John Goschke Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 In 1975 I was building model airplanes but was actually a frustrated model car builder. Then I discovered Duplicolor rattle cans and Bare Metal Foil, which unleashed an orgy of car modeling that lasted into the early '80s. Along with that was an orgy of vintage kit buying that included the whole series of these 1/32nd scale kit, the result of a collaborative effort between Revell and AMT. This Merc was the only one I actually built, because, I suspect, making the windows from scratch out of acetate report covers scared me out of doing the rest (that, and the small scale!) Anyway, here she is with her original paint and windows (since aged to a nice amber shade!) and fresh foil. The box and instructions are original, too!
espo Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 Very nice looking kit. I remember when Revell first offered these 1/32nd scale kits. I built the '56 Ford convertible and the '56 Ford F-100. Like this Mercury they were very much ahead of the time. That scale is much harder to work with than the 1/24th and 1/25th scale kits that followed. Your redo looks great and I like the windows, almost as if they are tinted. The color combination and moldings really shows well.
DumpyDan Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 That is awesome, nice work never seen one complete.
peekay Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 That is really nice, John. I have a soft spot for this series, though I've only built the 56 Chrysler - and that was when it was new. I posted a look at the 56 Buick recently: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/128867-vintage-132nd-revellamt-56-buick/
blunc Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 looks great, doesn't get much better than that.
unclescott58 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Nice to see one of those kits so nicely done. I like the '56 Mercury 4-door Phaetons a lot. It was always a sharp looking car IMO.
TarheelRick Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Really cool Mercury. That sure is a lot of chrome, bet it was a bear to BMF, especially in that small of a scale. Most of my work in 1/32nd scale back then was slot cars, but I also did build some of the static models. Still have most of the '57 Chevy, the Watson Indy car, and a 63 Vette.
Mercuryman54 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Very, very nice!! Looks great for the age. excellent build Dennis
Snake45 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Very nice! Ain't it fun to rehab a valiant old survivor?
70mach1 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Looks great John, that brings back some memories.When I worked at Ray Swenson Lincoln Mercury back in 1973 one of first jobs was to repair a crashed 56 4dr Montclair. Talk about some heavy iron! Great job
mr moto Posted January 21, 2018 Posted January 21, 2018 Great looking work! You might inspire me to tackle the Revell 1/32 Continental Mark II that's been staring at me for a few years.
#1 model citizen Posted January 22, 2018 Posted January 22, 2018 Very nice! I have several of these kits from this series & find the multi piece bodies make detailing real challenge as the bodies have to be built on the chassis with the interior in place. I've been working off & on on a couple of '56 Chryslers. I'm at a point that has me buffaloed. 1 is the glass. With no template I haven't figured out how to cut & shape the glass. The other sticking point is a gap between the body panels. I had originally planned to paint it then assemble it as the seams are right along the body break for a 2 tone paint job. (No masking!) But the gap just isn't going to cut it. Going to, someday, assemble the body, fix the gap, paint & and then try to work it over the chassis. They're still sitting on the model table ...
John Goschke Posted January 22, 2018 Author Posted January 22, 2018 On 1/19/2018 at 11:15 AM, espo said: Very nice looking kit. I remember when Revell first offered these 1/32nd scale kits. I built the '56 Ford convertible and the '56 Ford F-100. Like this Mercury they were very much ahead of the time. That scale is much harder to work with than the 1/24th and 1/25th scale kits that followed. Your redo looks great and I like the windows, almost as if they are tinted. The color combination and moldings really shows well. Thanks, David! In spite of the small scale and difficult assembly sequence these kits have a ton of potential. On 1/19/2018 at 11:28 AM, cobraman said: Great looking Merc. Thanks, Ray! It's held up surprisingly well over the years. On 1/19/2018 at 12:24 PM, DumpyDan said: That is awesome, nice work never seen one complete. Thanks, Dan! Unfortunately not too many get built anymore, I think.
John Goschke Posted January 22, 2018 Author Posted January 22, 2018 On 1/19/2018 at 2:19 PM, peekay said: That is really nice, John. I have a soft spot for this series, though I've only built the 56 Chrysler - and that was when it was new. I posted a look at the 56 Buick recently: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/128867-vintage-132nd-revellamt-56-buick/ Thanks, Peter! Nice review of the Buick! If they'd made it a two-door hardtop I probably would've built it. But when they first made the '55 kit, four-door hardtops were a big deal! On 1/19/2018 at 2:56 PM, blunc said: looks great, doesn't get much better than that. Thanks, Mike! I like to think I'd do a better job now, but I'm not prepared to do it over completely to find out - life's too short! On 1/19/2018 at 7:06 PM, unclescott58 said: Nice to see one of those kits so nicely done. I like the '56 Mercury 4-door Phaetons a lot. It was always a sharp looking car IMO. Thanks, Scott! I always loved the '55 and '56 Mercs, too!
John Goschke Posted January 22, 2018 Author Posted January 22, 2018 On 1/19/2018 at 7:15 PM, Lovefordgalaxie said: Awesome!! I want one!! Thanks, Tulio! You could do a great job with one of these kits, I'm sure! On 1/19/2018 at 7:34 PM, TarheelRick said: Really cool Mercury. That sure is a lot of chrome, bet it was a bear to BMF, especially in that small of a scale. Most of my work in 1/32nd scale back then was slot cars, but I also did build some of the static models. Still have most of the '57 Chevy, the Watson Indy car, and a 63 Vette. Thanks, Rick! Oddly the small scale made foiling a bit easier I think. Maybe because the pieces are a more manageable size, On 1/19/2018 at 9:30 PM, Mercuryman54 said: Very, very nice!! Looks great for the age. excellent build Dennis Thanks, Dennis! I wish I looked as good lo these 42 years later!
John Goschke Posted January 22, 2018 Author Posted January 22, 2018 On 1/19/2018 at 9:48 PM, Modelbuilder Mark said: Vey nice results from that kit Thanks, Mark! It can be a tough kit! On 1/19/2018 at 10:50 PM, Snake45 said: Very nice! Ain't it fun to rehab a valiant old survivor? Thanks, Snake! Yeah, it is fun and this particular survivor means a lot to me! On 1/19/2018 at 11:00 PM, RAMBENNA said: nice job , looks great Thanks, Cliff! I'm surprised how well the paint cleaned up. This thing was really dirty.
John Goschke Posted January 22, 2018 Author Posted January 22, 2018 On 1/20/2018 at 12:15 PM, 70mach1 said: Looks great John, that brings back some memories.When I worked at Ray Swenson Lincoln Mercury back in 1973 one of first jobs was to repair a crashed 56 4dr Montclair. Talk about some heavy iron! Great job Thanks, Andy! It always means a lot to me when you comment on my work seeing how much your models inspired me and made me want to build cars again all the time I was building aircraft!
John Goschke Posted January 22, 2018 Author Posted January 22, 2018 6 hours ago, mr moto said: Great looking work! You might inspire me to tackle the Revell 1/32 Continental Mark II that's been staring at me for a few years. Thanks, Manuel! I'd love to see someone build one of the Mark IIs! Go for it! 5 hours ago, Classicgas said: Very nice! Thanks, Lee! 1 hour ago, #1 model citizen said: Very nice! I have several of these kits from this series & find the multi piece bodies make detailing real challenge as the bodies have to be built on the chassis with the interior in place. I've been working off & on on a couple of '56 Chryslers. I'm at a point that has me buffaloed. 1 is the glass. With no template I haven't figured out how to cut & shape the glass. The other sticking point is a gap between the body panels. I had originally planned to paint it then assemble it as the seams are right along the body break for a 2 tone paint job. (No masking!) But the gap just isn't going to cut it. Going to, someday, assemble the body, fix the gap, paint & and then try to work it over the chassis. They're still sitting on the model table ... Thanks, John! As I recall the Merc's body could be assembled as a whole for painting without any major re-engineering. Others in the series are more problematic, but I think they're worth the effort, especially the Chryslers.
John Goschke Posted January 23, 2018 Author Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) On 1/22/2018 at 7:48 AM, Tom99 said: That came out nice, well done. Thanks, Tom! Now that this one's back on my shelf it makes me wish I had time in my modeling life to do the others in the series! Edited January 24, 2018 by John Goschke
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now