Monty

OK, looks like Roger was more than up to the challenge. Did you end up gluing the tire to the outside of the rim? If so, what do you recommend for that?

That's why I mentioned they were different from old AMT/MPC wheels, which, when assembled with the "backing ring", are closer to 1:1 steel wheels in that they have an inside and an outside flange to hold the tire in place. This Revell wheel relies on the inner cavity of the tire to "trap" the raised center ring & hold everthing in place. Grinding off the center ring might allow it to fit inside another tire but there is nothing to keep the wheel from just pulling through. Also, lacking a true outside flange like most wheels (model or 1:1), I'd be concerned about how they would actually look. Challenge: (similar to the one in my reply above) Show me a picture of this wheel mounted on an MPC tire roughly the size of the ones that would've come in the Impala kit.

I could see those hollow Firestones fitting well because the raised ring on the wheel would fit right inside the empty space between the sidewalls (pretty much like the Revell tires). However, the hollow AMT Firestones and the Revell tires from the Willys kit are too small for the car I'm building. If someone could show one of these wheels mounted on one of AMT's hollow Goodyear Polyglas tires, I'd love to see it.

I recently traded for two sets of the front wheels and tires from Revell's Big John Mazmanian Willys kit because I wanted a full set of these wheels for a pending project. I'm very happy with the appearance of the wheels, but the car they're intended for will require larger tires, and that's where I run into a problem. Upon receiving the wheels, I discovered they don't "mount" like a standard AMT or MPC wheel. These have a raised, centered ring that goes around the outside of the wheel and fits into a recessed groove molded into the inside of the tire. If you've figured out a way to use these wheels with other tires, please let me know how.

Way to go, Domink! Your color choices really work well on that body style, and the red pinstripe provides the perfect accent. What paints did you use for the two main colors?

I remember being all excited about this kit, even though I wasn't familiar with the manufacturer. I was a huge fan of the styling on the then-current T-Birds and Lincoln Mk IVs,and this was about the only game in town when it came to getting a model of one. The box illustration gives the impression that there would be at least two wide wheels and tires with the kit (probably a set of four like AMT or MPC, my 13 year old mind reasoned) and goodness knows what options they included to hop up that big ol' 460. Yeah... as I'm boiling the skinny, stock tires (per the instructions) to make them more pliable so the stock wheels can be installed, I'm fuming at the lack of...everything. No engine, fat tires, or even aftermarket wheels (despite the misspelled "Crager" decal) on the box art. Needless to say, this didn't turn out well. And the moral of the story is: if you're going to punish a plastic model for being a suggestively packaged, poorly designed excrement heap, cover it in kerosene and toss a match on it. Kerosene burns slowly, which will allow you some time to enjoy watching it turn into an even less useful lump of plastic. Ah, catharsis!

Just another example of the impact a well-executed factory stock build can have. It may have Jeep paint, but on that car it looks like it might have been part of the firemist collection of colors available back then. Nice job!

Paul, nice to see what you've been able to complete since you took up the hobby. That little Maserati was originally made by Aurora & had opening doors, trunk & hood, so yeah, it's a bit fiddly. Monogram ended up with the tooling in the late '70s(?), and molded them in a hideous shade of eggplant purple. Looks like you got all the body panels to line up nicely! (side note: I saw one of these 3500GTs on Wealth TV the other day when they were out at a concourse event for Italian cars. The car was a '57 with factory electric windows.) For only having six months experience, you seem to have gotten the basics down. If you have any questions about techniques etc, feel free to ask. This board has some very talented & helpful members.

OK, apparently I missed a memo somewhere along the line. I'd heard rumors that Accurate Miniatures was either no longer in existence or they had relegated themselves to only producing aircraft models. So who, exactly, is releasing this kit?

I see several people have given you instructions on how to detail the front of the grille, but if I understand your question correctly, you want to know how to make the back side of the grille look as accurate as the front. Is that correct?

Alex, I like what you've done so far. One quick tip for accuracy: On most (All?) Mopars of this vintage, the engine bay was painted the same color as the car itself. On yours, it would be fairly easy to mask this area off and spray it. It probably wouldn't hurt to mask across the bottom of the engine bay to keep paint from going through and possibly ending up back on your car. Once the paint has dried, you can do all the detail painting etc.

How 'bout this: instead of looking to others for inspiration, ask yourself what you would do if you owned the real car and had some funds to modify it. Which colors/engine/wheels/tires etc would you like to have most? Failing that, it never hurts to check out Google images. You'll see details of the real cars you can use to make yours more authentic, and you'll probably come across some ideas you may want to incorporate into your build.

Paul, thanks for clarifying that for me.

Paul, looks like you've done a great job on your truck. Would you mind explaining the term "Oregon doubles" to me? Are they anything like super singles? As you've probably already guessed I don't know much about semis, but I occasionally drop in on this section to see what's being built. Lotta talented guys here.

Mark, if this turns out as well as I think it will, is there any chance it might become your new avatar?

Check out Art - layin' down a sweet paint job like that on his first try with Tamiya lacquers. I'm guessing he used Mica Red to top off a very clean build.

Casey, would you mind sending me a PM with info too?

Survey says....fixing massive numbers of ejection pin marks & I'm not talking about the 2-4 annoying bumps you used to find in interior tubs. I've got an old Revell XK-E that will probably never get built because so many of its intricate parts require extensive work before they can be painted and installed. Some look like they were in the wrong place during a drive-by shooting.

Yep, that's the paint I was asking about. I used to be surrounded by well-stocked hobby shops, and I never saw a can of that stuff anywhere. Thanks for posting the pic, Chuck. Your GTX looks good in that color!

I never even knew they made this shade until recently when I saw it mentioned in an online ad for some other Testors paints. If you have used it, would you mind posting up some pics? Bonus question: other than ebay, does anyone have a source for Model Master Manganese Brown in the 1/2 oz bottles?

I wish I would've know how well designed these kits were when I was a kid. This is a great example of good paint work, clean building techniques and accurate detailing. Very nicely done! Are those slicks original parts of that kit?

Post #24 mentions TS-12, which is Tamiya's orange lacquer, so he's probably using their black and white lacquer paints too.

Casey, as I'm sure you know, there was a major body style change between '67 & '68. Do you know if the chassis changed much? If it didn't, you may be on to something. As someone else pointed out, they've got plenty of more recently tooled big blocks to choose from (I don't know if various parts of molds can be interchanged), so with an interior update and a new body... well, we can dream. I can see them doing spinoffs of the kit too, such as a Motion or Yenko version. Are ya listening, Revell?

Ya know, it's kinda funny - I wondered who at Revell greenlighted their '49 Mercury when AMT already produced who knows how many of their own '49 Mercs; same with the '58 impala - AMT's was, IMHO, state of the art for the time. Opening doors & hood, poseable wheels, detailed suspension, separate exhaust. If you're a fan of '58 Impalas, what's not to like? If I had been in charge of Revell at the time this was brought up, I don't think I would've allowed it to go into production because of AMT's market saturation with their version, and, from what I hear of the numbers Revell has sold, I would've been wrong. I say all that to say this: If Revell can do well releasing cars that've already been produced for decades by another company, I think they would make a mint if they did a new '69 Chevelle kit & held themselves to the standards they used to create their '69 Camaro.

Over the years, I've heard bits and pieces of information regarding improving the accuracy of this kit, and I'd like to compile a complete list for when I take this project on. Here's what I've got so far: 1) Use the chassis, firewall and engine bay sheet metal from the AMT '69 442. 2) Use Modelhaus promo front and rear bumpers - allegedly better & no mold lines. 3) Use Modelhaus taillights & bezels. Seems like I've heard there's something really "off' about the kit's taillights or bezels, or both. Assuming I change up to the 442 chassis etc, will the Chevelle's engine look accurate enough if I fill the axle hole in the block? Anything else?