DFrancois70 Posted July 23, 2023 Posted July 23, 2023 (edited) Hi everyone, Thank you for welcoming me to this forum. I began doing model kit in my teens (that was in the 80's) starting with matchbox airplanes, and moved on to cars somewhere in the early 90's. Mostly sports cars from the 50's and 60's, and mostly convertibles. I never cared too much about the brand, as it is the car model that drive my choice. A busy life and a busy job took me away from model kit in the mid 90's, leaving a half finished AMT 1958 Chevrolet Impala behind me. I finally completed that Chevy last week, which made me realize I still enjoy the hobby, and I have decided to get back into model kit. Now in the process of assembling a Revel 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air, and projects including a Tamiya F-16 and an Hasegawa F/A-18 C. I am hoping to be able to gather some information and tips from the members of this forum, and maybe share some experience. Having been away from the hobby for quite a long time, a lot of water has gone under the bridge(s) and I am rather out of touch with the latest in model kits. Best. François. Edited July 23, 2023 by DFrancois70 Typo
Pierre_tec Posted July 23, 2023 Posted July 23, 2023 Hi welcome to the hobby again. A lot of new techniques and products out there, not to talk about kits. YouTube can be a great place to get inspire, beside this is a great community, enjoy
DFrancois70 Posted July 23, 2023 Author Posted July 23, 2023 Hi Pierre, Thank you for welcoming me to the forum. Yes, I definitely need to learn about what brands make the best kits. To be honest, I don't watch the video on YouTube much as many of the guys posting videos are also paid for it. So I am hoping to learn the truth on this forum. One thing that amazed me already is that back in the 90's I had to search for pictures in magazines to see what the car really looked like. Now, with the magic of internet, I just open bringatrailer.com and I have hundreds of pictures of any car. Makes life easier or maybe harder, as I realise how many parts and details I have to add to the kit!
Rattlecan Dan Posted July 23, 2023 Posted July 23, 2023 Welcome Francois, this forum is full of warm friendly people, willing to offer help, tips, and advice to any who ask. Many categories to choose from and posts (pics) to appreciate and learn from. And plenty of compliments to offer as well. I see your off to a flying start already, with that nice 58 you posted. Relax, enjoy and be part of it all.
DFrancois70 Posted July 23, 2023 Author Posted July 23, 2023 Hi Dan, thank you for your kind words. The '58 Impala was my favourite among the Chevy's (and yes, Debbie and American Graffiti had something to do with it). The AMT kit was a very good base to work from. There were never too many Chevrolet in Europe, but 30 years ago in France people would have paid to get one taken away from their yard. The rest is history...
Straightliner59 Posted July 24, 2023 Posted July 24, 2023 On 7/22/2023 at 8:47 PM, DFrancois70 said: One thing that amazed me already is that back in the 90's I had to search for pictures in magazines to see what the car really looked like. Now, with the magic of internet, I just open bringatrailer.com and I have hundreds of pictures of any car. Makes life easier or maybe harder, as I realise how many parts and details I have to add to the kit! Francois, first off, welcome back to this wonderful pursuit! Even having never really left the hobby, in fifty years, your point, here, is one of the things I am most astonished by. The availability of good reference. Sometimes, thinking back, I wonder how we anal-retentive types ever built anything (I am referring only to myself, here, although I am surely not the only one who would identify himself, that way)!?
DFrancois70 Posted July 24, 2023 Author Posted July 24, 2023 Hi straightliner59, I totally agree with the things you wrote. But it was fun and we were not "plug and play" type of kids ? I bought a Jaguar XK-E kit from Gunze Sangyo back in 1990 or so (probably one of the few e-type kit available at the time) and there was no engine and no front chassis at all (the so called Eiffel tower), just a bottom plate. So I built everything from the ground with whatever parts I had and plenty of mastic. I even broke the rear left wheel and had to rebuild it with thin wire. Lot of work but it was fun, and I had good pictures from a car magazine to use as model. You can see the raw kit here: https://picclick.fr/maquette-automobile-Gunze-San-Gyo-Jaguar-126025558566.html 1
happy grumpy Posted July 24, 2023 Posted July 24, 2023 Welcome Francois. Your Chevy was well worth the wait. It's gorgeous.
DFrancois70 Posted July 25, 2023 Author Posted July 25, 2023 (edited) Thanks Horrorshow. I came across this video today: I am going to get an other AMT '58 Impala kit and maybe build it as a convertible, in that same pastel corail color. I am sure I will be able to find tips here on how to make a good looking folded top cover. Edited July 26, 2023 by DFrancois70 ('58 Impala not '59 Impala)
Bainford Posted July 27, 2023 Posted July 27, 2023 Welcome to the forum, Francois. Nice work on the Jag. You're going to fit in well. Cheers.
DFrancois70 Posted July 28, 2023 Author Posted July 28, 2023 (edited) Hi Bainford, thank you for the kind words. Since you mentioned about how it is nice to know where people are or are from in a previous post, I have updated my profile with a picture of a Hawker Hurricane (one of the very first model kit I assembled and painted and it shows), and it has something to do with my location. Not a car but its engine was made by Rolls Royce, later found its way into the P-51 Mustang, and the name Mustang itself is a legend in car history. I was born in Dunkirk, in the northest tip of France, a town made somewhat famous by Christopher Nolan when he released his movie of the same name in 2017. At the end of the movie, there is a British fighter plane that lands on the beach. This is a true story, but he got the plane type wrong: it was a Hurricane, not a Spitfire. I saw the wreckage of this plane one day in the sea a few hundred yards from the beach when it resurfaced after being burried in the sand for decades. I later saw that wreckage again in a hangar where we were restoring old cars. I helped a group of British aviation enthusiasts load it on a truck when they came to collect it. We were laughing at them but shouldn't have, because they rebuilt it and now it is flying again. I have attached a link to the story of the plane and of its pilot: https://airlegend.fr/en/aircraft/hawker-hurricane-mk-i-g-robt/ https://owenzupp.com/mcglashans-hawker-hurricane-p2902-flies-again/ Edited July 28, 2023 by DFrancois70
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