Ramfins59

Great looking model Tulio. Yeah those curbside kits are fun and quick builds but look fabulous when done right......like yours...!!! Good job.

Dave, the idea is to learn from those mistakes and not make them again on the next model. None of us have made "the perfect model" but, hopefully, each one gets a little better than the last. We can all find our own little mistakes or that one little chip in the paint, or the tiny spot on the chassis that we didn't paint, etc., etc.... but usually not very many, if any, other people are going to see that tiny little defect.

Very nice trio Al.

Yeah I absolutely hate losing those small parts. My issue mainly involves trying to pick up and place a teeeeeeeny PE piece with a pair of pointed, magnetized tweezers. The piece goes "phtwing" and flies off to neverland... way too small a part to even think you'll be able to find it. I stopped using the tweezers for this process and pick up the part with a moistened toothpick (I lick it) and touch the toothpick to the part, over a white paper plate, and put it in place, using a very small drop of clear enamel as the glue (dried paint makes an excellent glue). I tried using clear, 2 part epoxy to glue the PE parts, but I wound up wasting too much epoxy as it's tough to squeeze out only toothpick tip sized drops of epoxy and hardener. The other main thing that bugs me about modeling is sanding mold lines, seams and sink marks. Sanding mold lines from tiny parts is such a P.I.T.A. and sooooo time consuming. But it's all part of the prep work of building a good looking model so I just grin and bear it.

Great job on all of them Al. You sure were lucky to find that Hardware Store..!!

John, you just continue to amaze us all with your fantastic details. Beautiful work indeed.

Thanks a lot Alan and Shane. Alan, I sent Doobie info on the paint and also told him to check out PlymouthCentral.com for his info.

Great looking engine Andy. Can't wait to see more.

Hey Michael..!! How are ya buddy..?? Great build, I like it a lot. I'll be seeing you in a couple of months..!!

Hey Scott. In answer to your question, Cranberry Twp. is roughly 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. I moved here 6 years ago from Long Island, NY. My best friend, Tom Valenta lives in Hendersonville, NC. He also moved there from L.I.,NY 6 years ago.

Thanks a lot Bill D., Bill I., Jonathan, Tom, Bill G. and Derrick. All your encouragement means a lot. Tom G. - I was referring to the "foggy" memories of the times..... you know.... the mid to late sixties... Like WOW man... Bill G. - Yeah I like the skirts on it too. Re the engine compartment, there's nothing like Google images for good reference pictures for detailing.

Great job Chris. It sure doesn't look like only your third model. Just a tip.... try brushing some dullcoat on the interior paint to knock down the shine a bit. Keep up the great work.

Thanks a lot Richard and Danno, I appreciate it.

Absolutely beautiful model Walt. Great job.

Great looking models John.

OK... I woke up at 4 AM and remembered his screen name............ JerseyJunker. Thanks insomnia..!!

Great job Bruce. I like it.... it's different.

1939 Delahaye 1953 Buick 1957 Oldsmobile

I don't remember Manny's screen name here on the Forum. Can someone tell me it please. I'd like to send him a PM asking for advice on working with diecast models. Thanks.

Thanks very much Bill, Ron and Tom. I appreciate it. Ron, yes it was a lot of BMF but not nearly as much as what I used when I built my '58 Buick Roadmaster conv...!! Tom, yeah I can't wait to see me cut out the side windows on that '57 Ford either..!! I've never done ANY work on a diecast so it should be both a fun, and a learning experience for me too. I should contact Manny Solano and ask him what tools besides a Dremel and files are best to use. I'm still waiting for my friend to get back to me with detail information, interior details, colors, etc. and HOPEFULLY some pictures (but he owned the car 48 years ago so the chances of any pictures being around are probably slim to none.) I'm sure I'll have to go on whatever "foggy" memories he may have of it (It was the car he drove away to attend College In back in '65). All I know at the moment is that the wagon was a 2 door, it was Black, and it had dog dish hubcaps.

Nice looking model and a very clean build. Good job.

Thanks again so very much for all your kind and encouraging comments everyone. I really appreciate it, and please know that your words keep me on the right track in making my builds as neat and clean as I can. Grant, I will try to take a group picture of the 4 '58's I've built so far, and will post it as a separate thread subject. As a side note, I stated earlier that my next build will be a '58 Edsel. Well that may be put on hold temporarily as today I received a 1/24 scale "57 Ford Courier Sedan Delivery Diecast (Thanks to my wife's shopping trip to T.J. Max - - - $8.00 in the toy clearance section...!!!). Another friend that I went to High School with wants me to make a model of his first car, which was a '57 Ford wagon. So that will come before the Edsel... after all... what are friends for right..?? Thanks again to everyone for looking in on my builds.

Thank you so very much to everyone for your kind and encouraging words.. I honestly didn't think that it would look as good in white as it does. I'm toying with the thought of trying to take out and fix the height of the radiator so that the hood will close properly, but I'm not looking forward to disassembling things at this point. My next build just arrived from Model Roundup today. A '58 Edsel with the continental kit. Another mild Custom coming up I think.

Great to hear that you are OK and in good spirits. Hope your recovery is quick and relatively painless.

Hello all. I fought with it a bit at final assembly, but it's done...!!! A few notes to anyone else who is going to build this kit; - - DON'T attach the front and rear pans until AFTER the chassis / interior assembly is installed (like the instructions say). I made the mistake of attaching them beforehand thinking it would look better when all painted in one shot. It doesn't matter because the seams where the pans attach to the body are covered by the bumpers anyway. - - Prepare for a LOT of cursing, swearing and sweating when fitting the completed engine / chassis / interior assembly into the body. IT IS A VERY TIGHT FIT...!!! You'll have to gingerly spread the body sides in order to get the rear inner fenderwells to slide down. - - Open up the locating holes a little bigger for the bumpers, the front fender ornaments, the mirrors and the antenna. After a couple of coats of primer, paint and clearcoat the holes get very tight for the pegs to fit. - - Slightly enlarge the locating holes for the windshield locating pins in the interior. It's such a tight fit that the glass literally snaps into place and the area around the locating holes cracks a little. Fortunately the cracks didn't travel into the windshield area. I'm suggesting that YOU slightly enlarge the locating holes just to be on the safe side so the glass doesn't crack on you. - - Glue the firewall into the body and not to the interior assembly as the instructions say. You'll get a better fit to the engine compartment that way. - - Make sure that the radiator and radiator support assembly are seated as low as you can get them or the hood won't close right (like mine..!!) I think those are all the major points of difficulty that everyone should be aware of, along with the exhaust system issues that I previously pointed out in my WIP thread for this model. Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to Christine's sister...... CHRISTINA....The GOOD 1958 Plymouth...... and here's a shot of the engine compartment Thanks to all for looking in at this.