Erik Smith

Very cool car. Yes, working on cars with outdated technology is a dying breed. Mainly because there is no demand (as Ed stated). We are so spoiled with today's cars that we forget what a pain in the neck those old cars were! I started driving in the 80s, so we still had a lot of carbureted, non-computer cars - we also had to spend time keeping them running (which we enjoyed to certain extents). There is no need now - cars my 16 year old will be driving have few if any servicable aspects (although I did save myself a couple hundred bucks and replace the knock sensor on our 2000 Subaru). If they do break, it's something most of us can't do - or would not want to do - with the extremely tight and complicated engine compartments. Even most of the gearheads from my youth have given up on doing it for enjoyment.

Hey, that was my first thought. The '64 looks like it's in good condition too. The '65 or '66 (not a Falcon guy) looks like it might have seen a few table top races.

I am nearing completion on mine - box stock. The roof is too low. No small "lip" on the trunk lid. Rear wheel wells too large. The rest of the kit is very well made. The chassis is particularly nice and, although composed of quite a few parts, goes together well and looks great. It is, by my eye, accurate too. The interior is nice - no real issues other than some serious parting lines on the dash where the speakers are located. The engine is very well done and I had no issues getting it togther. I messed up and put the driver's side spark plugs in the wrong spot - I think they were molded incorrectly - but just move the last plug behind the exhaust manifold. The underhood area is decent - the wiper moter looks kind of lame and small and there is no coil or coil cover. The firewall coul use a little detail as it looks bare on the completed model. There is, however (and after I made my own) the correct emissions decal for the coil cover. The window trim on the body is a little faint and there is a small error in the way the door trim transitions close the sideview mirrors - easily remedied by just painting the whole trim black and stopping at the top of the door. Also, I don't know if it's me (likely) or the way the kit is engineered, but the mounting hubs for the wheels were off center - helps level the kit IF you don't glue them in place. Do not follow the paint colors or decal locations presented in the instruction sheet - they are wrong. Also, the 5.0 decal is too large - remnants of something revell adjusted on the model, just not the decal sheet. As I complete the kit, I will post anything else I find or remember...

Very nice looking model! Great paint and top conversion. Those whitewalls are a great touch. Maybe Round2 can reissue some of these?...

Is that a magic paint bottle? Sounds, and looks, like a lot of hard work already. Looking good. I need to check the drag section out more often...

Love them both, but love the Pontiac a little more. Great work on the 8 lugs, too - nice realistic finish. Wouldn't believe they are 35 years old, but you said it, so... Thanks for posting them.

Cooll Gremlin! I like "the Look" - simple black and white(ish) theme goes well with the car. That kit is a bit to bear, but you did a nice job.

Very cool. Great look. Those are cool mirrors.

Great model. Very cool.

My box says 1/24 scale and "Made in the U.S.A.", but other than that, nothing about who manufactured them. The underside has a Buick Motor Division copyright. Agreed, they are not worth much - atleast, you can get them cheap. They are probably less expensive now than when they were new. Overall, it's a pretty decent car model. There are clear lenses on both ends and it's molded relatively crisp(ly?). The scripts are very faint, however, and would likely disappear under any paint. Mine has sink mark in the center of three of the Buick wheels.

Welcome Misha. I used visit my grandparents up in Campbell River - back when there were actually salmon to catch. Beautiful area.

So much work into those things! Imagine the amount of time it took to make that Lincoln atrocity!

Probably way too many variables to make a general assumption about the value of either. It would totally depend on the kit - either the sealed or the built one. In general, unbuilt, sealed kits are worth more. But, again, there is no rule and it's really hard, if not impossible, to know what people will pay more for on any given day...

You will need the AMT '55 - I think all the Revell versions are hardtops. As for the tubs - AMT 1970 Coronet and the 1966 Nova prostreet are two I can think of off the top...

Nice work so far, Bruce. Weather is supposed to hold out for us a little - make up for that cold, wet September!

I looked at the kit today - those are really small wheels/tires. My kit, coincidentally, has enough halves to make about 6 of the stock tires and 5 of the "custom", so maybe I have one of your halves?... Just doing a quick scan of my tire stash, if you can find some of the tires from the AMT 1970 Monte Lowrider, they should come very close to fitting. Also, I have a Cavalier promo with small tires that would fit also - and those promos are easy to find and cheap, so that's another option. If I find something extra that fits the wheels, I will let you, Adam.

Pretty sure the Pinto wagon was updated to a square headlight 1979 version, as was the Chevette, but still...

Milliput white

Hey Joe... Get yourself a micro mesh polishing kit, or equivalent. The kits are either pads or sheets of very fine abrasives that, when applied in successively finer "grits", will smooth out a paint job. Look at your paint and try to guess which is the finest grit that will remove the orange peel or debris you have and start from there down. If it's not coarse enough, go up one more grit (or to a more coarse grit) and try again. Once you can get rid of all the orange peel, then start down the grits (don't skip any grits) to the smoothest pad or cloth, which will actually feel like paper or something it's so fine. You should alternate your sanding patter with each grit so you can make to sure to get all the scratches from the previous grit before moving on. Oh, also, do this all WET! I have a little tub I fill with water and a couple drops of soap (to break surface tension). DO NOT SAND DRY! Concentrate on highly visible, large, flat areas - roof, hood, trunk, tops of fenders. That will be what people will see more than anything. Be very careful around ridges, corners, or any surface deviations - you can very easily sand through your gloss and color exposing the primer or plastic below. Disheartening, to say the least. It's a big let down if that happens because it's usually after you have spent 1 or 2 hours prepping and working... After all the pad/cloth grits, get a soft cloth and use something like Meguiar's (sp?) Scratch X and rub the whole body. Then I use Micro Mesh polishing compound, and finally, Tamiya Fine paste stuff applied with a microfiber polishing cloth (like a lens cleaning cloth). Go slow and careful! I have seen some polishing pads at Hobby Lobby, but haven't tried them myself. I use Micromesh.

Ahhhh, the bane of my youthful modeling days... I can look and see what size tire will fit the Monza wheels and if Chris or I can get you replacements, one piece replacements, you'll be better off.

That's very cool and well built. Nice work.

That's a nice model. Great job. Did the AMT kits come with side view mirrors? I don't recall having built it some 20 years ago... Nice paint!

Cool color!

Chassis is on all fours - most of the time. I thankfully let all the tires rolling and it helps to get the slightly off center hubs to line up and get all four tires touching the earth. I like how the chassis turned out - thanks to all the input on this thread for colors and photos! Body with blacked out trim. That was a challenge for me - as was the black window areas!

A cheap Chinese knock-off done by a Japanese company?