'65 Belvedere I

[espo]

Trying to finish before the new year. Doing sort of a box art build as this is the picture that attracted me to this kit in the first place. The only part not box stock is the prewired distributor. Paint is Tamiya TS-14 Black and TS-13 Clear. Interior is Tamiya Oxide Red Primer and TS-49 Bright Red and Ken's Fuzzy Fur for the floor carpet finish. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Looks good. Nice to see you building.   

[mustang1989]

Man, this thing is looking GOOD!!!! 

[TransAmMike]

Liking it David...gonna look great when finished!!

[Slotto]

Nice Mopar David. Great finish on that body

[customline]

Ditto on all the above, David.  How does this kit compare with the Round 2 kits of these MoPars? 

[slusher]

David , box art makes me think of a G-man car but has way too much motor for that!  Looking great friend!

[espo]

On 12/31/2022 at 1:33 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Looks good. Nice to see you building.   

 

On 12/31/2022 at 2:37 PM, mustang1989 said:

Man, this thing is looking GOOD!!!! 

 

On 12/31/2022 at 2:39 PM, TransAmMike said:

Liking it David...gonna look great when finished!!

 

On 12/31/2022 at 3:26 PM, Slotto said:

Nice Mopar David. Great finish on that body

 

22 hours ago, customline said:

Ditto on all the above, David.  How does this kit compare with the Round 2 kits of these MoPars? 

 

4 hours ago, slusher said:

David , box art makes me think of a G-man car but has way too much motor for that!  Looking great friend!

Thanks, guys, for your interest. I posted the finished build along with a few others today under My 2022, finally builds. 

[espo]

On 1/1/2023 at 3:42 PM, customline said:

Ditto on all the above, David.  How does this kit compare with the Round 2 kits of these MoPars? 

They are both excellent kits and do also have a few draw backs. This Moebius kit is very detailed, as most of their kits are. The downside is following their sequence of assembly is important. The mounting of the front suspension is fiddly on both, but more so on the Moebius Plymouth. A couple of things to think about on building this kit have to do with the front and rear body parts. This would be the area supporting the grill and headlights and the rear taillight panel and bumper mount. My suggestion would be to install the finished chassis with interior prior to installing these two portions of the body. The models body holds the chassis tightly and glue isn't needed. This being the case you will need to pry the body side apart to get the chassis inserted. With the front and rear body parts glued in place this would keep the body from spreading. Pay close attention to the position of the headlamps and the housings they are glued into. The assigned part numbers seem to be reversed. The "glass" in the kit is great except when you get to the windshield and the rear window. These windows are mounted from the outside of the body which is a problem since the shape and mounting surfaces are different from the shape of the window edges. The body seems to have to many window trim moldings on the body plus another molding on the glass edge based on the google images references online. I used the kits stock rear suspension with the kit's optional wheels and slicks. They just do fit but they are rubbing. My thought is the axels and wheel attachments are poorly designed. The axle is very thin and has a snap joint that has a short plastic tube that fits over it and the wheels are glued to that. One, this little tube is an odd size and easily lost so you have to create your own. Two, The axel is so slender it breaks easily. This kit does have some of the best decals I have had a chance to use. They do require a little extra care when soaking. They seem to release from the paper with only a moment of exposure to water but they seem to hold their shape while working the lettering on the hood and trunk lid. The engine option is the duel cross ram that I used, but the kit also has a single 4 barrel option with a chromed stock air cleaner. You have a set of steel wheels plus a pair of wider wheels for the slicks with a set of dog dish hub caps. The same setup is also there for the nice chromed American style 5 spoke wheels. The tire are excellent with a good tread detailing. This is a little long winded but just trying to give you a heads up on issues I encountered.  I would recommend either kit. The Lawman kit would require you to make a header back exhaust system if you're building a street car.  

[NOBLNG]

It looks great David. I really like the interior.?

[customline]

1 hour ago, espo said:

They are both excellent kits and do also have a few draw backs. This Moebius kit is very detailed, as most of their kits are. The downside is following their sequence of assembly is important. The mounting of the front suspension is fiddly on both, but more so on the Moebius Plymouth. A couple of things to think about on building this kit have to do with the front and rear body parts. This would be the area supporting the grill and headlights and the rear taillight panel and bumper mount. My suggestion would be to install the finished chassis with interior prior to installing these two portions of the body. The models body holds the chassis tightly and glue isn't needed. This being the case you will need to pry the body side apart to get the chassis inserted. With the front and rear body parts glued in place this would keep the body from spreading. Pay close attention to the position of the headlamps and the housings they are glued into. The assigned part numbers seem to be reversed. The "glass" in the kit is great except when you get to the windshield and the rear window. These windows are mounted from the outside of the body which is a problem since the shape and mounting surfaces are different from the shape of the window edges. The body seems to have to many window trim moldings on the body plus another molding on the glass edge based on the google images references online. I used the kits stock rear suspension with the kit's optional wheels and slicks. They just do fit but they are rubbing. My thought is the axels and wheel attachments are poorly designed. The axle is very thin and has a snap joint that has a short plastic tube that fits over it and the wheels are glued to that. One, this little tube is an odd size and easily lost so you have to create your own. Two, The axel is so slender it breaks easily. This kit does have some of the best decals I have had a chance to use. They do require a little extra care when soaking. They seem to release from the paper with only a moment of exposure to water but they seem to hold their shape while working the lettering on the hood and trunk lid. The engine option is the duel cross ram that I used, but the kit also has a single 4 barrel option with a chromed stock air cleaner. You have a set of steel wheels plus a pair of wider wheels for the slicks with a set of dog dish hub caps. The same setup is also there for the nice chromed American style 5 spoke wheels. The tire are excellent with a good tread detailing. This is a little long winded but just trying to give you a heads up on issues I encountered.  I would recommend either kit. The Lawman kit would require you to make a header back exhaust system if you're building a street car.  

I appreciate the long-winded response, Dave, it's good information for those of us in need of it  ?.   Seriously, we are trying to help each other on this medium and you should not hesitate to empty your bucket when duty calls ☺️. I don't. No one is forced to read it. I did ?its a darn good review, Dave.   All kits have some issues, even the really good kits. I'm building a Moebius kit presently and I am quite happy with it. After a number of mock-ups it seems I may not need to glue the body on this ('56 300B) either. It's a very precise fit. I totally get it about the front and rear lower panels waiting until the bottom is in place. I don't like it but it is what it is. I'm working on one like that now ('69 Boss 302).  You mention the tires rubbing - this is sorta common across the brands. I check now, and get ahead of it and make the "adjustments " to either the wheels or the axles. And the decals? Yeah, no more than 10 seconds in water. I love 5 spoke Americans with the dark gray spokes and the chrome rims flatted out. Sounds like a great kit. Thanks David. ? 

[papajohn97]

Nice job so far David on this “box art” Moebius ‘65 Ply. I particularly like how you’ve masked and painted the seat inserts slightly darker so that they appear like woven cloth inserts with the surrounding outer upholstery. Little things like that can really punch up the realism on a car model build.
 

Like most othe builders here, I always appreciated detailed feedback on specific kits and your comments reflect my experiences with these Moebius Plymouths (which I happen to LOVE and have built four so far, I can’t wait for the upcoming Dodge releases!). While the axle/ wheel design on these kits are less than perfect, I think they are still much better than the old small diameter molded plastic boss axles that are on the AMT/Round 2 (former Lindberg) ‘64 Plymouth and Dodges. On the last few AMT/Round 2/ Lindberg kits I’ve built, I’ve just assumed that at least one of the plastic axles will eventually break and have resorted to drilling them out and replacing the plastic pin axles with 1/16” brass rod/ tubing which is pretty easy to do and makes for a much more robust finished model IMO.

Looking forward to seeing this beautiful  black max wedge sleeper come together. 

[papajohn97]

PS - just saw your “Class of 2022 Finally”, this finished ‘65 Ply along with your other builds are really nice! That Firebird is also very sweet. .Love your taste in auto subjects!

[espo]

14 hours ago, customline said:

I appreciate the long-winded response, Dave, it's good information for those of us in need of it  ?.   Seriously, we are trying to help each other on this medium and you should not hesitate to empty your bucket when duty calls ☺️. I don't. No one is forced to read it. I did ?its a darn good review, Dave.   All kits have some issues, even the really good kits. I'm building a Moebius kit presently and I am quite happy with it. After a number of mock-ups it seems I may not need to glue the body on this ('56 300B) either. It's a very precise fit. I totally get it about the front and rear lower panels waiting until the bottom is in place. I don't like it but it is what it is. I'm working on one like that now ('69 Boss 302).  You mention the tires rubbing - this is sorta common across the brands. I check now, and get ahead of it and make the "adjustments " to either the wheels or the axles. And the decals? Yeah, no more than 10 seconds in water. I love 5 spoke Americans with the dark gray spokes and the chrome rims flatted out. Sounds like a great kit. Thanks David. ? 

Thanks Jim. Someone asks for some info sometimes it's hard to know if you're trying to give too much info and make it sound like the person asking the question doesn't know much about what they're doing. I agree with you on the axle issues but in this case, I think they should consider something better. As for fitment on the Belvedere, I think part of the problem was created by the way that I had to recreate the attachment for the rear tires since they were close even with the kit's setup.  

[espo]

12 hours ago, papajohn97 said:

Nice job so far David on this “box art” Moebius ‘65 Ply. I particularly like how you’ve masked and painted the seat inserts slightly darker so that they appear like woven cloth inserts with the surrounding outer upholstery. Little things like that can really punch up the realism on a car model build.
 

Like most othe builders here, I always appreciated detailed feedback on specific kits and your comments reflect my experiences with these Moebius Plymouths (which I happen to LOVE and have built four so far, I can’t wait for the upcoming Dodge releases!). While the axle/ wheel design on these kits are less than perfect, I think they are still much better than the old small diameter molded plastic boss axles that are on the AMT/Round 2 (former Lindberg) ‘64 Plymouth and Dodges. On the last few AMT/Round 2/ Lindberg kits I’ve built, I’ve just assumed that at least one of the plastic axles will eventually break and have resorted to drilling them out and replacing the plastic pin axles with 1/16” brass rod/ tubing which is pretty easy to do and makes for a much more robust finished model IMO.

Looking forward to seeing this beautiful  black max wedge sleeper come together. 

Glad you liked the Max Wedge Belvedere. I usually build a kit to represent how I would build a 1:1 version of the same thing. The sleeper look is something I just preferer so that's the way I usually build my models. As you pointed out on these models, I'm going to just start making my own axles instead of the ones in the kit. 

[customline]

1 hour ago, espo said:

Thanks Jim. Someone asks for some info sometimes it's hard to know if you're trying to give too much info and make it sound like the person asking the question doesn't know much about what they're doing. I agree with you on the axle issues but in this case, I think they should consider something better. As for fitment on the Belvedere, I think part of the problem was created by the way that I had to recreate the attachment for the rear tires since they were close even with the kit's setup.  

I think maybe there are plenty of builders that appreciate any information, it certainly can't hurt.