KurseD Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Just started this one today. Long way to go and I must say I'm very displeased with the quality of this model. You would think these companies would eventually update some of their poor castings with as advanced technologies as we have today. The body bulges on the quarters and fenders are way off, square gas tank instead of rectangular, etc. Just going for a decent looking drag strip basher on this one. Slicks and slot mags are from a Polar Lights funny car or rail I believe, not 100% sure as I've got a box of extra parts from previous builds and they were in there. The supplied Goodyear Polyglass street tires are really nice, so I'm going to keep them. Not sure if I'll stick with these 5 star rims for them or not though. I've also found a rollbar with fire extinguisher in the parts stash that I'll be using and omitting the rear seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 Found a few more parts in the stash, no idea which models they came from either. Bolt pattern doesn't match front/rear rims, but with the lacking quality of the kit out of the box, I'm just hoping to have a bit of fun with it at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 If you don't like the body, replace it with one from an inexpensive Revell snapper. Much more accurate and overall better looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 5 hours ago, Snake45 said: If you don't like the body, replace it with one from an inexpensive Revell snapper. Much more accurate and overall better looking. I thought about doing that after I first noticed the odd bulges, but honestly there are quite a few weak spots with this kit, so I just said the heck with it and drove on with what I have. I own a 1:1 1972 Chevelle, so maybe I'm just being too picky due to sentimental reasons. Either way, I'm having fun tinkering. Thank you for the suggestion though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 Because I can't resist a mockup shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I also just picked up this kit. It is from Round 2 and they usually do a straight reissue of what AMT offered at the time. This should explain the body inaccuracies and the primitive nature of the gas tank and suspension. You are correct on the kits tires as I also find them very nice. The slicks almost look oversized but like you said this is for fun and it should make a great looking Bracket Racer. See my comment on you post of the bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 (edited) This looks like a great start! Those tires & wheels look really good on the Chevelle. Perfect starting point for a Street & Strip build. Edited February 21, 2019 by W-409 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Can-Con Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I noticed those weird fender lines too. After doing some research by looking at old AMT annuals and promos of that generation Chevelle I found that the bodys have been like that since the first '70 promos. Those lines do look like they are there in a lot of photos but it's just an illusion from reflections. The team making the original mold probably only had pics to work from and thought they got it right. They're not that hard to fix though. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 (edited) Thanks for all the kind remarks and advice guys. I'm going to try sanding the body lines down a bit before paint. I picked up an ultrasonic cleaner for my airbrush from Harbor Freight today, love it so far. I've airbrushed all sorts of things from motorcycle helmets to hand tooled leather chopper seats, but I'm not quite sure why I never broke one out for a model car yet. So I came across some info online today regarding craft acrylics and Pledge future, decided to give it a go. So far I'm pretty pleased with the results, but it's too early to be certain. I'm using a mixture of acrylics, some from Walmart, others from Michael's Crafts. I'm thinking about doing white body, blue interior, but not 100% on the white body yet. I was trying to match the light blue interior of the 70 SS, but it seems way too light to me. Not sure if I'll make a trip back to the hobby shop, or try darkening the blue with another shade I have. Got a few things painted tonight after a long battle between my airbrush and humidity levels. I need to find my water trap which has gone M.I.A. Edited February 22, 2019 by KurseD resized photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisc63 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Yeah, the topic of that body has been discussed in several threads here on the forum, but you can work it into shape! The plastic is fairly thick, and you can fix a lot just with judicious filing. I've got one underway, and a wide flat file has been my good friend. A round one helps with the body coves. The area around the back glass needs attention, especially at the top of the C-pillar. The radius of the back window corners is off; I think I had to add plastic in there and file to correct. Having a real body for reference will help you more than you can imagine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) Got the engine mostly finished up. The box stock headers have no flange and look odd, so I tried reworking some fender dump headers, but still not pleased with those, so back to the stock headers I suppose. Had some scraps leftover from a 70 Camaro slot car build, so I cut the pedal assembly from the dash and added to the Chevelle dash. Used a piece of sprue cut from the door window to make a base for the race bucket seat. Worked on the chassis some. I made some coil springs from wire wrapped around extra sprue. Need to figure out some shocks as well, because it will need quite a bit of lift to clear the giant slicks. Not happy with the grille fit yet, still sanding and playing with it. I'm hoping it will look a bit better after glue and clamps. I decided to leave the funky bubbles on the side of the body. It's not a competition build, so no need to stress it. Also cut out the hood to clear the tunnel ram and carbs. I split open a USB cable for the guts, looks like it will make good plug wires. Edited February 23, 2019 by KurseD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 Mock up for ride height check. Still haven't figure out my shocks, but I'll find something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 (edited) Got the springs and rearend mounted. Decided to just use some styrene tubing for the shocks. I just used a tubing with the correct inner diameter so that the original shocks fit inside, then used a small piece of tubing to work as a mount to the pan. The headers and exhaust pipes gave me a fit. Driver side went on perfect, but the passenger side was a total nightmare. I glued the pipes to the headers, then wrapped with aluminum ducting tape, then sprayed them a steel color with craft acrylics. Had to remove the passenger side header and bend it to allow the pipe to fit, in doing so the darn pipe came off ruining the tape. UGH! The passenger side pipe still sits at a weird angle, but it will suffice. Edited February 24, 2019 by KurseD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 brake lines in the master cylinder and heater hoses on. I know most drag cars didn't run heater hoses, but this one does. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 (edited) Wash in the grille, worked on the dash some. Used a push pin for the signal lever with a dab of CA painted black for the knob. Interior is coming along. I used a piece of the rubber tubing from the USB cable for the roll bar pad. Radiator support is on along with battery cables, the red cable will get tucked when the glue dries. Edited February 25, 2019 by KurseD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 Battery cables finished and fuel line run. I'm pretty impressed with these craft acrylics through the airbrush so far. They do seem quite week as far as adhesion goes, so after I finish these two models, I'll be giving MCW Finishes an order for the next one. Got the body in color. Now I'm just waiting on parts and things to arrive. Ordered some decals from SLIXX, a pre-wired distributor from Arrowhead, and a Molotow pen from Amazon I think. I've never messed with the Molotow pens either, so that should be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 27, 2019 Author Share Posted February 27, 2019 Molotow 1mm chrome pen came in, I'm VERY impressed with it so far. Tinkered a little, but I'm mostly in hover mode on this one until the decals arrive. Another mock-up, because I'm a sadist and enjoy knocking the headers off apparently. LOL! Played with the chrome pen on the fire extinguisher and dash. Also did the trim on the body, but forgot pics of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share Posted February 28, 2019 Decals are on, will clear tomorrow I hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 Not very happy with the job I did on the Pledge clear. It looked super wet and glass like when I finished clearing, but after drying it dulled quite a bit. I've also learned to apply the Molotow chrome pen after clear, as it dulled down quite a bit. Still, with all the flaws, I'm happy as it was a fun build. Still waiting on the distributor to arrive in the mail and I will finish it up. One small sag in the clear on the driver side quarter panel. it is what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouO Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted March 3, 2019 Author Share Posted March 3, 2019 6 hours ago, LouO said: looking good Thanks man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmaracing Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Looks awesome. Great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trendsetta68 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Yeesss!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurseD Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Thanks guys, I appreciate the positive comments. Hopefully the distributor arrives soon, I'm dying to button this one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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