'57 Ford Custom Police Car

[W-409]

Finally I finished something.

I started building this thing back in 2013 pretty soon after the kit was released, but I worked it on and off, and it spent several years boxed away until I finally got around finishing it last week. So this was built from the Revell/Model King kit that comes with all of the vintage Police equipment. The kit itself is really good quality so I didn't do any major modifications, just some additional detailing here and there.

Body had plenty of mold lines and mold flash though, they needed quite a lot of sanding and putty to smooth out. The body is painted with regular automotive spray paints, decals are from the kit and then the body has two coats of clear on it. Then the paint job was polished and chrome trim done with BMF.

Engine bay is pretty much out of the box with the kit supplied Ford Y-Block. I added some basic detailing like spark plug wires, fuel lines, vacuum lines for vacuum wipers, throttle linkage, heater hoses, battery cables, brake lines etc.

Interior is completely out of the box with just "detailing by paint". The grey color is primer with a coat of flat clear on top, except for the dashboard which was clear coated with glossy clear coat. Chassis has also no modifications, I just tried to detail everything by careful detail painting and some black wash.

 

Overall the kit was a lot of fun to build. I can't remember having any fit issues with it. Here are some pictures of the finished product, all kinds of comments (Good or Bad) are welcome so I can make the next one better.

Here is a link to the build thread in case you want to see progress pictures: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/82457-57-ford-custom-police-car/

 

And here is the finished interior.

 

[Tom99]

Very well done.

[Zippi]

Great looking build.  The foil work looks really nice.  Nice job on this one.

[Smitty]

You’ve done a beautiful job on your police car. The exterior finish is very impressive and the engine bay is fabulous! I’m hoping you’ll finish and post photos of many more models.

[David G.]

Stellar job on this Niko, paint and detailing are fabulous!

I really enjoyed following your WIP on this one, it's nice to see it in the Under Glass section.

David G.

[ChrisR]

Awesome!

[thatz4u]

very nice, detailed, finish is real looking also

[doctor phillips]

Great job!!!

[Rattlecan Dan]

This is the level above the "Next Level". Absolutely Gorgeous! I'm only 77, but when I grow up I wanna' build em' like this! I also enjoyed the build process and info you shared in the W.I.P. section. Thanks for Posting.

[Dennis Lacy]

Turned out awesome!

[lizardlust]

Very cleanly built vintage cruiser!!

[espo]

Your patience in this build really shows in the beautiful looking paint work and the clean assembly. The interior looks just like the 1:1 car I bought in the mid 1960's. Like the attention to paint colors and finishes on the chassis and suspension as well as the engine. 

[Classicgas]

That's stunning.

[Hi-Po]

Nicely done!  Neat and clean.

[XYHARRY]

Attention to detail makes this police cruiser stand out. Well done Niko.

Cheers, 

David. ??

[Ulbo]

Beautifull Ford you built with stunning details?

[happy grumpy]

That's a super clean build. The engine bay is pristine.

[KWT]

Very nicely done

[Jim B]

Great looking police car.  I built this several years ago as a Fire Chief's car.  If I remember correctly, it went together quite well.

[W-409]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments, I appreciate them!

Feels really good to finally finish something, hopefully I can finish a couple of other stalled projects as well to make room for new ones...

On 4/10/2023 at 4:12 PM, Smitty said:

You’ve done a beautiful job on your police car. The exterior finish is very impressive and the engine bay is fabulous! I’m hoping you’ll finish and post photos of many more models.

As soon as I figure out which one I will build next, I'll post it in "On The Workbench". I have several stalled projects that I'd like to finish, but then again I also have a '66 Rambler Marlin that I'd like to build as I have found pretty much all the parts I need for it. Let's see what project makes it to the bench.

[Reuhkapelti2]

Whatever you decide to build, it's gonna be great like this Ford Police Patrol vehicle. You have all the skills.

Cheers,

Ismo

[Darbo]

Fantastic build Nico!

[afx]

Brilliant work Niko.

[ncbuckeye67]

Love the attention to detail. This build looks amazing!

[Dan Hay]

Super clean!  I really have never thought about building a police car until now.