Snake45

I don't care for the color, but the finish itself is absolutely outstanding--very smooth, and realistically shiny without being overdone. Well done and model on!

Pretty cool!

The principal ingredient of Testor liquid cement is MEK.

I experimented with this a couple decades ago and found it just didn't work very well. There are better and easier ways to achieve the desired results.

Those look like your #19 with seat belts added.

I'd be in for at least half of them. Even the '55 Chevy. Yeah, we already have a '55 post coupe, but I've been working on one lately and the whole front end of that thing is a mess. I've even given thought to maybe acquiring an old Revell '55 HT kit and seeing if the front fenders/hood/grille/pan will fit on the AMT body.

I'd say '64 to '67. The '68s and '69s don't do a thing for me; I always thought they were far and away the ugliest of the whole '64-'72 GM A-body family, but hey, that's just me so nobody get offended, please. That said, if someone kitted a '68-'69 GS at standard price (not, say, Moebius price), I might have to build one just for the sake of "completeness."

My perception is that '69 LeMans Blue is a little deeper, a little "bluer" than '65 Nassau Blue. I've only used Model Master Nassau Blue on one model but mine seems to be a bit lighter than the nice Vette shown here. My impression is that it was pretty opaque, so I don't know if primer color is going to make much difference. I shot mine over a medium gray. If you airbrush, Model Master Olds Engine Blue enamel might be closer to LeMans Blue. I see that they now have a "Metallic Blue" in that line (enamel bottles) but have never seen it in person so can't speak for it. They also have a "Blue Pearl" which they might have formerly called True Blue which might be in the ballpark, too. If you're looking for lacquer in a rattlecan (like the Nassau Blue), give a look to their GTS Pearl Blue, which I think might also do a good job as Lemans Blue. These "pearls" aren't really pearly, with a rainbow flip-flop element in them, they're just a very fine metallic. Nassau Blue might work for you, but if I were using it for LeMans Blue, I'd shoot it over black primer to see if that might darken/deepen it just a bit. (And I'm not promising that it would; as I said, it's pretty opaque.) Hope this helps, and good luck finding a color that's good for you.

Interesting technique! Looks like it will be VERY useful for some applications; for others, not so much. Thanks for sharing it!

It probably wouldn't be any (or much) harder to do a '67 GS from the butchered '66 molds than to restore them as a proper '66. I too would love to see a '65 GS, as I drove a '65 Special 2DS in high school. I just ordered a '65 4-4-2 in resin from MCW and will post pics and a report when I get it.

Somebody does it in resin, but from the photos it doesn't look that good to me. I'd love to have one too, though.

Looks like you're off to a good start. Good luck with it!

Absolutely. A tank is a must.

I thought #19 might be the soft vinyl seats from MPC, so I dug out my original '69 Firebird annual and looked at them. The overall shape is very, VERY close, but mine have horizontal, not vertical, pleats, they're molded in black (like tires, natch), and the sprue points are on the sides, not the fronts. So, no cigar. But I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they're from an MPC something.

Yes, it's 1/25, and yes, it's super-fiddly. I'm currently finishing up one I started about 50 years ago and never finished due to that very thing. Reason I want another one is I'd kinda like to build an Altered drag car using the leftover frame in the old IMC kit. I have one but not sure what year it is. Doesn't really matter for my purposes (see above), it just needs to be 1/25.

I assume the '70 body is a late AMT. If the glue bomb is also an old AMT, it MIGHT work. (Did you get the '74 hood with it? 'Cause you're gonna need that. Oh wait, I see the '74 in your pics has an L88 type hood on it, which is either gonna make things a lot easier or a lot harder.) I've never compared parts compatibility between that body and the old AMT annuals. I doubt it's perfect, but it's probably better than with an MPC. Does the '74 GB also have the front end/bumper? You're gonna need that too. If your '74 GB is an MPC, it's not going to help you much at all.

Glad you liked it. My favorite part is that Zevon song "Roll with the Punches," followed closely by that totally badass '57.

You had to do that in the Chevy V8s, but not in this one AFAIK. At least, I never did it. I did let the engine freeze once, and it had to be towed in and the freeze plugs replaced. But once it thawed out, it continued to run fine. Thanks for the nice comments all, but it's not a redo, a save, or a rescue, except from the Shelf of Doom. I guess I'm becoming known for rescues and restorations, but this is an original build, all by me--it just took 35 years or so to make it across the Finish Line.

Exactly!

Casey, are any of these seats "soft"? I have a vague memory of the MPC '68 and/or '69 Camaro and/or Firebird coming with custom buckets molded in flexible vinyl.

I'd like to see the early Novas on the shelf before they start teasing us with something even farther down the line. That said, I'll be in for a Grumpy Vega and probably a Maverick too. I have a JoHan Ed Shartmann to restore and a Comet new in the box, but I guess I could use another one.

Very, very cool! Are you planning to build it "stock" or go wild with it? Either way, looks like you should be able to GITTER DONE by the end of the year (hint, hint!).

Keep it simple. Flat black, flat olive drab, or flat desert tan, any of which will help you GITTER DONE by the end of the year AND would act as a good primer if you want to revisit it with a fancier paint job in the future. Walmart's cheap Color Place flat black primer is actually a very, VERY dark gray, not unlike the old late, lamented Pactra Hot Rod Primer. I've been looking for a good project to do in it.

Was just doing some research in anticipation of getting a couple of these and discovered that apparently it's really 1/24. Sigh. Oh well, guess I'll have to track down an old Revell.

Really? We want to have this conversation again? Here's the latest thread on the subject, just three days old. I'm sure Casey can and will post many more: