Mr. Metallic

Looks great. So, when this is done, where can we purchase Freeman Cars products?

Phenomenal as always John. But I swear, if I hadn't seen the original parts in plastic I would have thought that rearend and fuel cell were made out of metal. Incredible work

I was thinking this was a very well done build of a classic kit. With the addition of a well detailed engine, it was pretty cool. But then I got to those pics of the back end... wow!!! Very cool build, well executed. Nice job!

Wish I had seen this thread a week ago when it was started. Got taken by this over the weekend. I fully admit it was my fault, I fell for it. Every once in awhile you will find the deal of a lifetime on eBay, where the item is poorly listed. Meaning, it has a title and description that don't adequately describe the value of what they are selling. I thought I had found just such an auction and jumped on it. I decided to take the $15 dollar gamble, and got burned. I didn't look at the feedback or the country of origin, because for $15, for me, it was worth the risk. However, still don't have a refund from eBay.

There is no HHR kit. Like the OP said, the suggested donor is a PT Cruiser. That's why he's having to do all the extensive modifications to the interior and chassis. Anthony, bravo to you for attempting to build one of these. I've owned 2 HHR's, and really enjoyed them. When I saw there was a resin body I was really looking forward to it, but it's going to need a lot of work. I'll be following

Great build of a classic kit. I love the color and the wheel/tire combo.

Similar, but this conversion looks like it uses a shortened Tudor body, so it has that deep cutback at the bottom of the body. Very cool But, RRR, there isn't just one T body style. I understand what you're trying to say, that it's a T Bucket style body. I'd call this one a B Bucket since I believe the 32 Fords were model B's (but I could be wrong) Either way, excellent build, as always.I really dig the wheel and tire choice and the stance!

Very cool conversions, very well executed. Great job!

I've built a ton of these. Not as many as Lyle Willets, mind you, but over 20. Anyway, here's my thoughts. They are similar to a few sentiments already expressed. Whatever body style is chosen, please add parts to make the suspension more "traditional" i.e.- beam axle up front and buggy sprung rear. and split bones all around. As long as they are made adaptable to the other versions of the tool you will sell even more of them for kitbashing. Lets look at the body styles, outside of what Revell has done with this tool already, available from the aftermarket(with the best supplier listed IMHO) B400- Jimmy Flintstone (I keep looking at it and something seems off, but I could be wrong) Sedan Delivery- Replicas and Miniatures of Md Sport Coupe- Replicas and Miniatures of Md Closed cab pickup- Replicas and Miniatures of Md Roadster pickup- Altered States Vicky- Replicas and Miniatures of Md Cabriolet- Replicas and Miniatures of Md 4 Door Sedan- Star Models Woody- Jimmy Flintstone Phaeton- None available. I have done a master, but the caster I sent it to has decided to leave the business, so I guess I should see if anyone else is interested.

So, are people still worried about long term durability? I'm not When I got my pens I grabbed some spare parts to test them out. I used a 4mm on a set of skirts. I've left them sitting on my bench for a month now. Ran my fingers over them pretty aggressively, with no damage or dulling of the shine. Even on the raised surfaces and corners. Ran my fingernail across it and it did mar. So, my thinking is, as long as you let it cure and don't scratch it, it should be fine. Probably even better with a coat of Future.

That thing is a beast. I absolutely love the color. Very nice conversion work

Probably my favorite build of this kit so far. Very well executed as always Tom

This is a cool concept, and with your attention do detail and execution I'm sure it will be top notch. I'll be following along

Well fellows, my friend Randy Meyer seems to have found an elegant solution to making a stock 56. He is a real stickler for detail, so now that he knows the 2 parts are compatible he will surely work on making sure it's accurate. Just shows with a little ingenuity what can be done. He says that the width is very close, but the very rear of the cab the Foose cab is about 1/32 narrower than the AMT 53 cab. He was pretty amazed with how well the rest of the 2 cabs lined up as far as contours and dimensions.

I don't think the point of people wanting to make it stock is to do a 53, but instead a 56. Many have said the old Revell suffers from build and proportion issues. If someone wants to uncustomize this to make a stock 56, I say have fun with it. It's just plastic.

Seems like a well engineered kit. While the front axle is perplexing, I can live with it. The rest of the kit looks like a well engineered effort, with lots of positive locators and Tamiya-like fitment of parts. The running board brackets are even functional and positively locate the rear fender/bed assembly. One nit I have so far thought is that there is no positive locator for the interior to the frame. Just raises a potential red flag for final assembly, but I hope to be proven wrong. Man, those wheels and tires are killer.

Check out this link to see a sampling of R+M product. It is only items that I have purchased, and is not a sanctioned website of the company. http://public.fotki.com/crstan/replican-and-miniat/replicas-and-miniat/

I work in quality control for a major manufacturer that deals with plastic and many other materials. I can see both sides of this coin presented by Bill and Art. I agree with Bill that quality control is paramount to a sustainable good relationship with customers and long term profits. They should be (and probably are) doing checks on their raw materials to make sure they are within specifications However I also see Art's side. You can do all the testing you want of your raw materials before, during and after the manufacturing process, but you can't always predict long term durability of those raw materials. Even if you do tons of environmental and situational testing on your raw materials and finished product, it's not 100% foolproof. The industry that I am in, we do have safety standards we have to meet regulated by a governing body, while the model kit manufacturers do not live within those constraints. So, it doesn't necessarily make sense for them to invest the capital it would take to do this constant testing. People constantly complain about the rising costs of these kits, so imagine the added cost of the much higher level quality control. Food for thought.

It the time this kit came out (1988) it was lauded as one of the first true domestic kits to go after the "enthusiast" market. Designed and made for the "serious" modeler because of the parts breakdown and subject matter. I remember it quite handily one a lot of awards that year in our hobby. With the exception of the rearview mirror/windshield issue (which was addressed by AMT after it's initial release with a mold revision) the stock version of this kit is still highly regarded. And because it sold well it is credited for opening the door to other serious subjects in the early 90's

Cool concept and nice execution. Well done

Guys, I'm pretty sure this is all in fun. If it takes you more than a hour to type up this proposal they you're probably doing it wrong. While Luc does do this on the off chance that a manufacturer may be looking and intrigued by the proposals, I view it really more as an educational exercise for all of us to see a little slice of what actually goes into the process.

I can recall a few Revell kits from 10-15 years ago had an issue, specifically the 59 Chevy Impala 2n1 kit. The tires with the separate whitewalls are known to melt the really sweet 4 bar spinners wheels you put in them, along with anything else. But aside from that I don't think this is much of a problem with kits made in the last 20-30 years at all.

Cool build. The black looks great

It's cool. I dig it

Glad to see this one back on the bench!