SMP '59 Corvette 3-in-1 Kit ala Watson, Paint Phase 2!

[John Goschke]

Yeah, I know there at least three better kits of the '58-'60 quad-light Corvette, but there's something satisfying about taking an old unbuilt kit and trying to get the most out of it without getting bogged down by "Advanced Modeler's Syndrome (AMS)."

I was fortunate to acquire this nice example of AMT's first Corvette kit from a member of our model club for a fair price. Because AMT's '60 kit has been re-issued so many times over the years, the price on first-issues of the '59 and '60 aren't nearly as crazy as those for the other vintage annuals that saw only one issue.

For my purposes, the virtue of the original '59 kit was that it didn't have an engine or opening hood, in addition to being different from all the reissues of the '60 (including the one labeled as a '59) in that it had a correct '59 interior (however crude.)

Here it is mocked up after quite a few hours of mold-line cleanup, fit, and stance adjustment, including moving the left front wheel forward about 1/16" and the right rear wheel back a similar amount! It also takes a lot of work to get the windshield to fit properly in this kit, and like many AMT/SMP kits from '59 and '60, the clear parts suffer from internal stress cracks (so, the windshield may get replaced with some clear sheet before final assembly.)

The little dummy spots are from a '62 Ford kit, and the Lancer caps are from a 1960-vintage AMT kit. The lakes pipes are scratched from styrene rod, strip, and hex rod -- they'll get a coat of Alcad. The paint job will be similar to a '58 Corvette Larry Watson painted for LaVonne Bathke in 1959 or '60 -- candy red, silver insert, with off-white panel outlines. I'll be skipping the red and gold flames Larry did in the coves!

Edited February 18, 2013 by John Goschke

[John Goschke]

Some detail painting adds a little life to a pretty crude chassis, including one of the more ridiculous interpretations of a Chevy V-8 and trans ever seen!

Cutting the floorboards out and replacing them with sheet styrene is the quick way to get rid of the HUGE injector pin marks that are usually on the floors of old AMT and SMP kits. Cutting a panel line for the inside door panel adds a little bit of realism to the interior.

The tires are from a mid '60s AMT Craftsman kit with the WWs painted with Polly S acrylic. The wheels are from the original Corvette kit but a 3/64" spacer is needed behind them because the inside of the tires is deeper than the kit tires. A little Tamiya Pearl White brushed onto the chrome headlight lenses helps a bit.

Edited February 11, 2013 by John Goschke

[Roadracer]

That will be a cool looking build......when your done with it! I love it!

[sjordan2]

If the finished build turns out as nice as your typography, this will be terrific.

[Joker]

Looking good John..

Thanks for the crisp and uncluttered pixs too.

[Nitro Neil]

I looks great just the way it is. I'm looking forward to see the finished paint.

[Ron Hamilton]

That is going to be a nice build.

[vintagercr]

Looks good.

[High octane]

Wow, its been a loooooong time since I've seen one of those kits. It's gonna look really nice!

[Grant]

I like it ... Can't wait to see some paint!

[gtx6970]

My all time favorite Vette,,so I'm in.

Is the SMP kit the only way to get a nice representation of a 1959 Corvette. ? I want one for myself but all

I keep seeing are the AMT car but fear they are all the one with the to small headlights .

[crazyrichard]

awsome i love it !

[TooOld]

It looks really good in styrene so it should look fantastic when it's painted !

Good tip about the headlights , best one I've seen yet .

[John Goschke]

My all time favorite Vette,,so I'm in.

Is the SMP kit the only way to get a nice representation of a 1959 Corvette. ? I want one for myself but all

I keep seeing are the AMT car but fear they are all the one with the to small headlights .

Thanks for the comments, guys! Much appreciated! Took it all apart and shot primer last night along with the base coat on the lakes pipes. Hope to shoot the silver on the body tonight, then, if everything goes right, mask the coves and shoot the Tamiya Mica Red primary color (spraying it over the silver results in a great "candy" effect that's more subtle than shooting clear red over the silver.)

Bill, the best '59 Corvette is Revell's recent modified reissue of Monogram's "Pro-Modeler" 1/25th '58 Corvette. I've not seen the '59 version but the '58 is superb. Apparently '59 comes with a hardtop not present in the '58. If you can deal with the multi-piece body, Revell did a nice '59 Corvette in about 1959 or '60, that's been re-issued a couple times, most recently in the "Skip's Drive-In" series. MPC did a '60 in the 1960s that's been reissued several times. It's a detailed kit with many virtues, but is hampered by a lousy interpretation of the shape of the side coves.

[Ira]

Great Start!

[gtx6970]

Bill, the best '59 Corvette is Revell's recent modified reissue of Monogram's "Pro-Modeler" 1/25th '58 Corvette. I've not seen the '59 version but the '58 is superb. Apparently '59 comes with a hardtop not present in the '58. If you can deal with the multi-piece body, Revell did a nice '59 Corvette in about 1959 or '60, that's been re-issued a couple times, most recently in the "Skip's Drive-In" series. MPC did a '60 in the 1960s that's been reissued several times. It's a detailed kit with many virtues, but is hampered by a lousy interpretation of the shape of the side coves.

Thanks for the info. And sorry for the slight hijack

I guess I on the hunt for another kit for the closet

[Modlbldr]

Great looking build. These years of Vettes are my second favorite behind the 63-67's. Yours is coming out fantastic. I can't wait to see it with the paint you have planned.

You wouldn't happen to know the kit number or can you post a photo of the Revell reissue of Monogram's Pro Modeler kit? I'm interested in it but can't picture it.

Later-

[Draggon]

Outstanding! Another winner John. Since the "street machine" craze, I think sometimes people forget that in the early 60's there were a whole lot of custom Vette's running around.

[charlie8575]

That's shaping up very nicely, John. I'll enjoy watching this one come together.

Charlie Larkin

[johnbuzzed]

This will be a very nice build. What silver will you be using under the Mica Red?

[John Goschke]

This will be a very nice build. What silver will you be using under the Mica Red?

Thanks, John. Tamiya Silver Leaf under the red. The spoon in the first post was my paint test.

[Albie D]

Cant wait to see this sprayed up. Another stunner in the making for sure.

[Custom Hearse]

That tranny!!! It looks like the turbine in the Batmobile!

Thanks for posting this, I've always wondered what the Vette looked like from SMP. It's not too bad... I have seen worse.

[John Goschke]

Here she is with Mica Red over the Silver Leaf. Looks good enough to proceed to Phase II. Word to the wise: Uncleared Tamiya Silver Leaf does not particularly like masking tape!

[gtx6970]

SCHWIIIIIING