Latest 3 builds

[Peter Lombardo]

My three most recent builds represent three very different styles of subjects.

P.S. I do not expect any of you guys to read all of this, as it is long but it is here if you are interested

1.        AMT 1966 Chevy Nova Drag Car.  Opened and hinged the doors.  Side and rear windows replaced with acetate sheet sprayed with Tamiya clear red.  Homemade 3D printed racing seat installed with a photo etched racing harness.  Scratch built roll cage.  Scratch built front and rear spoilers installed.  Hood budge scratch built with hot air exit vents installed.  409 V8 added with homemade 3D printed Twin Turbo’s installed and plumbed.  Body painted Tamiya Silver Leaf and roof painted with Tamiya Gunmetal both topped with Tamiya Clear Red, and then topped with Tamiya Clear.  Decals from the parts box with an eclectic mix from a number of sources then all covered with a coat of Future to “seal the deal”.

2.       AMT 1957 Ford Fairlane Coupe. I started this car about 10 or 12 years ago and just completed a few weeks ago so I do not recall of the modifications and sources of the parts used.  The Interior, I think came from a Thunderbird, certainly not from the kit with the addition or turquoise dice hanging from the rearview mirror.  I added the rear fender skirts and a rear spare tire piece I think came from a ’53 Ford kit.  The roof was sourced from either a ’62 Chevy or Pontiac.  I installed it lower than what stock height would have been {mild chop} and then added a moon roof.  Wheels and tires came from a ’62 Thunderbird kit and the rear end was lowered.  Poseable front suspension came from a long ago discarded die-cast car. The front grill back material was ground off so that it is “see-thru”.  The center hood ornament was removed and filled.  Car was painted Rust-oleum solid bright white.  I masked off the borders and then sprayed on Rust-oleum Gloss Seaside topped with Rust-oleum Gloss Clear.  I toyed with the idea of adding lake pipes and spot lights, but rejected the idea opting to keep the car less cluttered.  

3.       Revell 1962 289 Cobra Roadster.  When Revell announced a 289 Cobra roadster I was quite excited as it was my missing link car.  I have completed 2 of the 3 Mustang GT350R race car kits I have, one white and one blue, and one more, most likely to be done in white.  I have built 14 Ford GT40’s [including the starting lineup from Le Mans 1966] with 3 more to go [just received the Meng 1/24 kit, with engine and it looks beautiful].  9,  427 Cobra’s, both Revell and Fujimi kits in various paint schemes.  I have built a Gunze Sangyo Daytona kit with a detailed engine installed with opening hood, doors, and rear hatch.  All of these kits are 1/24^th scale.  So when Revell announced the new 289 Cobra KIT, I expected it to be a sweet little 1/24^th scale car to fit right in with the other 1/24^th scale Shelby offerings.  I ordered two 289 Cobra’s site-un-seen.  I built the AMT 1/25^th 289 Cobra, as a kid, back in 1963.  I have one kit somewhere on the shelf, but have no interest in building it since I pilfered the engine from it for another build, besides, it is an old casting and to me rather crude.  So expectation for the new 289 Cobra kit were high, but as soon as I saw the box and realized it was 1/25^th scale. I was rather upset.  How could Revell produce this race car in 1/25^th scale when all of the other Shelby kits they produce were in 1/24^th scale?  Granted it may seem like a small matter to you, but there is no conceivable reason, in my mind, to build a race car kit in the wrong scale.  When the executives, assuming there ARE executives at Revell, sat down to discuss the idea of making this kit the number one issue should have been the scale chosen for the kit, and how they got this wrong is beyond me.  When I put the completed 289 car next to the 427 car, the size disparage is very obvious.  I sent a nasty e mail to Revell about this and got a rather nondescript tepid response, but that did not surprise me at all.

Anyway, I built the first of the 289 kits as a generic racer because I wanted to formulize myself with the kit and learn where the pitfall are.  The second build will be a specific race car from the era.  This kit is labeled as a 5 in difficulty.  I have built more difficult kits, but this is not that easy because many of the parts are tiny, there are no real “positive” position tabs to reference, the instructions do little to help locate the position placement, and to build it to the proper ride height, at least to my eye, a lot of changes must be made.  In a moment of complete ignorance, I opted to use the kit supplied hood and trunk hinges as I should have known better.  The trunk fit is not that bad but it allows the hood when open to slide side to side which is okay, but annoying.  The hood hinge is a complete joke.  Without major surgery, the hinges interfere with the radiator and worse, once in place and the kit completely built, the hood will not open with damaging the leading edge and paint.  I find it unacceptable and I am annoyed with myself for not anticipating the issue, therefor, in the photos the hood remains closed.  The engine is not that big of a deal anyway.  It comes with the 4 Weber down draft carbs which are, to my eye, a very simplistic casting.  Very disappointing.  Oddly, my kit, and I have yet to open the second box which is still sealed to inspect it, included two sprues of the same, one chrome and one un-chromed, and to Revell’s credit I applaud this move [assuming this is intentional] as I really did not touch the chromed sprue opting to use the un chromed one for this build. Because of this, you get a second set of wheels, valve covers, and carbs.  The wheels are fine, but as said before, and especially with the chrome plating on them, the carbs really lose the little detail they have. The wheels and tires are very nice.  The tires have a raised “GOODYEAR” embossed on them.  On the box art they show a white Goodyear on them.  So I used a photo-edged stencil template and flat white paint airbrushed on them on this build.  I opened the doors and hinged them.  I have built a huge unknown amount of kits and added open doors to most without much problem, but for some yet unknown reason, these hinges and door fit, gave me fits. The kit, which seems to be the new normal with Revell uses both front and rear metal axle rods.  I refuse to use a front metal rod because I do not want to see it running through the engine compartment on a build.  Also, in my opinion, if you use the axles and the wheel hub as supplied, the wheels sit way to far outside of the vehicle fenders.  To me, the ride height was too high also, so the combination of sitting to high and the wheels too far out required major surgery to the suspension.  Approach this situation carefully when, and if you build the kit.  I painted the kit in a Ford Guardsmen Blue automotive lacquer.  Once dry, I masked off around the stripe area and sprayed on Gloss White lacquer stripes.  The roundels were cut from vinyl on a computer and stuck on.  The decals are a combination of kit supplied for the sponsors and leftover numbers from the Daytona Coupe kit.  I have fought the urge to cover all of the car with gloss top coat since it is a race car and a medium shine should be sufficient.  The roll bar is a cut down piece from a Fujimi 427 Cobra roadster kit.  Side pipes were painted flat white and toned down with Tamiya panel line wash.  The racing windshield was cut from a piece of vacuum formed blister pack edge that had the right shape painted black on the bottom. That’s it.  I am happy to finally have a respectable 289 Cobra kit, without spending an arm and a leg on a Model Factory Hero kit, which is the correct 1/24^th scale.   

[cobraman]

i like all 3 of your models a lot. Drawn to the Cobra most of all ( no surprise there) but all nice. Looks like the grill/bumper on the Nova doesn't fit well, Huh ? 

[Chuckyg1]

Each of these builds are awesome. You have quite a talent. I can't pick a favorite. There all nice.

[gseeds]

Wow ! All 3 are top shelf!!

[Zippi]

Nice looking trio you have there.  I like the 66 Nova but all 3 are nice.

[happy grumpy]

All three are great , the cobra though is my favorite, I will have to build one eventually. So much plastic, so little time.

the Nova engine bay is packed with nice details.

[Peter Lombardo]

2 hours ago, cobraman said:

i like all 3 of your models a lot. Drawn to the Cobra most of all ( no surprise there) but all nice. Looks like the grill/bumper on the Nova doesn't fit well, Huh ? 

Yeah, with my currently failing eye sight, I think I just couldn't see it well enough to ensure it was snug and fit into the cavity properly.  I am having a much needed eye surgery next Monday to get my "good" eye back to near perfect condition. [hopefully]  I can barely type since the keys are all fuzzy to me.  After the operation I will see if I can correct the mishap.  Or I can say the driver just banged into the wall at the garage and it isn't fixed yet.  

[espo]

Each and every one of these are great looking builds in so many ways. I like that you put so much information on each of these as well. Often it is hard to fully appreciate all that the builder has done without this information. The '57 Ford looks like a modern take on the semi custom / low ridder theme. The windshield looks like it may even be the back window from that kit. The information you give about the Cobra build is good to know for anyone looking to build that kit in the future. With the Drag car I'm glad you mentioned that you used a 409 engine because with the Turbos and all the other details on the engine it is hard to tell what basic engine is there. They all have great looking paint finishes and again it's nice to know how that was done.  

[cobraman]

I hope that your surgery goes well.

[Peter Lombardo]

3 hours ago, cobraman said:

I hope that your surgery goes well.

Thanks, I really appreciate your well wishes.  I know it will be fine, thanks, again.

[Peter Lombardo]

5 hours ago, espo said:

Each and every one of these are great looking builds in so many ways. I like that you put so much information on each of these as well. Often it is hard to fully appreciate all that the builder has done without this information. The '57 Ford looks like a modern take on the semi custom / low ridder theme. The windshield looks like it may even be the back window from that kit. The information you give about the Cobra build is good to know for anyone looking to build that kit in the future. With the Drag car I'm glad you mentioned that you used a 409 engine because with the Turbos and all the other details on the engine it is hard to tell what basic engine is there. They all have great looking paint finishes and again it's nice to know how that was done.  

Thanks, I am glad you acknowledge all of the info I supplied.  I always think about the build I am working on well ahead of time therefore I want others to know what I was thinking about with what I do to the car.

[Koellefornia Kid]

Very nice trio! I really dig the ´57 Ford! A lot of nice custom touches and great work on the roof!

[ATHU]

Beautiful work on all 3!!

[PappyD340]

They all look great!

[crazyjim]

Super builds and hope your surgery goes well.

[slusher]

Stunning models all 3!

[Slotto]

Fantastic builds!

[Sledsel]

All three look great but my favorite would be the 57. Very cool modifications on that one.

[ewetwo]

All 3 are beautiful.