1959 Ford Skyliner

[BeakDoc]

Well. Where to begin... I’ve heard numerous horror stories about this kit. They’re all true. In the spirit of putting positive vibes into the universe for 2021 I’ll say 3 nice things about this kit: 1. M.C. Escher didn’t draw the instructions. 2. Salvador Dali wasn’t commissioned for the box art. 3. With patience, care, a little know-how and a prescription for Xanax, it really does build up nicely.

I reworked every single hinge (and there’s no shortage of them). The original tabs on the deck lid were gaudy, so they had to go. I filled the square holes left behind in the body and mounted a “swinging” hinge with 2 C mounts and a pin beneath the lid, run through tube stock that I reshaped i to an oval mounted to the underside of the lip of the trunk. I repinned the hinges on the hood because once the grille was mounted the fit was too tight for the hood to tilt forward. With the top up, there was a dip where the two-piece roof came together, so I beefed that up with newly fabricated hinges that “snap” into place when I want the top up and will only fold down when “unsnapped.” I did the same with the folding, two-piece deck lid.

The biggest problem I encountered was actually glueing the dogged thing together. I tried every model glue in the arsenal, but nothing seemed to want to bond the soft, salmon-colored goo of which this kit is cast. 90% of this sucker is held together with 5 minute epoxy.

I added a few details under the hood and went with the wheels from the AMT ‘63 Galaxie for no good reason other than I like the looks of them better. Then paint is TS-21 Gold and TS-11 Maroon with a shot of Tamiya Pearl Clear over the maroon then Testors Wet Look clear over the whole enchilada. Trim is BMF.

Thank you for looking. Comments, tips, pointers, critiques, questions and conversation are always welcome. Namaste ? 

[Plowboy]

Looks really nice Chris! I've heard the horror stories about this kit also. So, I never have bought one. Looks like you overcame all of this kit's issues and turned it into a nice model. Well done! 

[bogger44]

This has to be one of the best builds of this kit I've seen.  Very well done.  I remember building one when I was in my early teens and had a heck of a time with it but did get it cobbled together.  Haven't attempted another one since LOL.

[cobraman]

It is far and away the best build of this i have ever seen. And that includes the one I built. That is one tough mother of a kit and you knocked it out of the park. Well done sir !

[ModelcarJR]

I think you nailed it, Chris! I've got one of these in the closet and have had for about 20 years. It's an original issue that is molded in bright yellow plastic. I've always been afraid to attempt it! By the way, a friend of mine's dad had one of these back in the day. It was white on white. He didn't have it too long. Something about the motors for the convertible hardtop. Nice job on yours! 

[charger74]

Very Nice and classy 

[Bills72sj]

Very nice result. I remember building an unpainted bright yellow plastic one in the mid 70's. I was impressed that the folding top worked (at least by my then teenage standards)

[Lunajammer]

2 hours ago, bogger44 said:

This has to be one of the best builds of this kit I've seen.  Very well done.  

 

2 hours ago, cobraman said:

It is far and away the best build of this i have ever seen.

X3

[StevenGuthmiller]

I'm thoroughly impressed!

I've always viewed this kit as a bit of a basket case and always found an excuse to abandon it any time I started one.

Maybe there is hope after all!

 

Very nicely done Chris!

 

 

 

Steve

[89AKurt]

Seeing what Steven said, I had to take a look!  You have to absolutely love whatever car to attempt building a notorious kit.  Came out awesome!

Never have seen Testors Wet Look, is it still available?

I'm in the local car club, know someone with a red/white one.  He was a mechanic at a Ford dealership, so he knows how to make all those motors work together.

[Tom Geiger]

Super job!  That is one turd of a kit. I have one in the stash but have never attempted it.

The tops on the real ones were notoriously troublesome.

[Bucky]

Very sharp Skyliner! I really like the color combination. A tutorial for all those new hinges might help those of us who are skeered to tackle the kits in our stashes! LoL

[bisc63]

Great job! Love the color choices!

[doorsovdoon]

I've always wondered about this kit with it's complex roof and how much of a nightmare it would be to build. You'd never know to look at it the fit issues it has. You done a sterling job on it mate, very nice looking build.

[grodudulle77]

Very nice work !! ??

[donb]

12 hours ago, Plowboy said:

Looks really nice Chris! I've heard the horror stories about this kit also. So, I never have bought one. Looks like you overcame all of this kit's issues and turned it into a nice model. Well done! 

Agree. I wouldn’t even attempt to buikd this. However you did a super job with it. Excellent workmanship. 

[Geno]

All I can say is WOW!!!!! Chris, that is gorgeous. I wish someone would do a decent kit of the 58 & 59.

[PappyD340]

Extremely nice, well done!

[crazyjim]

Gorgeous build.

[espo]

You are either a glutton for punishment or one of those that just has to prove that somethings can be done. The finished model looks better than I could ever imagine this kit to be. All of the finishes are beautiful  looking and the fact that the roof seems to work is amazing. The closest I ever got to building this was to use the Chrome Wheels for another build years ago. 

[Steve Geer]

That is one spectacular model! Great colors and detailing, especially making the roof work. Most impressive build of the Skyliner I've ever seen. I've tried it twice; once as an adolescent and once as an adult and both attempts were dismal failures -- it's a toughie and you did it magnificently!

[ewetwo]

That's a real beauty.

 

[Dave Darby]

Looks great. I built one out of the box about 30 years ago, and used another one to create a 57 Skyliner, using the parts on the AMT 57. One thing I did with my 59 is to drill out the headlight openings to the size of the lenses. I then flush fit the custom quad headlight lenses from the AMT 50 Convertible, with reflectors made from the baby moon hubcaps from the AMT 56 Ford behind them. Looks a ton better that way, eliminating those "eyeballs". Just out of curiosity, what glue did you use on the body?  I've found lately that the ModelMaster cement doesn't dig into the plastic very well, and have since started using the Revell glue, and the Tamiya liquid. 

[Bainford]

Excellent build of this notoriously difficult kit. Probably the best I've seen. Kudos for sticking with it and seeing it through. Beautiful job.

As a 16 yr old in high school in the early 80s I had a shop teacher who was a 59 Ford fanatic. He owned over a dozen of them, including two Skyliners. He also had a case of the Revell kits, and knowing I was a model builder he asked if I would put one together for him. I was excited to have a go, but eventuality threw in the towel. That kit owned me. Not wanting to be bested by a kit, in the 90s I purchased another one to give it another try. It's still sitting in my stash, sneering at me from time to time. One day I'll take another crack at it.

[Classicgas]

Beautiful.  I did the same thing with the deck hinges.