STAR Plastic kit pages up-dated!

Yesterday I up-loaded the latest styrene kit listings to Steve's pages. check them out by going to the STAR Models home page and selecting a list from the Plastic kits menu in the middle of the page.

Some of these goodies are really rare and priced right!

Jerry

Great News from STAR Models!!!

Steve is discounting all of his Styrene kits 10% for the remainder of the month of August. This is a good chance for you to stock up on a 'Grail' or two for the colder weather coming up.

I have also up-dated the Hendrix and Flintstone galleries this past month adding about a hundred new cars between them. The R&R galleries will be done a bit later this month.

Thanks for visiting

Jerry

For those of you who Bleche-Wite your own resins...

I recently had to replace a body for a customer that had accidentally stayed in the Bleche-Wite too long while we were dealing with hospital stays and convalescing. Evidently, while Bleche-Wite removes mold release agents in 24 hours, it also leaches at least some resins over longer periods causing a major thinning of parts. In the case of my customers body, a 49 Mercury Woody Wagon, it was toast and would have cracked at door and fender seams with the slightest pressure. Better I should discover this than you!

Just thought you'd like to know.

Happy Modeling

Jerry

They're Baaaak!

That's right! Sunday June 26th series 17 of Top Gear begins with it's wonderful cast of goofballs. Check your local guide for time and BBCA chanel number. You can see some previews at finalgear.com which also lets you download any Top Gear episodes you may have missed. While you're there be sure to check out other automotive programs you can download.

Jerry

I just finished updating STAR Models Styrene kit pages...

Steve added another collection to his inventory and the first 140 kits are now posted at the STAR Models Plastic Models pages. Check them out for some really rare items.

Jerry

Here's something you road racers will like...

Steve at STAR Models just sent me a heads-up that he just got in a 52 Lincoln 2dr htp from R&R yesterday. These were some of the best handling cars ever produced by Detroit and won several road races in central and South America. A few moonshiners also used them because they didn't have to do much to them to beat the Feds on the back roads of the south.

Steve only got a couple of them so grab one quick.

Jerry

Say Hi to Iggy and Seb...

brothers and creators of a great web site, modeljunkyard.com  and its supporting blog all about detailing, dioramas, and scratch building. Inspired by their grandfather who owned a junkyard in Argentina, they're bringing a whole new batch of display ideas to the hobby. You're really going to enjoy keeping up with these two sites.

Here's a teaser photo...

Enjoy!

Jerry

About the AMT/ERTL 1966 Olds 442s

A few months back there were some questions raised as to the accuracy of this kit and its box art on one of the forums. Having sold many and owned a couple when they were brand new, and since I've made my living using Photoshop, I thought I'd offer some data you might find useful about this kit and the box art...

First thing: the car on the cover and the car in the box are different models. The car on the cover is an F-85 Holiday Coupe, model 3617. The kit car in the box is a Cutlass Holiday Coupe, model 3817. Both equipped with either 4-4-2 performance option L69 which came with 3-2bbl carburetors, or option L78 which included the more common Quadrajet 4bbl carburetor. Both of these packages included the red line tires shown on the box along with heavy duty wheels. A no cost white line exchange option was also available.

As for the box art 1:1 photo, the rumors that the top was either a different color or had a vinyl top are true, it was was definitely Photoshopped. The tell-tail clue is the two-tone/vinyl top chrome separator between the windshield and the vent windows that they forgot to remove when they were making changes. From my sales experience, average buyers bought 4-4-2s with a vinyl top. Boy racers on the other hand skipped the vinyl top but equipped theirs with heavy duty items for weekend fun at the strip.

Just in case you're interested, the following interior colors were appropriate for both the coupe and convertible versions of this kit.

Parchment Pearl (Opalescent) white with matching headliner and Black carpet, Black with Ivory headliner and Black carpet, Red with Parchment Pearl headliner and Dark Maroon carpeting and Blue (matches 66 Olds color code D Lucerne Mist) with matching headliner and Dark Blue carpeting. All of these had vinyl seating surfaces.

Vinyl tops came in Black and Beige (actually an off white)

Convertible tops came in Beige (Khaki comes real close), Black, Blue (a bit darker then the interior Blue) and White.

I'll be posting the actual paint chips and swatches of everything on the builders guide page at the Resin Realm shortly.

Hope this has been of interest and/or helpful to you.

Jerry

Back in the day...Mine anyway,

seat covers were very popular and available in a wider variety of colors and textures than factory interiors. In 1953, Ford for example, had 14 different styles of factory seat covers available in 3 or 4 colors. If you didn't want seat covers you got your choice of 1 pattern for each model in 2 or 3 colors. Below is a factory brochure spread with a couple of examples and the style list.

Click on either photo to see a larger version.

Here's an interesting fact I'll bet you weren't aware of... Fingerhut, the catalog sales folks, got their start in 1948 making seat covers to fit most makes and models of American cars. Below is the interior of their 3 fold brochure for 1953 featuring a Ford Sunliner decked out with one of their seat cover sets. Pretty Spiffy, aye what?

Seat covers got so popular that you could buy them via catalog or in just about any major retail outlet back then. Sears, Wards and other catalog companies were good sources as were auto parts stores like Western Auto and Firestone Tire outlets.

These covers are not very difficult to make. I'll be posting a bunch in color from another source to give you some examples to work from. If you've got one of the newer printers that uses pigmented inks you can make some really nice covers for your models using decal paper and a softening solution.


Hope you enjoyed today's post. Your comments are welcome

Jerry K

We're back!

We've been away for a couple of weeks due to a death in the family. Posting to the blog will resume this week. Thanks for your patience.

Jerry K

This'll give you something to grin about...

If you drive around Detroit you'll see a wide variety of Chevy billboards that will definitely make your day a whole lot better, not to mention reminding you of the best times this country ever had.

If the print is too small click on them to see a larger version.

Enjoy

Jerry K

Whoops!!!

We forgot to include some corrected and up-dated information in the last post so we edited and re-posted it. Check out the corrected version below for additional details and links to cars and colors discussed in the post.

If you are reading this in an a e-Mail Message, Click Here! if that doesn't work, go to the Realm Home Page and click on the flashing News & Up-Dates link at the top of the page

Sorry about that...

Jerry K

Cars and colors...The '50s

Color always seems to be a hot topic especially when referring to what was available on a specific make/model//year, and contrary to popular opinion, you couldn't have any color you wanted just because you had the money to pay for it. There were of course, some exceptions to that rule and those were;

Special Models... Cars like the 53 Buick Skylark, 53 Olds Fiesta, 56 & 57 Lincoln Continental and the 57 Cadillac Brougham had specific paint and interior choices, but since they were painted on their own special lines, it wasn't all that difficult to order a special color...you just had to pay a hefty premium,

Factory Executive Cars. You had to be pretty high up on the food chain to get one of these cars that were, for the most part, painted in the corporate design shops. Harley Earl took it a step further than most by having special models built for his pleasure,

Fleets, of course, could have any color/combination they wanted if the order was sizable enough.

As for the rest of us...Back in the '50s you and I pretty much took what the manufacturer offered. All the major manufacturers took great pains to choose colors, both interior and exterior, that gave the best viewing impression and offered the greatest curbside appeal, and they made few if any exceptions to the general public depending on the dealer body to handle special requests.

Let's look at the 1953 Ford model line for example, starting with the Victoria 2 door hardtop.  The Vicky was available in a single solid color, Sungate Ivory, and 8 no extra cost two-tone combinations. The scan below is from one of the original factory brochures that attests to these facts.

The 53 Sunliner was chosen to be the Pace car for the Indy 500 in 53 to honor Ford's 50th anniversary. It was painted in 'Pace Car White' which is a very close match to what would become 1956 Mercury Classic White. Ford also made available to dealers a Pace car edition in Sungate Ivory with a special gold and black interior. Dealers could also purchase the Pace car decals for use on convertibles out of their inventory and evidently a few did, so it's kosher to build yours in any available light color (parts of the decal set were in black),  just remember to use stock interior colors for it. By the way, the convertible was the only passenger car available in red.

The sedan delivery could be had in all colors available on station wagons, and Mainline 2 and 4 door sedans plus the business/club coupe had no two-tone options at all even though they had the same chrome belt line strip used on Customline models to separate two colors.

The Pace Car Convertible and the Victoria are available from Lindberg, the sedan Delivery, Country Squire, Customline 2 door sedan and Mainline 4 door sedan are available from STAR Models uncleaned and from the Resin Realm cleaned and ready for primer (the Resin Realm version of the Country Squire and Sedan Delivery include the color of your choice in a one ounce bottle of single stage acrylic enamel). A Ranch Wagon is also available from STAR Models.

Look for more color facts here in the near future. If you're a strictly stock builder you might find them useful. And please remember too, that we have all 1953 Ford paint in stock including Spring Colors for those of you wishing to build a 'Documented' Car.

Thanks for stopping by and happy Modeling

Jerry K

Can a 1/25th scale Revell 29 Model A Pick-Up be worth more than a grand?

Well, this one is...

Yes, that gold look'n stuff is...GOLD. 14K solid gold. As for that shiny silver stuff...ya you guessed it, it's pure silver. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

Everything that worked on the Revell kit works on this metal masterpiece. Doors, tail gate, steering and the 4 piece piano hinged hood.

The top, interior and tires are anodized silver.

This is what happens when an ex jeweler turned modeler with too much time on his hands gets a wild hair. Having left over gold and silver from his business helps a bit too.

Happy modeling

Jerry K

Some specials from Steve at STAR Models

Hi, All...

Steve asked my to list a few specials he's put on sale for this month...

The first is a 1961 Pontiac Tempest Station Wagon $53.00 $45.00

Next is a 1964 Chevy Impala Station Wagon $53.00 $45.00

And a 1965 Plymouth Satellite 2dr Htp $53.00 $45.00

Last is a Full Fendered 1937 Fiat $22.00 $18.00

Go to the Resin Realm and click on the Star Models logo on the left side of the page. Steve's phone number and e-Mail address are right there so you can call or write him for details. If you want to see what these cars look like go to the resin kit menu on Steve's page and go to the R&R page.

Happy modeling...

Jerry K

I was about to make a new post when...

...my loyal companion, Wee Willy decided he wanted some attention. That of course eliminated the posibility of accomplishing any real work today... SO

 Click on the photo for a bigger view.

I bit the bullet and forced myself to do a few laps in Forza 3 on my xBox. All kidding aside, that is one great game and if you're an old coot like me it helps keep you sharp and rebuilds the old reflexes...that's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it :-)

I'll do a real post later today and if you signed up for eMail updates it will be in your mail box. In the mean time you might want to read about our Resin Realm kits just above this post.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jerry K

How'd you like to build a 52 Chevy?

If you've been waiting for our 1951 to 1952 Chevy conversion kits to arrive... they be here...finally!

 Click on any photo to see a larger version.

These can be Chrome Plated or sprayed with Alcald. They will look great either way. These will work with all 3 of of the AMT 1951 Chevys, Hendrix's  2dr sedan and MCM's Club Coupe too. They're still $12.95 and you still get the builders guide of your choice. All the information came from Chevrolet ordering materials, dealer binders and color charts from both Chevrolet and major paint manufacturers.

Here are the front and back of the AMT Builders Guides.

And here's the guide for the resin sedan and coupe bodies.

Thanks for visiting, happy modeling and stop in again.

Jerry K

A few pix for the previous post

Here are two photos covering the Studebakers mentioned in the previous post. The Convertible is a Champion Regal DeLuxe  and the other a Champion Custom 5 Passenger Coupe. You can tell the difference by the headlight rims. The Custom was the bottom of the line and had painted rims while the DeLuxe and Regal DeLuxe models had chrome rims and a hood ornament. I personally prefer the painted rims.

 Here's a picture of our family's Studebaker, a 50 DeLuxe 4 door taken at Yellowstone in 1951. I'm the short person :-)

On the modeling front you might want to be on the lookout for these two goodies. The first is a re-release of AMT's 1950 Chevy 3100 Pick Up. Notice it says AMT not AMT/Ertl. Nostalgia wise, I kind of like that touch. The second box depicts Mobius Models newest entry a 1953 Hudson. The 53 Hudson especially the Twin-H Power equipped versions kicked serious butt in racing circles. About the only thing that could come close to them were Olds Rocket 88s.

I've got some neat stuff on the docket for tomorrow, so, see ya then.

Jerry K

A busy day at STAR Models

Steve sent me an E-mail today listing a bunch of new kits from R&R that just arrived at STAR Models. Evidently Ray Parsons has been burning the midnight oil. Check out this list...

79 Malibu wagon    $53
80 Malibu wagon    $53
81 Malibu wagon    $53
50 Studebaker coupe    $53
50 Studebaker convertible with up-top    $53
50 Studebaker convertible with boot      $53
65 Olds Delta 88 HT        $53
3 yard dump truck box     $28
Nimrod camper        $22

The first three should prove to be a good source for conversion to Pontiac and Oldsmobile wagons of the same years. I'm personally happy to see the 65 Delta 88 as it was only run once to the best of my knowledge then converted into a stock car/dirt tracker. As a Studebaker fan, I'm always happy to see new versions of my favorite car.

Steve and I will be getting together for a photo shoot sometime next month to bring the resin photo galleries up to date. We'll probably be adding a hundred or more new pictures to the STAR site.

Thanks for stopping by and if you haven't done it yet, enter your E-Mail address in the box in the right hand column and you'll receive a message after every post I make here with all the data and photos.

Jerry K

A 1953 Ford paint detail...or two

If you're building a stock 53 Ford of any kind remember that the splash pan between the bumper and body should be painted Argent/Silver. While I'm at it, the steering column and everything attached to it should be painted black. That goes for the Pace car too.

As 1953 was Fords 50th Anniversary you'd think they could have been a bit more creative with details than just a medallion in the steering wheel hub.

Happy Modeling

Jerry K

Back in the Fifties...

...General Motors created some of the most exciting "Dream Cars" imaginable, among them was a wagon version of the newly announced Corvette. They called it the Nomad, or Waldorf Nomad as it became known, because it was introduced at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.

Longtime modeler, Bruce Craig, has a thing for stylish wagons and decided to build one for his collection. It required two AMT 1955 Nomads and, one each of AMT's and Monogram's 53 Corvettes along with a lot of time and patience to finish the beauty below. I'd say it was worth the effort.

While data and measurements are scarce, Bruce used the original publicity photo below along with several others he found on the web to help with the construction.

The artists sketch below is from the brochure given out where ever the car was shown.

There was a resin kit of this car on the market at one time, but its no longer in production. HOWEVER...a California kit car manufacturer just announced it is building some 1:1 kits... 25 of them at the princely price of $110.000. That price doesn't include motor, upholstery...or paint!

On that bombshell, as Jeremy Clarkson likes to say, that's the end of the show.

Jerry K

A classic photo of days gone by

I know this is a bit off topic but when I saw this photo I just had to share it with you. Be sure to read the original caption below the photo. Don't forget to click on the photo to see it in it's original size. That goes for all the posts here.

Heber City , Utah . Union Pacific 2-8-0 #618 and a 1953 Buick Super. This has to be the classic of classic photos! It defies time itself. When I saw this photo, I was transported back to those wonderful days when life was full of simple pleasures, back when we were satisfied with less and happy to walk instead of ride. This is February 6, 2007 when time and eternity intersect at this crossing. And to think that you and I, and others, once had a stage like this everyday for the greatest performance ever.  Oh what the  generation of  today has missed. Great Memories!

Jerry K 

That 58 Dodge I mentioned...

... in my first post. Well here are the photos as promised.  As you can see from the third photo, this would make an awesome convertible with a minimum of work. Steve has only a couple of these in stock and knowing the way R&R's casting schedule works you might want to get one while you can.

Here's another goodie that just arrived, Hendrix's 1955 Ford Sunliner. You can get it through STAR models and do the clean-up yourself or as a Resin Realm Deluxe kit with all the work done for you for a few dollars more. A continental kit is available for the Sunliner and the Crown Victoria shown below for an additional $12.00.

And...last but not least, the 55 Crown Victoria is back in stock in both STAR and Resin Realm Deluxe kit versions.

Oh, yes one more thing. 1955 Chevy Spring Colors, Cashmere Blue and Dusk Rose just arrived. These were available on select models built after April 1st of 1955. Dusk Rose was available on all Bel Airs except the station wagon in a two-tone combination with India Ivory and was not available as a solid color.

Cashmere Blue was available in a two tone with India Ivory and as a solid color on all Bel Air, 210 and 150 two and four door sedans. It was also available as a solid color on the sedan delivery.

And that about winds it up for today's post. Thanks for stopping by.

Jerry K

Welcome to the NEW Resin Realm...

Hi, All...

We think you'll find the new Realm a bit easier to navigate than the old version. We've supplemented it with the addition of this blog where we can bring you up-to-date with all that's new and exciting, and so, without further ado, lets get started.

On Steve's STAR Models side of the site, R&R's 1970 Hurst Chrysler 300 Hardtop just arrived joining the regular 300 2dr hardtop and the convertible already available. A 1958 Dodge Custom Royal 2dr Hardtop also arrived and we'll get a picture posted as soon as I can find it in my library.

On the Realm side, the 1953 Ford Spring Colors I've been waiting for have arrived. Dove Tone Gray which has a slight hint of brown in it, replaces Woodsmoke Gray. It would look great on a convertible with a red vinyl interior.

The second color is Cascade Green, truly a spring color. There is no documentation for this color but it could be a replacement color for Seamist Green on the Customline series or just a stand-alone color for the convertible and a tutone on the Victoria with Sungate Ivory in either the top or bottom position.

If you're building a documented vehicle, remember that these colors didn't enter production until April of 1953

That's the news for now. Thanks again for joining us.

Jerry K