Ferbz

Thank you very much! It was a tough build but am very glad to finally have it completed!

Thanks Dennis! I didn't quite capture the 'glow' that the original paint job had, but gives a good enough impression for me. I don't build many scale replicas and I learned there's a certain element of 'pressure' with getting the details right! lol In any case, I did enjoy the build even with the some of the set backs I experienced with it.

Thanks! I agree! Cutting up and customizing a stock AMT or MPC merc kit is alot of work and can be tricky if you're not familiar with doing body modifications, but the Revell 49 merc kit is a great one to get your feet wet with building a custom merc for your collection! ?

Thanks! I've always used lacquer paint and recently started using spray can guitar acrylic lacquer clear. It polishes out nicely. On this build I wet sanded with 2000 grit, then 3000 grit, then followed up with Novus 3 step polishing kit. ?

Thanks! It's not without it's errors, but it was my best effort and I'm happy to have it finished ?

Thanks! Yeah, the real car had one of the most beautiful Candy Tangerine paint jobs I've ever seen ?

Thanks man! I learned alot doing this build, particularly the fact that scale tribute copies are tough to do! There's alot of pressure to get the details as accurate as possible lol I did this build solely for myself though, so I only needed to get it as 'right' as I could for my personal satisfaction. It's not entirely accurate, but it's close enough ?

lol Thanks man!

Thanks so much! Kustoms are king!

Thank you very much!

Thanks! It doesn't quite 'glow' like the real one did, but it still stands out I think ?

We have an older inkjet Pixma MX472 but it worked out fine. I used Micro-Mark clear decal sheet which came with instructions. One step I learned from the instructions was to absolutely spray the printed decal with some kind of clear (I used artist Spray Fixative) to protect it before setting it in water to apply it. If you dont, the print will dissolve and disappear in the water! One tip I'll add is to make sure you work in the right scale in photoshop (or whatever graphic program you'll be using) and make sure your file resolution is set high (300dpi). Print out test(s) using regular paper first to double check size and color before you print using a decal sheet. Do some research then give it a try!

Guys, I've officially finished this build! Here's a link to where I've posted some pics of the results:

Thanks! It's my first time printing out my own decal which is something I've always wanted to try ?

Thanks! The 50 Merc dash from Replicas and Miniatures is such a great piece! It even came with the knobs and a print out of the instrument panel ?

Thanks! It's something I dont usually do....but I decided on it this time lol

After working on this thing off and on for 5+yrs, this scale copy of Curley's old Merc is finally done! It's been a rocky road with a botched paintjob strip and bodywork redo along the way, but overall I'm glad to have it wrapped up ? Here's the link to the progress page where I've described how I started with an AMT 49 Merc kit and proceeded to cut it up, and another link to a WIP page where I show how I did some of the custom work as well as some detail tricks I learned along the way: With all of it's imperfections and hiccups, this build is my best effort at making a model of one of my favorite all time 1:1 custom Mercs......I hope y'all like it!

Nice line up! Q: At what point do you use the Meguier's ScratchX? After the Novus No.2?

Some progress shots of the interior work: R & M's resin 50 Merc dash was paint detailed using white pearl and Alclad chrome, and some of the same candy tangerine used on the body of the car. I replicated Rod Powell's trippy airbrush work in Photoshop(it's not exact but it gives the right impression!) and printed out a decal of it and applied it to the top surface of the dash then cleared it. The steering wheel is a parts box item that I modified to make it a 50 Merc wheel. The bullet in the center is a drop of 2 part epoxy that was detailed with a Molotow chrome pen. The horn ring is a length of metal wire that I shaped and also applied Molotow Chrome to it. I made the instrument panel window by cutting/shaping a piece of thin clear plastic. It's the same clear sheet plastic that I use for all the flat glass windows. Much of this is tough to see once it gets installed in the car so I thought I'd share pics of it before it went in! I decided to use the Revell tuck and roll interior for this build, but it required some problem solving to get it to work. The Revell 49 Merc kit is VERY different from the AMT 49 Merc kit in many respects, but I did like how the interior panels are angled out down to the sides(which is more realistic) as opposed to the door panel sides in the AMT kit's interior tub. Those angle inward at the bottom. I cut away everything except the floor of the AMT kit, glued it to the chassis, and added some sheet styrene to the sides of the floor widening it so that I could properly glue down the door panels at their respective angles. I had to add some sheet styrene to the front of the kick panel areas so they meet the AMT firewall. Curley's 1:1 car had thick white carpet which I replicated using felt material. The seats and door panels were painted the same white pearl as the dash/steering wheel but coated with a satin clear. The 50 Merc door handles and window cranks are resin pieces from Steve Boutte (thanks again, Steve!) which add a nice touch of realism. After these pics were taken, (and before I assembled the interior/chassis with the body) I scratch built the floor shifter and boot and glued in place on the top of the driveshaft tunnel in front of the front seat. I'll try and get a decent pic of that if I can:

Thanks! It's been a long road getting this build to the finish line, but it's finally getting close! I'll post a couple more progress pics here and then try to take some nice pics and post them in the completed channel ?

Thanks man! I'm glad it brings back memories like that for you! It has been one of my all time favorite cars ever since I first saw it in the early 80s(I have a cool story about that actually!). Yeah man, feel free to grab and post what you like. Just be sure to tag me when you do! ?

Thanks! Sounds like you were around back when customs were king! The real car (built back in the late 70s) in my mind helped bring the popularity of chopped mercs back in car culture ?

Thank you! I'm getting close to finally wrapping up this build. It's been a long 5+yrs since I've started lol

Thanks man! The real car has been one of my all time favorite Mercs ?

Thank you! It's not exact, but it's my best effort at copying as many of the details from the real car as possible. I'll be posting the progress as I approach the finish line.....it's getting close! ?