Spex84

I just discovered something interesting: the wheel/tire combo that I posted about yesterday (AMT '31 Woody) were 2 of a set of 4. The other 2 are on the front of a rat rod I built in 2010...and that model is sitting on my shelf with no signs of tire melt at all. Same storage temperature and humidity as the set that is now melting...same kit,even. The difference? The wheels that are OK were painted with Plasticote automotive lacquer (?) paint. The other 2 wheels that reacted badly with the tires were painted with Krylon Fusion glass black. That pretty much clinches it for me--the Krylon paint must be involved somehow.

I've been watching this thread, enjoying the correction of what, to me, are kind of nit-picky proportional details (because I'm unfamiliar with these cars, I don't "see" them as well as a true aficionado would). But that AMT body's lack of the peak in the trunk is a spectacular omission. Wow. How the heck did that get missed! The results of your modifications speak for themselves. Well done so far!

Yo Keyser, I'm that 1%. I love the 60s custom options, it's practically all I'm interested in building right now. Wanna mail 'em to me? Just the other day I was looking at a glue-bomb 90s issue of this kit in my stash and thinking "what a shame it's missing the diamond-pleated bucket seats and custom headlights and taillights". I'm building it regardless, but I'll have to scratchbuild some groovy bucket seats.

This is rad. That the car emerged from the bath relatively unscathed is downright miraculous! I'm glad you were feeling equal to the challenge, because it's going to make a fantastic kustom. You're turning into what the original builder probably wanted in the first place, but didn't quite have the skills to achieve.

I just went to my hobby bench to dust off a project that's nearly finish and has been sitting for about a month. I had mocked up the wheels in the tires, just a press-fit, and it sat that way for about a month. I noticed a suspicious reflection in the seam between the rim and tire, as if I'd painted the wheels gloss black while they were mounted to the tires and I'd accidentally got some paint on the tire...but I painted them separately. Uh oh. Sure enough, the tires were beginning to melt into the wheels. They're AMT 1931 Ford Woody tires and wheels, from a kit I've had since the 90s. Oddly, In the past I've had those same wheels (unpainted) mocked up in the tires for months at a time with no signs of tire burn. The back tires on the same project are vintage 60s Dunlops (from a Mercedes kit maybe?), and they did NOT start to melt the wheels...except for one very small patch on one side. Again, I've had wheels mocked up in those tires for months in the past, with no signs of melt. I'm wondering if the Krylon Gloss Black the wheels are painted with could be an aggravating factor. The paint was surprisingly "hot"--it actually crazed the plastic a little, right through a healthy coat of primer. That was in November, so it should be very much cured by now. Anyway, I'm going to foil the wheels and hopefully that will forestall the worst of the reaction....

Great weathering and attention to the photo reference, it looks really close to the real thing! I love the grass in your diorama, how was that made? And I love the crushed grass applied to the skid marks and impact areas on the car, very cool detailing there.

Beauty! I really like the dry and in-scale appearance of the patina, and the variations introduced by scattering the real rust on the body. Catchy colors too! There's a yard near me full of dozens of 1:1 '50s Meteors that look like this...actually, quite a bit rougher. Decades of Canadian winters haven't been kind to them.

Beautiful car and your model certainly does it justice! Nice work on the badges and wheel arch foiling, those details look great with the detailed wheels and whitewalls. I like the color, too. Is it a factory color? If not, it could be...it has the right look.

Nice! I saw a pile somewhat this on the 'bay last night...except it would have been more like $70 once I had it shipped. Oh well. Finding models cheap(er than new) always makes my day, even if they're glue bombs or kits I'm not particularly interested in. When I do find them, they're usually 90s corvette kits and the like...not vintage 60s Ala Karts!!! So congrats on your finds.

I love the combination of rat-rod patina with the intricate 'flaked roof, and the raccoon tail in combination with the cragars and pinstripe tires. Great detailing with the pumps, serape interior, etc as well. A very cool build. I hope it brings some cash for your cause.

Spectacular! Love the paint, chop, wheel/tire combo and detailing.

Crazy idea and a striking result. Excellent work!

It's really cool to see ambitious projects like this one. Looks good so far!

Holy smokes John, I thought those Revell-o-gram tires as seen in the reissued '59 (and '50 Ford PU) were safe to use I guess I'd better keep an eye on 'em. That possibly the gnarliest tire melt I've ever seen, and I've seen some really bad 60s firestone melt.

I love the weathering on this one, and the way it blends seamlessly into that perfect diorama. Beautiful work!

Thanks for the tip with the epoxy Bill. Would foiling the inside of the wheels work too?

I like this! Great stance and paint.Tough AND pretty, that's hard to beat! The lighting in your photographs is dramatic too, which helps. Very cool

Ack, I have a Lindberg '53 too. Will have to be careful with those tires. The worst tire melt I've seen has been on '60s AMT and Monogram kits--but interestingly, the big classics (31 Chrysler, Cadillac, etc) seem to be OK. I don't know what the difference was. I know some of the old tires gas out and shrink...I have some Monogram '53 Corvette tires that no longer fit their inserts, having shrunk a few percent. Maybe some of the chemicals that were lost are partially responsible for the tire-melt issue? IE...if tires have sat around for decades (unbuilt), and I mount them to wheels and use them in a project, will they still react and start melting the wheels?

Bagged tires should be a no-brainer. I always open new kits to bag the tires if they're not already...and sometimes the glass too, if it's sliding around un-bagged (grrr). ...Craig, thanks for the heads-up on those 59 Impala tires!! I had no idea...I like them more than the Revell-o-gram tires included in newer issues of the kit. But it would be a shame if they melted my wheels.

I'm pretty sure newer kits don't suffer from tire melt. The newest example I've seen was a 90s issue Deuce 3-window with a divot in the hood and roof from the tires, and I was surprised to find that. Flexible soft rubber tires are cool, but at least in the case of the 90s-early 2000s Revell and Testors tires,I find they attract dust and tend to split and crack as the years go by. As for the older kits, there's nothing the model companies can do about that. Maybe part-pack sets of wheels and tires would be a handy solution, people could buy them and replace those old melted pieces.

Thanks guys, I have no problem making an avatar in Photoshop or saving one to my hard drive--it's just that the "Upload from folder" option is broken, hence my attempt to link from Photobucket. I'll update once I've tried it with Chrome. Have been avoiding Chrome since I tried it when it was about a year old, ran like a total pig. It must be better now as many people seem to use it.

This truck is nuts! Love it I know we'd all love to see more of it! Great idea with the tape and bondo...I may have use for that very soon.

Thanks Bill...maybe I should try Chrome and see if it sorts out the various janky things I've experienced around here.

It occurred to me just now that I should have an avatar, but seem to be having some trouble making it work...the image I want to use is a JPG, 120px by 120px, about 36kb in size, 72 dpi. I keep getting the message: "That type of file is not allowed". I've tried pasting all 3 link variations from Photobucket (direct, IMG, and href link); same message appears. Also the "upload photo" field is completely blank; nothing to click on in order to actually upload a file. Any advice, folks? I'm using Firefox, could that be the problem? MCM is OK with my photobucket links usually, so I don't see why this should be any different.

Welcome from a fellow BC modeler