Models of AMERICAN CARS
One of the two Accurate Miniatures Corvette Grand Sport kits. These are very nice kits with photoetch parts. Nice carbs and metal hood louvers. I painted the white instead of using the kit's decals.
Revell/Monogram 1997 Corvette Coupe. I liked the look of chrome wheels, and they are an aftermarket option on the real cars, so there they are. This was a nice modern box-stock project. Very nice kit, though the front spoiler is a pain to install. All was going well until I dropped the rear window and got some glue on the black paint. Something ALWAYS happens!
A Revell Chevy Impala SS. A sedan with attitude! This is a snap kit, but a good one. I added "custom" tailpipes from tubing. There is also a photoetch detail set on there.
This 1973 AMC Javelin AMX was built from an incomplete '71 JoHan kit. It was missing the rear spoiler common to both cars, but if I wanted the newer car, I had to do some modifying. I managed to get a kit that appeared to be the same kit from the box, but the contents were for a '73-74 car!! So I resin cast the rear spoiler and taillight panel. The taillights are clear plastic painted with Tamiya translucent red paint. The rear bumper had to be cut down to accomidate the panel. I cast some Machine wheels with tires from an old Rebel Machine kit (not mine), but there were too many air bubbles on the surface, so I had to hunt for wheels and tires. What I ended up with are not totally correct but close enough mags from a Trans Am kit. I like the look! My first attempt to apply the Fred Cady T-stripe decal for the hood ended with it tearing apart without me even taking it off the backing!! I solved the problem with the second set by cutting it into 4 parts and applying it like the 1:1 decal. The kit is typical '70s. Molded in chassis detail, very little interior detail, etc. But the engine builds up very nicely. It even comes with the flapper on the air cleaner cover!
This is a 1/18 Ertl diecast '69 AMX in Big Bad Blue. I bought it for my boyfriend who told me what details I needed to paint to make the car more correct. First the car got a good waxing. Then the sidepipes got a black wash, the grill is now silver with silver surround and chrome trim, the headlight buckets are black with chrome trim, the rear bumperettes have black inserts, the lugnuts are silver, centercaps are silver, and I applied chrome window trim. The car was then topped off with 1966 vintage Massachusetts "BIG BAD" license plates
Fujimi Ford GT40/MKII. While this is a curbside kit, the included photo etch parts and great decals made for a nice build.
This is a Monogram Packard Boattail Speedster with a rather snazzy paint job!
This Packard came close to being thrown bodily against a wall. I started it sometime during high school, and encountered major paint problems. Memories are fuzzy now, but I think the culprit was the maroon paint peeling. I remember loosing control in the basement where I spray the cars, swearing all over, and my mother getting mad because of it. I didn't want to see another car kit ever again. I think about a year passed, I sanded or stripped the paint, and used the black to save it. By the time I was done, the car was alive again. A real life-after-death car...
This page was last updated on: March 8, 2015
"Little Nice Green"
I built the JoHan '69 AMX kit as a Big Bad Green car (minus rear bumperettes). It wasn't easy trying to get the kit to come out well, due to typical '70s quality. The window unit was misformed, so I had to use clear sheet styrene for the rear window. The wheels in the kit are Hurst spoke types, and I used a set from the JoHan '71+ kit for more accuracy. They are painted, as only '68 had the chrome ones. I used the kit tires, which are now left black, but I applied redwall decals from a Corvette kit that looked great, but melted on the tires! I had to remove all of the red and it made me a bit mad, as I like the look of redwalls. I almost used my cherished set of chrome Cragars on Goodyears, but decided the finished kit loot was better. I made the black stripes myself with my computer, and the details are from an aftermarket sheet. Tailpipes are tube styrene and foil. The incorrect steering wheel in the spartan interior was replaced by a Detail Master one, and I added felt "carpet". The engine was totally wrong. It was missing the heads, so I resin cast copies from the spare kit I had. I did my best to make it all look ok, but I plan on just rebuilding the kit at a later date with the correct engine from the '71+ kit. The color, though, is correct early AMC blue!
Revell/Monogram 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350H. Painted stripes with kit and Keith Marks decals. Read about the build HERE.
And now for something a little different: an AMT 1975 AMC Matador stock car. I decided instead of building the kit as the red, white, and blue Bobby Allison racer, I'd turn it into something my AMC fan boyfriend would drive back in '75. I hit a snag, though, when my grape and white color scheme revealed a flaw: I can't print white on an inkjet printer!! After wishing I had the cash to buy an Alps printer, and cursing to myself about my lack of suitable white number decals, I had to settle with using white decal paper and some scissors. The black "Larsen's Garage" logos came out great! I used a blue "American Motors" decal from an old JoHan Javelin kit on the rear spoiler.
Correct car for what's in the box
Here is the Revell Corvette C5R built with accurate aftermarket decals, since the car on the box is not the car IN the box ('99 Rolex 24 Daytona) . The bottom half of the black sides is paint, with the black decals hacked up and added to the top portion. The hood decals were tough to apply over the louvers, and I had to do a little touching up with paint once they dried. Also, this is the first model I have made with a nasty NASCAR-like tube chassis. It wasn't TOO bad to build, since there are only 4 parts to it, but you have to make sure it all glues into place properly. The tires have dry transfer GOODYEAR logos from SHABO. Nice and flat! The kit's carbon fiber decals worked better than Scale Motorsport's this time. One inaccuracy I found too late is the strange bar where the rear plate usually goes. It isn't on any car I have photos of, and I should have removed it. It is a shame that the hood does not open, as all that chassis detail is hidden now :-( This was not the world's easiest kit!
Revell 1964 Ford Fairlane 500. I built it as a sleeper with a 427 V8. Read about the build HERE.
Revell 2006 Chevy Corvette Z06. Read about the build HERE.
