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Posted

One of the first kits I ever bought for myself as a kid was MPC's 1957/1975/1985 Corvette 3-Pack. A few months ago I ran across my old build of the '57, and it prompted a trip to eBay to revisit the kit. In keeping with the spirit of the build, I kept modifications to a minimum. One new change was a set of parts box wheels and tires, combined with the knockoffs from the kit.

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Probably the best improvement this time around was properly fitting the front and rear pans to the body. The rear was particularly bad, to the point where one of the rear bumpers fell off my old build for lack of a decent surface to adhere to. Getting it sanded smooth obliterated the already faint trunk line, so that had to be re-scribed.

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The old kit had one of my earliest attempts at adding ignition wires, but I had split them right down the middle so it looked like Alfalfa hair. I tried to make them a little more natural this time. I replaced the fan belt because the one in the kit was broken, only to find that "close" wasn't quite close enough to clear the stock radiator hose. A new one was made from aluminum wire.

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The three-spoke steering wheel was also busted, so I used the optional wheel from the kit. I also flocked the floor with embossing powder. This is the first model I've used it on, but I will definitely be using it again in the future.

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Researching the car, I found a photo of a restoration that appeared to have left the bottom of the fiberglass tub unpainted. I kind of liked the look, so for something a little different I painted the floor light brown.

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With my first attempt from ~30 years ago. While I readily acknowledge this is not the best option for the '57 Corvette out there, I always enjoy building these old MPC kits.

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  • Like 7
Posted

Thanks, guys!

4 hours ago, milo1303s said:

Didn't those wheels come in an issue of the Amt flip nose vette?

I'm not sure where they originally came from, I found them in my box of wheels. The '57 flip nose I have is the one with the pink box art, and it only has the five spoke wheels.

4 hours ago, JohnnyK said:

I like the red and white car.

You'll have to trust me, it looks better from a distance! 

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Thanks, guys!

18 hours ago, Dave Darby said:

Great job on a kit that is not an easy build.

I had only vague recollections of building it all those years ago, it surprised me with some of the subassemblies that needed extra work.

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