MrObsessive

I've got a couple but they're mighty old now! The caps may not be 100% correct on the Dodge, but it was the best I could come up with at the time I built this (2000).

It's a real possibility that AMT might have had trouble molding that stainless so close to the other side window trim on that Nomad body. Maybe they figured if they split the difference, very few would notice. Judging by what these can go for on the 'Bay, those not in our 'Lunatic Fringe" don't seem to care!

Steve, that is dang near perfect! I don't see a thing wrong with it! The stance is dead on (VERY important for this car!), and I love the blue line tires you added-----that's a nice touch! I had to save your pics.........these'll give me some inspiration if I ever get around to doing mine. I've got THREE of these including Harold Bradford's excellent roadster transkit.

Interestingly, I have a beat up '57 built-up and its windshield frame is bent too. Not from being beat up-----------that's how I got it years ago slightly bent unbuilt, and it's gotten worse sitting in the box all these years. None of the three '55's I have has a bent windshield frame fortunately and yes, that seems to be a problem with those kits. Round 2 I hope can find a way to package those better if they're to see the light of day again. You're welcome Scott! I don't think that '55 has ever been reissued but I could be wrong. Sure would be nice if Round 2 could somehow find and clean up the tooling to be reissued someday.

No problem from where I sit Mark. I do know that since installing an Ad Blocker on my browser (Chrome), the site loads up much faster than before. Yeah, I know Gregg needs the ads to make money, but the way some of those ads bogs down the system, it became a real pain in the A$$! So I had no choice but to run the Ad Blocker.............'jus sayin'...........

Hi Michelle, Welcome aboard! I'll echo what Steve said and it's nice to see a young lady that's into 1:1 and the scale ones to boot! That's a rarity around here. Too bad that when I was in my 20's (a long time ago) that I couldn't find one that was just as interested in 'em as I was and still am. That's the way it goes though!

Yikes! 50 Years?? I was just a five year old then and barely remember the show, but had older relatives that were really into it. My how time flies!

WOW! I don't remember this one Steve! In case I've seen it before I'd still say WOW!! LOVE that gold paint! Flawless!

Very Clean! Yup! That was one of Bill Mitchell's finest designs! Back when GM had money to burn and could do no wrong. Now I learned something new......I didn't know that Leonard Nimoy owned a Rivi. It'd be interesting to know where that car is now.

OK, bringing this subject back to the fore. I recently got this gem off the 'Bay for an EXCELLENT price ($30.00), and it's not often seen there in either kit or built up form. This is AMT's '55 T-Bird which IIRC, hasn't been reissued for quite some time (many years), certainly nowhere near as often as their '57. Here it is as it came very neatly packaged in a box............ I'm not sure when this was built.......the hardtop is very neatly spray painted red with no orange peel. Whoever built it, used very little glue as this was disassembled by me then put back together for the purpose of pics here. Some body changes I'd do to make this more accurate. Tighten up the shut lines on the doors, correct the side window profile on the hardtop, and thin out the door jambs as they're too wide looking with the doors open. Interior is pretty neatly done for its age.......I'd probably paint the exterior Torch Red, with a red and white interior. Very basic engine detail shown here........IIRC, the kit provided plug wires (too big) and heater hoses. Much more detail I'd add to the engine bay, with a more in scale appearance to the wires and such. 1955-57 T-Birds are at their best topless as there's no clutter to the clean beltline appearance. No headrests, roll bars sticking up in the air, and because the folding top stored behind the bench seat vertically, no top stack to spoil the lines. Yeah, this undercarriage is waaaay too "empty" looking for me! Some more structure needs to be built in to get rid of the empty spaces, and of course, brake/fuel lines, emergency brake cable, etc. Well, that's my mini review of this one.......I've got no idea when I'd get around to restoring this one. I've got a 1/24th '55 that I built that I can certainly get inspiration from, but it may be YEARS before I get to to it.

Yeah, that's MrObsessive rule #1 when it comes to whenever I'm building something. I'll test fit things to death, in fact painting is mostly one of the last things I'll do after everything else is built up and opening panels are working without binding. Even then, sometimes I get bitten by the odd part that fights going in, but it's saved me a lot of grief over the years. I'd sure hate to see you toss this one. If it's at all possible, maybe you could disassemble it, strip the paint, put it back in the box and tackle it again some other time? As Mark said, the glass can be salvaged with some polishing cloths, or if you're skilled enough------make your own windows using clear stencil sheet. The glass has simple curves to it, so that wouldn't be terrible difficult. It's up to you though.

I just posted the following response on another message board related to this very thing. I'll be 55 in October, and assuming that I live to my 80's (most of my older relatives lived to that age bracket), I'd still have a TON of models left over for someone else's taking. Model production could stop today, and I'd never finish all that I have. And that's assuming I have all my mental faculties intact, and not be blind along the way. I buy models though not always for the grand intentions to build 'em, but for the fact that I happen to like that particular car/truck. I know that as far as the 1:1's I'll never own 'em, let alone have the room to put any of 'em 'cept maybe one more on top of what I own now! You have to wonder though what kind of generation of folks will want we have? Let's face it-------30 years from now, most modelers (if this hobby survives that long) may not be interested in '69 Camaros, '32 Fords, or '57 Chevys. They may not be interested in the types of cars we know and love at all. Time will certainly tell I guess.

That Silhouette Portrait Cutter sure would have come in handy when I was attempting to replicate this!........... That's about perfect for doing the trunk and under hood bracing that's on most cars. I'd certainly get the symmetry down much better, and it would save me a whoooole lotta work!

I know what you mean! Polishing bodies out IMO is one of the most important things IMO in model building as it's the first thing that people will see when they come upon your model. This '49 Mercury that I built years ago, I know took more than a week to rub out and polish working two hours at a time. Just like a real car, you have to do one body section/panel at a time. The roof alone can take a couple hours or more till you get it right.

Why thanks Wayne! Flannel is nice..........here's what I use as I think it's about as soft as soft can get. Chamois cloth. It's mostly pure cow's skin and well, skin is about as soft as it gets! Unless you've got really, dry super chapped skin!

I hate when folks insist on going through the "fast" checkout line at the store with way more items than what's posted on the sign right above their heads. The sign said 15 items or less-------this gal had a WHOLE CARTLOAD of stuff! She knew that she was doing wrong as she had that "look" as everyone was none too pleased, yet the cashier no doubt with "the customer's always right" attitude daren't say a word. Then they wonder why someone in line having a bad day simply snaps out and starts knockin' folks out.

If this were I, I wouldn't add anymore clearcoats to the paint, but rub out what's already there. I don't know if you have these, but polishing cloths work wonders in getting rid of any orange peel. The grits run from 3200-12,000. After you've rubbed out the clear, you'd then polish out the clear with some type of wax. My wax of choice (been using it for years) is Meguiar's Car Cleaner Wax. It's a very mild abrasive (somewhat liquid), and would work over the type of paint you're using. From what I can see here, the clear is not bad at all, so there shouldn't be much trouble rubbing out the little orange peel that's there. Hope this helps!

The pics that Gerry posted at the show of the test shot looks like the proportions are pretty on point. We'll know soon enough as the kit should be out before the end of the year. The operative word should..........

Ahhh those tires! Well, I'm not a fan of "mudder" tires, at least on a Bronco. While that won't break the sale of one of those to me, I'd rather have mine look like this............. Yup! Whitewalls and all! BTW, has Revell said what year this Bronco kit is supposed to be?? This is a '75 I have pictured.

Well, I DO remember this car when it was new as 1975 were high school days for me. I wasn't into models yet however------that wouldn't come about till three years later when my the first model I ever built interestingly enough, was a '57 Corvette. I have this kit unbuilt somewhere in my stash, but I can remember building this before sometime back in the mid '80's. Not a difficult kit at all, and that was for someone that was still a relative novice at that point. As Snake said though----I'd LOVE to see the '73 somehow come back as I like that one too with the "old style" rear end, but the newer Endura nose. Fat chance of that happening unfortunately as MPC I believe updated the annual's tooling yearly, and the '75 may have been the last of those updates till the bubbleback '78's came out. Snake the only differences I can remember between the '74-'76 'Vettes on the exterior were these......... '74 had the vertical "split" in the rear bumper cap '75 had the full rear cap with the '74 "Corvette" logo lettering (I believe bumper guards too although that may have been for '76) '76 had the Corvette name in a "tighter" logo than the '75 on the rear cap There were probably some minor interior seat/door pattern changes.........those wouldn't be too hard.

Wow! So many things striking fellas on our board lately! Sorry to hear about this Ray...........I take it you and your sister were very close and that's never easy. You have my condolences. I lost my Dad not quite three years ago, and I still think about him all the time so I can relate.

Harry, I'll just echo what everyone else has been saying. I'm truly sorry this is what's turning up and yes, do keep as much a positive attitude as possible. Interesting enough, I first saw your post while I was at the eye Doctor yesterday on my phone, but am just now able to respond as I've really gone through it with pupil dilation the past 24 hours. Needless to say, I was shocked what I read and yes, a positive attitude truly does help in times like this. Letting your family know what's up is always a big help, and I take it that you're close to your kids. Unfortunately, closeness was never a factor in my family as I didn't find out things until the 11th hour, so I consider anyone who's close to their relatives as being truly blessed. Keep us posted if you can............

Bill's pics are very interesting, and I'd have to give the nod to Revell for getting the total body shape more correct. Something about the MPC body in the C-pillar area is not quite right--------almost seems "smooshed" or something, and not quite there. I personally like the grille of the Revell '70 better as there's just flat out better detail than the MPC. The jury's still out to me on the shape, I'd call it a draw on that one. Interesting how Revell did indeed enlarge the wheelwells on the '70 ever so slightly as to how they were on the '69 as shown on the Daytona. Without seeing the 1:1's before me, I'm not sure which of the two is more correct as both look good. This isn't an egregious error to me as much as Revell fudging up the roofline on their '59 Chevy Impala hardtop, and then quietly correcting it on their '60.

Yeah, I'm not sure why that does that here as it looks that way on my monitor also. When you click on the pic though, the true appearance shows up that way.