Masking time for the body chrome work.





I did a quick product review for the Infini Easycutting Mat range for those of you who haven't come across it yet. Super helpful little pieces of kit.

Chrome paint next, always fun!

Cheers, D

That's a lot of masking. I'm sure the Vallejo chrome will look amazing,

The anticipation is killing me.

mmmm..... Chrome!

Looking forward to the big reveal!

I did a test shot of the Vallejo chrome over the SMS lacquer and it didn't lay down very well on such a large surface, started to pool up, so I went with the SMS Super Silver.

As always, a few spots where the Silver bled under the tape that need to be touched up. Next up is some fine wet sanding and then clear gloss.

Cheers, D

Dat's a LOT of chrome! You made it look easy. Looks like my local (opposite corner of the country) supplier is out of the super silver. Guess I'm gonna go with AlcladII for my 57 Belair.

Thanks Mark. The masking took a while, but worth the effort.

I will check with Scott at SMS and see if the Gundam USA store has an order in transit for you.

Cheers, D

Some touch-ups completed, wet sanded, dried and cleaned then polished with a soft cloth. Ready for clear gloss, hopefully in the next day or two.



Cheers, D

That sure is some shiny Chrome D!

Moving along on the '59 Caddy, some touch-ups and gloss on the body. Not quite finished but shaping up ok.



White walls primed and painted, wheels assembled and hub decals in place.


Interior tub and dash assembly completed, curing overnight then a couple of touch-ups to do.




Cheers, D

Main assembly stage, this is where things usually come unstuck for me (hehe, I see what I did there!). I always say to myself - "There's a first time for everything" so perhaps this one will escape the inevitable CA fingerprint somewhere on the body which means sanding and re-glossing.

Interior tub is fixed inside the body, ok fit but nothing I can do about the small gaps along the edges at this stage.


Wheels are on, and I have started to add the engine bay accessories (radiator frame and shroud, wiper motor, blower and master cylinder).



I'm working towards completion on this one before New Years, which will give me 8 finished builds for the calendar year 2019.

Cheers, D

What a behemoth. I have trouble parking my Silverado Crew Cab, I think I'd need a full 40 acres to turn that thing around. Looking great! You're getting me stoked to tackle all of the chrome on my '57 Bel Air for Garage Queens 2020

I missed a lot while I was way. lovely finish with the black and chrome detailing on the body Damian. The red interior looks very sharp against it. Clearly it's a big car but it would be good to see it alongside one of your current Fords to get an idea of how big.

cheers
Michael

Superb stuff, D

A super long bonnet too!

8 finished builds for the year! Wow! Now there's a number to strive for

Thanks once again for the feedback guys, I always appreciate it!

I got the body fitted to the chassis tonight, a tight fit but not impossible, and it looks good sitting on it's wheels now. This pic shows the next stage, adding the extra details to the engine bay. The little clear part is the washer bottle, a really nice touch as it needs to have some light blue paint on the inside before the chrome lid goes on.





Here you go Michael, side-by-side with the '53 Corvette! Note that the Caddy is 1/25 scale and the 'Vette is 1/24, so in real terms the Caddy should be even bigger by comparison.



Cheers, D

An hour or so later and the engine bay accessories are all in place!



As always, a few little spots to touch up, but this one is inching closer to completion.

Cheers, D

That is a seriously packed engine bay. Looks great.

Thanks Damian. Big car indeed. That engine looks great, pleanty of detail in there.

cheers
Michael

Front and rear grilles are little kits themselves!



Cheers, D

The detail work you're putting into this is really paying off, big time.

Great work on the chrome Damian!

The size comparison is really eye opening too!

Just been down at the Rats n Tatts car show n shine at Chelsea Heights hotel to see some those big American Iron classics from yesteryear and it can be said acreage is the correct word to use when describing the Hood and Trunks

Hi Damian,

I lost track of this build - rad - it looks great! I mean that car...wow

Cheers and happy new year!
Nick

KSO, Russ and Nick, many thanks as always for stopping by, your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Russ, did you get any photos? I always love to see the classic cruisers out and about.

Well I struck a couple of fit issues in the home straight and didn't get this one completed by the end of business for 2019, but it's 99% done and will be my first completion for 2020.

The main front chrome wouldn't quite line up due to the lower mounting brackets being slightly uneven (an earlier assembly error by me, not a kit issue), so I took to them with some sprue cutters and they now reside in the spares box. I scraped some paint off the front quarter panels and the corresponding chrome off the grille, and they mated up beautifully, and with some carefully applied TET we have a great fit. I did the same thing with the rear bumper assembly and it settled down into place perfectly. The other tail end chrome parts were attached with CA directly onto the paint and only needed some minor adjustments to get a nice fit. I blackened the centre area of the front grille with Tamiya Panel Line Wash.

The windscreen is another story entirely. The fit is not great into the chrome frame, and the return side wings are a different shape to the frame, so I have some thinking to do and some surgery to perform there. There are 2 small side windows to assemble and install as well, so I will get them built up and do some dry test fitting before I get too blade-happy on it.





Cheers, D

I looked at the windscreen fit issue for a while and decided against major surgery. The image below shows the problem with the glass overhanging the frame on the side wings. Being a compound curve in the brittle clear styrene I didn't want to risk fracturing the clear part while I hacked at it. It is glued into place now with TET. The chrome frame of the side windows will hide most of the overhanging area.


The first of a dozen or so final details have been added, the Cadillac emblems inside the tail light shrouds.


Cheers, D

Decals on Oil Filter, Screen Wash Bottle and Air Cleaner - CHECK!
Air Cleaner in place - CHECK!


Visors, mirrors, side windows and door handles fitted off - CHECK!


Front emblem badge and License Plate decals on - CHECK!


Rear License Plate decal on - CHECK!


LHS Name decal on - CHECK!


RHS Name decal on - CHECK!


Well, after almost 4 years and a number of restarts, this one is DONE and on the display shelf!



My thoughts - overall an excellent kit. I would love to pick this one up again and have another go at it, knowing now what to watch out for and what needs more attention. In general the mouldings, details and fit were great. The stumbling block with the front grille was quite likely my own doing, just didn't quite line up the chassis/body assembly stage at the front end.

The windscreen glass/frame issue is definitely kit related. The glass doesn't fit the frame at the sides, there is a gap of almost 1mm between the clear part and the frame on each side. The clear part "overshoots" the frame on both sides by about 3-4mm and interferes with proper placement of the side windows. The side window frames and clear parts are almost 2mm oversized, they should sit on top of the upper door trim and inside the line of the windscreen frame. All of these issues could be rectified and I certainly would go about it if I had a chance to build this one again.

I'm not super happy with my paint job on this one, the old "orange peel" is present despite several sessions of sanding and application of MLT to smooth it down. We learn and improve with each kit we build, and I certainly picked up a few lessons here.

Thanks for joining me on this (lengthy) trip.

Cheers, D