StevenGuthmiller

I think I'm gonna vomit! Steve

True! a lot of the older bodies were just as nice, if not nicer than the new stuff! The old Johan kits were amazing! Steve

You can't go wrong with an "In Violet" '71 Hemi Cuda! If it was real, you could retire in style! Nice work! Steve

I never thought of that! Steve

That didn't stop me. My daughter was born in '88 & my son in '93. I built models up until 2001 when we moved into our new house, & then started again in 2012. Although back then I could only manage to finish about 2 a year. Steve

You are all too kind! Steve

Thanks guys! The fun for me is taking these old annuals that were generally built so "horribly" back in the 50s & 60s & see what can be done with them with little more than what was in the box, with possibly a few added "goodies", some paint & foil, & a few of the more modern techniques. I think these guys got it "mostly" right back then. Although they do have their issues & can be a little challenged in the detail department, they can still make a pretty decent looking model. Steve

I have a couple of those kits, the '56 Chrysler & the '56 Caddy. Never built one of them, but I have tinkered & they seem to fit together pretty well. Have to come up with your own glass though. Steve

I've had a couple of those in the past couple of years. A '60 Imperial & a '60 Mercury. I believe the Mercury had the bumpers off of the trees, but the Imperial was basically brand new! Unfortunately, It doesn't jog my memory, as I was a little too young then. I hadn't been born yet! Didn't get to start building models until about '71 or '72. By then I had pretty much missed out on all of the great old annuals, which may explain my "psychosis" today! My biggest memory of buying a brand new kit was the "sweet" almost sickening smell that would blast you in the face when you opened up one of those "molded in color" Monogram kits back in the 80s. Anybody else remember that? Maybe it was some sort of chemical to induce "Model kit mania" in young minds! Steve

Thanks everybody! I appreciate it! Steve

I used to get a lot of Testors paints that had bad nozzles. When I finally found a good one, I'd switch it from can to can. Steve

Thanks guys! My intention was to start a really nice '59 Bonneville next, but I hadn't decided on a color until a short time ago, so I had to order paint & it'll be a couple of weeks until it arrives. To kill the time, I think I'll finally build a '62 Chrysler 300. I've been meaning to do that for about 30 years! I think it's about time! Steve

Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised to see one some day in the future. Steve

All of these AMT '58 interior tubs were this shallow Greg. I think interiors were somewhat of an after thought this early in the modeling world. I've built a '58 Pontiac, Buick & now the Ford. All were very shallow & void of much detail. The early Johan kits were no better. steve

I've never been a big wagon fan, but I do have to admit, the'61 Ford was a pretty good looking wagon. Pretty clean looking compared to some of the other wagons of the period. Steve

So far, I've been putting all of my vintage builds in individual cases. A little spendy, but at least they're "dust tight" that way. I have yet to invest in a nice cabinet. Need to get the ok from the "master" first! Steve

Very cool Rob! Looking really nice! Steve

I'm not exactly sure why I live here. Some of the worst winter weather in the nation, summers full of humidity & mosquitoes, And one of the top five taxed states in the country. It's a regular paradise my friend! Steve

Thanks guys. I'll guess it will look much better in natural light Dave. But in Minnesota, outdoor life takes a vacation between November & April. Unless you're into ice fishing! Steve

Well, after contemplating this build since May, I finally got on it & finished it up. It went pretty well considering that I really didn't get a good start on it until the second week of February. I guess you could call this my version of a "quick build". This started life as a built up original issue AMT annual that I picked up on ebay. Built with mostly parts straight out of the box, with a few additions. The chrome parts were all redone & the up top, continental kit & tires are all from "Modelhaus". The color is a 1959 Cadillac color called "Argyle Blue" which, to my eye, looks very close to correct 1958 Ford "Silvertone Blue". I had it, so I went with it. Very glad I did, I love the color. Conventional wisdom would have dictated a white top & probably a white continental kit cover. I just liked the look of the blue conny cover & the blue top added a little touch of "Cadillac" class. Sorry, the pictures are of pretty low quality, but that's just the breaks sometimes. Steve

You guys must be pretty spoiled if you're looking for an end to winter already! Most times it's late may before things start looking up here. Definitely not before mid April. Steve

I put it on as thick as the part would allow. So thick in fact, that the glue began to sag onto the bumper before it could dry. And yet, after it dried completely..... Couldn't even tell I put it on. Oh well, maybe I'll try again sometime in the future. Steve

I just looked back at the date that I first posted this project & realized it was started way back in May! Although the project itself wasn't physically started until shortly before the first of February. So in actuality, I made pretty good time & managed to make my goal of a March 1st finish. This one has been a long time coming, always in the back of my mind, and I guess I'm pleased with the result. Haven't shot any photos to post yet, but I suspect I should be posting in "Under Glass" sometime this evening. Thank you all, for your enthusiastic participation in this project. I hope to not draw the next one out this long! Steve

The handles I used were just some PE pieces I had on hand. The resin ones look great, but I have yet to try them. I may try to round some up as well. Steve

Thanks Joe. I didn't do a lot of re-working on it, just added a few details & paint. Not perfect but I like to try and keep these old annuals as true to their origin as possible. Within reason of course! Steve