MrObsessive

1968 Dodge Coronet Hardtop and Convertible 1971(?) Pontiac Trans Am 1968 Ford Torino Pace Car 1966 Pontiac Bonnevillle 1969 Pontiac Bonneville

That would have been a Johan kit if ever one was made. For '60 Johan only made the two door (I think the only year a two door Olds was done), so I'd either have to check with Modelhaus, or take a beat up Johan '60 two door, and kitbash the rest. I have a couple of those flat-top roof sections from Modelhaus, so one of them might come in handy. BTW, the Olds my Mom's old boyfriend had was white with a red interior, and I LOVED the speedometer on that thing--------it changed color as you went through different speeds.

It's funny how time can change your perspective on things. In the late '60's when I was 7-8 years old, my Mom was dating someone that owned a 1960 Oldsmobile four door hardtop (88?). I can remember the shape of the roof very well as I always thought that the rear part of the roof reminded me of an "awning" the way it stuck out in the back. I had no idea as a kid what they were calling that roofline then, I just liked the way it looked with all of the windows down on a nice day, and even sitting in the back seat (which was very often), how you could see EVERYTHING very well without huge roof pillars blocking your view. Most folks back then probably considered them just another car as that roofline was quite commonly seen spread out over all of the GM divisions, so they were not considered particularly unique. Now collectors are tripping over themselves trying to find pristine examples that haven't suffered too badly from the dreaded tinworm. I may even try to find a model of one someday, or at least kitbash one.

Hey Túlio, I built this one back in 1991-92. Believe it or not I still have it, although it just sits on the shelf 99% of the time except for the occasional dust-off. This was the Testor's reissue.

Frank, years ago when building my Chrysler Turbine Car, I did a mini tutorial on making your own glass out of "clear stencil sheet" and using 5 min epoxy. If you click here, and start with picture #83, you'll see how I did this. Also clicking here, and looking at pics 140-143, you can see the end results after the glass is installed. In fact in '09, I wrote an entire article for MCM on making glass and such, but I can't remember the month as the PDF file I have is not on my laptop here. Anyone else out there might be able to refresh my memory? Hope this helps and if you've got any more questions, drop me a line.

One other thing to mention that would be an easy fix for the bent roof problem---------why doesn't Revell "brace" the body somewhat a lot like what RC2 did when they reissued the '69 Corvair?? I got several of those kits and they are VERY well braced on the inside of the body, with no roof warping whatsoever, and if you're familiar with that era Corvair------they have very thin C pillars. Sure would be a lot cheaper to do that, than to be replacing bodies with the attendant shipping costs like I mentioned above.

Even with the large boxes, the body can still be warped! I got the first go round of this kit years ago (blue car box art) and the roof was bent right at the C pillar. I think sometimes they don't let the body cool down long enough, and the contents of the other items in the box puts too much pressure on a still too warm body. Throw in the shape of the body itself with those ultra thin roof pillars and sure enough, the roof can be bent easily. Chuck's idea is a good one, but not everyone is skilled in doing this, or the damage is too much that it wouldn't help anyway. I was so miffed at what I knew was the problem, that I contacted Revell and had them send me a new body which they did with no trouble. I don't now how often this gets addressed at their quality control meetings but really this should be a very rare occurrence. In their quest for getting the most production out of people, the model companies are in such a hurry to get kits out that this stuff happens. It's just a matter of slowing down the line speed a bit, and not have disgruntled customers/builders. Seems as though logic should dictate that such a kit with a big body as the '59 Caddy, should be in the original sized box as before. I can best believe that some bean counter poo-pooed the idea that a larger box should be used, and they went with the smaller box to save some pennies. Nevermind the fact that they'll be spending more money anyway on replacement bodies, not to mention shipping.

Juha uses clear stencil sheet (acetate) for his windows---pretty much what I use if the glass is not too complicated with compound curves and such. Looks MUCH better optically, and frankly just plain more realistic than the standard kit glass.

FWIW, all of GM's '59 line styling evolved around Buick's door. I remember reading that Buick was the first to get their restyle for '59 done before the others. Buick already had their wild fin shapes starting pretty much at the door sills. If you take a look at all of the '59's you'll see how very similar if not exact the shapes are. You can pretty much bet that had Buick not gone with the delta shape of their tailfins, we might not have seen those wild fins from the other divisions, save for Cadillac. As Art said, Chrysler was pretty much the game changer in car styling as everyone was playing catch-up. Even Ford relegated its '59 model year design to be a one year deal as the '60 cars are completely different! I'd sure like to see a new tool '59 GM Flattop four door hardtop kitted, but I'm in dream land as it's a four door, and would never sell in the numbers to warrant such a thing.

For those of us that couldn't get to the reveal in Detroit, here's a nice video of the car in motion as it's being intro'd. I really DO like the looks of the restyle.........being a MOPAR guy though, I ain't gettin' rid of my Challenger anytime soon though! Any guesses as to when we'll see glue kits of this?? I'd sure like one!

Alright folks it's showtime! This just released on Autoblog................. Full story and details with bunches more pics can be seen here...........

Ok, well these pics were leaked on CNBC this morning...........these are screen shots. We'll have nice clear pictures of the car in just a matter of hours when it's unveiled on Belle Isle in Detroit. Personally, I like what I'm seeing so far. As I said better pics will be forthcoming, which will give us a clearer picture of all the subtleties in its shape. I'd say it's a very nice evolution of the last style, but styling is subjective and there will be those that simply won't like it. If there is one styling element I don't like...........it's the spoiler. Not bad, but I'd rather have the traditional "ducktail" spoiler instead of what I see.

Very Nice! Actually, that's an STS.............They were the bigger brother of the CTS.

Amen Rob! I own a Challenger, and despite what some folks may think of it, it DOES turn heads (in a good way), and I'm constantly getting compliments about it! That's more than what I can say about my old Saturn. In the nine years I had that car, compliments were few and very far between. BTW, having seen the '16 Camaro, I can say that the rendering that was shown is NOT the final shape of the roofline! Pic courtesy of Burlapp Cars........... I like the looks of what I see so far.........Kinda reminds me of a '70 Torino, but I think it's a nice update of the original 1970-74 Camaro/Firebird roofline. Be patient fellas------the whole thing will be shown by this Saturday if not leaked before then!

What Bill said..............waaaaay too thick to be used as a substitute for BMF! I have a roll of this and I find it better suited to use it for hangers for brake/fuel lines, etc. Not sure what the thickness of BMF is, but the thickness is nigh perfect for what it does.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10322451

Hi Charlie! Great to finally meet you at the NNL! The test shot I was shown was at a secret place shown secretly! Hee-Hee! It wasn't on display anywhere at the show. I was quite impressed at what I saw as I've been waiting for a good kit of this for quite a few years. And I'll admit that I was one of the loudest critics of the initial test shots that were shown. Some may not make a big deal about the small details in a model kit, but it's those small things that drive me batty as to me, that can change the whole character of any one particular vehicle.

I wasn't going to comment at first, but since Art and Don have already commented, I'll throw in my 2¢. MOST if not ALL of the problems that we complained about HAVE been fixed as I too saw the latest test shot and held it in my own two hands. The little "kickup" that's supposed to be there on all of the '61 B-Body Bubbletop C pillars is indeed there, and to my eyes, this one is now dead on right! This is another MUST HAVE on my list and I'll try to squeeze this in on my Must Build kits as I want to have something "1961" in my built-up collection. Be patient fellas, this one is not that far away from hitting the hobby shelves!

Besides the one I ordered off of HLJ, I picked one up (the last one he had) at the NNL East yesterday. Wow! I'm VERY impressed with this kit now that I can see everything in 3D, and I hear that there are already backorders for this kit! That stands to reason as this kit is one of the nicest I've seen from Tamiya! Lets hope they'll see fit to do other European classics...........cough.......Ferrari 250 GT SWB.......Ahem........Ferrari 250 GT Lusso..........cough.................

I want to thank Tom and all of the Tri-State guys for putting on an EXCELLENT show! This was my first time back since 2007, and the new location (new to me) is 100% better than the old place! I got to reconnect with a lot of folks that I hadn't seen in years, and it was really good to be back. Yes! I DO plan on going again next year-------of course I hope my wallet will agree!

Fellas, I got to see the Moebius Plymouth in 3D yesterday at NNL East on the table, and pictures don't do it justice! You will NOT be disappointed when this baby hits the shelves in the not too distant future! You all know how critical I am of body lines and such, and all I can say is that Moebius has hit this one out of the ballpark and then some! That's how nice I think this one is, and will be a super great seller for Moebius!

Bloodbane that looks great, and I should someday do the same as I own a 1:1 2011. You're absolutely right------one shouldn't sniff at the DOHC V6 as it to me is about as much a headsnapper as the Hemi! I don't get quite the mileage in mine as you do yours, but then I haven't taken it on a long trip more than a couple hours as of yet. I bought mine in December, and I haven't put quite 3k on it yet. I may have to get with you to see how you did the engine cover------that's the only hangup I have in building one, and mine has the 20" American mags. I've seen those wheels in certain kits (they look like the ones on my Viper build) so I might have to raid the parts box and put those on it. Don't know if you've seen my Challenger (I made a separate post on it), but here are a couple pics....... These wheels I need to find again in kit form........ I just wish I could put mine in the garage as you can yours!

Wow what a difference! And yes, BMF's quality has been suffering over the past few years sadly. I still have sheets from years ago so when my supply runs out, I'll definitely give this a shot! Thanks Túlio!

Yes! I got to see it in person at the MAMA club meeting today! Very, very nice Harold!

Tom, here are a few pics of what I did with the "fine grain" embossing powder. That's what you want to use instead of the larger stuff. IMO, this to me looks better than flocking as it seems more in scale for 1/24-25. Flocking is OK........but to me works better for larger scales such as 1/16 and up. Take a look............ That's the interior out of my '63 Ford Cougar II build-----and yes, I did pick this up at Michael's. Yeah, stay away from the types that have little silver flecks in it------it will certainly not look right in your interior! Mine appears to have those flecks, but it doesn't. It's just the lighting and the digicam that makes it appear so. Hope this helps!