1957 Thunderbird

[70 Sting]

Good morning, 

I bought this kit at a flea market and thought it might look cool with some updated wheels. The body was painted Tamiya LP-1 Black and clear coated with Tamiya X-22. The interior is leftover red from a previous build with LP-5 Semi Gloss seat accents. The carpet is black embossing powder. The wheels are Fujimi #101 17” painted AK Chrome. There are some flaws with this kit and my job in building it, but overall it was fun to build.

What I Learned

1. Test fit then test fit some more. Both bumpers needed shaving down; the engine mounting points were not obvious; the RR wheel well is 2 mm forward from the RL - I offset the wheel mounting to compensate. The RR tail light was kinda soft and mangled and I tried to re-scribe it as best I could but it didn’t turn out so well.

2. I chickened out on sanding the entire paint as there was some texture in the finish. I did try the 3 Tamiya compounds and even Novus on the removable hard top but I could not get the swirls and scratches to disappear. Fortunately the X-22 completely hid them.

3. I didn’t like the shade of black on the embossing powder (bluish hue) so brush painted it with X-18 Semi Gloss Black. It held the paint quite well.

4. There were very few decals in the kit so I tried dry brushing the badges for the first time. It didn’t turn out perfect but with a little practice I hope to use this technique more in the future.

Thanks for looking!

P.S. Wouldn’t be a completed kit if I didn’t get a little glue on the windshield :^(

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by 70 Sting

[afx]

Very nice.

[Bainford]

Nice T-Bird. Good looking paint, and the interior colours compliment it very nicely. The dry-brushing on the scripts looks great. Nicely done.

[crazyjim]

Outstanding build.

[ChrisR]

Looks great!

[Limeyglue]

Looks good in black 

[70 Sting]

@Bainford I actually used one of those pointy cotton buds on the script and badges as I was concerned a brush might be a little sloppy.

[drodg]

Wow.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Without doubt one of the best looking cars ever built.

Fine job, most attractive interior colors, wire wheels look right at home.   

[happy grumpy]

A well done build of a not so good fitting kit, but you did a hell of a job on it. Great paint job by the way.

[Jim B]

Great looking Thunderbird.  Very well done.

[grodudulle77]

Very clean work !! ??

[espo]

Beautiful looking T-Bird. N ice color combination with the interior. Those wheels work well. 

[mustang1989]

This is a very nice lookin' car ...that's for dang sure!!! What I like just as much is the way you set it all off and captured the work you did put into this build with your awesome photography. VERY well built and VERY good photography work.

[70 Sting]

@Ace-Garageguy I agree. The older cars had so much style and class. They drove and handled like a brick by today's standards but they looked good doing it.

Edited May 11, 2022 by 70 Sting

[70 Sting]

I appreciate that @mustang1989. As I've mentioned in previous posts, this method of photographing cars is very flattering and hides minor flaws.

[TransAmMike]

Well that is one fine looking '57 Harry.  Black with red interior is a great combination. And you are so right about the glue on the W/S.

[70 Sting]

Thanks @happy grumpy. I’m working my way up to those super-glossy paint jobs. Though I think it’s important that the shine match the type of vehicle.

[charger74]

Very well done 

[Kah puts]

That looks very slick, congrats. 

[Ulbo]

Wow it looks sinister!!! Great Job?

[70 Sting]

@TransAmMike ‘Sinister’… great choice of words. ?

[David G.]

Great looking T-Bird! The paint came out nicely and the interior looks fantastic.

Is there something going on with the headlights or did I miss something?

David G.

[70 Sting]

@David G. They are turned off. ? 

I didn’t want to add silver paint from behind as I thought they might look too bright. While I was installing them under my work light they seemed to show up a well enough on their own… not so much after the fact. I’m undecided whether to leave as is or maybe try a light dry brush with white paint.

[JollySipper]

That's a really nice job with a kit that kinda lacks in a lot of areas....... I especially like the interior.