Revell Chevy SSR

[Spiny]

It's taken a while (close on four months), but I finally got Revell's Chevy SSR finished. As usual, apologies in advance if you feel this is photo overload. And also as usual, all comments and constructive criticism welcomed.

 

If you want to read all about the build, it's in this thread:

 

 

Back to the beginning, and the first thought was one of disappointment. Is that a solid read axle I see? And are those screws to fit the body to the chassis? So I wasn't expecting much, and being a Level 2 kit thought it might be one to not take much care over. But the kit has won me over, it might have some simplistic items, but it all goes together well, is much better designed than first impressions give, and it builds up into a decent representation of the real thing. If you like the Chevy SSR (and I realise probably about 80% of you don't!), and if you can find one, this is a kit well worth getting. The only thing to beware of is the instructions - there's a few places where you can easily add more detail than the instructions would suggest. I guess that's a function of it being a Level 2 kit.

 

So onto photos, lets start with a top-down shot. If nothing else, it certainly emphasises how much wheel arch is on this thing.

 

 

Next up, the usual trip around the car. As the roof and bed cover are both fully detachable, this is a bit more of a mix-and-match than usual. I got hold of a couple of cheap lamps from Amazon for the photoshoots - these shots are probably the ones where they came in most handy. Looking at the pics now I think I may have shot from slightly too low an angle, but that's something I can always address come the next completion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, my usual mini-tripod has gone walkabout so I had to use the newer one which has less adjustment. So not the best set of pictures of the engine bay and interior (with ultra-rubbish background), but hopefully these will give the idea.

 

 

 

And finally... I thought I'd try some shots with mirrors. Not completely sure these have worked all that well, but they were the only higher angle shots I took. Also, the automatic white balance seems to have gone a bit haywire with these shots, so the car looks much bluer than it really is - the ones against the white background above give a much better representation of the real colour.

 

 

 

 

 

If you've got this far, thanks for looking and hope you like it.

[Andy J]

That's well smart Spiny and the paint finish is awesome well done mate 👍 👏. 

[Toftdale]

Great build and as always stunning photography,  looking forward to the next build - Andy 

[Fnick]

Congrats on a very tidy model. Have to admit it's not a model I would choose but I do like the fact it is an open top. You can get a good view of the interior (which is very well done btw).

 

And as the others said excellent photography as always.

 

Nick

 

[keefr22]

Enjoyed watching it come together in the build thread Spiny, and I've now enjoyed looking at some great pics of the excellent finished model!

 

Top job all round!

 

Keith

[Red316]

It's not one of my favourite subjects but that is a nice build.  The unpainted shell looked like a bit of a "blob" in the WIP thread but you've got it looking much sharper now. 

[Spiny]

Thanks to everyone who's commented, very much appreciated.

 

I know some of you mentioned the photography too. Just to show how I did it if anyone is interested, here's the setup:

 

 

The lamps are under £5 each from Amazon and with 3 settings you can adjust the main and fill lights as you want. Paper sheet was about 80p from Hobbycraft. Camera height was adjusted using a pile of old Whatcar mags - the beauty of these is you just remove some to reduce the height and vice versa, and you can slide them sideways to adjust the angle.

[Fnick]

A photography studio all for a tenner! 😋

 

Think I might have to go get some of those lights!😁

 

Nick

[Spiny]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08YS1GDTB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

These are the ones. Be warned they're not as bright as they make out, so if you do have a decent camera which you can close the aperture to a good high f-number you may need to have a tripod as well. I think most of these shots were 0.6-0,8s exposures even with the lights, although I had turned the room lighting right down to get a but more control on what light went where.

 

EDIT: Having looked again, there seem to be a lot of poor reviews for these, so we'll see if these stay reliable.

[galaxyg]

Great looking build. If I didn't already have a stash of so many unbuilt cars I'd consider adding this to it, but I have to be really selective on what I buy now. It's still tempting though... just for the unusual factor.

 

I wonder what it'd look like lowered on bigger rims. Fair play to Chevrolet for actually putting the thing into production. I can't imagine a manufacturer doing something quite so un-conservative these days.

[BerndM]

Stunning build and well presented.

[Spiny]

On 12/05/2021 at 22:27, galaxyg said:

Great looking build. If I didn't already have a stash of so many unbuilt cars I'd consider adding this to it, but I have to be really selective on what I buy now. It's still tempting though... just for the unusual factor.

 

I wonder what it'd look like lowered on bigger rims. Fair play to Chevrolet for actually putting the thing into production. I can't imagine a manufacturer doing something quite so un-conservative these days.

 

If the times when I tested it with the body sat over just the wheels is anything to go by, it would look a bit rubbish lowered. That said, that was without the side skirts and rear bumper, so it might look better than that had suggested. The wheels are actually quite large at 20", but the SSR is very large by European standards so it could probably handle bigger than that.