MrObsessive

Not to knock anyone who's built this model, but I gotta agree with John. There are MANY proportional difficulties with this kit that it would take a good while to correct all of them. It can be done.............I already (years ago) tried to graft a '58 Chevy Impala roof to make the roofline appear less Rambler like and more accurate to GM's '58 C-body shape. I can tell you that a LOT of stretching, widening, and probably outright cursing will be done to get just this aspect correct. The body alone could stand to have a good scale inch taken out of the midsection-------while the wheelbase needs to be stretched a trifle. I could go on, but there's only so much bandwidth available.................... As I mentioned, I'm not meaning to step on anyone's toes...........I just get a little passionate about certain '50's cars, and this is one of them since I used to see them around (in my neighborhood), when I was a little kid in the '60's. I do recall some having some issues building it out of the box............but if you've GOT to have a '58 Eldorado, this is pretty much the only game in town unfortunately. I agree with Paul------Revellogram set the bar VERY HIGH when the intro'd their excellent '59 Caddy back in '92. That kit still sets the benchmark to this day for accuracy, and general parts layout and fit. Too bad they didn't follow up and give us a really good '58 Eldo Seville, Biarritz, or Brougham!

Interesting that he has another one listed for less than half the price! The first one listed has a different kit # though.......... What were the differences between the two if any?? Not to mention all of his kit prices are on the high side IMO. We'll see if he gets what he wants.......

Actually George, there are models of this car out there............perhaps not this particular year, but they're out there. Watch out!

I have to agree...........to me ALL 1930's cars look alike, but I can spot a '50-'60's car from blocks away! I think today's cars are quite distinctive as compared to say 10 years ago, Not everyone's cup of tea of course, but I happen to like Hyundais and I think they are VERY distinctive! I can certainly tell when one of them is coming down the road!

That tri-tone paint is a real looker! Looks like you did some work to the bumper mounting as it doesn't have that "battering ram" look to it like other builds I have seen. Very nice job!

I'm not much into weathering, but THAT is very convincing! I've said for a long time that a lot of the train hobby translates into model cars. I've used train parts in the past for superdetailing for instance.

A few years ago, there was a great complaining about Revell's "new" type of plastic which didn't take to automotive paints very well. I knew that Future would be good for this as well. I was building Revell's '05 Mustang at the time, and didn't want any drama-----so I airbrushed the whole body with Future before I did any primering or painting. Here's a pic of the hood with the Future on it................ And here is a Revell Magnum that was sealed BEFORE any painting was done.............the results speak for themselves............ Jonathan mentions primer sealers...........well they work as far as it goes, but you still have to be very careful how much lacquer thinner you put in to airbrush it. Too much and you'll have a crazed body which will be more trouble than it's worth. As I mentioned above Future does NOT have to be thinned! Trust me, it's thin enough as it comes out of the airbrush. Lowering the pressure would help to say 12 PSI or so.

No need thin it..........alcohol (or Windex) will clean it up just fine. Now Future can be kinda runny, so the trick is to make quick but frequent passes to get good coverage. It will be dry within a half hour or so----I like to let mine sit overnight so I can concentrate on other parts of the build, then get to painting when I know it will be rock solid.

Lee, If I were you------I'd barrier that red plastic before I did anything. I doesn't matter to me who the manufacturer is, red molded plastic is always the kiss of death to me when trying to paint over it........especially in the lighter colors. Future Floor Wax (now call Pledge with Future Shine) has always been great for me in putting a barrier over that nasty red (or yellow) plastic. Hope this helps!

Michelle, the '79 that Ray lists could be worked with, but not without some changes needed to make it an '89. They were pretty much the same basic car from 1977-90. I don't know how well you work with resin, but there of course would need to be some mixing and matching with plastic pieces to get the four door you'd want. Frankly, if I were building this-------I'd either get the Revell kit (cheap when they turn up) or search on eBay for the Johan '79 as they turn up there for not a lot of money from time to time. I'm more comfortable with plastic whenever I'd like to do some type of body conversion. Either which way, you have your work cut out for you anytime you want to do a two to four door conversion.

That's a good idea, but the trouble I have with making windshields out of those is they're usually not optically clear------at least to my eyes. I'm a bit compulsive about glass I guess, as I consider good glass to be as important as a good paint job. Nice and shiny with no or very, very few flaws. There are some kits I won't build to this day due to their glass being unacceptable to me optically.............the Lindberg '61 Impala, and the AMT '57 Chrysler 300 to name a couple.

Also, Ken Hamilton made that illustration for a Mercury custom he built at the time for SAE. I saw this fantastic model with the working windows and all at a show back in 1987. He posts on this board, and he was the inspiration for me to tackle working windows. It would be interesting to see if he still has the model, and if the windows still work after 25 years!

Not so fast.............the driver's side door of my '58 Impala has that exact mechanism. It's still working more than 10 years later. The trick is to use nylon thread for your pulley. Those that know me have seen my other gear mechanism in action.................here's a pic of what I did to one model before it was closed in by the door construction. With patience, it can be done!

I gotta say, this has been one of the more difficult ones for me as well..............but I finally got it!

It's nice to see this kit back again! I have two of 'em........one to build like the box art, and I also have one to build Harold Bradford's EXCELLENT trans-kit of the roadster. I won that at NNL East years ago, and it's a beautiful kit!

Happy Birthday George!!

I've not tried this combination with painting, but if I were you, I'd test, test, test on plastic spoons! That way you won't be in for any surprises when it's time to paint on your next project. It won't take a lot of paint on a plastic spoon to see what kind of reaction may result. Hope this helps!

I'm just flat out blown away by this build! I've also learned something about making the underhood bracing. GREAT idea to trace it on sheet styrene and cut it out! I've made mine section by section which is the hard way. Thanks for keeping us posted and keep up the great work!

Ugggh!! You ain't kiddin'! The proportions on that are so wrong it's not funny!

Danbury Mint also did this car.........IMO it's nicer than the Franklin Mint one with a bit better fit and finish. IIRC, they only offered it initially in black, but I believe other colors may have been available in limited runs.

Fantastic!! Gorgeous!

AFAIK, Norm is still alive and well in the biz. Not sure where you heard that............

Hmmm...............something about that windshield frame trim.............

John, you don't say what color/type you're using. If it's a solid color, and if it were my model, I would lightly rub out the dust particles using a polishing kit (3200-12,000 grit) and then polish out the model. My wax of choice is Meguiar's Car Cleaner Wax which comes in liquid form. I use a chamois cloth to wax my paint jobs BTW......... I've been using this for over 20 years, and those who've seen my paint jobs can vouch for 'em. If it's a metallic, then I would once again rub out the dusties (lightly) and then clear over the paint. One shouldn't rub out metallics for the most part, as rubbing and waxing can "disturb" the metallic flakes in the paint lending a mottled, swirly appearance. After the clear has thoroughly dried, you can then rub that out as I mentioned above, and have a really nice shiny paint job. A lot of work for sure, but it's well worth the time and effort. Hope this helps!

Actually, I believe that's Aztec Copper for '57. One of my favorite colors for that era 'Vette! Looks really good!