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Posted

I have another car coming along nicely and it should be finished fairly soon (I hope), so decided to grab another and give it a start. I frequently sit at my computer and dabble with model parts and pieces, so that's what I'll be doing here as well; it helps to kill the time. All in all, this kit looks pretty sharp, at least to me. I'll be going curbside, as is my natural tendency, so I'll have the engine and stuff left over to use on something else later.

Pcetgh.jpg

Posted

I can't wait to see what you do with this one. I have the kit and, on occassion, have given thought to starting it but haven't yet. Curious to see how it is.

Later-

Posted
13 hours ago, Modlbldr said:

I can't wait to see what you do with this one. I have the kit and, on occassion, have given thought to starting it but haven't yet. Curious to see how it is.

Later-

So far it looks to be really quite nice. I downloaded a lot of brochure images and photos of real Chevelles, and the kit looks to have captured the exterior particularly well.

12 hours ago, Nazz said:

This one should prove interesting. I will be watching also.

Thanks a bunch. My first shot at a convertible, so we'll just see how it goes.

Posted

Can I suggest using the 69'olds chassis underneath?,better detail and don't forget to remove the lower chrome trim on the body.

Posted

Does the convertible body also have the chrome moldings running down the body sides? If so, you'll have to remove them to do an accurate SS396. 

Posted
9 minutes ago, kelson said:

Can I suggest using the 69'olds chassis underneath?,better detail and don't forget to remove the lower chrome trim on the body.

I'll probably stick with what's in the box, chassis wise (no need to spend more on something no one will ever see), but yes, consider the chrome gone. The less chrome, the better, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Posted
25 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

Does the convertible body also have the chrome moldings running down the body sides? If so, you'll have to remove them to do an accurate SS396. 

It certainly does have what appears to be some sort of trim molded in near the bottom that shouldn't be there. I have no idea what AMT was thinking. I'll snatch a photo here in a few minutes.

Posted (edited)
27 minutes ago, Ctmodeler said:

Why do you build curbside anyways ? Just wondering

Fair question. An exposed engine and engine compartment just begs to be detailed, and I just don't have the patience or time for it, not until I do an exposed engine roadster or something anyway, at which time I will detail it all to heck.

Edited by Roadrunner
Posted

And here we go. All of this funky trim will need to be removed, as I've just not generally seen this trim on the overwhelming majority of the 396's that I've seen so far (perhaps it was an option, I really have no idea). I also noticed that the front marker lights are shorter than the rear ones, when they should be the same, but that should be an easy enough fix. While we're at it, the key entry on the doors are really bad, so I'll be replacing those with punched plastic discs. I may also buy some new door handles and replace them as well, even if they're not specific to this car. I doubt most folks would know the difference.

0PMwMe.jpg

Posted

Another small detail, but now that I'm aware of it, bugs me, is the absence of the buttons (bolt heads) that hold the rear and front bumpers on. I should be able to cobble together a decent fix for this though.

IQbfJM.jpg

Posted
34 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

It certainly does have what appears to be some sort of trim molded in near the bottom that shouldn't be there. I have no idea what AMT was thinking. 

They were thinking they could get by without having to change the '68 molds. 

Or maybe, the chrome strip was still speced for the '69 SS at the time AMT was finalizing it. If you have the original showroom '69 Chevelle brochure, look at it carefully and you can see that every pic is actually a retouched '68! 

Posted
5 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

Another small detail, but now that I'm aware of it, bugs me, is the absence of the buttons (bolt heads) that hold the rear and front bumpers on. I should be able to cobble together a decent fix for this though.

IQbfJM.jpg

VERY interesting that the front bumper now includes the turn signals. I've got several issues of the coupe kit dating back to 1969 originals (and the Elky) and every one of them has completely open slots there, no lights at all. 

Posted
9 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

VERY interesting that the front bumper now includes the turn signals. I've got several issues of the coupe kit dating back to 1969 originals (and the Elky) and every one of them has completely open slots there, no lights at all. 

Yes, that is indeed a nice touch, and should enhance the front end somewhat.

Posted
6 minutes ago, BigTallDad said:

In your first pic, is that a watermelon in the background?

Yep, one of those seedless (supposedly), bowling ball shaped ones.

Posted
1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

They were thinking they could get by without having to change the '68 molds. 

Or maybe, the chrome strip was still speced for the '69 SS at the time AMT was finalizing it. If you have the original showroom '69 Chevelle brochure, look at it carefully and you can see that every pic is actually a retouched '68! 

http://oldcarbrochures.org/United States/Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet-Chevelle-Brochure/slides/1969_Chevrolet_Chevelle-04-05.html

http://oldcarbrochures.org/United States/Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet-Chevelle-Brochure/slides/1969_Chevrolet_Chevelle-10-11.html

Posted
1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

They were thinking they could get by without having to change the '68 molds. 

Or maybe, the chrome strip was still speced for the '69 SS at the time AMT was finalizing it. If you have the original showroom '69 Chevelle brochure, look at it carefully and you can see that every pic is actually a retouched '68! 

Bingo! Until now I hadn't realized how similar they really were. Thanks.

Posted
Just now, Roadrunner said:

Looks like the Malibu had it, but not the SS.

The first one is a Concourse four door hardtop ; the other is a Malibu .

It was common back then to retouch ( e.g. , airbrush ) previous model year's images to represent the upcoming model year . This was typical of earliest prints of brochures ; revisions follow . ( for instance , I have a 1972 Dodge brochure ; it was printed in 08/1971 . Mention of the 440 Six Pack is at least twice in that early brochure . ) . 

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

Or this one. It doesn't show very well on the net, but in my original brochure, you can clearly see the '68 Chevelle emblem on the front fender, and how it's been touched out.  The '69 taillights look much more "painted on," too. 

http://oldcarbrochures.org/United States/Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet-Chevelle-Brochure/slides/1969_Chevrolet_Chevelle-08-09.html

I never would have thought to look for that front fender emblem ! Now I can't un-see it ! Haha !

Other examples are the headlamps and their bezels for the Super Sport .

Posted
8 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Or this one. It doesn't show very well on the net, but in my original brochure, you can clearly see the '68 Chevelle emblem on the front fender, and how it's been touched out.  The '69 taillights look much more "painted on," too. 

http://oldcarbrochures.org/United States/Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet/1969-Chevrolet-Chevelle-Brochure/slides/1969_Chevrolet_Chevelle-08-09.html

The grille has been faked as well. No air could flow through what is pictured.

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