radiohd10

So glad you posted this - I just got one of these too and it’s super intimidating. Hope mine comes out looking half this good. Great job 👏

Haha thanks - I’ve done around 30 builds over the last year and a half but my first few were terrible 😂 (this kit was one of them). I just bought a new one on eBay and spent the last few weeks making the version I would actually want to own. Thanks dude

Last year, I bought my first three kits on a whim at hobby lobby - a ‘69 Camaro, a ‘69 Chevelle, and a ‘68 Charger. I had no clue what I was getting myself into at the time, and while the builds didn’t come out great, they started a pretty legit obsession for me (most of you guys know exactly what I’m talking about) Now that I feel a bit more confident building these things, my plan is to go back and redo those first few kits the way they’re supposed to be done. They’re probably my favorite muscle cars of all time and deserve better treatment than what I originally gave them. Here’s the first of my do-overs. This ‘69 Chevelle kit from Revell might be the best of the bunch, and is pretty darn perfect across the board. It was so good that I tried to keep it as close to box stock as possible - I even bought the photo etch set but decided to stick with the decals as a tip of the cap to Revell, since they did such nice job with them. I did make a few mods, like lowering the ride height by a few mm, grafting styrene to the rear end so the bumper would line up flush with the rear light housing, and some engine/interior/exhaust upgrades, but I tried not to go too overboard. The paint is all Tamiya rattle cans - racing blue over gloss black and cleared with ts-13. The interior is wooden deck tan over linoleum deck brown, and the dash is semigloss black. I’ll definitely be using this racing blue again because it’s probably the best tamiya paint I’ve come across so far. All chrome is kit chrome dusted with tamiya smoke, with the exception of the trim which is BMF. I remember the Charger kit being great too, but think the Camaro is gonna be a pain. We shall see. Anyway, thanks for looking! 🤙🏽

very nice indeed...

beautiful car, beautiful build - you nailed it. I have 2 in the stash and may get one started after i finish my current wip. i bought the photo etch set for it, but now i'm thinking i won't even need it. awesome job.

awesome job! i tried building the mpc version of this and it did NOT go well (it's currently smashed to pieces and being used as a donor). i need to pick up one of these kits.

beautiful. i need to get one of those kits!

thanks guys!!

i built one of these a year ago when i first got into model building and i almost quit the hobby because it was such a nightmare - nothing fit properly and i didn't have the skills (or patience) to deal with its many issues. the fact that you were able to put together such a beautiful looking model with it is a true testament. awesome job!

Thanks dudes 🤙🏽

Thanks guys!!! Yeah this was a fun one. Definitely one of my favorite kits to date 🤙🏽

thanks dudes! thanks - yeah im with you on the continental. i looked everywhere for a flat rear bumper but no luck. I used PVA glue on the parts i wasn't crazy about so i can swap them out down the road if possible.

I just finished up a ‘55 Bel Air by Monogram…an old but awesome kit. From start to finish this thing was a joy to build. It’s pretty much box stock except for the engine bay detail. I also added a bit of trim here and there. I did have to lower the front suspension a good 4-5 mm to get it sitting nicely, but it wasn’t too bad. At some point I’ll probably scratch some new vent windows for it - they’re the one poorly made piece in the kit (I sanded them down as much as I could but they’re still too big and clunky). Paint is all tamiya rattle cans - exterior is clear blue over silver leaf in the front with racing white in the back, all under a few coats of ts-13 clear. Interior is the same, but I used white as the undercoat for the blue parts and then cleared it with tamiya semi and mr hobby matte finishes. The carpet is adhesive suede - my new fave. All chrome is kit chrome with tamiya smoke dusted over it (aside from the side panels which were dechromed and attached before paint and bare metal foiled after). Emblems are foil under paint. I think that just about covers it! Sorry it’s so pic heavy but it was really nice outside I couldn’t help myself 😆

i'm about to build one of these and was looking through the forum for reference photos...i like seeing a kits potential before i start. this is the nicest build i've seen of the 55 - beautiful job.

yeah i'm with you on that. if it can be turned into something decent, then i have a hard time calling it a dog. end of the day, i was pretty happy with how it came out. it looks cool next to the t-bird on my shelf too haha

thanks roger!

thanks for the kind words!

thanks - yep the engine was just one piece with a hole cut through it for the front axle. if the engine bay was accurately scaled, i could have added a bit more, but alas....

thanks fellas! Thanks! The pegasus rims came chromed - i just hit them with some tamiya smoke and panel washed them.

haha - thanks. i’ve had those big old pegasus wheels for awhile now and this was the first car i’ve done where they didn’t look totally ridiculous so I figured why not 🤷🏻‍♂️

Just finished the AMT ‘65 Lincoln Continental. I hesitate to call this kit a dog because I got it looking decent in the end, but in terms of quality, it was probably the worst I’ve seen to date. With the exception of the dash, the detail was non-existent, and every surface of the body was totally uneven. If you want to build this one, make sure you have tons of sandpaper and plenty of styrene and aluminum for scratch building. Unless they issue a newly-tooled version, I won’t be building one of these again. Some tweaks - interior: wood grain, door panel, and armrest detail added. Scratched some door posts to give the flat door panels some texture. Sanded the back of the seats down by almost 75% to get them looking normal and added trim. The dash was foiled and painted then finished with aftermarket instrument panels covered in UV resin. Scratched a rear view mirror and borrowed a side mirror from the parts box because the kit didn’t come with either 🤷🏻‍♂️ Used a photo etch brake pedal for the speaker between the back seats and added some 26 gauge wire for trim. Also built some new sun visors. The carpet is adhesive suede which I ran a lighter across to flatten. I’ll be using this technique in the future as well because it looks really clean and in scale. engine: this engine was a joke. The few parts it did come with were often incorrect. Basically everything you see in the engine bay with the exception of the engine block, air filter, and battery had to be scratch built or altered. I made some frame bars and will probably add them at some point (they’re drying on the bench) but the kit leaves very little room under the hood, so we’ll see. body: all the chrome is BMF with the exception of the front and rear bumpers. The body scripts are foil under paint, and were honestly the one detail the kit did well. All paint was tamiya rattle cans - gloss black and clear for the body, semigloss and matte blacks for the interior. The plan was to use the classic Lincoln hubcaps, but apparently the guy who sold it to me as a “complete kit” on eBay wanted to keep them for himself (thus the obnoxious rims you see here - I lowered the ride height to accommodate). He also removed (and kept) the sun visors from the windshield frame, breaking the frame off of the body in the process. He left that little tidbit out of the item description as well 🤷🏻‍♂️ Anyway - here’s what 5 weeks of sanding flash and sinkholes looks like 🤙🏽

that is one good looking ride. great job.

very very nice

very nice build!

working through a dog of a kit is good every once in a while - keeps your game sharp! i'm dealing with a similar situation on my '65 lincoln continental at the moment (easily the most poorly engineered kit i've encountered) and i cant wait to be done with it. you did a great job on this little porsche, all things considered!