AMT 1955 Chevy Cameo. Kitbash with Revell Chevy SSR.

[Dragonhawk1066]

It's kind of far along in the process to start a WIP thread, but I thought I'd start one anyways, lol. I got the inspiration from Scott Inman, aka lghtngyello03 for this one. I'll be using the engine/transmission, seats, wheels/tires, and hopefully exhaust from the SSR. The color will be Createx Pearlized Turquoise.

I opened up the grill, stripped the rest of the chrome and re-chromed it by airbrushing Molotow from the refill tube.

I cut and flattened the front springs, and mounted the rear springs under the mounts to lower the suspensions. I'm not going for an ultra-low ride, so the height is pretty much where I want it.

Edited February 23, 2022 by Dragonhawk1066

[Dragonhawk1066]

I did the prep work for the body, including sanding off the door handles. I primed it with Stynylrez Gray Primer, and then shot the Turquoise, using five coats. Two lighter coats, two medium coats, and a heavy coat. I really like the Createx paints so far and absolutely love this color.

[Dragonhawk1066]

Then it was time to make something of the woodgrain bed floor. I airbrushed the piece with Apple Barrel Khaki craft paint. I then brush painted Apple Barrel Nutmeg Brown over the Khaki, making sure not to get any thick spots. After that I dry-brushed Delta Ceramcoat Black using both straight strokes and a swirling motion to try to give it a natural look. It turned out pretty good, so I brushed on a coat of Matte Varnish and let it dry overnight. In the morning, I taped off the the bed and trimmed out the slats to airbrush the Molotow Chrome. When that was done, I carefully pulled up the tape and surprised myself with what I think is a pretty nice looking woodgrain bed.

[Dragonhawk1066]

The engine was painted with Decoart Dazzling Metallics Zinc, the transmission in aluminum, and then detailed and assembled.

[Dragonhawk1066]

The interior tub was left in the gray primer, and the seats were given a two-tone using a custom mix of craft paints. I hand painted the door handles and window cranks with Molotow Chrome. The gauge cluster was painted and detailed and Molotow was also used for the bezel. I painted Molotow on the steering wheel, and drilled holes and used wire for the column shifter, turn signal, and tilt wheel lever.

[Dragonhawk1066]

And finally to get things current, I spent the morning wet-sanding and polishing the body parts. I ended up using Micro Mesh Polishing Pads starting at 6000, then 8000, and 12000. After that was some Novus #2 polish and then Meguiar's Ceaner Wax. I tried starting wet-sanding with 4000 and then 6000 wet/dry sandpaper, but both were too abrasive for the Createx UVLS Clear, so the polishing pads ended up being the perfect starting point. I really like my experience with these Createx Paints so far.

[Tabbysdaddy]

Looking good. I like that color. 

[espo]

Beautiful looking paint finish and color. Very realistic looking wood bed. 

[Jonathan]

Nice work so far!

[Mr. Metallic]

Great color for the body. And thanks for sharing your faux-wood technique.

[bisc63]

On 2/22/2022 at 6:34 PM, Dragonhawk1066 said:

The engine was painted with Decoart Dazzling Metallics Zinc, the transmission in aluminum, and then detailed and assembled.

Those have a nice appearance, are they sprayed or brushed on? Curious if they can be brushed ?

[Gary Chastain]

Really nice, color is great

[Zippi]

Truck is looking pretty sharp there.

[Dragonhawk1066]

1 hour ago, bisc63 said:

Those have a nice appearance, are they sprayed or brushed on? Curious if they can be brushed ?

Thanks, I airbrushed them. I airbrush craft paints all the time, mostly for engines, chassis, and interiors. I have also airbrushed several bodies with the metallics. They definitely need to be thinned though. I started using just plain blue automotive windshield washer fluid, which works well. I now use a "homebrew" thinner that consists of 3 parts distilled water, 1 part isopropyl alcohol, and 5-6 drops of glycerin, as a flow improver, per 8 oz. batch and the results are great.

[bisc63]

1 hour ago, Dragonhawk1066 said:

Thanks, I airbrushed them. I airbrush craft paints all the time, mostly for engines, chassis, and interiors. I have also airbrushed several bodies with the metallics.

Thanks for that informative response. The metal-like finish of those look as convincing as any acrylic base paint I've seen, and better than most. Very impressive!

[slusher]

Beautiful paint and finish!

[Jantrix]

Very nice. Looking forward to seeing more.

[1930fordpickup]

Looks great, I like the color.

 

[Dragonhawk1066]

Thanks for the great comments everyone! I finished the interior and pinned the SSR side view mirrors. I also sprayed on two coats of Tamiya Smoke to tone down the wheels.

[Dragonhawk1066]

My initial mock-up showed I had clearance for the rear wheels, but while assembling the bed, I noticed that I was mistaken, and surgery was in order. I measured and cut out the inner bed wall, and then very carefully cut pieces out of the bed floor. I used a pill bottle to make the arches and .020 sheet styrene to fill in the arches. I thought I had everything measured correctly, so I primed, painted and cleared the fender tubs with Pledge yesterday. Upon re-assembling the bed this morning, it was apparent that the tubs were just a bit too small. So, back to the pill bottle and sheet styrene to make a couple more to be painted Monday. 

[Oldcarfan27]

I like the pill bottle idea, I may use that. But I probably want to leave them clear. Sounds like it would be cool to show off the wheels and suspension detail. 

The woodgrain detail came out great!

[slusher]

Really nice looking seats,, look awesome..

[Dragonhawk1066]

I finally got back to the Cameo after my gauge decals came in. Here's a little before and after. I also had to perform some surgery to get the radiator and electric fan from the SSR to fit. Before I put it away last week, I also had to tweak the cab/bed assemblies for a more precise fit. It's getting real close now!

[bisc63]

Ooooohh, she's pretty!

[slusher]

Engine looks great!!