Plowboy

There's an idea! Pitch the kit bed and make a wood flat bed for it. Maybe also turn it into a dually.

Probably. The majority that I have had leak, leaked out of the top seal.

It's a common problem with Testors. I think it's the propellant leaking out. If you have an airbrush, you can still use the paint inside.

I got the first squirts of paint on! Wish it was on the body. But, the interior will do. Paint is Tamiya Dull Red. I really like this color for interiors! I still have to spray flat clear on the package shelf and floor. Plus detail paint. I also have the body sanded and ready for final primer. The only issues were the rushed body work on the wheel openings. Hopefully, I can shoot one coat of gray and two of white to get it ready for paint. The hold up has been smoothing the underside of the hood and trunk to get rid of the ejector marks. I'm also adding latch details to both. I really need to get back on the chassis and engine. The exhaust and driveshaft need to be shortened. Everything needs to sanded. But, I figure I can do that while I'm waiting for the primer and paint to dry on the body. Plus, I can't make up my mind what color to paint the engine. All white, all black, black and white or Dull Red?

The ex-Monogram/Revell Ford Ranger isn't a Ranger anyway. If you look closely, you can see the Custom badge on the fender.

What do each measure from the bottom of the rockers to the top of the door?

Exactly. That's why I used the AMT body on my current project. But, the body is all I'm using. It's been chopped two and sectioned three scale inches. It's barely noticeable which is how I wanted it to be.

Revell reissued it as the Ford Ranger. It's the '80-'81 F-150 4×4 Flareside. It's a little crude by today's standards. But, it's a full detail. Not a snap together like the one posted in your link.

I hope you didn't buy that kit. Monogram makes the same truck in 1/24 scale and was reissued fairly recently.

Comparing the AMT and Revell '49 Mercury's is like comparing apples to oranges. The AMT kit has a bone stock body. The Revell has a custom body. From the box, the AMT will build at most a very mild custom. From the box, the Revell will build a true custom. To build a custom from the AMT kit takes a lot of work. You want a chopped top? You gotta do it. You want a custom interior? You gotta do it. You want a lowered stance? You gotta do it. All of that is already done with the Revell kit. Not everyone knows how to do those modifications. For them, it's perfect. For those that disagree and can do those modifications, it's not. But, neither kit will build what the other will out of the box.

The AMT kit is the only one there is. You can build a decent model with it. But, it takes a lot of work.

A van front suspension won't work on a GMC Jimmy. Vans have an offset engine which makes the A arms longer on the driver's side than the passenger's side. One could use the suspension from a Revell '65 Chevy pickup or the '66 Suburban.

Very nice restoration Rich!

Thanx Dennis! The plan is for all of the chrome to be blacked out with the exception of the center medallion on the grille.

I've never built this Mercury. But, I have one. To me, the only legitimate complaint is the slab sides. I think that would be a fairly easy fix. The rest? Well, it is a custom after all. Who's to say it's wrong? The biggest complaint I've read about it is the chop. I see what people are talking about with the leaned chop towards the front. But, that doesn't make it "wrong" IMO. Personally, I kinda like the peaked hood. But, others don't. The rear glass was another complaint. It's not laid down enough. Once again, I prefer the look it has over the laid down rear glass. That's a look that I really don't like. To me, it ruins it. But, others like it. My point is it wouldn't matter how Revell had done this kit. There will those that like it and those that don't. It's an impossibility to create a custom that everyone will like. Just like every custom model before and after it. Like the '32, '29 and '30 Fords. I'm currently building a custom '49 Mercury with the AMT kit. All I'm using is the body. The rest is from the Foose Caddy. I chopped and sectioned it the way I wanted it to be. I'm sure there's those that believe I did it "wrong". But, I'm building it to suit me. Not them. I don't think a custom can be wrong as long as the person building likes it. It's all just a matter of opinion and the only one that really counts is the builder's.

Thanx! I'm going to paint the set from the kit to see how they'll look. But, I'm planning on using a set from the Revell '48 if they'll work. If the black somehow doesn't work, I think I'll mold them in.

Thanx! I'm going to hit the rotors with matte clear and see if that does the trick. I'm thinking it will. If it doesn't, I can strip and paint them.

Me too Carl! This will be my first all pearl white paint job. One thing that I'm concerned about is painting the headliner red. I'm definitely going to have to do it before final primer. Then I'm going to have the issue of keeping the white from getting on the red. One mishap on masking is all it's going to take to mess things up.

Great restoration Rich! One would never know it's previous state! Nice work!

Very cool! I always appreciate seeing one of these old Jeepsters get built! The beat up CJ is cool also!

Despite the paint mismatch, it's still cool to see one of these built up. To me, every model is a learning experience. Sometimes I learn what to do. Sometimes I learn what not to do.

Thanx Dennis and Gareth! I shot a coat of gray over the body and couldn't wait to see how the white would cover. I also wanted to see if my vision of it in white was still what I was after. It definitely is! While the primer on the body was drying, I grabbed the wheels and shot the primer on them also. Once it was dry, I shot the Satin Black on them. While that was drying, I modified a set of Pegasus disc brakes to fit the wheels. With all of that done, I couldn't wait any longer! I had to see what it is going to look like! I love the way it looks!! I rarely say this. But, these photos don't capture how sinister this thing looks in person. Plus, the chrome on the brakes is reflecting the back side of the wheels. I have a few typical touch ups on the body work to do. There's one thing I actually forgot to do and I've been wanting to do it to a model for a while. I want to do Kindig style door handles. The plan is to cut the shape I want, glue it to the body, scribe around it and remove. Not sure if I'll paint them black or leave them body color. I'm also thinking about getting rid of the wipers. If I can remove them cleanly, I will. I'm also mulling over the headlights on whether or not to mold them in. I'm not sure how they would look with the trim painted black. Still a long way to go. But, I at least have an idea of what it's going to look like.

I finally have this body ready for primer! I cleaned up the firewall by getting rid of the massive flange and added strengthening ribs to inner fenderwells. I also got the engine lowered down. I got the trunk hinged and gutters added to the body. I'm going to start with gray primer to get everything one color. One thing I've learned about Tamiya White Primer is that it's very transparent. Any variance in color beneath it will show through. I only use it for white paint jobs.

Nice work so far Phil! Something I noticed on that body is the header panel above the grille is squared. Did you modify to look like that or is it that way from the box?

I only use Tamiya. I never have to worry about any type of issues. It lays down thin and smooth. If you try it, you won't use anything else.