1937 Ford Convertible

[82s1]

Got home from a trip to Arizona a couple of days ago and suddenly realized that I don't have two or three projects going. Consequently I dug this out of my stash.

I have never liked the chrome on the skirts of the hood and want the finished model to look similar to this.

In order to get the appearance I want it was necessary to fill the areas outlined in black.

The fill has been made and the body now looks like this.

I haven't made up my mind what to do about the headlights.  On the 1:1 car the 37 headlights have been removed and floating headlights have been installed.  I'm tempted to give this a try, but am concerned that it might exceed my body work abilities.  Suggestions are welcome.

[Leon]

Nice work on the fill John! Looks nice and smooth.

[deafpanzer]

Another great choice... pulling my chair in now! Good start...

[TRM]

Off and running again!! Nice bit of work so far John!! Looking forward to seeing your progress!

[John Everett]

I see what you mean about the headlights. Do you have a couple of stand alone lights from another car, or even tank model? Could you cut the cone off the end of a 1/48 airplane bomb? I would try to blend the cone shaped light into the fender with a water-smoothing epoxy putty. Something which would conform to the light but then allow the light to be removed so that the putty can be shaped more easily.
If you could get the joint tight enough, you may be able to fill any gaps with the primer and paint.
In any case, that's going to be a tough modification.

[eastrock]

Rarely see Lindberg's Model looking forward with the build

[82s1]

I've decided to keep the original headlights, but to round them out and to soften the tops of the fenders.

I've also gotten the first coat of paint  on the body.  I first sprayed Tamiya gray primer from the rattle can followed by Model Masters Sterling Silver Metallic also from the rattle can.  I then used Sinful Colors Courtney Orange nailpolish through an airbrush as the color coat.

I think it does a reasonable job of replicating the paint job on the 1:1 car on the magazine cover.  Comments and suggestions always welcome.

[Leon]

John! The paint job looks fantastic .Did you have to thin the nailpolish?

[82s1]

Leon: Yes. I thin this particular brand 50/50 with lacquer thinner.     Other brands of polish may require more or less thinner; you just have to play with it.   Just go for the old recommendation of the consistency of 2% milk.  I shoot it at about 30 pounds pressure.  Seems to work best for me. 

[Leon]

John thank you.

[deafpanzer]

Hope you had a great birthday! Looking real good!

[82s1]

Hey, thanks for the birthday greeting. It was a good day; got phone calls from all of the grandkids minus one who is on a Church mission in Canada. Made my day talking to all of them.

I did a mock up of the convertible. 

I have a minor fitting issue with the grill, but I think it will prove to be minor.  Overall the kit is coming together pretty well and I am satisfied with the color.

[Leon]

John! The 37 is really looking sweet.

[82s1]

Slowly making progress with the convertible. Here is the latest mock up.

The top is covered with surgical tape that has been painted.  I've decided the weave of the tape is too coarse so I will be using something else to complete this.  I'm working on the engine and the chassis now and will probably have something else to post in the next couple of days. 

[deafpanzer]

Looking great... again I love the color!

[Deleted]

Lookin good John!

[82s1]

Okay guys, the convertible is "finished". This has turned out to be a build I'm not too proud of. Things started out pretty well. I was happy with the body work I did on the hood and with the color of the car. I thought the car was looking pretty good. Unfortunately toward the end things started going in the toilet. This is an old Lindberg kit and is what I have come to think of as "typical".

When I started assembling the chassis I found that the exhaust system doesn't fit. It is too short in one plane and too long in the other. The firewall doesn't even begin to fit properly. When placed on the mounting tabs it has an approximately 1/8 inch gap on either side with relation to the body of the car. When raised up to the point it fits appropriately it is so high that the hood cannot be installed. Consequently I have decided to complete the build as a curbside and glue the !!@$#^&*($ hood down.

Here are a few shots of the finished car.

As I said before, at the beginning things looked pretty good.  Even now the car will make a pretty good looking shelf model.  But, when looked at critically it is a piece of s**t.  I probably could save it if I were willing to scratch build a complete exhaust system and fabricate a firewall.  I'm just not willing to make that effort though.  I am thoroughly pissed that this model made it through what ever quality control that either Lindberg or Round 2 had.  It will be a looooooooong time before I spend any money on either a Lindberg kit or a Round 2 repop of a Lindberg kit.

Okay, rant over.  Moving on to something else..

[TRM]

Tough break with the kit but your finish came out pretty darn good if you ask me!! Love the orange!! Next please!!

[82s1]

Dec 11, 2014 18:37:16 GMT -5 TRM said:

Tough break with the kit but your finish came out pretty darn good if you ask me!! Love the orange!! Next please!!

Next is going to be a Panzer IV. Something new for me.  I haven't built any armor since I was 13 --- 61 years ago. This should be interesting!!!

Thanks for the kind comments guys.