espo

Great looking paint and colors.

This would be the base model Pontiac. As for year model the grill is the give away. The '54 Pontiac grill would show up on almost any Ford or Mercury Kustom back in the day. That style of California License Plate was used from 1956 until the Black Plates were issued in 1963. So this has to be a photo taken before 1963. At that time everyone just turned in their old plates when the new colored plates were issued.

I built several of these back when I was still in school. I always thought that the engine was based on the old flathead Chrysler engine for some reason. The V8 engine was just sort of the top end perched on a pedestal on the inside of the haul. You couldn't see anything below anyway.

I used the AMT kit to make a model of my convertible many years ago. The hardest part removing the roof for me was supporting the windshield frame while cutting. I folded a piece of light weight card board to support the frame. The C pillar is just a straight forward cut with know issues. I would suggest leaving that for the last cut as it will add a little support to keep the roof section from moving around so much when you are cutting the front portion of the roof away from the windshield frame. The rear seat already has the filler on the sides for where the folding top arms would go. I had an old cover from I think the '65 AMT GTO that I made work for the folded top. As an aside I saved the top that I removed, and over twenty years later made a Mainliner Hardtop out of the Revell tudoor kit. That's another story for another time. I hope this information can be of some help with your build.

I just got back from my regular hobby shop and was informed that the Model Master paints are now discontinued and all he had was maybe a dozen cans of different colors left and that would be the end of it.

Very nice looking engine. Did that come out of the AMT 3 in 1 Boat kit or the Lindberg Century ?

That has a shock absorber mounted above the control arms. The front suspension from one of the late model Mustang kits with the McPherson Strut suspension might be a good option and also would give you a newer engine to work with. Besides the cost one of the reasons Ford used that style of front suspension was the lack of space. With the way the inner fenders are designed this might be the easiest way to upgrade the front suspension. The change to unequal length upper and lower control arms with a coil spring and a shock absorber in-between you start running out of room quickly.

Very realistic looking hinges.

My all time favorite was a few years ago. I needed some Tamiya Finish compound and there was non to be found around here. I went to Amazon and they showed they had a few and I think it was around ten dollar or less with no shipping to me. I said send it. As the first week went by it turned out the polish wasn't in the US, it was in Japan but it was on the way. The next update had it in Singapore but it was still on it's way. I don't even remember the next two stops, but when it showed up here in my mail box it had close to twenty dollars in stamps on the front. Then Amazon apologized for the wait and credited my account back for the purchase and gave my 20 % off my next purchase. I don't understand how they can make any money on small sales unless they pick it up on volume. I.E. loose money on every transaction.

This kit was reissued earlier this year. I haven't actually seen the parts, and held off buying it but only because of some here who Po Po'd it. I would like to also build this or some other later model Chris Craft. While living on the west coast for many years I had gone to an event at Lake Tahoe that is for wooden boats. Anyone with any interest at all and is anywhere near their when they hold the show should attend. That said I have also seen several some good coverages on YouTube also and that wouldn't cost you anything.

I have had a few packages from Fed X and UPS both that saw more of the country getting to our home than I have seen in years.

This is true along with the fuel pump and maybe even the alternator.

I have used some of my old Med. plastic containers for the basic shape. Just a little body putty to mold in if needed.

Any particular year make or model vehicle ?

Great looking redo on this.

Like you I prefer the closed cab, but you shouldn't rule out building a companion roadster pickup. Great looking paint job and I like the interior. Very healthy looking rear tires.

Great clean looking build. Always thought this model BMW looked good.

I agree with the rich looking paint color. Interesting side panel treatment. Always like a nicely built Flathead engine.

How do you do that ? Maybe they were backing up and someone didn't change the switch from the siding.

That's a Manly looking truck.

That was just an Air Cleaner housing that Buick used for a time. The housing was made out of a plastic of some sort. Advantages ? Well you have two intake openings instead of one. The plastic wouldn't transfer as much of the engine compartment heat as a metal housing, and your right it looks cool.

I have used Model Master #28102 Phoenician Yellow on a '65 Chevelle build and everyone thought it was the real thing. I know it's a Ford color but it looks every bit the part and it's one of their Custom Lacquer System paints and it covers really well and lays out real smooth over a white primer. Might cost a couple of bucks more, but how nice of a finish are you going for ?

Thanks, I was sure someone would know about it.

The Bumper cross piece was a dealer trim option and there were several different styles offered. The trim had nothing to do with the engine in the vehicle. The part could be made up of a few short scraps or preformed parts as NOBLNG pointed out. I had two different '57 Fords myself a Convertible in the early sixties and a Mainline Tudoor in the mid sixties. They were both 312's with the Convertible being an automatic and the Mainliner was a 3 speed with O/D. Both were great cars. The AMT kit will give you the best starting point to build a replica of your Hardtop. You might consider using the Grill and some other small parts and the engine from a Revell kit since they are better done than the AMT kit. Please post pictures of your build, I would enjoy seeing it come together.

This is a very nice looking setup and if you're thinking of building it I think you should. The challenge may be in the area of the boat depending on how large a craft you wish to build. The small boat pictured my be hard to replicate unless you just scratch build the haul, or cut down the dimensions of the boat kits mentioned here by others. Either way it is very doable. You also could just use this as a bases for your build and build on of these boat kits to a style you like.