1958 Plymouth Belvedere

[Jantrix]

I really dig the paint choices. Nicely done.

[bogger44]

I have to agree with the others about your color choices, they are so refreshing.  Nicely done Plymouth, Harry.

[Jon Cole]

Actually, the entire body is bowed. Not as obvious as the bowed side trim. The roof is lacking in curve as it sweeps from the windshield, to the rear quarter. Still better than nothing.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Looks very nice to me Harry!

I always like it when someone does one of these in something other than red.

You almost get the impression that the '58 Belvedere only came in red!

The whole incorrect line thing never really bothered me either.

Still looks like a '58 Plymouth to me!

As far as fixing the mold lines on the bumper goes, your best bet is to sand them off & have them re-plated.

If your not careful about other fixes, you could wind up just making them look worse.

I believe when I built mine I just left them alone too.

 

Steve

 

[Harry P.]

Actually, the entire body is bowed. Not as obvious as the bowed side trim. The roof is lacking in curve as it sweeps from the windshield, to the rear quarter. Still better than nothing.

I don't remember specifically... maybe it was Bill Geary? who posted a fix-it thread that involved taking a narrow pie-cut out of the body sides to straighten everything out.

[MrObsessive]

Very nice..........and CLEAN!  

I don't remember specifically... maybe it was Bill Geary? who posted a fix-it thread that involved taking a narrow pie-cut out of the body sides to straighten everything out.

Harry, that wasn't me but Jon Cole that started a thread a while back on fixing the body. This is on my radar for one of my next '50's builds, but it'll be awhile. I do have some fixes in the works for this one stealing the idea from Jon, but with a different take on it. Think what I did with the '59 Impala, but this one'll be a bit more difficult as it involves most of the body including the roof.

This car hits a bit personal with me since it's one of the first cars I can remember my Dad buying, and I can remember riding in it quite often as a little kid (Dad's was a '57). Dad bought his sometime in the 1965-66 time frame, and when AMT made an announcement that this kit was coming out, I was more than happy as I've always loved this car. I can remember looking no further than the box art and knew that the car was off in more ways than one.

The body is fixable, but for me it'll take quite a bit of work to make it the way I want---------the hardest part for me will be replicating that side trim, and getting the pattern right. I have something I can use for that as well, but for the time being I want to settle down a bit after getting the Impala done, thus the box stock BMW I'm doing now.

Maybe look for a WIP on it sometime next year after I finish the Shelby I have planned?

[peekay]

Very nice looking model, and I agree with Steve, so nice to see this car in "another" color scheme.

I must say that I'm one of those overly-fussy modelers who won't build this kit because of the above-mentioned problems.

But when I see the results others get I sometimes wish I was less fastidious.

[Harry Joy]

Thanks everyone.

[Grumpa]

Beautiful job Harry! The color combo makes the overall look to be authentic!

[charlie8575]

Very nice..........and CLEAN!  

Harry, that wasn't me but Jon Cole that started a thread a while back on fixing the body. This is on my radar for one of my next '50's builds, but it'll be awhile. I do have some fixes in the works for this one stealing the idea from Jon, but with a different take on it. Think what I did with the '59 Impala, but this one'll be a bit more difficult as it involves most of the body including the roof.

This car hits a bit personal with me since it's one of the first cars I can remember my Dad buying, and I can remember riding in it quite often as a little kid (Dad's was a '57). Dad bought his sometime in the 1965-66 time frame, and when AMT made an announcement that this kit was coming out, I was more than happy as I've always loved this car. I can remember looking no further than the box art and knew that the car was off in more ways than one.

The body is fixable, but for me it'll take quite a bit of work to make it the way I want---------the hardest part for me will be replicating that side trim, and getting the pattern right. I have something I can use for that as well, but for the time being I want to settle down a bit after getting the Impala done, thus the box stock BMW I'm doing now.

Maybe look for a WIP on it sometime next year after I finish the Shelby I have planned?

If you or Jon ever get one of yours done, please consider submitting it to one of the good casters for replication. 

I don't do plastic surgery well, and I'm not the only one, and I'd like what could've been a stellar kit to be the best it can with the corrections.

Charlie Larkin

[64Comet404]

Modelhaus is casting a kit to transform the '58 into a '57 Belvedere. I don't know if the bow in the body has been fixed on the casting, but there is something about the side trim and grille on the '57 which made me want to place an order.

[StevenGuthmiller]

If you or Jon ever get one of yours done, please consider submitting it to one of the good casters for replication. 

I don't do plastic surgery well, and I'm not the only one, and I'd like what could've been a stellar kit to be the best it can with the corrections.

Charlie Larkin

It would surprise me if someone out there isn't already casting replicas of the old Johan '58 Plymouth promo.

I would bet that the body proportions on that would be correct.

As long as it wasn't cast from one of those warped, twisted and mangled acetate specimens that we usually see! 

 

Steve

[Lovefordgalaxie]

I kind of don't care about the body being bent. 

The only modification I would do to the body, is to make it a four door Fury (I know there weren't any) to match the book.

I always though thought this car = red and white. Maybe because I red the book when I was 9 I didn't know what a Plymouth was at the time. The only idea I had about it's looks was the book cover. So, for me, during a good while a '58 Fury was a four door beauty. 

I even remember, imagining Arnie pushing the car during the night to roll the odometer back and let it fix itself at a junk yard in my town. 

Too bad the movie was in California. This one needs a remake badly. I would love to see the Plymouth running fast in the snow like if on rails, and the actual way Buddy's Camaro was destroyed.

Christine by Túlio Lazzaroni, on Flickr

Christine by Túlio Lazzaroni, on Flickr

[Sixties Sam]

Beautifully built model from a less than perfect kit. It looks great in those colors, and it's just a very clean build! Nice work!

Sam

[Harry Joy]

I kind of don't care about the body being bent. 

The only modification I would do to the body, is to make it a four door Fury (I know there weren't any) to match the book.

I always though thought this car = red and white. Maybe because I red the book when I was 9 I didn't know what a Plymouth was at the time. The only idea I had about it's looks was the book cover. So, for me, during a good while a '58 Fury was a four door beauty. 

I even remember, imagining Arnie pushing the car during the night to roll the odometer back and let it fix itself at a junk yard in my town. 

Too bad the movie was in California. This one needs a remake badly. I would love to see the Plymouth running fast in the snow like if on rails, and the actual way Buddy's Camaro was destroyed.

 

I almost hate to admit this, but I never have read the book or seen the movie. When it was new, I had a general aversion to Stephen King. I had read Salem's Lot, but after that he was everywhere all the time, and it just turned me off. I finally read the Dark Tower series about five years ago, but mainly because the first book was more of a Western, and I dig Westerns. But the horror genre doesn't do anything for me. Even if they have cool cars.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Harry Joy

[MrObsessive]

If you or Jon ever get one of yours done, please consider submitting it to one of the good casters for replication. 

I don't do plastic surgery well, and I'm not the only one, and I'd like what could've been a stellar kit to be the best it can with the corrections.

Charlie Larkin

Thanks Charlie! I consider that a compliment!  

The only fly in the ointment is what I have planned for the body, I don't think a resin caster would be able to do it. I plan to open up everything, and then of course there's the making of door jambs, A pillar reinforcements, etc.

Maybe I could do two bodies? I'm not sure as what I have going on in my mind on how to fix it is indeed a LOT of work, and would almost require the body being redone from road to roof. As Steve mentioned, I think there are others that cast the Plymouth, albeit maybe not necessarily a Belvedere, or a '58 for that matter.

As I mentioned before, this one's been on my mind for quite some time now, and it's more than likely the next '50's car I tackle once I get through at least a coupla three more builds.

 

[MrObsessive]

 

Túlio, that is super nice! I read the book back in the '80's and I gotta tell ya.........the book was MUCH, MUCH more intense than the movie!

It was a lot more violent, and if the movie were done as the book was written, it would have been quite a long one. Many more scenes happened in the book that didn't make the cut in the movie.

BTW, what I've mentioned is by no means a cut against anyone who's built the car, and like it the way it is. I happened to see a VERY nice one at the recent Mid Atlantic NNL, and it does build up into a quite nice model. It's just that for me, I'm forever wanting to change things on model bodies to suit my tastes, especially if said car holds certain memories for me going back to childhood.

[charlie8575]

Thanks Charlie! I consider that a compliment!  

The only fly in the ointment is what I have planned for the body, I don't think a resin caster would be able to do it. I plan to open up everything, and then of course there's the making of door jambs, A pillar reinforcements, etc.

Maybe I could do two bodies? I'm not sure as what I have going on in my mind on how to fix it is indeed a LOT of work, and would almost require the body being redone from road to roof. As Steve mentioned, I think there are others that cast the Plymouth, albeit maybe not necessarily a Belvedere, or a '58 for that matter.

As I mentioned before, this one's been on my mind for quite some time now, and it's more than likely the next '50's car I tackle once I get through at least a coupla three more builds.

 

Presently, the only other 1957-58 Plymouths I can think of are The Moelhaus' Savoy and Sport Suburban; I plan to try and get one of those. I think they have a Belvedere sport coupe, too. 

There are a lot of detail changes between 1957 and '58, and even mid-year '57, when the front ducting under the bumper was re-designed slightly to make 10 or 12 small holes instead of the six big ones because customers didn't like the look. 

If you decide to do the caster master, Bill, I have a spare body you're welcome too. I couldn't think of a better use than to allow one of the pre-eminent builders of our time to correct it.

Charlie Larkin

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

I almost hate to admit this, but I never have read the book or seen the movie. When it was new, I had a general aversion to Stephen King. I had read Salem's Lot, but after that he was everywhere all the time, and it just turned me off. I finally read the Dark Tower series about five years ago, but mainly because the first book was more of a Western, and I dig Westerns. But the horror genre doesn't do anything for me. Even if they have cool cars.

I never read the book, but I've seen the movie a couple of times over the years.

It was fun to watch for the cars, but the acting was just atrocious!

The only people who were believable in the whole movie were possibly Harry Dean Stanton as the detective,  the guy who played the owner of the junk yard & the old guy who sold Arnie the car.

The leading cast was just horrible, especially the kid who played Dennis, Arnie's best friend!

I wonder if he ever got another acting job after his appearance in that movie?

 

Steve

[The Modeling Hermit]

I'm one of those who doesn't get concerned with the deficiencies of the model.  I'm just glad to have it.  Yous looks beautiful just as it sits.

[Harry Joy]

    The leading cast was just horrible, especially the kid who played Dennis, Arnie's best friend!

I wonder if he ever got another acting job after his appearance in that movie?

I had to Google him, but after Christine he only got bit parts in B-movies and TV specials.

I'm one of those who doesn't get concerned with the deficiencies of the model.  I'm just glad to have it.  Yous looks beautiful just as it sits.

Thanks sir.