WIP: AMT 1951 Chevy Convertible from Sun Cruiser box

[MrMiles]

Im not going to waste anytime after finishing the revell 50 olds 88.

I just started the AMT 1951 Chevy Convertible from Sun Cruiser box. The body had so many large mold lines on all 4 corners, in the fenders, rear panels.  It took about 3 hours of sanding the body as clean as i could get it. The body is painted tamiya AS19 Intermediate Blue and clear coat with tamiya ts13. 2 coats of each.

The plan is to make the interior cream colored. i will be using the ak interactive brand paint for the interior, from the set black and cream interiors. 

So far i have the little bits painted black or silver but not put together yet. Im going to build this only with box parts but will use some custom pieces on this build that came in the kit. typically I try to build factory style but im going to do a little different this time. 

 

I really like this color for this car. Its a tad bit darker than in the pictures 

 

I will take more pictures as i progress further 

Edited July 10, 2021 by MrMiles

[Zippi]

That color is Bitchin Miles.  If your using bmf on the side trim it will look killer.

[MrMiles]

8 minutes ago, Zippi said:

That color is Bitchin Miles.  If your using bmf on the side trim it will look killer.

Thank you. I will probably use a chrome molotow pen. i never have luck with bmf

[Tom Geiger]

Miles, test fit the engine bay panels. I understand there are some fit issues. Maybe someone with first hand knowledge can chime in.

[MrMiles]

I got the chrome painted on. Pictures look better when room is darker. the light from outside seems to cause the phone camera some grief

Edited July 10, 2021 by MrMiles

[Modlbldr]

That is the perfect color for that car! Beautiful work. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Later-

[espo]

The body and paint look very smooth. How and what did you use to paint the chrome trim ?? 

[MrMiles]

2 hours ago, espo said:

The body and paint look very smooth. How and what did you use to paint the chrome trim ?? 

I use a molotow chrome pen. i tape off the body with tamiya masking tape. then i use the chrome molotow pen onto the moldings. after the ink dries i remove the tape. if there is any run off that went under the tape, i use tamiya q-tips to rub it off. 

this is how it looks before the tape is removed (this was on my oldsmobile, but the same concept)

if there are any mistakes or missing areas of the chrome, i will fix it after. 

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by MrMiles

[espo]

Thank you, I have been starting to look for different ways to do chrome trim since the problems others mention having with chrome foil. 

[TransAmMike]

Looks great Miles and the "chrome" trim.....wow!!    Looking forward to completion pics especially to see how the chrome looks with the green color.  I'm assuming the Molotow pen is fairly new since my few year old stuff just looks like dull silver paint.

[MrMiles]

This kit is taking everything i have to finish it. I cant tell if its me or the kit. Not much is fitting right. My front wheel hubs dont have any holes for the steering and the arm doesn't even reach if i were to drill holes. 

There is an option for dual exhaust but only 1 exhaust manifold. Im using the dual exhaust though because it will look better in the back.

 I am at the point of painting the interior and hope that I will finish it in the next couple of days. After that, it will be to put it all together because everything else is painted. 

 

There has been a few times i wanted to pack it in, but i like the blue color and really like the car. 

 

 

[MrMiles]

The interior is built and the engine is in place. 

I have a couple of pieces to do on the engine compartment still but im getting close to the end. The blue on the dash and top of panels are body color. The room im in has no light other than the window so it looks very dark.

 

The panels are 2 tone, dark gray (almost black) and tan. The seats are ak interactive cremeweiss. i made the panels a little darker to indicate they are a different material. the floor is black. 

This build has been quite difficult with a lot of mistakes. thankfully I had an extra kit to steal parts from. 

I will be glad to finish it. i think i might do an easy to build kit next. This one actually caused me stress, which has never happened to me building a kit before.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by MrMiles

[MrMiles]

I gave up quickly on getting the inner fenders to fit. I kept reading they dont fit. I could fet th in and get them to fit, but they didnt connect to the chassis. if i angled it to the chassis it was too high up. I am just going to glue the hood in place and call it a day. 

[doorsovdoon]

5 hours ago, MrMiles said:

I gave up quickly on getting the inner fenders to fit. I kept reading they dont fit. I could fet th in and get them to fit, but they didnt connect to the chassis. if i angled it to the chassis it was too high up. I am just going to glue the hood in place and call it a day. 

Fit issues like that can be so frustrating. If you're doing curbside I'd give the inner wings a go first, if it doesn't work out, the hood is getting locked anyway. Such a nice looking build so far, be a shame to hide the engine. Paint is looking amazing, and the chrome trim is spot on.

[MrMiles]

Unfortunately this kit is no more. I was 99% done. I was gluing in the front grill. Of course it didn't fit. Anyway, the cat happened to jump onto my work table as the piece was being glued and the piece fell off and got glue all over the front. I did my best to fix it but it was beyond repair short of taking it apart and sanding and respraying

This kit has been nothing but a disaster for me at every turn and i had no interest in doing it. 

 

Anyway, here is the final picture pf how it stood before ending in the trash. i probably will buy this color paint again and put it on a 1940 or 1948 revell ford. i wont build these amt 51 chevy's again. i dont think i have enough skill and patience for it. just nothing went together well.

Edited July 15, 2021 by MrMiles

[misterNNL]

On 7/10/2021 at 9:20 AM, MrMiles said:

I got the chrome painted on. Pictures look better when room is darker. the light from outside seems to cause the phone camera some grief

FYI always keep your light source behind you if possible. Nice WIP here. Thanks for posting.

 

[Beans]

Man....sorry to hear about the demise of your kit.  I have been there and know that some builds are just cursed from the start.  I look forward to seeing what you build next.

[MrMiles]

1 hour ago, Beans said:

Man....sorry to hear about the demise of your kit.  I have been there and know that some builds are just cursed from the start.  I look forward to seeing what you build next.

thank you. i think i am going to take a couple days from building and start something this weekend. between the AMT bronco being a tough build and then doing this one shortly after, i built 2 very tough builds in a row, and i was getting too frustrated.  

the revell 48 ford convertible is a really nice kit, i built it once before and i messed that one up on the very final cut of the BMF, where the knife slipped and cut a small gash in the plastic. that was years ago, but it always haunted me because that was the closest i had ever come to a "perfect" build. By perfect i mean no mistakes in the paint (no dust, cat hair, anything), no glue spots, etc...just the small gash from the knife.  i have gotten better at painting now and i have a new method for chrome, so i think its a good time for a redo so i can get that kit to stop haunting me. 

alternatively, i could build the 40 ford, which i think is almost the same kit, just a different body, which i would guess is just as good. I have them both in my stash, so i will take a look to see which to do.

 

i ordered some paint from scale finishes, so i might try my hand at airbrushing a kit instead of using tamiya spray paint. i did the interior of this kit completely with an airbrush, so i have learned to control the paint better. it would be really cool to be able to paint with factory colors since i really like having my kits look like factory fresh