'53 Ford mild custom

[2002p51]

Those of you who know me through my writing know that I don't build customs very often. It's not that I don't like customs, I really do, it's that I hate the fill-sand-prime-repeat that's involved in just about any custom. And I don't really do it well so it works out pretty good that I prefer race cars!

Anyway, I've had this Lindberg '53 Victoria in my collection for a number of years now and I finally got around to doing something with it. I figured doing a mild custom would keep me away from all that filling and sanding and, for the most part, I was right. I still had to fill in some of the side trim and the dimples where the door handle went and I did okay but if you look hard enough you can still see where the filling happened.

I guess the paint is the main feature of this car. The base coat is Testors Flat Black on the body and Metallizer Aluminum on the roof. Then I fogged a little Flat Black around the edges of the roof. All of that was followed by an overall coat of Testors Model Master Stop Light Red Metallic. I was hoping for a greater contrast between the roof and the body, but I guess it's okay the way it came out.

The interior is just all Flat White. I built this as a curbside so there's no engine and no chassis detail. There's only enough parts to hold the wheels on and everything under there is flat black.

I would have liked to remove the bumper guards for a smooth bumper look but the bumpers are completely hollow so that wouldn't have worked. Those bullet taillights came out of my spares box.

Anyway, I'm mostly happy with the way it came out and now that I've done a custom I don't have to do another one for a long time. (only kidding of course) So, let me have it, comments, critiques, and whatever you have to say is welcome and encouraged!

[Kustom Rodder]

You did a fine job build some more customs in the future.

[Albie D]

Very nice. Great paint !

[W-Machine]

Very cool and understated. I like it.

[Travis Waits]

Very nice!

[Renegade]

Great look. Love the paint.

[crazyjim]

Very nice. I like the SHINY :)

[TooOld]

Excellent paint and a great looking custom !

[MachinistMark]

that paint is gorgeous..

very well done

[Sixties Sam]

Very nice! Great color choice, and a nice clean build.

Sam

[scaleauto]

Mild customs are one of my favourites. Very well done.

[H.A.K]

Holy cows man. I love this car. Great job buddy.

[Joker]

Great tip on the primer fade.

Clean ..Crisp

[realgone58]

Whaddaya mean ya don't do it well??? Sure looks good to me!

[Dave Ambrose]

That just looks super. Please, build some more.

[slusher]

Beautiful model...

[charlie8575]

I really like that color, along with the whole execution, and as a general rule, I'm not that into customs.

Nice job on this.

Charlie Larkin

[jcbigpaw]

Very nice. Good clean build and a tasteful custom. Nice work

Edited September 11, 2012 by jcbigpaw

[2002p51]

Thanks guys for all the compliments. I'm encouraged and there's a Revell/Monogram '48 Ford convertible over on the stack that's beginning to talk to me!

[Jantrix]

You did a fine job build some more customs in the future.

x2. Well done!

[David G.]

Excellent work, it just looks great.

David G.

[Modlbldr]

I think you did an excellent job on this one. I really like the paint work. Thanks for explaining how you did it. I'll have to give it a try. It's nice to do a mild custom once in a while, especially when it turns out this nice.

Later-

[cobraman]

Looks fantastic ! Great job.

[John Goschke]

Really nice mild custom, Drew! Great color combo and the taillights are just perfect; those Oldsmobile-style bullets are THE classic choice for the '52-'54 Ford. A simple nose, deck and door handle shave do wonders to clean up the original design.

Since you asked the only things I'd like to have seen done differently would be the rear end just a bit lower than the front. As a general rule cars with skirts tend to "flow" better with a little tail-dragger stance or at least low and level. Perhaps you could've carried the Olds theme a little further with a set of Fiesta caps from the Revell Roth '56 Ford pickup.

Oh, and the front turn signals would be clear rather than amber on the '53 Ford (and just about every other pre-1962 American car.)

Looking forward to your next custom!

[Burnout]

Looks great! I'd say the paint job is fantastic.