1958 Mercury Parklane Convertible

[Ramfins59]

Here's one that we don't see very often, if at all. This is another Modelhaus resin kit that I picked up from them at the NNL East Show way back in April. After a bath in Westley's Bleche White the parts got a good wash and very minor cleanup. The castings on this one are wonderful as usual. The body has been primed and painted a Duplicolor shade of Burgundy / Black Cherry (Sorry, but there was no color name label on the can). It has also been clearcoated and polished. The color kind of matches the Burgundy Poly stock color of the car.

The interior bucket needed a minor amount of cleanup and will be done up in shades of maroon and gray with a dark gray/maroon flocked carpet along with some BMF trim on the side panels. The dash has been painted body color and still has to be detailed. This is the first interior bucket that I've gotten from Modelhaus that fits the body opening perfectly and needs no widening or narrowing at the sides. I'll post some pictures of the interior as soon as more work is completed on it.

Thanks for looking in on this new project. Any and all comments and critiques are welcomed as usual. Further progress to come as it happens.

[Foxer]

Beautiful, Richard .. the model, not your new avatar. Well, you do look like a right proper old Scott.

I love the '58 Mrecs ... those fins are a pair of the best during the fin wars.

[cobraman]

Thats going to be sharp.

[wayne swayze]

Looking forward to this build. The colour is very sofisticated . Should look killer when done. ( BTW.... the new avatar is much better.)

[disabled modeler]

I have one of those Rich...mine needs lots of parts and is rough though...cool old car.

[1930fordpickup]

Good start on this one Rich.

[Ramfins59]

Thank you very much guys. I'm glad that "some of you" like the new Avatar.

[Belugawrx]

Cool start Rich!

Like the new you too!

Deb misses the tongue stickin' out guy already..Lol

Maybe in the spring

Cheers

[jdean]

I have never built a model using resin bodies, and was wondering about the chassis ,interior etc , where do you get the rest of the car

Ronnie

[Ramfins59]

Thanks again guys.

Bruce, I'm glad that Deb likeed the old picture.

Ronnie, the Modelhaus resin kits are Curbsides with the hoods molded in and no engines. They usually have a chassis with all details molded in, but sometimes there is a flat, promo-like chassis with no details, depending on the kit. They all come with an interior, some with separate side panels and seats, but most are bucket type interiors. The dashboards and steering wheels are separate pieces. The front & rear bumpers, grilles and some trim are all separate chromed pieces. Whitewall tires, chrome hubcaps, wheel backs and metal axles are standard parts. Depending on the car, headlights are sometimes clear resin or chromed pieces. The same for taillights... some are red resin or some are chromed pieces. The kits also come with vacuum-formed front and rear glass. Despite being on the pricey side, IMHO they are well worth the money as the cars, or kits, usually cannot be found anywhere else for much cheaper prices, unless you get really lucky finding one at a swap meet or scoring one really cheap on EBAY.

If you're looking for something special, check out Modelhaus' selections http://www.modelhaus.com/ Note that they cast parts for your order as they get the orders and do not carry an inventory, Wait times for orders are usually 6 to 8 weeks.

[jdean]

wow , they are kinda pricey, thanks Richard

Ronnie

[Ramfins59]

Glad that I could hopefully help you Ronnie. Don't be scared away by the prices as they are well worth the money for the quality of the castings.and the selections available.

[slusher]

Beautiful color choice. I really like it....

[Tom Geiger]

Cool Rich! I'll pull up a chair and watch your latest 1950s creation take shape!

[Ramfins59]

Thank you Carl and Tom.

Tom, it's coming along. I'll hopefully be finishing up the work on the interior in a day or so and then can do the BMF work on the body. This one should be done well before Christmas.

[1 bad55 stan]

I,ll be watching this 1 Rich..

[Ramfins59]

Thanks Stan. I hope I won't disappoint you.

[Ramfins59]

Today I finished up the interior for this car. After soaking in Westley's Bleche White and a thorough cleaning and drying I sprayed it with Tamiya White Primer. Then I put some BMF on the door panel trim and then painted parts of the seats and door panels with a water-based, flat, Maroon Model Railroad paint. The carpet was flocked with my own mix of Black, Gray and Red flocking to make a Maroon color which was glued down with thinned down Elmer's glue. The dashboard was painted body color, clearcoated, then detailed with BMF, chrome silver paint and some aluminum paint on the passenger side. I flowed some clear epoxy over the dash gauge panel for a lens cover. Holes were drilled for resin window cranks and door handles which were painted chrome silver. The steering wheel was painted White and a piece of shirt pin was used for a turn signal lever.

Tomorrow I'll start on the BMF work on the body. The taillights were detailed with Tamiya clear Red and some off-white acrylic. The grille was given a blackwash with The Detailer and the rear bumper reflectors were given a coat of Tamiya clear Red.

At the risk of jinxing myself, I'll say that this model is coming along nicely. Approaching final assembly is always a "tricky time" so we'll see how things go. I've got my fingers crossed.

Thanks for looking in on this update. All comments welcomed as usual. More updates to come as they happen.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Ramfins59

[donb]

Looking good Rich. Nice job on coloring the flock!

[Ramfins59]

Thank you Donald, it took a bit of mixing to get the "right" color.

[slusher]

Very nice looking interior Rich...

[Ramfins59]

Thanks a lot Carl.

[72 Charger]

Looking great Rich . Did the Merc realy have that chrome up the dash like that? ( I bet it was horrid in bright sunshine)

That color looks sweet can we see some out side shots?

[1 bad55 stan]

I like your interior work Rich.And i,m sure you won't disappoint me ...

[Ramfins59]

Thank you Dave and Stan.

Dave, I painted the passenger side top of the dash in a duller aluminum finish than chrome would be. I saw one done like that in a reference picture I found and liked the look of it. It's snowy and chilly here today. Maybe when the model is finished I'll try for some outdoor pictures.

Half of the BMF work is done on the body so far today. I'm hoping to finish that up tonight.