Ramfins59

This baby is officially finished. While it's not perfect, as none of my models are (or am I), it looks pretty darn cool and is a great addition to my Class of '58 build group. Let the pictures tell the story. In case you didn't see the build/WIP thread, this is a Johan Promo that I picked up on EBAY. I got replacement grille, bumpers and glass from Modelhaus along with their interior tub for a '59 Dodge (because the promo body needed a shallow interior). They substituted the dash and steering wheel from their '57 Dodge kit because it is just about the same for the '58 Dodge. (You can see the finished interior details in the WIP thread). The paint is a Krylon yellow and Duplicolor black with a clearcoat overall. The BMF work was a bear to do but in the end it came out looking pretty good. Thanks for looking in on this. Now to decide which one to pull out of the never shrinking pile and put on the bench for some more 50's memories..

Chris, that looks really cool. Nice looking engine. Great job.

Johann, thanks for the explanation of your screen name. There's nothing wrong with size or "fur". I've had a beard almost all of my adult life. If I had my way I would look like the ZZ Top guys, bu, as usual, the women in the family disagree. Yes, as much of a chore that BMF work can be, I enjoy the final outcome.

Thanks again guys. Phil, You're not seeing things. As straight as this old promo is, I guess it started the warp a long time ago which I guess is why the forward parts of the side trim spears "run uphill". Thankfully the warp didn't get any worse as time went on. Tom G., I'm glad you like the color combo. Arno, Thanks very much. While the BMF work on this car was a tedious and time-consuming chore I really didn't find it to be all that difficult. Don't be afraid of trying it. You'll like the results once you "practice" on a few models and get the procedure down..

Great looking model Chris. Nice work.

Very nice Larry. Good BMF work.

That is really great Brad. I wish I still had the pedal car I had as a kid, my Grandson would love it.

That's great work again Harry. Excellent craftsmanship.

Thank you so very much everyone, I appreciate all of your encouraging comments. Johann, i also love all those chrome-laden land yachts. Although sometimes I regret liking them so much, especially when it is such a labor intensive chore doing the BMF work as it was for this model. By the way Johann, who or what is Shardik, or what does it mean..?

OK gang. The car is fully painted, clearcoated, polished and chrome foiled. I have to say that it was NOT a fun chore doing the BMF work on this car. I mocked it up with the bumpers, grille and taillights on the chassis for these pictures. As tough and labor intensive as the BMF work was on this, I think it looks pretty decent overall. It's not my best paint or foil work by any means but it's good enough for gov't. work so to speak. I gave the grille and headlight surrounds and the wheels a blackwash with the Detailer. The chrome headlights were given a light coat of white acrylic and then coated with clear. I put a drop of white acrylic in the center of the backup lights. I painted the Interior headliner with the same yellowish tan paint as the seats and that is currently drying. Tomorrow I can trim and install the vacuum formed glass and then do final assembly. Thanks for looking in and/or following along on this project.

One at a time John... one at a time. Now I've got to find the right shade of paint to do a Tunaboat replica...!!!

Tony, try finding some stuff called Weatherall at a well stocked HS. It gives wood a grayish weatherworn look. It brushes on easily and the more you apply the more weathered the wood will look.

Michael, unfortunately when you speak your mind on an open Forum like this one, you have to expect some "kick back". There are numerous members on this Forum who are average builders and who are also on a fixed income, myself included, After my necessary bills are paid then I see what is left for my hobby. I also remember those $1.49 and $2.00 model kits from 50 to 60 years ago. Inflation made the costs of EVERYTHING go way up, not just model kits. No one is knocking you with their "kick back". We're all just speaking our minds just as you did. I buy Modelhaus' resin kits and replacement parts when I can for the subjects that I want to build when I can afford to do so. I'm sure plenty of other Forum members do the same.

Patience Johann...LOL. I clearcoated the body today and will polish it out tomorrow. Then I can start the BMF chores. Then I'll post some pictures. I'm having so much fun (?) doing this '58 Dodge that I think I'll start working on the Modelhaus' '57 Dodge next. I'm a glutton for punishment for cars with fins LOL.

Great looking model Johann. I love the color.

That's an absolutely beautiful car Jurgen.

Hey thanks a lot John. No worries over any missing parts. That's what Modelhaus is around for. I've been getting either interior, glass or bumpers and grilles from them for just about all of the promo's that I've worked on so far, with many more lined up in my stash for future projects. I also will be getting stuff from them for a glue bomb builtup I've got and more stuff that I'm hoping to win on EBAY shortly. Between the replacement parts and kits that I've already bought from them, and all the stuff that I will eventually be needing, I should have a standing account with them...LOL. I painted the black on the roof and fins. The Duplicolor paint laid down really nice but I had some small bleeding under the mask parts in a few spots. Nothing major and I've done the best I could on touchups. I used both BMF and masking tape for the masks and burnished all the edges really good with a toothpick. Masking the inside edges of the fins was a real PITA especially around the forward edges close to the B pillars. It's not 100% perfect but I've never made the perfect model yet. I should be able to post pictures soon. It will look a LOT neater once I do the BMF trim work, so I may wait until I get that work done before I post pictures. I will say that the yellow and black color combo looks really good. Stay tuned for further progress reports,

This bugs me, but not just for today. People who drive and do not stop for STOP signs. I live in a quiet residential neighborhood of single family homes. My house sits at a 3 way intersection (with 3 way STOP signs) at the top of the "T". Maybe 1 in 5 cars going through the intersection will actually stop. People blow through the intersection at 30 to 40 MPH like the STOP signs are not even there. Between 7:30 and 8 AM when people who work locally are on their way to work, the street is like a Freeway with car after car just whizzing through the intersection. One day I was crossing the street to get my mail from the mailbox and almost got run over by someone blowing through the STOP sign right at the foot of my driveway. Our local P.D. should hide an unmarked car at the intersection to give out tickets. They could probably make a fortune for the Township from the moving violation fines.

Thanks a lot guys. Carl, I really enjoy doing model interiors. They've kind of been my "specialty" for a long time. Not that I don't try to Make the whole model look good. Tom, I'll be painting the fins and the roof black. I originally wanted to paint black under the side trim too, but from all the Googled reference pictures I've seen, only Coronets have that area painted a contrasting color because the Coronet's side trim spear extends all the way back almost to the taillights, whereas the Crown Royals script at the rear end of the side trim prevents that for a straight edge. I could mask it off through the scripts anyway, but that wouldn't be correct from what I've seen.

Hey Tom. A Tunaboat replica has been "on the list" for a long time. I still have to find the right shade of baby s... brown for it. And the pin stripe flames... those could be a problem.

That's a great looking car Jim.

Al you are amazing. I don't think I could get models finished as quickly as you do. I'm lucky if I can get them done in 2 weeks, working a few hours every day. Great job again, as usual. Keep up the great work.

I got the body painted with a pale yellow shade of paint by Krylon. It came out nice. It's gonna be a load of fun masking around the fins and top to paint them black. The interior is finished. I flocked the carpet black and painted the seats and door panels a yellowish tan and black. I added some chrome trim pieces to the side panels along with resin cranks and handles which I painted chrome silver. The dashboard and steering wheel are painted body color. I detailed the dash with BMF, some gauge decals and chrome silver paint. Thanks for checking in on this build. It's moving along pretty quickly as most curbside builds usually do. More progress to come as it happens.

Hey John, thanks a lot buddy. PM sent. Give Amy a hug for me.