charlie8575

This is simply amazing. This model alone would make the trip to NNL-West worth it. Charlie Larkin

Oooh....I wish I had room to display that bus. The upcoming cab though, is very interesting. If I find myself with more space, a London bus could be a very nice addition to the collection. Charlie Larkin

Nice execution, George. Charlie Larkin

Actually, Ian, the Grand Prix chassis plate will need to be stretched out to fit the Bonneville. The Catalina/G.P. used a 121-inch wheelbase instead of a 124" wheelbase. The interiors, at least from what I've seen, are also quite a bit different. No matter what you do, though, it'll certainly be an improvement over what you have. Yes, you do have a Town Car there. And that will be a dandy when it's re-done. I would suggest either a reverse of that color scheme or an altogether darker color for it; burgundy, Navy blue or black would all be nice. Charlie Larkin

Nice job on that, Lee. Charlie Larkin

Very, very nice little car, Geoff. We have a few of those running around here, the one that sticks out in my mind being a bright emerald green. Charlie Larkin

Mike, I am thoroughly impressed. And I mean that. This is a very, very nice model. As to your hood issue, check out Time Machine Resins. He may have something for you and his stuff is supposed to be pretty good. Motor City or Missing Link might also have something for you, or might be able to help you with something. As a last resort, try holding the hood over some warm water and see if that'll straighten it out. Charlie Larkin

Rob, The Starfire was essentially an 88 with really cool trim and a more powerful engine. The 88, like the Catalina, was a "B" body car, and the Cat frame would probably be the best match. The wheelbase will have to be adjusted slightly (Olds- 123", Pontiac- 120", and yes, it will be noticeable in the wheelwells.) Once there, you can use the X from any of the Chevy kits from that vintage, cut it out and glue it in place, to make Olds' X-perimeter frame. The suspension would be complicated, as Pontiac's Wide-Track suspension, although sharing a lot of parts, had many unique components that differed from the other GM makes. While it might be too noticable in scale, it could create issues with wheel fitment. The floors-I'd just use the Catalina floor and devise a way to make it work with the interior- perhaps you can cut the floor off the interior and glue the tub to the floor. Engine- the Olds V8 in the Ford would probably be a good start, you'll need to use the Jo-Han intake/air-cleaner, though. In short, it's a lot of work, and I'm honestly not sure if it would be worth it. Christian, I think, may have had the best answer. Build it for what it is. This kit, like its contemporaries, is a product of its time, and as such, was designed in a certain way. It was designed for a certain market and certain results. Taking the time to carefully detail-paint the chassis and detail the engine as best you can will make huge differences in the final appearance. I almost never go to the lengths some people do with older kits to "update" them. I merely build and enjoy them as they were intended to be. There are some things I might change and do different on some cars, but not usually. Some small things you could do to help improve appearance. 1. I would substitute brass tubing for the plastic axles a lot of Jo-Han kits had, as it's much, much stronger (I speak from far too much experience,) and you could cut the tube so rather than going straight through the block, you could use a very thin sheet of plastic or brass on the back of the wheelhouses, and then glue the axle stubs to that. That will clean up the engine bay a lot. If the hole in the block isn't visible, don't worry about it. Otherwise, fill it in with some good catalyzed putty and sculpt to shape, or go with the AMT Olds engine. 2. Take plenty of time to pick out all the details underneath and on the firewall. The careful painting of the relief-cast details can really make it look good. 3. The same applies to the interior and body. Care and attention will pay off. Any 1960s kits can be made to look exceptionally good with a little extra time and attention. Charlie Larkin

Wow. I'm very sorry to hear of this. The worst we saw up here while driving around was one uprooted tree that fell across someone's car. You did manage to escape with yourselves and your pets. With some degree of luck, you can salvage a few models and some other stuff, too. Perhaps the worst may be the things that really aren't replaceable- photos and the like. But even that, too, will pass. Hang in there, and we're all here for you when you're ready or if you need us. Charlie Larkin

Considering what you started with, Mike, that is absolutely fantastic! And such a pretty color, too. That red isn't too far off for some of the colors GM offered in that period, so it looks good. The vinyl top, I feel, actually looks pretty good. Sometimes, they end up grossly out-of-scale. After painting and sufficient cross-hatch sanding, it looks good to me. Very, very nicely done. Charlie Larkin

Unfortunately, life has been getting in the way, and I haven't been able to do as much with it as I'd like. I'm also trying to figure out how to fix a couple of things that are hanging it up before I can get anything going with it. One other issue I'm contending with right now is the weather. With this humidity, painting is impossible. Charlie Larkin

The Bonneville re-issue would probably be your best choice for all the running gear. The wheelbases on the '65 and '67 were the same (124",) and the basic chassis was the same. I'd also suggest using the engine and transmission from the '65 in your car, as it would be the closest. While the basic block remained the same from 1955-79, there were many detail changes, and the mid-60s engines are all roughly the same. I don't remember off-hand if the '65 had Tri-Power or not. If it does, that's not too big a deal; any 4-bbl or dual-quad Pontiac intake can be made to fit with little trouble. I'd recommend one from the '67 GTO as probably being the closest in terms of fit. Or, you can always do a "customer-installed" intake. The other parts can all be sourced from The Modelhaus in all likelihood, with little or no trouble. The list can be found here. http://www.modelhaus.com/index.php?y=59&c=4211&pt=&part=1&Submit=Search Charlie Larkin

Gus, Neat picks. The Riviera in bucket seats came in black, blue, aqua or dove. As was pointed out, the seats and door panels were white, with black accents. You can see the details here. http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1966_Buick/1966_Buick_Prestige_Brochure/1966%20Buick%20Prestige-08-09.html I'll look forward to watching these go together. Charlie Larkin

I can hear that 300 droning now... Hugh, this is an excellent piece of workmanship. I am curious- do you happen to have any better pictures of the lap-joint you used to shorten the frame with? Folks- take a moment and go through the build-up of this model. It's truly spectacular. Charlie Larkin

That does look nice, Ron. You don't happen to have any pictures of the pre-modification body so I can see exactly what it was you did? I'm actually toying with buying one of those and make it genuine snoozer- 250/'Glide. No pretenses- a real, honest low-bucks special. Charlie Larkin

This is really coming out nicely. About the only thing I would've done is square off the door-handles some to be a little closer to correct. As to spraying Dupli-Color- if you can handle One-Coat, Dupli-Color isn't a problem at all. Try it out on some scrap and practice parts. I think you'll be pleased. Charlie Larkin

Neat diorama. I like it. Charlie Larkin

Looks like that could be simulated with olive green mixed with white and maybe a little gray or light blue. Any other ideas for color-matching? Charlie Larkin

Unless of course, it's....wait for it.... quick sand. Charlie Larkin

I've got to side with Jacen, I'd love to see a Magnum, and I think it would be an easy car to set up for NASCAR, rep-stock, and whatever else. Christian had some nice picks, too. One of my 5 personal favorite of the decade is the 1977-'79 full-size Chevy coupe with the wrap-around backlight. I always thought those were one of the nicest-looking cars on the road at the time. Charlie Larkin

Even the engine is a work of art on these cars... Charlie Larkin

Harold, this is the second loss for a modeler in this way that I've heard about in a couple of weeks, and it's awful. I'm very sorry, and I hope things recover quickly for you. That Predicta was a model you were working on, as opposed to a real car? Charlie Larkin

Slow and steady wins the race in modeling. Except it's not a race, it's a journey. The building is coming out very nicely Nick. Keep working on it, and it'll come out nicely. Charlie Larkin

Great job on that. The color, from what I've seen, looks about right, too. Charlie Larkin

Nice news is such a pleasant change. Good luck with the new position. Charlie Larkin