David G.

Very cool! David G.

A great start! I love the raked windshield and dropped top. David G.

Thank you very much David, for your kind comment and your support and encouragement during the build. David G.

Wow! It may not be brain surgery but it seems like the next closest thing! ? Impressive work so far! David G.

Hello Everybody! Just a quick update on the ambulance. This is the final detail work on the dashboard. It includes a blackwash to bring out some of the details, several coats of clear acrylic on the instrument cluster and some general cleanup. All I need to do now is finish up the radio head and mount it after the dashboard is in the car. As always, thanks. David G.

Yes indeed. But mine won't be quite as detailed as that. David G.

Hello Everybody! I just realized that I haven't yet posted my traditional Display Case photo for this build, so here it is. Now this build is finished! Thanks for your indulgence, David G.

Thanks for the information John. I did some searching for the Fujimi kits and they seem rather expensive given the questionable quality and odd scale. They seem to be leaning more toward the collector's market rather than the builder's market... for those who make such a distinction. In either case, they're a little too dear for this builder's market. Still, it's good to know that they're out there. Thanks again. David G.

Thank you Carl. Thanks Greg, I guess that great minds think alike. I have an AMT Police Interceptor that, years ago I built as a daily driver. I dug its leftover radio head out of the parts box that should fit nicely between the bottom of the dashboard and the floor. It's in the Purple Pond having its chrome removed at this very moment. Thanks for your question John. This edition has the grille with four slots for clear dog-tooth style lights, which are included. Thanks, David G.

Hello Everybody! Here's another update as I begin to move more to the core of the build. The first round of detail painting on the dashboard. Yeah, I made the numbers on the speedometer visible. Because... details! And here's the whole mess in test-fit mode. I've painted and detailed the steering wheel, got some of the basic interior paint scheme started and managed to get the gurney to fit satisfactorily. That's it for this round. Hopefully, I'm done with the side missions and can get on with the rest of the build. Thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

No matter what out get out of this mess, I'm sure it will be cool Bob. Stay warm! David G.

Dang, that's one serious Frankenstein job! ? I can't wait to watch you pull it all together. David G.

Nice outcome with the wheel arches. That UV setting epoxy seems very interesting, I'm going to have to look into that. David G.

It's good to know that you're doing better. Nice progress on the build. David G.

This definitely looks like a fun and challenging project. You have my attention. David G.

Hello Everybody! After getting through the disappointing experience of the gurney, it's time to move on to something that will actually help to give me a more positive feeling of progress. I've used Silly Putty to mask off the grille assembly so I can paint the headlight surrounds in the same color as the rest of the body, as was the case on these 1959 model year Cadillacs. This feature is often overlooked during the building of these particular kits. The grille assembly masked and painted with the DupliColor Cardinal Red that the rest of the body will be painted in. After the masking is removed, I'm wondering if it was worth the effort. I should be able to get it cleaned up well enough, but maybe brush painting would have been a little more efficient. Before masking and painting the red, I also gave the assembly a coat of Tamiya Flat Clear. This helps the red paint to adhere to the "chrome" trim better and adds a good base coat for the next step. I applied some blackwash to the grille recesses to give it some depth and visual interest. After I've completed the detail painting, I will spray the entire assembly with some Tamiya Clear coat to bring out a little more shine in the chrome bits. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment or two. David G.

A beautiful build of a beautiful car! David G.

Thanks for understanding D.W. When I started back into building models years ago, I was interested in pushing to see what the limits of my skills and talents were. In my first few years I built a number of highly detailed and modified models. In doing so I was able to expand and hone my skills and also learn their limits. Doing this gave me a good knowledge base to draw from when it comes to deciding when to quit pushing and start pulling. Thanks Carl. Yes it would. I think not having all that Ghostbusters equipment in the back would help. AMT's newly reconfigured '59 ambulance should take care of that problem. And they'll supply the gurney too! David G.

A fabulous looking roadster! David G.

A truly spectacular build! It looks perfect from every angle. David G.

Nicely Done! David G.

Thanks for the suggestion D.W. but that's way more work than I'm willing to do on this build. I have another project I'm working on that's based on this kit and I can tell you that cutting into the interior on one of these is a lot of work. Thanks Greg. I actually just ended up knocking the wheels off and that gave me enough clearance. I even thought of adding a collapsing scissor frame and some smaller wheels in the space under the bed. Then I realized that once everything is put together no one would be able to see it, so I didn't bother. Thank you both for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights. David G.

A gorgeous build inside and out. A nice addition to the set as well. David G.

That's a fabulous set for the year! David G.

Hello Everybody! Here's the next update on the ambulance conversion. The gurney doesn't fit into the ambulance quite the way I want it to. For one thing, it's too tall. The wheels are the first point of adjustment. I've started cutting them down and will likely just end up removing them entirely. The fit is a little better now but it's still too tall. Now it's time to see if I can adjust the tilt angle of the head section. This will involve some cutting and repositioning of the already assembled head section. I've entirely removed the wheels and got the head section to lay down a little more. That's as much as I can do without a complete restructuring. That's it for this phase and I'm glad to be done with it. As always, thanks for taking time to look and please feel free to share your thoughts. David G.