Jairus

Tom, I finally found it! Knew I would eventually.... I offered it up to Dave for the challenge so if you keep it under your hat and ask him soon... you could have an additional reason to build it. But my personal opinion is you should start over with a '61!

Repair? You know about 8-track heaven then? :-) What is the secret for opening the RCA rivet cart then - hmmmmmmm? (easiest one there is to open actually)

Sweptline... would be better if you included your name somewhere. The rules on this forum require your name posted as your handle or in the signature block. Now, the Caddy motor might be hard to find. The Revell Parts Pac was discontinued a LONG TIME AGO! But mint copies keep popping up for realistic prices so I figure that Revell over guessed the market by a LOT back in the day! At any rate you can find them on ebay and at NNL's for five to 10 bucks and the bits are well worth the price. The Caddy motor was also included in the "Orange Crate" street rod/dragster/showcar but you only need the block heads, valve covers, valley cover and oil pan. There is also an aftermarket custom Caddy motor out there. Think it is the '49 Ford kit and has a hole through the block for a metal axle. That will be your second option. Beyond that.... the Revell '59 Caddy Eldorado might be the wrong era motor but at least you have a caddy power plant.

8-TRACKS!!!!!

That is an early Caddy motor. Best Caddy out there is Revell's Parts Pac, which includes the carbs and manifold you need. Stacks are available through Replica's and Minatures for about five bucks. Give them a call at 410-768-3648 ask for Norm and tell them Jairus sent you.

VERY

I nearly wet myself I am so excited to see what you did! Be sure to use lots of lights... more is always better here. AND do not get too close to the car. Better to set your camera for high resolution and stand back - then crop later as long as you have the right photo manipulation software. I am pretty sure nobody has made a 4-door sedan of that one yet. I watch pretty close the aftermarket stuff and nothing has come across my computer lately. However....the body work would not be that much more difficult than my stillborn coupe How-To project. (Time to revive that puppy... CLEAR! Zap... bbbbbbbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee)

Burt Reynolds with original music by the one and only Jerry Reed! Sequel to Gator if I remember right.... I had a CB in my Toyota Corolla for years during my commute. Ran the wheels off that thing for 250,000 miles and tried a number of handles. "Mustang" was my fav but it never caught on with the locals. But then I didn't have much to say....

Someone say RACING? Oh, sorry... lost my head. That's a nice start but you need stronger wheels than wires. Dino's all ran either alloy or stamped steel. I will be watching this one.

Well I'll be dang'd! I wish I had one of those... but you go! Very cool and get that nose in the weeds. Excellent find!!!

Right out of the box. That was my very first build of that kit (besides two test shots) so I learned a ton of ideas with later builds for lowering. Unfortunately, because this kit is so well detailed, all the lowering problems I encounter with subsequent models were already dealt with by the '50s lowrider crowd. To get it any lower requires swapping springs, removing leafs from the back and cutting coils. Or radical channeling and "Z'ing" of the frame just as one would with the real car. Some of those tips are in the article I JUST FINISHED today and will be submitting as soon as Gregg gets back from the NNL East.

I constructed two of these Sedan Delivery box art models. One went to Gary and is in that reoccurring ad for Galaxie. This is the sister and both were built side by side with matching paint. Sorry about the dust... it has sat on the shelf since 1999 pretty much untouched. In my opinion it is not so much the parts count that makes these kits a 3.5 skill level but the adhesive chrome and those difficult scallop decals.

What other factors? Decals? No color call out on the directions? I fear that Galaxie (Yes, Gary reads these posts) will see words like "Turd" and "Undesireable" and decide to NOT invest ten or twenty grand for something new, with sentiments such as those posted in this thread. Frankly I am very disappointed.

I got two kits, one of each, not a case. And I have subsequently purchased all my own personal builds, but thanks for the compliments

1) Price? Where can you find a $10 dollar kit today? Really want to know that one..... But all are sold! 2) Subject? Fine, there not popluar. But why are they all sold? 3) Availability?..... they are ALL SOOLLLLDDDD OUUTTT! (holy cow....) I have no problem listening if your answers were remotely relative to the subject matter. I am not talking about availability, the fact they were ever, or are now, or have ever been in YOUR personal hobby shop! The cars are gone. The kits are sold. The product is in the public's hands. Has nothing to do with Galaxie Ltd any longer or the fact that there is an orange color on the box. The fact as I see it is that modelers today are lazy pure and simple.

Then why buy a turd? Every kit on my shelf is something I purchased because I wanted to build it eventually. In-freaking-fact I have started nearly everything on my shelves by tossing in aftermarket stuff, reference photos and at least gluing together the engine halfs. That is at least 300 kits that are NOW worthless to sell on eBay. But then I buy them for Sketchpad purposes or other magazine articles or for projects. But I NEVER buy something that I do NOT consider worth building. I would never buy a turd! Yes, there are a lot of them out there. Some have my artwork on the box even.... But the Galaxie Chevrolet kits are not undesireable. Why? Because they are ALL sold! (Major fail on your part) Why? Because modeling is dying. Modelers want simple. They want quick gratification. (hmmm, guessing I answered my own question. ) Ciao

Bingo, you just made my point! Thanks Mark!

Ken, Revell had two versions of the '48 Ford. A woody and a convert. Both Galaxie and Revell kits used shared molds and both were produced about the same time. Standard production for a new mold is 25,000 the first time out. Do you really think Revell sold 25,000 of the Pro-modeler kits? I doubt it, with the price they were asking. They might be close to 50k production now with the licensed "Goodguys" release but that was not actually Revell pulling the purse strings on that release... was it? Besides, that is not my question and you keep citing production numbers comparison. My question is and has always been: with so many kits floating around in circulation, why are there not more built? My proposal and suggestion is that the skill level of the average builder has dropped precipitously! Yes! The days of chopping and channeling and wiring for lights is over. Very few builders are going the "Bill Geary" route. In fact I think guys like Bill are extremely few and far between. Most modelers want to build a car in a few days instead of a few months like we used to back in the 80's. But then, that is just my opinion. Take it as you will...

And yet Harry.... 50,000 kits are now sold and out there! How do you answer that one? I am not trying to start a pissing match between Chev'n Ford or Galaxie and Revell. Both are great kits and both have their weaknesses. The difference in my opinion is that the Galaxie kits are clearly higher quality tho I own many copies of either. But it WAS one of the most requested kits as SAE demonstrated back in 1990 and I proved citing printed examples. The fact that so many of the kits have sold is proof that it was an answer to a demand. So I cannot continue to keep revisiting my question, with so many kits floating around.... why do we not see more built examples? My thought... there are no 3.5 skill level builders left! At least that is how I see it.

Man I hate belaboring the point but it indeed was the most requested subject. Do you think Gary would have invested so much time effort and money on a radical new project if there would be no payoff? The fact that it out sold the Revell '48 Ford kits should be your answer. Is the kit too hard? Yeah, probably for some builders who don't have the skills. But then the box is clearly labeled as being for the advanced modeler. Former SAE editor Gary Schmidt wrote in one of his editorials asking what builders would like to see as a new kit. I am not totally sure of the issue but I am very sure of the written response. SAE you will remember WAS the voice of the adult modeler in 1990 and it was in the June issue that Gary wrote the following paragraph in his editorial: "A few issues back I asked what cars from the '50s, '60s, and '70s you would most like to see in kit form. I got some heat from readers who wanted to see more cars from the forties. Although no particular body style was specified, the '47-48 Chevy was the choice of those who favored the forties. The fifties was another matter. Everyone had a favorite, but he overwhelming vote-getter was the 1955-57 Chevy Camio pickup. Ford fans favored the 1952-54 Victoria, while the '58 Edsel and the '59 Cadillac attracted attention." If you want to read the rest of the editorial then you will have to dig up the magazine yourself. But the point is modelers did ask and the industry answered all requests!!!! I was one of hundreds who put a 3 cent stamp on an envelope and wrote in my three requests and I remember celebrating each time a new kit was announced and recalling it WAS on that holy list of desired subjects Gary wrote about. AMT, Revell and Monogram all listened and all the projects have been successes.

Ken, for some reason I find myself in this thread agreeing with you on all points. Either you are beginning to make sense or I need to up my medication... I have no idea why so few of these wonderful kits fail to be constructed. The quality is first rate and more than a dozen members of THIS forum have admitted to having more than one on the shelf. Ken even admitted, and I agree, that because of current trends the subject matter is even more valid. Yet, we still see only a few completed kits on tables and in the forums compared to the plethora of Camaros, ElCaminos, Caddys, Tri-fives and... Mercury low riders. (I believe Virgil has built more than his share.... ) Check this picture out.... Pretty cool huh? No aftermarket, just paint and the basic kit!

He advertises in SA because he gets a.... special rate.

And yet on the cover is a "Review" of the new 1948 Ford kit next to the new 1948 Chevy kit. Both came out same time and the Galaxie kit out-sold the Revell kit two to one! Gary was promised a review of his kit and that was the first and only time in SA(E) it was featured until the "best of the year" article. The review in Car Model.... Pleeeeezzzeee

Galaxie did sweat the details and considered all avenues as I said. Your stating that the metal trim was a "last minute thought" is disingenuous and insulting.

Now that I agree with! Double etch was considered....