galaxie limited chevrolet cars 1948/1947

[youpey]

I am looking to buy the Galaxie Limited 1948/1947 Chevrolet Aerosedan/fleetmaster.  However, i am having trouble finding much information or my google skills are failing me. As far as i can see, these two kits are exactly the same, except the one labeled 1947 fleetmaster has optional wood panels. I couldnt find anything that said the one with aerosedan having wood panels. Are these the same kit, maybe just a rebox? Also, is this kit worth the high price tag? i mean its well past tamiya kit money so i am hesitant to buy it. I saw a couple of build on this site, but i couldnt find much on the accuracy and the overall fit and finish of the model. if this kit has poor fitting parts, i am certainly going to pass on it. nothing crashes a build for me more than poor fitting kits. 

 

 

[Casey]

Edited October 9, 2018 by Casey

[JollySipper]

It's a really nice kit.......... Except the front fenders are separate from the body.

I'm not sure if the reissue has the wood panel parts or not.........

[Oldcarfan27]

Follow this one, it's on the workbench section. 

 

[suprafastcelica]

https://galaxielimited.com/products

 

This is the website of the Manufacturer. You can the decals separate if you like. You will also notice the trailers are under $30.  i usually see everyone wanting 35+ for them.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

It's a great kit. I have several. The "woody" version is the same as the original, as you suspect, with the addition of separate "wood" overlays.

The only notable glaring inaccuracy is that the front lower corners of the front fenders (under the headlights) are too square. This can easily be fixed with a little file work, as there's enough plastic there to round them out nicely.

The ride-height is a little low if you're doing stock, too. Again, easily fixed.

The quality is on a par with anything out there...which is not to say they're perfect.

There's also an out-of-production sedan delivery.   

Edited October 8, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Greg Myers]

49 minutes ago, Casey said:

There are at least three review topics here on the forum in the Model Cars: Kit News & Review section.

Casey, Why not help out and post a link to the three ? 

[Deathgoblin]

Just to answer your question:  These are excellent kits.  Despite the fact that the front fenders are separate from the body, the whole thing goes together extremely well and it's VERY detailed.  You'll be happy with the kit if you decide to get one. 

[fumi]

Having built 2 of these and having a sealed white box version still lying around, my view of this kit is not as glowing.  3 major issues jump out of my mind right away:

- The "ridge" on the bottom of the body went up 3 scale inches too high.  The easiest way to fix it is to cut out the lower half of the body half way across and around the rear fender, trim off the part along the lower door line completely, rejoin the body with the trimmed side as the new bottom, fill out the space in between, and rescribe the door line just below the crease of the ridge.  You will also need to trim the floor pan where it joins the body, but fortunately that area is conveniently recessed, so you just need to grind out the step along the floor pan and not have to reshape the whole thing.

- The mating area along the hood and the front fender is very vague.  With the hood warped it would not conform to the fender.  Use extra care if you want to fix the hood as it is very thin and can easily deform beyond repair in hot water.

- Both grilles are too angular.  They designed the front fender as a one size fit all deal and fit both grilles around the opening, but the 46 grille and the 47-48 grille are very different in shape.  In the end the 47-48 grille is too thin and square while the 46 grille is so misshaped it is unusable.  To make either grille look right you will probably need to scratch build it.

All in all it can be made into a good looking model with some effort but it would take major work to fix the body issues.  If you must have a 47-48 Chevy they are the only game in town, but I would not pay Tamiya money for them.

[dino246gt]

They are very nice kits, while there may be some inaccuracies, parts are clean and crisp. I built mine as a hot rod, so nothing bothered me. Interior is easily detailed to look really good! And the trunk is easy to open.

New decal sheet and wood side trim is the only difference from the original, which can be added or ignored, they're totally separate, I "ignored" mine.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, fumi said:

...The "ridge" on the bottom of the body went up 3 scale inches too high...

Yes, there is that, and getting a good glossy paint job tends to make it stand out. You can see the problem in Dennis' fine looking black model immediately above this post.

HOWEVER (and I just checked a kit to verify this), a less intense way (than what fumi describes) to visually correct the initial appearance is to simply soften the convex "roll" as the lower panel turns down. Easily done with files and sandpaper.

There is sufficient meat at that location to achieve a worthwhile improvement in the appearance.

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Mr. Metallic]

54 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Yes, there is that, and getting a good glossy paint job tends to make it stand out. You can see the problem in Dennis' fine looking black model immediately above this post.

HOWEVER (and I just checked a kit to verify this), a less intense way (than what fumi describes) to visually correct the initial appearance is to simply soften the convex "roll" as the lower panel turns down. Easily done with files and sandpaper.

There is sufficient meat at that location to achieve a worthwhile improvement in the appearance.

 

Is this issue present on the Aerosedan and Sedan Delivery, or just the new coupe body which was first released a few years ago?

[High octane]

I built the Coupe a few years ago using the frame from the flip nosed Chevy/'53 Ford Pick Up kit, a Hemi engine, bucket seats, parts box wheels/tires, and other stuff, etc..................................................................

[Ace-Garageguy]

56 minutes ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Is this issue present on the Aerosedan and Sedan Delivery, or just the new coupe body which was first released a few years ago?

It's on all of the Galaxie kits, but it's not going to bother a lot of people. 

You'll notice that too-high crease shows on Nick's great looking model too.

The real car has it, but slightly lower, and it's always more noticeable when you don't use the rocker trim.

Again, IF IT BOTHERS YOU, it's easy to file and sand the area just enough to drop the crease a little lower, or just round it off a bit so it LOOKS like it occurs lower.

The convex crease should be almost level with the door cut-line, just a tick above it.

 

[youpey]

what ridge are you guys talking about being not right?

 

also, i see a lot of gaps on the hood. do these not fit right?

[ChrisBcritter]

9 hours ago, fumi said:

while the 46 grille is so misshaped it is unusable.  To make either grille look right you will probably need to scratch build it.

Yep - still hoping for the aftermarket to take this on:

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, youpey said:

what ridge are you guys talking about being not right?

also, i see a lot of gaps on the hood. do these not fit right?

The "ridge" is the convex fold at the bottom of the door/quarter panel. It should be a little lower, almost at the bottom door cut-line.

The hoods fit pretty well, but not perfectly. They were vague on the real cars too, actually. A little careful file work will snuggle 'em right in.

If you want to be real persnickety, the top of the fender extension that bolts to the door skin should actually be a little LOWER than the rear of the front of the fender. This is necessary to allow it to swing UNDER the fender when the door is opened; I've fitted a few of this style GM body together.

You can just barely see it in these shots.

     

[Ace-Garageguy]

14 minutes ago, ChrisBcritter said:

Yep - still hoping for the aftermarket to take this on:

Yeah, it's pretty bad, but scratchbuilding the whole thing isn't necessary. 

Most of what you need is already there.

[High octane]

Thanks Ace, as now that I've seen photos of the real car that you've posted I can clearly see the crease/ridge that you're talkin' about. And yes it is really exaggerated on the Galaxie kit.

[fumi]

9 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

HOWEVER (and I just checked a kit to verify this), a less intense way (than what fumi describes) to visually correct the initial appearance is to simply soften the convex "roll" as the lower panel turns down. Easily done with files and sandpaper.

There is sufficient meat at that location to achieve a worthwhile improvement in the appearance.

That is exactly what Steve Boutte did with his excellent custom coupe.  I lack his skill and don't have confidence in maintaining a uniform curved interface and a straight crease across the ridge, so I chose to preserve the curve/ridge and extend the flat part in the middle of the body side instead.

[youpey]

10 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

The "ridge" is the convex fold at the bottom of the door/quarter panel. It should be a little lower, almost at the bottom door cut-line.

The hoods fit pretty well, but not perfectly. They were vague on the real cars too, actually. A little careful file work will snuggle 'em right in.

If you want to be real persnickety, the top of the fender extension that bolts to the door skin should actually be a little LOWER than the rear of the front of the fender. This is necessary to allow it to swing UNDER the fender when the door is opened; I've fitted a few of this style GM body together.

You can just barely see it in these shots.

     

now that you pointed it out, i cant unsee it. i didnt see it before you pointed it out though. I am glad you pointed it out though. i am very particular about stuff like that. 

 

thanks for all the help on this guys. i went from being sure i was going to buy it to, probably not. i might just build the 1940 ford convertible or 1948 ford coupe kit. i built the 1948 ford convertible a couple of years ago, and that was a joy to build

[randyc]

Here's the sedan delivery I did when it was first released.  Nothing extra except the moons.  I think.