peekay

Very cool! Have one of these somewhere, didn't know they can look that good.

Nice work! Looks great with that hunkered down stance.

Thanks so much everyone, much appreciated! Larry, I made the whitewalls using adhesive vinyl sheet and an Xacto circle cutter. (There are professional cutters for a lot more money.) The secret with a circle cutter is not to try and do the cut in one revolution - it might take up to ten. Start with very little pressure - you don't want to actually cut the first time round, just establish a groove to follow. Takes a little practice. Alternatively, you could go to a copy shop or similar and have them made. The 57's whitewalls are painted with Tamiya acrylic. The tyre must be on the wheel first or you'll crack the paint putting it on. Touch-up with a black permanent marker or similar.

Great looking model - all round.

Always wondered what this one looked like built and now I know - Fantastic!!!

Very nice work and a great colour.

Very nice! This kit blew me away in 1962 when I was 12 and it's still a favourite.

Very nice, specially noted the detail on the wheels.

I built these nearly 20 years ago and thought them not too bad, despite the Chevys' inaccurate interiors. I've added whitewalls and antennas to all three, but they are otherwise box stock. The bodies of the two Chevys have not been painted or even polished. 10.Feb.2015 Just added this close-up of the script on the rear fender of the Caddy. I used to work for a company called Identico in Zürich which made all sorts of items to order for the graphic industry, including letraset-style rub-ons. We also made these for several boutique model train manufacturers. You might find a similar company in your country (Identico was originally an American company) but its products probably won't be cheap. This decal is shown roughly 6 times its actual size and is 4mm long. This is an ongoing build which I hope to resume soon. It's from Tomy and is an absolute knock-out kit. Japan rules!

Outstanding models, the figures too - and great photography. Beautifully built and presented.

Outstanding, amazingly realistic.

Fantabulous!!!

I'm slowly working on this one from Tomy in 1.32nd scale. If Tamiya's kit is this good then everyone will be happy. There is more PE than just the grille I've shown here, including the cowl vent and scripts. The window frames are beautifully chromed, much nicer than I could foil them. (The tyres appear to have oxidized over the years but should come right. The whitewall is an experiment of mine.)

I really like this kit but I just hope it has clear glass, and not the very un-subtle green like the version I have.

Looks really cool anyway, despite the problems you encountered. Pure nostalgia for this 1950 boy!

Coming along very nicely, Ron. Always liked these cars.

I dont like the battery decal to one side of the of the retainer anyway and and will remove both and start again. I will then use one of the other mini sheet decals, as you suggest Steve. But the more I get into this build, the more it seems a pity to use the pre-painted body, with its mold lines etc. My plan at the moment is to finish the model in such a way that I can take it apart again and use a fresh, properly painted body at a later date. I really like the black, but the engine bay details would pop a lot better surrounded by a lighter colour. I'm now working on the chassis. As a guy who isn't that interested in the underneath of a model, I sometimes miss the simpler 60s kit chassis. This one is typical of the 90s, when seperate frames and multi-piece suspensions came into vogue. Part of me wants to like this, but it does slow up the whole process and makes achieving a good stance more difficult. But I suspect I'm alone with this opinion.

Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions. John, thanks for the tip, I will now paint the transmission accordingly. Tom, I'm not savvy enough to make my own decals, but I'll keep your tip in mind and maybe I can cobble something better together. The Delco comes from Tommy Logan's (roadhawg) great mini sheet, which is more motor-sport orientated, but he can make custom orders too, which would be what I should do. To be honest, I'm not that mechanically minded and often get things a bit wrong under the hood!

Nice work, and you don't see one of those every day.

Nice clean build, well done.

Loving those colours.

At last a little progress to report here. I'm an excruciatingly slow builder anyway, but I was slowed even further by unforseen problems with this kit. As Rob mentioned above, the interface between the interior, dash and body requires a fair deal of fiddling to get right. The front glass is also pretty vague, as Tommy pointed out. Most American kits I've built have these problems but I wasn't expecting them here because I'd read two reviews when it was new that praised the fit. Also that it was offered as a factory assembled model led me to believe it would be relatively problem-free, as the Edsel was. Never mind, I think I've got it sorted and the finished interior is actually a good looking assembly. I've added a PE mirror face from Detail Master - the mirrors have their sprue attachments bang in the middle of the "glass"(!) I removed the molded-in horn ring and replaced it with silver wire. I modified a Johan washer bag and worked on other bits and pieces... I would prefer the sprue attachment anywhere else except in the middle of the glass... This pink car was my first attempt at this kit. The Mr.Super Clear reacted with the Zero acrylic colour coat and there is bad orange peel and fine cracks in the surface. (I usually use Tamiya clear.) Also I think I mixed the pink a tad too bright. I'm now starting to wonder if I'm going to be satisfied with the pre-painted black body (above) - I may end up doing a pink, or perhaps white convertible instead. But having started a WIP I will finish the black car first. Next up is the chassis, which I hope will less problematic - but don't hold your breath.

Looks great, fine detail work.

Beautifully built, Chuck - I also thought at first glance it was real. Looks like a great kit is on the way.

I sincerely hope that not a single one of these show-offs are put off posting their work because of remarks like this. The main reason I come here is to "fawn and drool" over photos of cool models, regardless of what info the builder chooses to provide. Generally speaking, there's no lack of advice about building models here.