AMT Surf Shark (my version): WIP

[OldNYJim]

On 2/24/2024 at 6:43 AM, David G. said:

Then I'll probably build this one as a hearse.

Convert the ambulance kit back into a surf wagon ?

This is looking great David - enjoying this build!  Nice work on the little details 

[David G.]

7 hours ago, CabDriver said:

Convert the ambulance kit back into a surf wagon ?

This is looking great David - enjoying this build!  Nice work on the little details 

Thank you Jim!

David G.

[Randy D]

Outstanding work on this project David!!!

Love your attention to all the small details.  The rear end  along with the front nose are just awesome with all the bling.

Randy

[David G.]

16 hours ago, Randy D said:

Outstanding work on this project David!!!

Love your attention to all the small details.  The rear end  along with the front nose are just awesome with all the bling.

Randy

Thank you Randy.

I truly appreciate your interest and your kind comment.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

As I get closer to wrapping up this build, the work seems to go more quickly and slow down at the same time.

Is that even possible?  ?

The interior is pretty much complete. I've added a radio and mic mounted to the dash on a bracket that I fabbed from some leftover PE sprue. In the back, the gurney has been permanently installed. It's not the best model of a gurney available but it's the one I had at the time. Most of the rear area will be obscured with window decals from the actual AMT ambulance kit. The fire extinguisher is new too.

 

 

I also made certain that the radio would clear the windshield after assembly.   

 

 

The tail fins are now permanently in place. I'm not exceedingly happy with their fit but there they are.

 

Hopefully I'll get more done over the coming weekend.

Until then, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment if one is so inclined.

David G.

Edited February 29, 2024 by David G.
typo

[dwc43]

Looking good. You did a great job on it.

[David G.]

22 hours ago, dwc43 said:

Looking good. You did a great job on it.

Thank you! I should have more updates soon.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I started throwing some decals at the beast. These are drawn from the sets provided in both the Surf Shark and Ambulance kits. The best of both worlds!

I do plan to add some more decals soon. 

 

 

Work is done on the last two body additions I want to add, the two-way radio antenna and rear loading light. 

I've drilled and wired them both so they can be pinned to the body. Not only does this provide a more secure attachment to the body, it also gives me a convenient way to hold them for painting!   

 

That's it for this round. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G. 

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

While looking at the parts in the new AMT 1959 Cadillac Ambulance kit and comparing them to what's in the Surf Shark kit, I noticed that the ambulance kit has a partition in it. The partition is intended to divide the front driver area from the rear patient care area. So of course, I had to have one for the Surf Shark ambulance.

Considering the interior changes that AMT made between the two kits, I figured that the one from the ambulance wouldn't fit in the Surf Shark without modifying it. Aside from that, I wanted to keep the kit-provided one for use in the kit which provided it. 

So using the manufacturer's example as a rough template, I manufactured one of my own.

 

 

I installed it behind the front seat using the window canopy to help hold it in place. I just thought that this was a neat picture so I included it here.

 

 

I think that will work just fine.

 

 

So there it is! Was it worth the effort? Yeah, I think so. I thought about adding styrene strips around the window section to simulate frames and tracks for the windows but decided against it. Seeing in place, I'm glad I kept it simple and straight forward.

 

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[slusher]

Fantastic job, David!

[dwc43]

Looking good.

[David G.]

22 hours ago, slusher said:

Fantastic job, David!

Thank you Carl!

 

22 hours ago, dwc43 said:

Looking good.

Thanks D.W.

I'm really eager to get this one finished. So hopefully I'll have more updates soon.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Not wanting to leave well enough alone I decided on one more addition to the interior. While not technically the interior, I do  consider the window glass as such.

Many of the photos I found during my research showed a blue tint band across the top edge of the windshield. With such a big fishbowl of a windshield that tint would be a practical necessity. So I decided to add one to my build.

To achieve this I used some Pledge Floor Care (as my decade old bottle is labeled) with a few drops of blue food coloring. I brushed the mixture on the inside top edge of the windshield and propped it up at an angle that would allow the acrylic tint to remain in the proper location while it dried over night.

Though not perfect, it's one of the better tint jobs I've done.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

Edited March 10, 2024 by David G.
typo

[Anglia105E]

8 hours ago, David G. said:

Hello Everybody!

Not wanting to leave well enough alone I decided on one more addition to the interior. While not technically the interior, I do  consider the window glass as such.

Many of the photos I found during my research showed a blue tint band across the top edge of the windshield. With such a big fishbowl of a windshield that tint would be a practical necessity. So I decided to add one to my build.

To achieve this I used some Pledge Floor Care (as my decade old bottle is labeled) with a few drops of blue food coloring. I brushed the mixture on the inside top edge of the windshield and propped it up at an angle that would allow the acrylic tint to remain in the proper location while it dried over night.

Though not perfect, it's one of the better tint jobs I've done.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

Well done with your window tint along the top edge of the windscreen David, and I do know from experience that this is a tricky thing to do . . . Mine was a dark green tint on a Pontiac Parisienne . . . Also you've done some nice work on the interior partition, which I think is quite an important addition.

This is a large car by the look of it !

David

[OldNYJim]

Tint looks good David!  Tamiya Clear Blue acrylic is another option that works well - but yours looks good!  

Making good progress, keep going!

[David G.]

13 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Well done with your window tint along the top edge of the windscreen David, and I do know from experience that this is a tricky thing to do . . . Mine was a dark green tint on a Pontiac Parisienne . . . Also you've done some nice work on the interior partition, which I think is quite an important addition.

This is a large car by the look of it !

David

Thank you David.

How did you do the tint on the Pontiac if I may ask?

Thank you, I felt that the partition was necessary as well.

And yes. Being just shy of 21' in length, this thing is a monster in real life!

 

7 hours ago, CabDriver said:

Tint looks good David!  Tamiya Clear Blue acrylic is another option that works well - but yours looks good!  

Making good progress, keep going!

Thank you Jim. It's nearly done now, I'm at the "buttons & bows" stage and should have it wrapped up soon.

Thanks again,

David G.

[dwc43]

22 hours ago, David G. said:

Hello Everybody!

Not wanting to leave well enough alone I decided on one more addition to the interior. While not technically the interior, I do  consider the window glass as such.

Many of the photos I found during my research showed a blue tint band across the top edge of the windshield. With such a big fishbowl of a windshield that tint would be a practical necessity. So I decided to add one to my build.

To achieve this I used some Pledge Floor Care (as my decade old bottle is labeled) with a few drops of blue food coloring. I brushed the mixture on the inside top edge of the windshield and propped it up at an angle that would allow the acrylic tint to remain in the proper location while it dried over night.

Though not perfect, it's one of the better tint jobs I've done.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

That looks great. I remember the blue /green tint of my Dads windshield in the 74 Charger he had. You see a lot of that factory tint on a/c equipped cars back in the day.

[Anglia105E]

Quote " How did you do the tint on the Pontiac if I may ask? "

I seem to remember mixing up a thin green paint, which might have been enamel because I wasn't using acrylics that long ago, and then because the tint needed to be graded . . . I masked off the lower part of the screen, brushed on the band of thin green paint and tipped the screen over so that the paint ran down towards the bottom ( which was the top of the screen ) . . . This produced the ' graded ' tint that I was attempting to create.

Hope that makes sense David . . . It was a long time ago, and I don't have any WIP photos from that build.

The following photo doesn't show the graded tint unfortunately !

David

[David G.]

22 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Quote " How did you do the tint on the Pontiac if I may ask? "

I seem to remember mixing up a thin green paint, which might have been enamel because I wasn't using acrylics that long ago, and then because the tint needed to be graded . . . I masked off the lower part of the screen, brushed on the band of thin green paint and tipped the screen over so that the paint ran down towards the bottom ( which was the top of the screen ) . . . This produced the ' graded ' tint that I was attempting to create.

Hope that makes sense David . . . It was a long time ago, and I don't have any WIP photos from that build.

The following photo doesn't show the graded tint unfortunately !

David

 

Thank you for the information David. I hadn't thought to try tinting that way.

My most common issue with adding a tint strip is the paint line between the clear glass and the tinted area. Which is what lead me to trying tinting the clear acrylic hoping that it would produce a softer, more gradual transition. For the most part it did.

The method you described seems like it would work at least as well and maybe better. I'll have to experiment with it and see what I can do.

Thanks again for taking the time to share that with me. I'm always looking for new means of improving my skills.

Excellent looking build BTW. But the Secret Service agent seems annoyed with the owner's choice of parking spot.  

David G.

Edited March 12, 2024 by David G.

[NOBLNG]

Wow, you put a lot of work into this one David. It looks great!?

[David G.]

55 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

Wow, you put a lot of work into this one David. It looks great!?

Thank you Greg!

I have more work done on this beast and I need to take some photos but my camera is in the shop getting some cleaning and maintenance done. 

I'm trying to get the courage to try to get some shots with the ol' cell phone but if not, I should have my camera back by the end of this week.

So if I go dark, that's why.  

David G.

[Anglia105E]

3 hours ago, David G. said:

 

Thank you for the information David. I hadn't thought to try tinting that way.

My most common issue with adding a tint strip is the paint line between the clear glass and the tinted area. Which is what lead me to trying tinting the clear acrylic hoping that it would produce a softer, more gradual transition. For the most part it did.

The method you described seems like it would work at least as well and maybe better. I'll have to experiment with it and see what I can do.

Thanks again for taking the time to share that with me. I'm always looking for new means of improving my skills.

Excellent looking build BTW. But the Secret Service agent seems annoyed with the owner's choice of parking spot.  

David G.

You mentioned the choice of parking spot . . . Understandably, the agents get a bit ' twitchy ' when a Pontiac pulls in between the Presidential Lincoln limousine parade car and the Hudson Hornet . . . Maybe the owner just wanted a closer look at the  Lincoln ?  This was a Canadian car with British plates on it, so presumably a tourist and not a potential threat . . .

David

[David G.]

1 hour ago, Anglia105E said:

You mentioned the choice of parking spot . . . Understandably, the agents get a bit ' twitchy ' when a Pontiac pulls in between the Presidential Lincoln limousine parade car and the Hudson Hornet . . . Maybe the owner just wanted a closer look at the  Lincoln ?  This was a Canadian car with British plates on it, so presumably a tourist and not a potential threat . . .

David

Just watch out, those Canadians can be fierce when the need arises.

DAG

[Anglia105E]

6 minutes ago, David G. said:

Just watch out, those Canadians can be fierce when the need arises.

DAG

Okay, I have been warned !

[Randy D]

This one is looking great David!!

Good call on the divider..  Nice detail on the radio and the window tint looks spot on!!

Randy