Erik Smith

Duplicolor is "hot" and will cause the plastic color to bleed. Even the Duplicolor primer sealer will not block the top coats - especially with duplicolor clear on top. I have heard Bin Primer Sealer works - it is a shellac based paint - but I have not tried it.

John - this is a great build. I looked in on the build and can't believe the amount of work you put into this and how it came out - spectacular. Great ideas. Thanks, I love seeing this type of thinking/building process.

On my phone now, so no photos yet, but what about 1980s trend of trucks lifted ridiculously high on 44 inch tires? They were all over as daily drivers and so many times bald tires because it cost more than the trucks value to replace them. I also remember the monochromatic themes mentioned - check out early nineties SAE to see some fine modeled versions.

Purchased the 48 yesterday. I am glad I don't have a bias against subjects because this is a very nice kit. Lots of great parts and possibilities right from the box. As Ken stated, I think the back end could be dropped - but I will probably build out of the box on this one and concentrate on getting a smooth paint job on all the beautiful curves.

This topic pops up about every two or three weeks and it practically brings the same responses. Yes, some sellers on eBay charge a lot. Yes, some people buy from them. The point of selling on eBay is usually to make money. If you can buy a kit and get $100 for a $10 kit, why would you sell it for $10? I don't spend more money than I want to on kits on eBay, so I could care less how much somebody else is selling/buying models. I enjoy browsing as I see some kits I didn't know existed or have forgotten about - and I usually don't buy them.

The chassis on Revell's kit is superior to the AMT kit. The frame, axles, etc are all separate parts (similar to AMT's kits of the mid to late 90s). Also, the trunk opens on the Revell kit and includes some trunk detail. The engine in he Revell kit is weird - it's like a 60s era design in a 90s era kit. The engine is only a few, poorly detailed parts. Now, if your looking at 62 Chevys, the Revell kits are a couple of the nicest kits around.

Take a look at the test shots - one shows the bus with the top removed - not much work to make it an open seater. One of my fondest life memories - an evening cruise around Hong Kong in an open top double decker. This model looks pretty cool - full engine too!

I wouldn't say they are ignored. I, for one, love seeing cleanly built kits - box stock, factory stock, etc. I think the Mercury looks great - smooth paint and clean build. The 32 rat I will have to take a closer look... I can imagine it would be quite difficult to judge a contest with pictures only.

Brick and mortar shops are kind of like bookstores - it is a dying business model. I love going to book stores and hobby shops and perusing the shelves, but how can either compete with the selection and prices online? They can't. They must offer something beyond what you can find online - price and selection wise. Most haven't been able to come up with anything and are dropping out (think Borders). I DO shop at a few local shops for new kits as they are actually cheaper than online and not too far a drive - but I avoid big box "hobby" shops because the selection and prices are horrible and while located locally, most of the profit goes back to the corporate offices.

The grills are not the same size on the kits - so the photo etch grill for the AMT kit won't fit the revell grill. The other parts such as the scripts and emblems should work, but the Revell kit supplies both decals and chrome parts which actually work fairly well. The other PE parts, such as interior details, also replicate parts that are already in place and well represented on the Revell kit - I would say the PE set is not really worth it for the Revell kit.

Welcome to the forum, Huang Die Die. Post some builds so we can see some professional gears in use.

John - I will bash you if you quit building and posting. I truly enjoy and learn from your builds. They are motivational. The bashers are like the annoying kids in class - they contribute nothing substantive yet take up a majority of our time and attention.

Once you've had Mac, you never go back.

"Most accurate" is different from perfect. There are plenty that fit the pretty-darn-close category.

Is there anything wrong with Revell's 62 Impala? I am no Chevy expert but I like that kit a lot - accurate and superbly engineered.

I enjoy the design and planning process and trying to get what I envision put into plastic. I get a mental picture of a project with pleasing (hopefully) aesthetics and hope that I can build it and that my ideas translate well when completed. I also enjoy having the ability to build in many styles and try different things - something not technically or economically feasible for me in 1:1 format.

That car is so ugly that I don't care what it is.

The new kit doesn't include this:

So, take one of Revell's (actually, one of the nicest of any manufacturer) model kits and rerelease it...with less than the original kit???? Here are the new parts: plus the "California" low profile tires and a new decal sheet. The new parts consist of a front bumper, finned valve covers, custom wheels, center console with chrome shifter plate, bucket seats, chrome spinners for the wheel covers, and a grab handle for the dash. The finned air cleaner is the same as the Impala Special Edition release. The bad part is the missing parts. No more steel wheels or dog dish caps. No more drag parts. No white wall decals on the decal sheet. I agree - the built up on the box is not the most attractive build. The white decal stripes running the length of the side are ugly and conflict horribly with the chrome trim. This is still an outstanding kit - but the Special Edition has more parts and pieces that I like. Note - I don't think 62 ss Impala's had SS scripts anywhere on them - correct me if I'm wrong. Edit - Forgot...there is a column mounted tachometer in the new SS kit. Also, I believe there should be an SS emblem on the passenger side of the trunk lid - it is not on the kit or supplied on the decal sheet.

Very nice looking sunbeam!

Very cool in my book. There are tons of times I wish my car would self drive. Iloine out west and trust me, there's no romance driving from Texas to Washington state. Some interesting responses too. There are no federal laws regarding driving ( that I am aware of) as that is handled by state governments (and just because it's a government entity, that does not make it "commie") so there is no federal law conflict. As for cancer and the worthiness of researching such a technology... Driving is a very dangerous, deadly activity. Around 40,000 people die every year in auto accidents. Your chances of dying from an auto related accident are far greater than many other causes, so researching ways to make it safer and more efficient are excellent ways to allocate resources.

If the driver never trained for such a situation, his reaction is what I would expect. In a situation like this, things happen so fast, your first reaction is automatic and occurs without thought. After he realized what is happening, he shuts off the car and brakes. It's where "train the way you fight so you fight the way you train" is derived from.

Yes, eBay doesn't sell items, sellers do. It would make sense to say "I will never buy from this seller" than "never from eBay". Without beating a dead horse, eBay is a selling forum. It is not to blame for lame sellers. Sellers with poor ratings get less for items than sellers with 100% feedback, so this seller is an idiot to think his items are worth more than proper customer service. Get your money back and move on.

I love to see this kind of building. The time and effort here are commendable. Outstanding vision and execution. Really puts things in perspective too - think about all the times we say "well, nobody makes that, so...". That didn't stop you! Thanks for the build and all the in progress posts.

I support adding a "how do I" section. The "tips" section is cluttered with too many topics. Thanks for taking on the moving/editing.