Chevy Chevelle 68 Revell by fnick

[Fnick]

Morning all

 

Onto the next one! I picked this up on the bay sort of by accident on purpose. Put in a low bid/offer and won it...

 

 

I'll build this one in gloss black. One of the main reason is that I have Impala that I want to do in gloss black and want some practice in getting a good finish which I have heard is not easy to do with black paint.

 

First things first I really really REALLY don't like the Revell boxes so here comes the first mod.

 

 

Ta da! 😄

 

On this build I'm going to attempt to get the trunk to open and shut. I'll be using Doug's (Model car Muse YouTuber) technique. Not replica accurate but you gotta start somewhere!

 

Here is what the first attempt looks like.

 

 

 

I have since then had to redo this as the trunk lid was catching on the rear panel and the tubes were too long.

 

Since the trunk is going to be open might as well make it look more realistic. Here is what I am aiming for.

 

Looking at this I decided to replicate this using two layers of styrene card the second one being slightly thicker.

 

This is what it looks like with the pilot holes and one section cleared out and sanded to see how it would look.

 

 

And in situ 

 

I think I can pull this off...🤞

 

 

And after a couple of hours...

 

 

 

Looks promising IMHO. Hopefully will look better once painted.

 

Thanks for looking, Nick 

[SnøMotion]

Nice work! Looks great 👌

[Neddy]

Indeed it does! 

[galaxyg]

Looks great, will watch with interest. Great idea for the box mode too. I also hate Revell boxes.

[CrazyCrank]

Remarkable work on this lid and trunk hinges 👍

[Fnick]

Thank you all! ☺️. In concept a simple idea but it's taken me a few attempts to get right. Unsurprisingly for the first time though. Very interested to see how it comes out when finished! 😉 

 

Oh yeah I forgot to mention those moulded windscreen wipers...

 

 

Yea they're gone! 😄

 

I'm  also going to replace the grills with some photoetch grills. Trying to find some suitable ones is not easy.

Nick

[Toftdale]

Hi Nick, what a cracking start and so neatly done to.  Watching with interest - Andy 

[stevehnz]

I've got the same kit tucked away somewhere so I guess I better start paying attention. Not sure if I'll go the opening boot way but I like what you've done all the same.

Steve.

[Fnick]

Thank you very much gents! Second layer is progressing well. Very fiddly work!

 

Nick

[CrazyCrank]

12 hours ago, Fnick said:

Thank you all! ☺️. In concept a simple idea but it's taken me a few attempts to get right. Unsurprisingly for the first time though. Very interested to see how it comes out when finished! 😉 

 

Oh yeah I forgot to mention those moulded windscreen wipers...

 

 

Yea they're gone! 😄

 

I'm  also going to replace the grills with some photoetch grills. Trying to find some suitable ones is not easy.

Nick

 

I really appreciate you getting rid of those ugly moulded-in wipers 👍 

[keefr22]

That is a really good start all round Nick, this will be a cracking build to watch! 

 

Keith

[Fnick]

12 hours ago, CrazyCrank said:

 

I really appreciate you getting rid of those ugly moulded-in wipers 👍 

Haha know what you mean Thierry! I got these nice ones as a replacement 

 

 

Nick

3 hours ago, keefr22 said:

That is a really good start all round Nick, this will be a cracking build to watch! 

 

Keith

Cheers Keith. Guess I'd better not mess it up now! 😱😄

[Spiny]

That's a good start. I take it you're planning to box out the boot so there's something to see in there? Nice work on getting the frame of the lid made up, it looks like it's going to work pretty well.

 

On 02/11/2024 at 12:33, Fnick said:

I'll build this one in gloss black. One of the main reason is that I have Impala that I want to do in gloss black and want some practice in getting a good finish which I have heard is not easy to do with black paint.

 

 

It's not necessarily that black is difficult to get a good finish with, but more that like all dark colours it will show any imperfections. So keep an eye out now for any sink marks in the body and make sure they're filled and sanded absolutely smooth - if you don't you'll know about it when the black paint goes on. And similarly, be ready for lots of polishing - while orange peel doesn't show on white unless you (literally) shine a light on it, with black reflections are much more obvious therefore any orange peel will catch the eye immediately. It's not that black paint is any harder to get a good finish on or the processes any different, just that you will need to take much more time to get rid of any imperfections it may highlight. WE always say preparation is the key, but this is especially the case when using black paint.

[Fnick]

19 hours ago, Spiny said:

That's a good start. I take it you're planning to box out the boot so there's something to see in there?

Thanks Spiny! Yes that is the plan. I haven't looked at pics yet to see what the inside of the boot looks like.

 

Cheers for top tips on the paint and prep. I'll be extra vigilant!

 

Nick

[Fnick]

Morning all 

 

Ready for trials!

 

 

Here goes...

 

 

Tada! 🙂

 

 

Next step is to use putty to cover the brass rods. Annoyingly they stick out a bit above the styrene sheet but there is not a lot I can do about that.

 

Nick

[HK-500]

not a hint of "panel gap", your scratch skills are impressive ! 👍

[Six97s]

3 hours ago, Fnick said:

Next step is to use putty to cover the brass rods. Annoyingly they stick out a bit above the styrene sheet but there is not a lot I can do about that.

 

 

I'd lose the brass tubing, fill the gaps with scrap plastic and drill holes for the brass rods.  Or, if you don't have a suitable drill bit, you could leave channels to accept the hinges and box in with scrap.  Either way, you should be able to get those areas flush with the rest of the inner structure.

[Spiny]

If it was me.... I wouldn't have dared go down this line in the first place 😄

 

But since you did, a compromise between the 'proper' way that Six97s has suggested above and leaving the tubes sitting proud could be to take some melted sprue (or less ideally filler which might not stand up to the stresses of opening/closing) and cover over the brass rod, then sand back until the top of the rod appears. That way, although it won't be flush you will have a gentler radius over the top of the tubing making it less noticeable when painted.

 

Lazy I admit, but it should keep the strength and put your boot lid at less risk.

[Fnick]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've decided to go down the putty route for now as it means I can paint the trunk lid separately to the body and install it easily. As a first attempt at doing something like this it will be good enough (at least for me!) 

 

This won't be the last time I do this so I'll have another go at messing I mean doing it properly!

 

Nick

[othertales]

The substantial improvement on the box art and the trunk modification won me over in a heartbeat 😊 I’m in for the ride.

[keefr22]

14 hours ago, Spiny said:

If it was me.... I wouldn't have dared go down this line in the first place 😄

 

Couldn't agree more....!! All the doors, bonnets, boots etc on my models will remain firmly shut to keep out the weather!! 🤣

 

Whatever method you use to cover the tubes, I think it already looks really good for a first attempt!

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

[Potsie]

This is fantastic work and I really appreciate you taking the time to create a little mini tutorial on this. Do you have a brass tube sitting under the rear scuttle - below the rear screen - that the 'hinge' rods are going into?

[flyboy2610]

That's coming along very nicely! Good work on the trunk! 👍

[Fnick]

Thank you all for your kind comments! ☺️ 

 

Here is the result after sanding back the putty.

 

 

Hopefully this shot shows it isn't raised too much

 

 

I think it will look alright once painted.

 

17 hours ago, Potsie said:

Do you have a brass tube sitting under the rear scuttle - below the rear screen - that the 'hinge' rods are going into?

Yes I do!

 

 

If you want to know more about this here is the link to the video I mentioned earlier.

 

 

 

As this mod is pretty much there (all I need to do is fill the gap behind the hoop if that makes sense so it lines up with the styrene sheet close to the tube) onto the next one! 😄

 

I am going to be replacing all the grills with PE mesh. So I have started the destructive part of the mod

 

 

Trying to find suitable mesh grills is proving somewhat challenging... If all else fails I have something that will do.

 

I am not looking forward to removing the front grill 

 

 

I'll have to be extra careful to save the SS396 symbol in the middle. I did find a PE detail up set for a very reasonable price of $18 in the US. However the not so reasonable postage costs of $46 means I won't be getting it!

 

That's it for this update! Thanks for looking, Nick 

[HK-500]

I like it a lot : scratch , brass , craftsmanship , you tick all the boxes