Can-Con

Ok, how about this decision?? Which one would you choose and why? Now, full disclosure, I have seen all of these kits built and unbuilt.

dropped front axle and spring from an AMT 27 Ford firetruck hotrod kit. I think the same part is in the recently reissued '27 phaeton kit but I'm not sure.

Just a little diversion. Mostly from the box with modified parts box wheels dropped front axle and wired kit flathead. Tamiya pearl yellow spray, wood done with various Tamiya acrylics and craft paints.

You have to take Scalemates with a grain of salt. They are sometime incomplete or just downright wrong. I've seen this many times in their listings.

Engine's done and installed. First time I wired a flathead. In fact, it's almost finished. Just final assembly and some details left to do. Ait cleaners are from the Revell Motion Performance '67 Camaro and the gauges are from a photoetch set I got years ago.

I usually do a coat of silver to check my bodywork as it shows any imperfection but the candy base coats are a pearl, not a tinted clear so you don't really need it. If it were the transparent regular candy you would. IIRC, the pickup is oriental blue CBC over the BIN.

I've used them quite a bit in the past. You need to put a clear coat over them for the full effect. How they work is the tint bleeds into the clearcoat creating the "candy" effect. I've always used Zinzer BIN to seal the plastic over a light coat of any primer. and usually used Duplicolor lacquer clearcoats. The HOK paint is extremely hot and you need to seal the plastic well or it will do nasty things to it.

Blue and green mixed with clear, just as Juha stated. BUT, I just do mist coats first, [airbrush] then a heaver coat followed by a couple coats of strait clear. After it's all completely dry, I wet sand and polish it out just the same as any other clearcoated paintjob. After all, that's exactly what it is. Oh, and the Rabbit glass was done in the same manner but using Tamiya smoke instead of the blue/green.

Tamiya acrylics. I've been using them to tint windows for decades.

Chris, the Lemon Crate wheels weren't shared with the '55 panel. They were similar but not the same. The panel wheels were 8 bolt while the crate wheels were 5 and the spoke shape it different. I think the crate wheels might be unique to that kit.

I'd just use the Monogram engine whole. The AMT 430 is a bit undersized. The only external difference between the '430 and 455 is the valve covers. The 455 ridges run the length of the ban while the 430 ridges run across it. I've owned a couple Rivieras as well as a couple other full size Buicks with big blocks over the years and actually have a set of chrome 455 Stage-1 valve covers hanging out in the garage right now.

I wonder what happened to the mold though. did it happen when they corrected the side windows? I built 2 of these kits with the original cab and I don't remember the glass fitting anywhere near as bad as shown in Greg's pics. This one was built almost 20 years ago and as you can see, it does have some gaps but not as bad as what you see in the current kits.

Something a lot of people forget or just don't know is these trucks had quite a large lip around the top of the windshield. I don't think the glass itself is too small, I think you just need to add the lip to the inside of the top 1/2 of the opening so the glass will sit inside the opening properly.

It's there on the real ones too. I've owned a couple over the years.

Anyone remember "Titus" ? His Chip Foose built '56 Chevy wagon, which was seen on the show several times was recently sold, here's a link to the listing,, https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1520050/1956-chevrolet-antique-for-sale-in-lithia-springs-georgia-30122

Yes, nice to see the hobby taken more seriously instead of as just a setup for a punchline like the episode they did on 2 and 1/2 Men.

OK, I can guarantee right now, ANYTHING that will take paint off of a plated model part WILL take the plating with it.

I've always loved that aqua one Tim. That's what inspired me to build the one I'm working on now.

Thanks Mark. I do have the "Cinder Bug" fire truck version of that kit from '69 and even though the kit is missing some parts, including that axle, it does show it on the instruction sheet.

I'm using this axel on my '29 Woodie build. I've had it bumping around parts boxes for decades but no idea what kit it came from, not one I've actually built myself, I'm pretty sure. It's molded in black. Looks kinda like something MPC would have made but then again, it might be Revell ?? Anyone have any ideas what kit it could have come from?

Lindberg corrected it shortly after [or possibly during] the first run, long before Round 2 acquired them. I contacted Lindberg back then and they sent me a replacement hood.

I was under the impression that this is all newly cut tooling, not a reissue from their back catalog, is that right?

Promotional material from a decade ago that didn't happen. The deal fell through, I guess.

Yea, lindberg corrected it shortly after they released the kit. I had one of the early kits too and they sent me a corrected hood. Nice kit aside from the front being off a bit.

Can't go wrong with black & red. I see that's an early one with the incorrect hood.