this entity remains in business, or how difficult this model would be to find. If Moebius were to be so kind as to consider a '56 Desoto, they could maximize the potential for profit by giving us a '56 FireFlite hardtop, and then follow it up with a FireFlite convertible pace car edition. They could do something similar with the '55. Come on Moebius, we're waiting! Steve

Luckily, the '56 Desoto has a fairly simple tail light configuration. If you're going to do the conversion, the tail lights should be relatively easy to replicate. I would use sheet and strip styrene to replicate the bezel, (the textured back ground might be difficult, so I would just leave that alone) The lenses themselves are simple cylinders, so parts box custom tail lights, or making them yourself from clear or clear red sprue shouldn't be terribly difficult. Steve

Has anybody tried to fit the rear chrome from the Revell kit to the AMT kit? Just curious. Steve

I believe R&R Resins cast a '56 at some point, as well as Modelhaus? In any event, good luck finding one! I still can't believe that Moebius has not taken this obvious leap with their '55/'56 Chrysler 300 kits! I would think it would be an obvious and fairly simple conversion requiring only a new body, chrome parts, and a few interior parts. Chassis, engine, glass, etc, could remain unchanged. A no-brainer if you ask me. Steve

I use JB Weld "Clear Weld". Steve

Looking terrific Geoff!! Steve

There's no doubt that model cement will create a good bond. That's not in question. The question is whether the pros of using it out way the cons. If you like it, and it's what you're used to, knock yourself out. My only argument is that there are other products on the market today that are just as good, or better than the old tube cement. Granted, models are not designed to be taken apart, but inevitably, many will be, especially as the hobby declines and companies are producing fewer and fewer kits I have basically made a career out of restoring old vintage kits, and I have to tell you, if you have never seen horrible "glue rash", "sink marks" or just generally parts that no longer resemble what they originally looked like, you have not seen this side of the hobby. I have kits in my possession with warped body panels and roofs from heavy glue use, body trim that is no longer repairable, and glass that can never be removed without shredding the body. These are all very common issues with old built kits, all attributable to model cement. Glues such as 2 part epoxy will give you a very strong bond that in the end might also be difficult to remove should the necessity arise, but at least it will not melt the plastic. I too have kits that are decades old in my collection that have been moved around often, most assembled using CA glue, and they are still in one piece. The particular glue that you use is not the silver bullet to longevity. How the model is handled will determine that, no matter what glue you use. Steve

When someone proves to me that there is a "durable" alternative to BMF that is as easy to work with and looks this good, then I'll convert. In my nearly 50 years of building, there has yet to be anything else that even comes close. It still baffles me why people continue to search for alternatives for a material that works as well as this tried and true product. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Steve

2 part epoxy will give you just as strong of a bond, (or better) than plastic cement without the hassle of scraping parts. Steve

All you need to do is look at a large portion of old built kits built years ago with tube cement. I can't count how many times I've encountered parts and bodies that have been completely destroyed due to the use of solvent cements. If you have ever rebuilt a vintage kit that has had glass glued in with tube cement too heavily, you'll understand exactly why I don't use it. Steve

I never remove paint or chrome from areas of parts to be cemented together. If you're using the old model "tube" cement, or a liquid cement to join parts during final assemblies, I suppose you should, but there are a lot of better glues available today that don't require it. If your parts are properly primed and painted to ensure good paint adhesion, there's really no reason to remove paint from joints if you're using a glue such as CA or epoxy for assembly. I haven't used tube cement for models since the 80s. Never liked the stuff anyway. It takes too long to set, parts slide around, the stuff gets on everything except where it's intended, and I never liked the idea of a glue that bonds by melting the plastic, especially on exposed parts. I paint every part independently, (except parts where seam filling is required) and glue everything together as needed with various types of glues that don't dissolve plastic. Steve

And as usual, as with many of these new kits, they muffed it. Just another example in my opinion, of how the old annuals, with all of their faults, are still usually better proportioned than most of the new kits. This is probably an instance of where using the AMT body, with the Revell guts and tail lights, would yield the best results. I've heard people hacking on the AMT kit for years. From the look of it, it's probably no worse than this one. Steve

It's tough Carl, but sometimes I have to remember what I heard once many years ago. "Life is terminal. None of us get out of it alive." I know there is nothing that can be said to ease the pain of losing a loved one, especially when you have to watch it unfold, but I just have to tell myself that death is just another part of life, and something that we all must go through, very likely numerous times throughout our lives. I lost my father at the age of 57 back in 1995. He was diabetic and was dying of kidney failure at home in a bed placed in the dining room of his home while we all stood by and waited for the inevitable to happen. I was there when the end came with my mother, my wife and 2 very young children. It was not an easy thing to endure, but I am glad that I was there. His legacy is that I find myself thinking about him very often, so in my mind, he lives on. Hang in there my friend. What will be, will be. Unfortunately, there is nothing else that we can do. Steve

No. Picked them up on ebay. Steve

Another embossing powder set. Steve

Wow Ludwig!! That's beautiful! I really thought the first photo was a shot of a real car! Steve

I concur. If they stopped making BMF, there's a good chance that I would stop building. Nothing else compares. Steve

I hear ya! Been a long time since I've been in a car with vent windows at all. Steve

Thanks so much Steve and Jim! I appreciate it! Now that I've returned from a week of vacation, I'm anxious to get back to this project! So far, I've managed to find enough time at the bench to finish up the console and the door panels. (except for the door lock buttons to be added at the time of final assembly) Steve

Nice work Roger!! Super clean job! Steve

They have the bronze paint as well. www.oldparts.com/product/engine-paint-all-400-engines/ Steve