Misha

Been making a bit of progress on the 53 Ford build. While the kit chrome looks great in the recent issue, there is a lot of flash evident, especially on the sides of the bumpers, so into the bleach bath to dechrome the parts. To my surprise the plastic underneath was molded in a gloss black finish, perhaps ? the reason for the great looking chrome to begin with. Also dechromed the side spears on the body, which after playing with it, I decided use Evergreen strips instead to represent the character lines in body colour. The chassis went under the knife with the removal of the front body work below the grill and at the rear, removing the gas tank and spare wheel well. The plan is to move the front bumper closer to the body work for a smoother look and to install a larger fuel cell for fewer gas stops, gotta enjoy the ride! The bodywork is coming along with the replacement of the side chrome and using the rear fender insets, now in black, to fill in the area below the lights, again to simplify the chrome treatment of the stock version. Also looking at interior changes with a console from the 65 Pontiac and a screen for the rear seat and club plaque from the 49 Merc kit. Deciding between the custom seats from the Merc, or more modern ones from the parts bin. That’s about it for now, hoping to get a lot more done over the Easter holidays. Cheers Misha

Painting a uni-chassis requires a thoughtful plan for applying your paint colours in a particular order based on masking and type of paint being used. Using the Revell 57 Chev Snap kit chassis as an example, the main colour of the pan is a semi gloss black using Tamiya lacquer LP 5. By using a lacquer base you are able to apply enamels and acrylics over top with no damage to the base. The next step was to brush paint Chev Engine Orange with an Model Master enamel and Valejo acrylic steel for the gas tank. An easy way to mask complicated shapes with curves or uneven surfaces is to use Silly Putty. It is easily available, inexpensive and reusable. In this instance it was used to isolate the drive shaft and exhaust system and was airbrushed using a variety of metallic Alclad lacquers. Once dry a wash was applied to the engine and tranny to weather the assembly and Tamiya weathering pastels were applied to the mufflers and exhaust pipes to indicate heat staining. Dry brushing was used to bring out highlights such as the chassis bolts and suspension parts to bring them out in greater relief against the wash. With these basic steps a uni-chassis can be brought to life and improve the blob of plastic look. Hope this makes sense and offers some ideas. Cheers Misha

That’s a terrific looking ride Claude! I especially noted how you used the Lincoln engine, it really makes this rod stand out. The Monogram Lincoln kit offers a very basic rendition of the V12, even the exhaust manifolds are molded into the two engine block halves. Yet it does have potential as evidenced by your build. The cross over of the exhaust onto the starboard side stack is the hilight! I’m currently hot rodding the same engine with a scratchbuilt manifold mounting three Strombergs to go into either the 40 Lincoln or 53 Ford, it being the last year of production for the V8 Flathead. Always enjoy seeing your builds, cheers Misha

Hi Bill, Speaking of your Falcon build, did you locate a set of side glass for it. I noticed your want ad and believe that I still have a set that I won’t be using. Need to check this evening. Cheers Misha

Great finish Bill! I just came upon your WIP thread and followed it with great interest to your completed build here. This is a great kit and a good stepping stone to further detailing possibilities. I am interested in your use of Molotow chrome, as I was greatly impressed by your masking job. Did you apply it with the pen or otherwise, as I have found it best on small parts while longer lines haven’t been all that smooth overall. Did you consider going further with your masking and airbrushing? With the demise of BMF we are all searching for alternatives and you have provided a good illustration of your technique. Looking forward to further builds, cheers Misha

Jumping into the fray with my 1953 Ford Victoria entry. I settled on the Ford after considering a number options available for my January 8, 1953 birthday largely because of Ford’s celebration of fifty years operation. It was an historical automotive moment even in light of the Corvette and Lowey’s Studebaker. From the stash I pulled out an original Lindberg release from 1997 (Car Modeler magazine’s Kit of the Year) to compare it to AMT’s recent reissue. While it’s great to have the kit available, it does show its age with softer body details lacking the overall crispness of the original. It is also molded in an odd sort of shinier plastic. The original body is in the foreground with the reissue behind it. On the left the original’s trunk handle is cleaner and sharper compared to the reissue. This year’s theme of building your birth year will be a lot of fun! Considering my age, on the threshold of seventy, a comfortable road trip across America, partaking with group of fellow gearheads, in a car the same age is made to order. The build plan calls for a minor custom body overhaul and a more modern motivation with the Boss 302 engine from 2011. Body to be finished in a 2 tone, most likely a metallic tangerine with a cream top. I’m a bit late having spent most of my bench time on CheZooom, the Corvair rear engined BBC funny car. Now I’m at a point when starting the Vicky will make sense ??. Cheers Misha

Sweet looking ride Jim! Very clean work, especially on the interior. The pearl white exterior sparkles and is very even throughout. Maybe we don’t see white exteriors too often as the plastic is white as well, yet your execution looks great! Plus the 67 Olds is a real standout from that era. Congrats & Cheers Misha

That’s a tough question Greg. Over the years I have tended to remove kit chrome in a lot of cases and then refinish them with a variety of metallic lacquers or more recently the Avejo acrylics. When using kit chrome parts I will put on a pair of white cotton gloves to handle large pieces such as bumpers and grills. Smaller parts may be detailed while on the sprue depending on the sprue attachment points. Older kits often have distinct mold lines running through the bumpers which really does require dechroming, and proper preparation to have it look right. With smaller parts the sprue attachment points may require the same process of re-chroming. Not sure if this answers your question Greg; it’s off the top of my head? It will be interesting to see further answers… Cheers Misha

Thanks John, glad to hear that you are enjoying the progress reports! If you are interested in building Proffitt’s ride any stock Corvair kit would provide the basic body including the stock rear engine cover. The CheZooom kit only provides the Yenko engine lid with the molded in spoiler, as found as an optional part in the stock kits. The remainder of the build would require a Logghe chassis from another source as it appears that the driver is seated in the centre of the body. Since the body has not been stretched in the front to accommodate a longer wheelbase it would be a straight forward kit bash. Another example of a stock appearing FC is the Seaton’s Shaker which may be similar to what you’re looking for… Other examples of Corvair FCs illustrate the lenghtned nose, requiring an additional body to splice into the stock configuration. Another example shows the rear wheel opening has been moved forward… which would require further body work. To my eye I find the Corvair FC to be the most interesting example of the early Funny Cars since they were originally six cylinder, rear engined Chevies, not what one would expect to see on the strip! In setting it up as a FC it takes on quite an aggressive stance with its rear haunches sitting up in the air. Hope to see your planned build on the Forum John, thanks again for checkin’ in! Cheers Misha

Thanks Francis, it always seems to work that way, one starts a project and it seems to take on a life of its own! I tend to go for the basic kits more often and add to them, while more involved models with greater detail seem to lack a challenge for me. Thanks for checkin’ in Ray. Hope to be joining all the AZ gearheads in the not to distant future. Missing driving around in our Beetle rag top. Thanks Carl, it’s great to hear feed back and share the build progress, especially from modellers that share in the same passion! Haven’t spent much time at the bench, yet couldn’t resist fitting the chassis into the body to see how it looks. I did get a bit further with the interior now that most of the bits are painted and require mounting and having the appropriate wiring, switches, and belts installed. The assembly on the right side behind the firewall is the scratchbuilt water tank and pump, while the Moon tank is at the rear on the left and the small battery will be on the opposite side. Still a lot of work plumping and wiring to achieve back here. In my search for the “preferred” colour for the updated box top scheme I settled upon Pure Metallic Red, LP 46 with white pearl stripes. To finalize the red a spoon test was run with various underpainting ranging from white primer to a couple of metallics. In the photo the lower line of spoons shows the base colour with the upper row having the LP 46 applied. From left to right, Pink Primer, LP 48 Sparkling Silver, White Primer, and LP 38 Flat Aluminum. Over the white primer the colour didn’t have the bounce from the metalflake, this was helped by using the pink primer which gave the colour much more sparkle and liveliness, yet still short of what I had in mind. Mistakenly reaching for the flat aluminium, the red improved dramatically while remaining rather dark, perhaps a good Porsche colour to keep in mind. Realizing my error, I finally sprayed the red over the Sparkling Silver, bingo! Still have a lot to do on the engine and it’s cradle and accomplish the final exterior paint scheme ??! Thanks for checking in, cheers Misha

Wow Steve! A real winner, the smoothness of the body work is accented by your paint finish to create one of the nicest Camaros I’ve seen in scale. The black window trim along with the engine bay really contrasts well with the suede finish, a look I really like. It has been a pleasure to follow along on your WIP thread and look forward to seeing your Camaro up close. All the best, Cheers Misha

Spent a couple of evenings masking the frame rails in preparation for the aluminium treatment on the floor panels. Best part of masking is always removing all the bits to reveal the finish! All the time spent was well worth it as the chassis only requires a few touch ups with a brush, so I’m quite pleased with the result. The next job will be to complete the engine cradle with a wired and plumbed engine, then onto the cockpit assembly. Getting closer! Cheers Misha

Thanks Ian and Roger for your comments and for checkin’ in! An update from yesterday’s bench time. Finished spraying the interior of the body shell with the dull aluminium finish on the door panels, the upholstery panels are not installed yet, just positioned. The cockpit also received the same aluminium finish and is ready to be further detailed. The parts are also just mocked up awaiting installation and wiring. The exterior in now ready for its colour to be applied. Planning on white stripes with a pearl finish on top of am overall LP 46 Pure Metallic Red. The first spoon has the red over top of white primer, going to shoot a second one over top of LP 48 Sparkling Silver to see the change. Cheers Misha

Spent time masking the interior for the semi-gloss black LP 5 and the rear panel with the trunk surround. Next step will have the door panels painted with aluminium and upholstery panels installed. Also finished painting the tires with Rubber Black LP 65 and finished detail painting the wheels by hand painting and washes. Might add valve stems to complete the picture. I’m using the kit’s plastic tires which allowed me to gently sand the sidewalls with 3000 paper to faintly reveal the raised lettering. Mocked up the engine cradle one more time to check for fit and adjustment, again so far, ? so good! Final task of the day was to begin masking the frame to apply the aluminium finish to the floor panels. It is quite tedious as there is increased detail added to the kit’s plain floor panel. It’s neat to see this project come together. Please do add comments and hints, and as always, thanks for checkin in. Cheers Misha

Thanks for checkin in JC & Steve ? This kit was originally issued in the late sixties, shortly after AMT’s 66 Barracuda rear engined Hemi in their Funny Car series that included the altered wheelbase Comet and Olds. While the Hemi Under Glass kit has seen numerous releases, the CheZOOOM was only re-released recently for the first time. I had purchased a glue bomb with extra parts for $1.35 many years ago and it has sat in the stash ever since. The reissue got me started on what is a basic kit just begging for detail, in addition to a Chev 427! Yet the fit of the unaltered Barracuda chassis under the Corvair body does require modifications for it to fit even for the casual builder. The chassis pan requires shortening to fit, in fact the front spoiler on my build is the cut off from the rear. The other modification not mentioned in the instructions requires the firewall to be trimmed on the upper sides to properly fit within the side glass. Overall this kit is a bare canvas and a welcome addition from the past with its original boxtop art though in a larger sized box. Getting back to the bench, Cheers Misha

Keeping an eye on this one Luke… Cheers Misha

That’s really coming along Rob! Like your switch to the blue as well. I often attempt to build more or less from the box, yet rarely have I pulled it off ?. I’ll be following along on this one. Cheers Misha

Have spent my workbench time split between it and the spray booth getting more assembly and paint on parts. Concentrated on the engine cradle getting it into shape by mocking up larger pieces. The rear axle is installed now awaiting brake lines, and the major engine components, except for the exhaust, have also been assembled. The next step will be wiring and fuel and water lines. The chassis received its coat of semi gloss black LP 5 which will be masked off on the frame while the rest gets a dull aluminium finish (should I spray gloss black over the LP 5 before the metal finish?). After that some detail painting and further assembly of the smaller components onto the chassis. I’m quite happy with how the Chevy transplant is fitting in, mainly thanks to many mock ups with PVA glue to check measurements and clearances. The body is now getting its interior sprayed, first with a sand colour to represent the fiberglass underside of the nose and the rear deck lid which is visible thru the aluminium frame that gives the piece its strength. Then remainder will be done in LP5 with aluminium door sides to complement the frame interior. Once all of that is accomplished I’ll move onto the exterior which will prove to be an interesting challenge! As always, thanks for checking in, all comments and hints are appreciated, Cheers Misha

Been working on getting all the parts into primer and some initial painting, both airbrush and hand painting details. The body has its first coat showing further putty is required to eliminate the gas door flap on the front fender. Started on getting some of the fuel lines installed on the blower assembly and planning how to route the various hydraulic, fuel, and brake lines installed on the chassis. Recently bought a P/E bending jig so now I’m making my own brackets out of soda can aluminium. Fitted new engine mounts on the front of the engine cradle for the BBC, and mocked up the exhausts to make sure it all fits; it’s all a tight fit yet so far so good (didn’t get a photo of it in the cradle). Worked on the sprung wheelie bar arrangement, adding hardware for bracing the two springs, detailing the attachment brackets, and opening up the space between the tire and shackle with fine root canal files (ask your dentist). Moving onto getting the initial paint on the body to portray an updated scheme of the box art. The stripes will be pearl white on a candy red body with side panels done in red metalflake with the kit decals. Thanks for checkin’ in, Cheers Misha NOTE TO MODERATORS please move this thread to WIP Drags

Thanks Phil for the great link to all the photos! Especially useful are the interior shots. Great resource for us that can’t afford the real one yet are able to build a scaled down version. Plus it doesn’t take up as much space ? Cheers Misha

Thanks Craig for digging up the article, great descriptions of the construction. I’ve added it to my archive on the Surf Rod. It was one of my earliest kits I built when it was first released and a favourite ever since. Thinking of build another one using a blower instead as I agree it looks better. Cheers Misha

Thanks Ray for your coverage of the BJ event! In past years I have always gotten a weeks pass to the show and found that arriving early at eight I was able to get decent photos as the crowds didn’t arrive for an hour and a half (plus parking was close to the main gate). With the Covid we have spent three winters here on Vancouver Island, sure do miss the AZ action, both 1:1 and modelling events. Is there still a good turnout on Saturdays at the Show ‘n’ Shine at Indian Bend Road? Cheers from up North, Misha

Hi Wayne, yes indeed it is the snapper kit of the 57. Quite like this kit and by swapping out the modern Halibrand style wheels (saving them for a future project) with the R/M 67 Vette Coupe rims I was able to stay with the story of the original owner’s 1969 rebuild with the vinyl top, new paint and suspension upgrade with front discs and the Vette rims. Here is the WIP thread… While it is stalled on the workbench, there is still some work to complete on the interior and chrome trim all around, which I’m hesitant to attempt because of the issues with the current BMF. Hope to have it Under Glass shortly. By the way the 67 Coupe is about to be rereleased. Cheers Misha

Neat thread idea Ryan. Currently on my workbench as WIPs are the Corvair Funny Car, the 63 Vette, and the 57 Bel Air. Especially with builds that require a certain amount of scratchbuilding, mocking up with a PVA type of glue for ease of disassembly is a must to ensure proper a proper fit. Switching to a BBC from the kit Hemi in the Corvair required of lot of testing and fitting that would not have been possible without mocking up the assembly a few times. Cheers Misha

That’s the sketch Bill, here is the link to the auction site… https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/movie-tv-memorabilia/original-art/george-barris-surf-woody-design-sketch-a-classic-barris-design-the-surf-woody-was-a-worldwide-sensation-when-it-made-i-total-1/a/688-31238.s# It was sold back in 2008, not sure of the winning bid. Seems like the illustration is missing from my original posting. Hope this helps Craig.