gman

^^ Here is a shot of the under cab structure AMT/ERTL chose not to put in the box. I agree with the comments (and have been intending to scratch up something to cover the sides of the interior tub when I build one of the 6 or so kits in my stash), but I think the OP's model looks great considering what AMT/ERTL provided as raw materials.

For a few years at least, Ford's new model year "Standard" had features much like if not the same as the previous year's "Deluxe" and the new Deluxe had features that set it apart from the Standard and previous model year. The '39 Ford Deluxe grille and the '40 standard grille were pretty darn close if not the same. http://www.google.ca/search?q=39+ford+deluxe+grill&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-JebUf_SFYq0igL_h4HQDQ&ved=0CFEQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=702 http://www.google.ca/search?q=39+ford+deluxe+grill&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-JebUf_SFYq0igL_h4HQDQ&ved=0CFEQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=702#safe=off&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=40+ford+standard+grill&oq=40+ford+standard+grill&gs_l=img.3..0i24.39981.45064.0.45758.10.10.0.0.0.0.81.497.10.10.0...0.0...1c.1.14.img.05LW2Dkk1XI&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46865395,d.cGE&fp=9fc56a4dd2e23894&biw=1280&bih=702

There have been a couple of '37 woodies in the model magazines since the launch of Revell/Monogram '37 street rod kit, and they use the front clip of the plastic kit with a scratch built woody body. I would start with the tudor sedan version. This: http://modelingmadness.com/scott/cars/previews/monogram/0884bt.jpg combined with some styrene and work to arrive closer to this: http://m3.i.pbase.com/u15/xl1ken/upload/4548823.CruisinWoodie01lo.jpg http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1930-1939/1937-Ford-Woody-fa-lr.jpg http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8403/8677094585_df49c154e2_m.jpg

Came out pretty good? That is a wonderful finish- nice work.

...seemed like a good idea at the time .

1. A 46-48 Ford Tudor sedan, stock bodied with some old-school speed parts under the hood...perfect for kitbashing with existing variants. 2. A 78-87 Cutlass Supreme with some optional Hurst/Olds parts, and some lowrider and canyon carver style wheels to maximize the potential market. 3. A 32 Ford B400, Victoria, or even a closed cab pickup variant, with old-school flathead speed parts, some tall white wall big/littles with pie crust cheater slicks, chrome reverse wheels w/ spider caps and a 100% backdated traditional Deuce frame with a dropped I-beam axle and hairpins, all of which could breathe new life into older versions by providing perfect kitbashing fodder and boosting sales.

Don't know which distributor my LHS uses. The show does air up here.

He must not trust crazy Canucks in the frozen north to build his artistic vision in 1:25 .

Good news: after stopping into pretty much every local hobby shop since the kit started to ship weekly, finally got my Rat Roaster kit- got a call to pick it up this morning. Bad news: the hobby shop who called told me when I picked it up that it isn't licensed to be sold in Canada...the kit wasn't available to be sold through their normal Revell Canadian distributor, so after learning why they couldn't get it they had an alternate (US) distributor ship two kits to the store (so I bought two, more good news). Thank you local hobby shop! I don't know if Ford or Gearz is responsible for the licensing issue or who exactly needs to be cursed out by Canadian modellers wanting this kit- sounds like online retailers and cross border shoppers are going to be the winner rather than our local hobby shops for those willing to make the sale in spite of licensing .

It didn't shoot so slick, there was a little orange peel after it cured. I actually polished that out with Bare Metal plastic polish and there was no blotchiness- this color was one of their non-clear coat colors indicated by no "CC" on the can. The beauty of Duplicolor is that it polishes nicely once cured.

I can certainly say some automotive sprays (including Duplicolor) can have huge flake in metallic paints, but this does vary. ^^ Duplicolor's Nissan Cherry Red Pearl, polished with no clear coat contrasted against Tamiya White Pearl for the roof insert. While the flake size for the Tamiya white is washed out and you can't tell for comparison purposes, I was pretty pleased with the scale effect of the flake size in this particular Duplicolor paint. I usually gravitate to the pearl variants of automotive colors due to the smaller and more in-scale flake sizes they exhibit when used on a model.

Upload your photos to a hosting site (like photobucket). After your photos are uploaded, you can click on the IMG code to the right of your photo and then paste what gets copied to your computer's clipboard to your post- this should embed your photo in the post...you can also just copy/paste links to your photos in your post.

Nice save- good looking model that preserves the style from when it was first built.

It's beautiful. Where did you source the wheels and tires from?

http://www.trainshack.com/browse.cfm/atlas-snap-saw/4,4115.html ^^ I find these (combined with a masking tape guide and a steady hand) are good for starting straight and in-scale door lines when they have to be scribed or corrected. Start with the saw, finish with a scriber or even a new piece of sandpaper inserted into the door line to clean things up and remove fuzzed up styrene from the door line.

For small to modestly sized repair areas, I use super glue and baking soda...the baking soda catalyzes the glue and causes it to set almost immediately. It is slightly harder than the surrounding plastic to sand when fully cured, so it is best rough it in with course sandpaper or files in the seconds after it is applied and it is still curing. Apply the glue with a toothpick, sprinkle enough baking soda on the glue to fully cover the glue and work almost immediately with sandpaper or file. Superglue/baking soda areas will take primer and paint very much like bare plastic will, and worked areas will rarely stand out under primer and paint if you have finished them properly with the same grits as used on the surrounding areas. Most solvent based putties can soften plastic and will shrink over time- while sold for hobby use, the old Squadron green and white putties (and other hobby putties of similar composition) are famous for shrinking, cracking and sinking below the surface of the repaired area over time if you have to use a relatively thick putty layer to accomplish the bodywork you have in mind. Automotive single-part putties are usually solvent based with even bigger chances for adverse effects when used on plastic if enough putty is applied without allowing those solvents to "gas out" completely before re-coating with putty or painting worked areas with solvent based paints...this can take several hours depending on how thick the puttied area is and requires building up thin coats of primer to cover without reacting with the putty. For larger repairs it is hard to beat 2 part polyester putty (Tamiya makes some, but automotive products like Evercoat are much cheaper in bulk) as they cure quickly, remain stable when properly mixed and won't soften underlying plastic as there are no solvents involved. They also blend or feather extremely well into surrounding plastic if you've roughed up the entire area to be worked with a course file or sandpaper prior to applying your putty. Areas covered with 2 part polyester putty will take primer much like the surrounding plastic and once you get the hang of mixing the ratios and working the putty at the magic moment before maximum hardness is achieved, and is actually easier than using single part putty considering it can be sanded and covered with paint in mere minutes after curing.

Also true- I never got really specific 'cause I couldn't remember exactly when it was that Revell went bad. I started building in the early 70's and remember being overjoyed when Revell got their quality back on track (some time in the late 80's)...I always liked the subject matter of the back catalogue but left them alone for awhile based on those late 70's to early 80's unboxing experiences. To date I've been reluctant to pick up recent releases of some of those gasser models I built as a youth, so this section is a godsend to those who want a look under the shrink wrap before spending today's prices on re-issued kits from the dark days.

^^This. These kits were a bad period for Revell in that they were re-issues of once great kits with new box art, but once you got the box open you were treated to poor quality moldings, lots of flash, chrome trees that had thick plating with runs and even hair in it- the same could be said for the later "Hot Rod" branded releases as well. I remember buying three of the Model A roadster pickup kits to make up one build-able example . The 80's was not a good period for Revell kits, and the current "rat rod" issues are far superior in that the chrome trees and other sprues have finally got the care and attention they desperately deserve. I think you'll find most of the value from the "Happy days" kits will be in the box art and not as build-able examples of kits available today.

The difference is that in many late 30's and early 40's products, Ford Motor Co. offered different trim levels in any given model year, with lower priced models typically utilizing trim styling cues from the previous model generation's Deluxe version. Your photo and the early AMT kit depict a '40 Deluxe Coupe, while the Revell/Monogram Coupe new tool depicts a '40 standard grill rather than Deluxe. http://www.motaa.com...40fordshore.jpg http://www.relicsand...d-Howardson.jpg In these two images the Standard Grill is on top, Deluxe on the bottom. The '40 Standard grill is very similar to the '39 Ford Deluxe, while the '39 Ford Standard is closer to the '38 Ford Deluxe. http://www.cruisenew...Feature-Top.jpg http://www.cruisenew...rdCoupe-Top.jpg

http://modelexpress....757-300x298.jpg ^^ It was almost exactly like this (without the "Fat Fendered" logo).

If you follow directions with the Spazstix chrome I think you'll be pleasantly surprised- use light coats over a smooth black base coat (they also sell their own base coat black in aerosol) and you'll get chrome-like results, comparable or even better than Alclad. Use too much in heavy coats and the results are more like Testor's chrome spray, so keep it light. http://public.fotki.com/grdeyed/model_cars-1/chrome-test/ ^^ Not my link- posted by member sjordan in another thread on chrome (Alclad, Spazstix).

Older DupliColor comes in two varieties- lacquer that doesn't require a clear coat, and base coat lacquer that does (usually denoted by a "CC" on the can). With care and effort, these paints can polish out beautifully- both can exhibit surface texture and blush if spraying conditions aren't ideal. I have primarily used the ones not requiring clear coat and will polish the texture and any blush or milkiness out of the paint as soon as it has cured enough to do so. ^^ This is DupliColor Nissan Cherry Red Pearl over DupliColor red primer. This paint job had a little bit of blush/haze from humidity as well as a fair bit of orange peel texture that was knocked down with 1000 grit sandpaper. The paint was re-coated in thin spots and then polished with Bare Metal plastic polish on a flannel rag- no clear coat- it is all in all a beautiful product to work with and is pretty forgiving. I have been meaning to try the newer DupliColor lines to see if they are as nice a paint as the older auto touch-up aerosols this paint is from.

"Erwin's Kustoms...mit Surplus"- now that is funny .

After looking through the Fotki album for step by step progress shots that illustrate all that was done, all I can say is "amazing". Great job.

http://www.spazstix.com/xcart/10009-ULTIMATE-MIRROR-CHROME-AEROSOL-3.5oz.html ^^ Use this over the aerosol black base coat from the same manufacturer...those without access to an airbrush will get results similar to Alclad II with a spray can. It's a pretty good finish, though there are some that say the airbrush method with Alclad offers superior results.