1959

Replying to my self... I have always thought that S1 is the wide body version but it is actually called S1 E2. It is never too late to learn new. It had been almost 40 years when I saw the Evolution version in livenä tv program of the Rally Finland as a 8 years old kid. It was impressive!

Very very nice build! I have always liked models that have been modified a lot and in the end they look stock and it takes an expert to understand the amount of work put into it. After seeing the incredibly nice body work I think I couldn't have hold my self putting a detailled Cobra Jet under the hood but I fully understand your decision to keep it a curbside. Can't wait to see your next project finalised!

Thanks all for nice comments. I send few pictures to my friend who was the original builder and he told me the story why the front was broken. He had a some sort of an argument/fight with his girl friend and during that she twisted the model in pieces. Ladies can be very cruel?

And here is a picture from the starting point. Quite terrible 90s look.

Hi all AMT 55 Nomad had been built three or four times in the past before I started this restoration project. It was already converted to a pick up version with the parts included in the kit. Side trim, door handles etc was shaved, hood was broken, suspension lowered with violence etc. so really not an easy project. My inspiration for the model was GM Motorama cars; what could have been in the show in 1954 as a peak for the coming years. I had Revell 56 side trims in the spare part box as well as the 57 grille bar. An excess 57 hood donated the gunsights and the 62 Impala door handles, wipers and the rear deck emblem. Engine is a SBC from the spare part box with AMT 63 Vette fuel injection. Wheelcovers are from the spare part box and I think those are from 53 Vette. I fixed the suspension, it is perhaps slightly lower than original. Interior is actually only area where I didn't make any changes. Color is 57 Chrysler Shell Pink that I had in spray can for my 1:1 car. I sprayed that to a glass jar and diluted it to the airbrush. Black is just a hardware store rattle can color that is actually pretty easy to polish with just a wax and cloth. I had some more ideas like using 57 rear bumber but maybe it was good that I left it like this as I am pretty happy how it turned out. Thanks for looking Kimmo

Hi all. This a restoration project that I got from my friend. AMT 53 pick up was built atleast twice in the past with very thick brush paint and lots of glue. I wanted to build this as hot rod patina pick up. The most challenging part was a broken front end. Body had been somehow twisted already when the kit was bought and broke in three pieces when he tried to fix it. It is not perfect after my fixes either but better than what it was. Kit was missing both axles and as this was going to be built more as a curbside I decided to drill holes to the frame and put metal axles to get it on wheels and at the same time closer to the ground. Tires are from Monogram 59 Caddy with spare part box wheels and dog dishes. Kit was also missing the grille but I was lucky to run into 54 resin grille of unknown manufacturer. Tail gate is modified from a one picked up from the spare part box. This was my first attempt to make a rusty look. I first sprayed a rattle can rust effect, dry brushed some different shades of Humbrol and Revell browns on it. Green is mixed from Revell light green and white. I used the salt chip method and also used acetone and steel wool to wear out the paint. Finally I used some rust wash here and there. Inside the car has a 1:25 Mexican blanket that I got as a Christmas present from my wife. She stretched sewing tread on top of a packaging tape. Gluing it on the bench was pretty difficult and unfortunately few treads got loose from the driver's side. Last piece was the bicycle which is from the AMT 66 Riviera. I still had Humbrol candy green that my brother had bought in the mid eighties and it still worked! I just brushed it twice over the chromed pieces. Thanks for looking. Kimmo

Hi all Finally finished this Revell Olds with Jimmy Flintstone resin body. This was actually my first resin body build and also first time to try to weather a model as dusty and dirty. Body went to the chassis pretty nicely after a heavy thinning but the rear shelf in the interior needed to be modified. I used the "rear seat delete" piece of the revell kit and extended the shelf with a piece that had some similar structures from the spare part box. Paint is a quick one with spray can metallic green with clear coat over the decals. Weathering is done with few different AK dust washes. I probably should have air brushed it to get more dusty look, now it looks more like it has been driven in wet gravel road. I tried to add BMF for the trims but color peeled of in few places so I made the rest with Molotow pen. As this was made just as a weathering practice I didn't put any efforts in the detailing. Thanks for looking! Kimmo

Hello all. Few photos of my son's (12 years) latest build. AMT 300C pretty much box stock. This was his first spray can paint and also first time to wire the engine compartment. It was easy to find out how the plumbing should be done as we have 1:1 57 New Yorker in our carage. There was some challenges with the paint cracking away with the BMF which I have never faced with rattle can automotive primers and paints. It seemed to peel off from the plastic so it was the primer that was causing the trouble. Luckily he managed to patch it pretty well eventhough it is metallic. Model was finished day before a model show and was awarded with the first price in junior class for car models. Gives motivation for future builds! Thanks for looking! Kimmo and the builder Henri

Good looking build from an iconic rally car from the golden times of rallying! Been planing to build also some group B models but have been stuck on the 50's cars and hot rods. But as a huge fan of group B rallying I started to wonder if there is a mistake in the kit's title because to my understanding the S1 Sport Quattro is the one with large spoilers and wide fenders that was introduced as an evolution version in 1985. This one was introduced in 1984 and was just called Sport Quattro.

Finally finished this one, Amt 1960 Ford Starliner which I now call Stratoliner. I think the inspiration came from the 50s dream cars and 60s bubble top customs. Body modifications include a filled rear seat area with AMT 62 Tbird Sports Roadster cover, grille and it's surrounding from AMT 56 Ford kit, extended hood and deck lid modifications with styrene sheet to fit the bubble top from Monogram 58 Tbird kit. Rear bumber is original with added round tail lights from spare part box, perhaps custom headlights from AMT 59 Elcamino kit. Paint is Tamiya Pearl green from spray can. Interior includes dash from Monogram 70 Mustang with extended instrument bezels and some extra chrome trims and some hood scoops just to get a bit more form in the top of the dash. Seats are from AMT 53 Stude and console is unknown piece from the spare part box as is the steering wheel with center bullet built from Amt 49 Merc custom taillight. Tires are from the kit with AMT 53 Stude wheel covers. Suspension is slightly lowered but otherwise it is untouched from underneath. Engine is the kit's 390 FE with 2x4 intake manifold. All and all I am pretty pleased how it turned out but as the paint is not polished and engine compartment is not highly detailed there is clearly room for improvement in the future. Kimmo

I actually forgot. I have also one more Johan kit which is unfortunately not completely finished. Slightly modified 68 Caddy with ZR1 Vette engine and suspension. Statred in 1991 and finished to this point 1998. Probably will never be completely done...

Thanks all for your nice comments!

This is a father and son project that we finally finished. Starting point was AMT Riviera lowrider kit and the idea of back date Revell Foose Cadillac kit where the modern engine, wheels and tires were left over. Riviera seemed to be a good fit for those. Fuel injection is from the spare part box and all the rest is out of the box including the lowered suspension. Engine was pretty high so the oil pan needed to be sectioned and the Buick's pulleys and belts used to get everything fit under the hood. Paint is just a spray can gold with clear (done by me with a pretty poor result...). My son did the BMF work and painted the interior and all the small parts. It was a fun project.

Wow, a great build and the paint looks really impressive. What type of paint you have used?

What a nice thread! So many rare models that I haven't even known to exist! Only finished Johans we have are these two 60 Desotos. Both are rebuilt. The red one by me in the early 90's at the age of 14. It is painted with color from my mother's old Saab 96. Blue one is built by my son a year ago at the age of 11. I had also built 64 Caddy in early 90s but I dismantled it to kitbash it with Monogram 59 Caddy chassis etc but it has been waiting for inspiration over 25 years... this fall I bought 62 Dart which will be hopefully started soon.

This build started as I happend to get just a body shell of 59 Camino and I realized that Street Art series kit that I have in stash has two sets of windows, clear and red. And as I already had the tailgate and taillights in the parts box and a scrap yard 62 Impala to donate chassis and hood I thought this would be a quick and easy build. Well, it took of course much more work and time. Interior is made of a modified 57 Chevy dash and seat and scratch built door panels. Engine is probably Chevy BB from MPC 57 Chevy. Grille is from the ElCamino kit and headlights are from AMT 53 Ford pickup custom grille with red lenses. Wheels are from parts box and I don't know the original kit where they come from. Tires are AMT in front and back. I was planning to make this a very raw street racer, maybe flat black, but eneded up painting it gold. Paint is just from the spray can with clearcoat on top of the decals. Decals are a mixture of Slixx and what was found from the parts box. I kind a lost the motivation when I realised that in some point a small part of the Headhunter decal had detached. So then I just put everything together leaving most of the details from the engine compartment undone. I am not very happy about my work on this one, but atleast I got it done. Thanks for looking. Kimmo

As a huge fan of 50s concept cars I really like this one a lot! What a great idea and execution!

Wow, really nice build! I have thought of building either 63-64 Galaxie or this 64 Mercury in a similar way. This inspires!

Wow, extremely nice black paint, like a piano! I like the color combination too. I also have one of these in the stash, looking at this makes me want to start it right away!

Very nice build! I have also built a AMT 66 HT in the 90's and had to do the same engine bay and chassis modifications to get it more realistic and it sure was a lots of work so I know what you've been through! Good job!

Great looking Caddy! My best friend owns an extremely nice Inverness Green Series 62 Flattop and we have been cruising with that a lot in our youth. Would be great to find this resin kit and build a copy of my friend's car for him.

Me and my wife both drive boring Toyotas as daily drivers so let's leave those a side and concentrate on our older cars. 59 Ford Galaxie. Bought this 1993 at the age of 15. It was a project car imported from Arizona. We restored it with my father and got it finished 1996. It has been driven some 25000 miles since then and has been very reliable car. 1957 Chrysler New yorker. Model I fell in love in 1990 when there was am article about a very nice example in Finnish American car magazine. When this very same car that was in the article popped up for sale two years ago just 10 miles from our home there was not much to do than buy it. 1959 Buick Invicta convertible. Almost as long as I have loved 57 Chryslers I have also loved 59 Buicks as I saw the front end of a project car in old cars sales yard close to our summer cottage. It is just so mean. As I had a dream of a late 50s convertible I bundled it to a one package: 59 Buick and a convertible. I have owned the car for 6 years. I am third owner and have all the original documents including the bill of sale from Vancouver. 1963 Buick Riviera which came as a trade for a 1996 Mustang that I had as a daily driver. My plan was to get rid of it soon but my wife really likes the car and don't let me sell. We'll, I quest it is a positive problem!

This is an old build from 1995. AMT 66 Mustang that has been modified to 65 GT version (at least almost) with a help of parts from AMT 66 GT Fairlane. As the Mustang kit is not very detailed the rear and front suspension, inner fenders, exhaust pipes etc. have been taken from the Fairlane among with some other details as the wheels and tires too. Grille mesh is from my brother's shaver with some GT foglights from parts box. I needed to make the panel lines for the headlight bezels and the front fenders in the area below the bumber needed to be "rounded" quite a lot as it has completely wrong form in the model. Luckily it was very thick so it could be done by just sanding it. Paint is from a small repair paint spray can which I think was a Mitsubishi color. I sprayed the paint to a glass jar and then sprayed it with airbrush. Several coats of 1-k clear over the paint and polished with Millennium 2000 kit. Kimmo

I started to get worried with a stash of about 10 new unbuilt ones and about 20 previously built restoration projects but I have no worries anymore! Great to see pictures of such a great collections, thanks everyone for sharing.

I have also built few Monograms in the late 80s and early 90s (age 12-15) but only few of them have survived. In the old bubble gum sales rack is 57 BelAir which I made as a convertible because the roof is too high and short in the model. 53 Belair was the first kit I ever made some modifications. That was rebuilt by my son few years ago, at age 8. Also his rebuilt is my brother's old ZZ Top Ford that has been backdated to a nostalgic style. We have got some built Monograms from couple of my friends but let's see if those will be rebuild. Even that the kits have very little fitment issues they often seem a bit too much like some 1:24 die cast cars to my eyes.