talon63

Interior almost complete. Replete with wrinkled seat covers. Also got the first color coat on the body. Ended up going with the Gunmetal Grey, as it was the closest match I could find to the original paint chart. The parts on the trailer fender between the interior and the body are for lights to be mounted on the front bumper. Tomorrows' tasks include black-washing the chrome parts, finishing the suspension, hopefully finish the paint so I can begin the BMF of the body trim. I do have one last bit of scratch building to do for this kit. It doesn't come with hinges for the hood, so I need to rectify that. It looks like there is just enough room to get some working hinges in there if I can find the right reference pic. As always, thanks for looking and for your comments. Happy building!

Exactly! I surf the web using Chrome and the AdBlock add-on. No annoyances, no suddenly loud ads playing in the background.

Thanks so much for that. So, it is the Wiper Control! Now I can add the Ignition Switch, Choke Control and Cowl Vent control. Not going to worry so much about the starter pedal. It's a closed coupe and it will be hard enough to see the pedals that are already there. If this were a convertible, or one with opening doors, I'd put in the effort. With that bit of info, I might be able to get the interior finished off this weekend, and start work on the chassis. Possibly even get the first color coat on the body. I may go with the Flight Gray Medium Opalescent if I can find a suitable match when I paint shop tomorrow.

Very cool. Thanks for the link.

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah this one is a bit tricky in that respect. Reference pics show the knob on top of the dash (I'm going to surmise it's the cowl vent control) and also show a knob below the dash under the center grill, possibly a diverter?. None of the reference pics are in high enough resolution that I can make out if they are labeled. There's also another knob or two missing on the dash to the right of the steering column, but it varies depending on the specific model of coupe.

Thanks, Dave. I agree it is a fun kit. And kind of like your sig says, the details I'm putting this one are practice for another build. Most of this detail won't be easily seen once this one is assembled, but on a future build I'm planning they will be.

Had a few minutes this evening. Crafted some pedals to replace the molded in ones. need to go back now and fill in the hole for the steering column as it's off center from the tabs on the dash, and also comes in behind the inner fender, as well as being to low on the firewall. Should be just below where the firewall starts to angle back and almost 3/16 of an inch to right of where the base of the column would sit if you use the molded in guide. Probably should have gotten a shot or two of the pedals before painting them. Also need to see if I can pop off the window crank shown and move it down and forward to be in the right place. I managed to get it right on the other side. Got the frame and most of the suspension painted. Testing body colors I have on hand against the factory colors available in 41, and finishing up the body prep for final primer.

Thanks for the feedback. I do like the detail work on your engine as well. Next time I tackle one of these, I'll be using your build as a reference. The panels in the doors are printed and clear coated with Elmers' clear glue. The dash is mostly done with furniture touch-up markers, except for the mahogany bit along the very top - that one is printed and clear coated. To create the burled look, I lay a thin layer with the furniture marker, then using smallest part of the tip, touch the surface, this creates small rings, and if I touch the edge of the rings with the marker, it distorts and creates smaller rings. Eventually ending up with what you see. The marker creates its own gloss finish. Again, thanks for looking!

Thanks for the feedback, guys. And for the reference pics. The first I had seen, the second one will come in in handy, for crafting that part. I know the plug wires are a bit out of scale, but once I get the routing shield created I can pull the current wires and use the right scale. Meanwhile, working on the interior. As stated, burled oak and mahogany on the dash, with wood panels on the doors. Two-tone grey cloth and carpet. Since I added the wood to the door panels, I had to scratch up new arm rests, door handles and windo cranks. Also added a knob to the top center of the dash. Saw it in a few reference pics, but have no idea what its for yet. Added a turn signal level, also scratch built from a period photo. Seats and dash are just dry fit right now. Still some detailing left to do. Faking seat covers on the seats, upcoming pics will reveal some wrinkles that were deliberately worked into the surface. Making the badge that goes in the upper left of the grill on the dash. The little red dot is a badge. Also, once I've decided on the final body color, the area on the door panels above the wood will be redone to match the exterior color. Got the body in primer at this point, after fixing a seam issue where the front piece that holds the grill goes joins the body and cleaning up around the headlamps. Again, thanks for looking and for the comments. Happy building!

Able to put in a little bench time today. Engine is nearing completion. Got the decals for the air cleaner created and applied. Same with the oil filter. Decal created and applied, and the oil lines put in place. Touched up some paint. final attachment of hoses, and finishing the oil pan will happen when the chassis starts to come together. Now, on to the interior. Starting on the interior woodgrains. Here's the top of the dash. Two-toned, mahogany and burled oak. Sorry the pic is a little blurry, will get a better shot when I start foiling the face of the dash and getting the instrumentation done. The wood trim will be carried into other parts of the interior. Also opening up the gap in the front bench seat. Ground out the molded in pedals so they can be replaced by something more realistic. More to come. Comments welcome and happy building!

First of I'd say, Welcome to the forums, and to the hobby. Then I'd say if you are really interested, go for it! Before you start assembling it, read over the instruction sheets carefully. Researching the subject car on the internet is also useful, to see how things look on a real car. Dry fit all pieces before gluing them. Treat each section of the build as its own model. The Engine, the frame/chassis, the interior, the body, then bring all the pieces together. Yes, they can be painted with real car paint. They can be built with as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with. So, no, you don't need to be an expert, but don't rush yourself. You'll find a lot of amazing and helpful information on this board, and see some incredible builds. Take a look around. Most of all, just have fun with it.

Small update as the engine progresses. Other real-life projects requiring attention. Got the fuel line and fuel filter in place and attached using .8mm brass fittings. Spark plug wires going in. Still need to drill the distributor and make up the little bit that holds the plug wires together I keep seeing in the 1:1 reference pics.. Also working on labels for bypass oil filter, and the air cleaner, then touch up a few spots that need a little more paint. If I have the space, thinking about adding the oil filter lines back down to the block, and adding the wiring for the starter, generator, and horn. Also noticed from some reference pics that this engine would be a good base for the flat head 6 used in a bunch of vehicles from the De Soto Airflow to the Dodge Power Wagon.in that era. Anyway, thanks for looking. Feel free to comment. T.

Another option, and you can find references to it in the forums, is to use clear plastics of the sort used in shirt box lids or other packaging. While it is not great for compound curves, like 50's cars (unless you have the capability to do some vacuum forming), it does great for flat or simple curves. It's thinner and more flexible than the kit "glass", can be attached with CA, and you can use the kit pieces for templates. I used it for the windscreen in the `23 T Surf Runner in the WIP section, as well as few other builds.

While I tend to focus mostly on Fords, sometimes I like something a little different. Saw this AMT 1941 Plymouth Four Passenger Coupe on clearance at Hobby Lobby, and decided to take a chance. So here are the first few shots, starting with the engine build. While I'm going with the stock engine, I am making a few mods to it, like spacing the intake and exhaust off of the block slightly and adding the two missing exhaust bits on the manifold. Other scratch parts include the the bracket for the oil sump air filter, the top mounted horn, relocating the generator bracket to the top of the generator, and the distributor. The bits on the "ground" are the upper and lower radiator hoses and the "glass" fuel filter. The bit in the tweezers is a scratch up of the steering box and column to tie into the kit column at the firewall. Still need to wire it and plumb it, decide on the finish for the oil pan, and scratch up one more little detail forward of the thermostat housing and bolt heads for the fan. Still, not a bad couple of hours so far. The hoses are some rubber coated twist-tie wire that was holding something in some packaging. and the fuel filter is two tiny pieces of clear sprue. All of the other scratched bits are styrene sheet, rod and tube. Thanks for looking, and as always, comments are welcome. T.

I also have one of these in the works. I swapped the engine for the one from the 69 Corvair.

Sansui hardware in the early-to mid-80's was solid kit. Except for their speakers. I worked for a dept store that sold Sansui stereos and all the ones that got returned were for "sound" issues. Hook them up to any other good speaker, and they sounded great.

That second go looks like a pretty good cobblestone street. I may have to try some of this myself now.

FosterGrant made some cheaters along those lines - three different grades. I tried them, but was spending too much time nodding up and down to focus on things. Thinking about acquiring a set of these: https://www.amazon.com/Magnifier-Jewelry-Eyewear-Miniature-Magnifying/dp/B06WP9F3HJ/ref=sr_1_4?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1488993660&sr=1-4&keywords=adjustable+focus+glasses

I have something similar, https://www.amazon.com/Polly-Plastics-Moldable-Plastic-Strips/dp/B018Q057VC/ref=sr_1_8?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1488993256&sr=1-8&keywords=thermoplastic Heat in water until it goes a bit translucent, then mold, shape, and let it air dry for a couple of minutes. I've used it for one castings of small parts, but for something like a bonnet or roof, it's a bit brittle and will break easily. Small, fairly solid parts, it's been OK.

Nice work! I may have to add one of these to my stash, I liked the anime series "Last Exile".

More or less into the home stretch with this one. Still need to add head- and tail lights, a steering linkage, firewall detail, and the exhaust pipes. Also made some bungies to attach the surf boards. Then I can tie the running boards in and finally get the body glued. Then it's going under glass! Thanks for looking!

Work continues. Scratch-built dash, parts box steering column and steering wheel, pedals are scratch. Dash is made from three layers. Styrene, with a layer of clear acetate, then a paper backing for the speedo and tach. The round grill , and the round speaker covers on the sides are punched from cigarette foil. Lower ones are hit with a Sharpie. Still need to add some detail for the small guages, and the 4 black dots and rectangle shape are going to be built up to look more radio-like. Pedals are just built from styrene, and the shifter is a bit of sprue, with a ball-head wire piece trimmed to the right length. And yes, that is an automatic. The tranny in this one looks to be an automatic, so it got this shifter.

Thanks, Snake. This one is definitely presenting some challenges. Did get the surfboards shaped, painted, and got the graphics on. Slowly building up clear coats to get them nice and glossy. Still tweaking how the body sits on the frame so I can get the running boards in place.

Starting to come together. Engine is almost complete and mounted. Exhaust is under construction. Still need to wrap up the front suspension, the interior, get the finished exhaust mounted and routed under the running boards, dress up the rear end, create the custom headlamps and get those mounted, and add a windscreen. Surfboard is shaped, just needs to be painted. Body color is on, but there are some details that need finishing.

Finally found something that makes a decent radiator insert. If you know a smoker, get a piece of the foil liner, and hit it with a black sharpie. I cut a piece wide enough to fill the gap, and long enough to wrap around a piece of .010 styrene, then glue into place. More pics coming soon of the engine, most of which is scratch built, and almost ready to be mounted in the frame. Alternator, heads, valve covers, thermostat housing, air intake, motor mounts, and distributor are all scratch-built items. Some cleanup left to do, and work on the exhaust progresses. Still a fair amount of detail left to add. The air intake is Seaside blue to match the car exterior, with a chrome highlight, the block is Bahama Blue with a metalizer, and the water pump is Blue with metalizer. Thanks for looking and comments are always welcome.