Look…a Squirrel!…No, it’s a Nomad.

[NOBLNG]

No, it’s a ‘56 Nomad.? I’ve been wanting to build one of these for a long time…so figured I’d get a start. It seems to be a nice kit.

 
The body is nice, but has some mold seams on it as do all kits, and some peaks running down the tops of the fenders which don’t belong there. There are also a few small sink marks on the passenger front fender. Other than that she’s a beauty.?

 

The front bumper on these kits have mold seams on the corners and a  sprue attachment point on one of them. So I stripped it and smoothed it and added the missing bolts using .040” evergreen rod. I drilled out and replaced the originals also so they would all match. The bumperettes seemed a bit wonky looking, so I sanded them down a bit too. I will spray this and some other bits with Revell chrome.

 

The chassis sits pretty secure in the body, but will slide back and forth a touch, so I added blocks and pegged it so it doesn’t cause any grief later.?

 

The thing that bothers me with this kit is the precarious mounting of the front bumper and valence. I pinned the grill in place and then used styrene bits to glue the valence in place solidly. Then I cut the lower tabs off the grill so it could be removed again. I added a couple of .063” spacer blocks inside the bumper and a couple of .030” discs to the outer corners of the valence. Now the bumper is a nice friction fit and stays in place even without glue.

EDIT: I did away with the blocks and discs because they didn’t work after I shortened the valence.?

 

Now I can paint the body and valence as a unit. Thats it for now. As always, all comments welcome.?
 

Edited November 10, 2023 by NOBLNG

[Bullybeef]

Now there is a kit that I never knew existed! Will you be keeping it stock Greg? 

[NOBLNG]

46 minutes ago, Bullybeef said:

Now there is a kit that I never knew existed! Will you be keeping it stock Greg? 

This will be a day two restoration. All stock except for paint, some detailing and maybe a wheel and tire change. I believe this is an earlier version of this kit.

Edited November 4, 2023 by NOBLNG

[James2]

Some nice helpful mods...

[dino246gt]

I think that front bumper sticks out too far, now's the time to trim the valance back if you wish. Since you've already removed the chrome, you can remove some of the bumper sides too where it intrudes the wheel opening, AFTER you shorten the valance!

[NOBLNG]

57 minutes ago, dino246gt said:

I think that front bumper sticks out too far, now's the time to trim the valance back if you wish. Since you've already removed the chrome, you can remove some of the bumper sides too where it intrudes the wheel opening, AFTER you shorten the valance!

Thanks for reminding me Dennis!? Here it is next to the one from the newer Del Ray kit. At least I have a pattern for the trimming.

Edited November 4, 2023 by NOBLNG

[bill-e-boy]

You are off to a great start Geg. I too found that the bumper sits a a long way forward and is different to the box art car where the bumper is tucked right into the body. I shortened it and tucked it into the body. 

[BDSchindler]

Nice work, Greg!  I'll be watching

[Chariots of Fire]

So ?where's the squirrel???

[NOBLNG]

Well it took awhile, but I’ve finally got the bumper re-mounted. I traced the Del Ray  valence and trimmed the Nomad one down.

I couldn’t get the bumper to sit nicely, so I made a new valence from .040” sheet. Only after a lot of fiddling did I realize that the frame horns are quite a bit different between the Del Ray and the Nomad.? Probably didn’t need to make a whole new one.?

After paring down the frame, I used a couple of 1/4” slugs to space the bumper evenly on both sides. I found a thread on a tri-five forum that said the measurement where the slugs are should be 7” or .28” in scale…close enough!?

Once the bumper fit properly, I re-did the bolts on the rear corners of the bumper. I left them a bit long on the inside so they could act as locators for the bumper ends. It clicks into place nicely now.?

??? Oh, and I shortened the bumper ends too!

Edited November 5, 2023 by NOBLNG

[Bills72sj]

You should make resin copies of your bumper and valence. I would pay $15-20 to get results like that.

[afx]

Nice improvements on the front valance and bumper.

[Zippi]

Nice work on the 56 Greg.  This will be a pretty kewl ride.

[NOBLNG]

10 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

You should make resin copies of your bumper and valence. I would pay $15-20 to get results like that.

Thanks, but you could buy a newer kit with the corrected parts for a bit more and have all kinds of extra parts.?

6 hours ago, afx said:

Nice improvements on the front valance and bumper.

Thanks, I fuddled my way through it.?

4 hours ago, Zippi said:

Nice work on the 56 Greg.  This will be a pretty kewl ride.

Thanks Bob…I hope so.?

[NOBLNG]

A few quick and dirty mockups.? I don’t have much for wheels and tires in the parts bin, so I may just go with the stock tires and hubcaps…with maybe a little attitude adjustment. I don’t mind the slotted rims (A) or the rally wheels (B) but I don’t really have decent tires for them.?

Edited November 6, 2023 by NOBLNG

[espo]

Number 1= D. Number 2= B with the center slotted area painted to match the body color. Just one person's opinion, do as you wish. 

[Wolf]

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to my eye the front bumper and valance modifications are indeed beautiful. Well done Greg!   
With regards to the wheels and tires I personally think the stock wheels, hubcaps, and white wall tires give the Nomad such a classic look. That said I’m sure you’re going to use something that will look just right.

Cheers,   
Wolf

Edited November 6, 2023 by Wolf

[TransAmMike]

Yep, "D" for me also.  Should be a nice one Greg!

[SpikeSchumacher]

I vote for D as well. E would also work, but they do look a bit "dated"... All depends on the overall look you are going for, and what makes you happy ?

Edited November 7, 2023 by SpikeSchumacher

[NOBLNG]

8 hours ago, espo said:

Number 1= D. Number 2= B with the center slotted area painted to match the body color. Just one person's opinion, do as you wish. 

 

8 hours ago, Wolf said:

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to my eye the front bumper and valance modifications are indeed beautiful. Well done Greg!   
With regards to the wheels and tires I personally think the stock wheels, hubcaps, and white wall tires give the Nomad such a classic look. That said I’m sure you’re going to use something that will look just right.

Cheers,   
Wolf

 

8 hours ago, TransAmMike said:

Yep, "D" for me also.  Should be a nice one Greg!

 

25 minutes ago, SpikeSchumacher said:

I vote for D as well. E would also work, but they do look a bit "dated"... All depends on the overall look you are going for, and what makes you happy ?

Thanks for your votes Gentlemen. I have done a few more mockups, and have pretty much decided on the rally wheels. I like them and these #3 ones from the Revell ‘32 Deuce kit…but the tires that fit those rims and the “D” rims are a bit too wide for the wheel wells, and would require some extra carving.? Different styles of wheels unfortunately.?

 

[customline]

My 2 pennies?.....go 100% stock with a cool 2 tone paint job.  Sorry....?....

[Bills72sj]

After viewing them all twice. I like D followed by 2.

[redscampi]

D3. Cragar mags belong on a classic Nomad. There’s reason they were ubiquitous.?

[Mr. Metallic]

On 11/4/2023 at 12:58 PM, bill-e-boy said:

You are off to a great start Geg. I too found that the bumper sits a a long way forward and is different to the box art car where the bumper is tucked right into the body. I shortened it and tucked it into the body. 

 

On 11/5/2023 at 11:52 PM, Bills72sj said:

You should make resin copies of your bumper and valence. I would pay $15-20 to get results like that.

The version of this kit with the green-on-green 1:1 is the original issue, and I thought I remembered that Revell redid the valance for later issues. Can anyone confirm that?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Looking good.

Kinda amazing how many people build this kit and don't even notice the glaring errors...especially the peaks on the front fender tops...you're correcting so nicely...

My compliments on your work, sir.  

Edited November 7, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy