CarCrazyinArkansas' Eclectic Diecast Collection [GO TO PAGE 16 for PICTURES]

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

This 1:24 Maisto 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS 396 was purchased at WalMart as a result of a strange situation: the model was on the shelf in a new 1:24 scale MotorMax American Classics 1970 Chevy El Camino SS 396 display box!!! I took the item to customer service where I was informed that the item would be sold for half price if I wanted it. Since the doors appeared to be sealed (they were, in fact, painted shut) and I wasn't exactly sure what diecast brand it was, I offered one half of their one half. So for two fifty, the project car was mine. The paint was so thickly applied that with my finger nail and a little time, it eventually was removed. The rigid plastic window glass was beyond repair as it couldn't be made clear no matter what was done to it. I added a new gear shift lever, new window glass from clear plastic packaging material, and put a few details on the pan engine.


Thanks for looking...


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[[KRAFTIG]]

Bring her back from the dead, I love it!

[exit]

nice, good job!

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

Recently at a thrift shop I came across three mint models in 1:24 scale by Superior/Sunnyside. This 1955 Chevy 3100 Stepside pickup truck was one of them. Being a bargain brand I didn't expect a lot for the five bills paid which did include the old display box. The model has just opening doors and tailgate, that's it. No engine, no steerable wheels and sparse chassis details. However, on the plus side, the chrome work looks pretty good and the classic '55 Chevy grille is actually cut-out. So to enhance the image, I lowered it in front, painted the vents, added color to the interior door panels, silvered the pedals and steering wheel, put in a column gear shifter, made red the chrome taillights with additional homemade lenses, woodgrained the bed, painted in "Chevrolet" and made a custom tonneau cover with an American Indian motif.


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[[KRAFTIG]]

Love the style of the era of pickup!

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

This roughly 1:24 scale Superior/Sunnyside model of a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette was found at a Goodwill store still in its original display box for five bucks. The interior was detailed to make the model look more authentic. The white seats were highlighted in red, silver and red were applied to the all-white door panels, and silver and black were added to the dash, steering wheel and foot pedals. A white-headed pin serves as a shift lever. In the engine compartment, gold touches were added to some engine components and the valve covers were painted white. The spoke wheels seem to set it off nicely.

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[CarcrazyinArkansas]

This is a Superior/Sunnyside diecast model in roughly 1:24 scale that was sold in its orginal box at Goodwill for five bucks. The vintage pastel green/white color combination of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird attracted me initially, but upon closer inspection, I discovered the older model is quite basic. Hood and both doors open, however. The engine compartment is questionable and sparse; and all the wheels are attached to the plasic chassis via stubs which don't allow any alteration of the stance one way or another. I spruced up the door panels, dash and added blackwash to some exterior items like the grille and hood scoop among other things. Overall, it does display nicely.
Thanks for looking....

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

Here is a 1:18 scale Hot Wheels Drag Bus that was originally purchased at a thrift shop for $3.33. It was missing its entire upper body, a front tire and either a gear shifter or brake lever by the driver's seat. The diecast chassis along with its roll cage, seat belts, chromed fuel tank, wired and plumbed blown engine and the oversize drag slicks outback were features that really necessitated having a completed Volkswagen body attached, but posed some major challenges to construct. Since making of an entire upper bus body seemed out of the question, I opted to do a "truck". Side panels are painted fiberboard and the front is cut aluminum from a twelve ounce soda can. The rounded nature of the can help greatly to conform to the shape of the model. To get some depth and structure to the top, small wooden dowels were glued to a piece of fiberboard length-wise with one larger diameter dowel being in the center. This enabled a tapering effect to be had from the center to the outer edges. The spaces in between the dowels were filled with wood filler, shaped, formed and sanded. Headlight holes filled in. A thin piece of clear acetate serves as a windshield. A few coloring details were added to the engine and the seat and seat belts were painted. A replacement lever was added by the seat. And a spare tire from the parts bin.
Maybe odd-looking and weird to most, the gratifying project did get the "truck" back on the drag strip again.

Thanks for looking...

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[[KRAFTIG]]

Got to love the Veedub!

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

This 1:24 scale M2 Castline model-kit car, missing all its major body parts and its two front wheels, was found at a thrift shop for three bucks and change. The paint needed some rubbing out to remove the scratches and nicks. I was able to obtain the missing parts from a generous donor except for the front wheels and the scoop atop the blower. The grille was blackwashed. The model is quite heavy in weigh as the chassis is solid diecast. There is no interior, however. Yet for capturing the pure essence of a modified '57 Chevy, M2 did a commendable job. As such, this model had to be saved somehow.

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[CarcrazyinArkansas]

This old 1:24 scale Italian-made Bburago 1957 Chevrolet Corvette model was completely disassembled and detailed some for the fun of it. Bought for one dollar at a yard sale, the paint was chipped and blotched with yellow spots, the driver's side door's hinge broken beyond repair and the dirty model had no gear shift lever. Using a mild detergent with bleach, the wpaint whitened up fairly nicely, but the chips remained. So I debated whether to repaint or not, finally deciding to leave the original white factory paint and the previous owner's applied decals. The front and back decals were applied upside down and those on the side coves are redundant. I spray painted the chassis black and detailed the interior while adding a new gear shifter and painted the engine bay, the engine and some engine parts. A inadvertent mistake was made in disassembling the back bumper as a screwdriver slipped and severly punctured the decal license plate covering an open hole in the part. Overall, I'm happy about saving this "antique".

Thanks for looking...

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

This custom VW Bug is a 1:24 scale model from Welly's Hotrider Collection. Nothing was done to it as it's straight out of the box, although I do want to chrome the single exhaust pipe and wished Welly had equipped it with dual exhausts or a chromed header system. Welly did produce a very photogenic casting that features opening doors and a front trunk lid. Under the trunk in the single piece fitting, there is no spare tire, however. And Welly missed it also on the shift lever being way too long and slanting forward excessively. Yet for overall drama and attractiveness, with the lowered body, stylish five-spoke wheels and cool two-tone paint job, Welly came up with a real winner.

Thanks for looking...

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

Here's a new 1:18 MotorMax 1956 Ford Thunderbird Hardtop that was bought on-line. I like the model as it is photogenic in certain areas, but there appear to be a number of major factory defects/quality control problems associated with it.

When bought:


* The body looked warped and distorted, bowing up the the middle where the doors are located. Sighting down the sides of the body, this was quite apparent.

* The panel gaps around the two doors were uneven and wide, indicating such body warpage.

* The hardtop would not easily position into the body in the holes provided.

* One of the portholes in the top was missing its glass.

* The two windshield wipers were not attached properly and were loose.

* In the engine compartment, the radiator was crooked as one of the mounting tabs was fastened outside its mounting slot. Thus the radiator hose did not fit into the appropriate hole in the radiator. The two chrome exhaust pipes were out of alignment also as a result of the aforementioned non-fit.

* The hood hinge was missing its holddown and accompanying screw that anchors the holddown, making the hood flop around and extremely loose and ill-fitting.

* The driver's side rear wheel was partially cracked on the inside where it was mounted to the axle and made the wheel roll very wobbly and out of whack.

* There were various globs of spilled glue located in different areas on the model.

The model was completely dis-assembled. The flaws were corrected as best as possible, different components aligned somewhat, carpet added to the interior, paint applied to the engine and other parts, and details added here and there. It is a real shame that this particular model is shaped the way it is, either being designed this way, from being manufactured this way, damaged in transit, or some other way unbeknownst to me.

Thanks for looking....

[[KRAFTIG]]

She looks good!

[CarcrazyinArkansas]

When it comes to older Chevrolets, the 40s and 50s slope backs (fast backs) are some of my favorites. This 1:24 scale diecast model by MotorMax of the 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan might not be the most detailed, but it does capture the essential look quite well. Lowriders also like the slopebacks and usually put them down almost to the ground. I tried to get this as low as I possibly could. MotorMax's design and construction prohibited going any lower than shown. To bring about additional interest, some extra details were added to the interior, such as carpeting. Up front, the grille openings were filled in with black marker ink to bring out the contrast and simulate open spaces. Outback, the requiste blue dot on each of the taillight lenses. Underneath, the engine block was painted red and the exhaust system painted silver. One final job I have to do- silver the gasoline filler cap!

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For some quality photos of 1:1 Fleetline Aerosedans, check out these links:


https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/AS18 ... dan/657350


https://www.motoexotica.com/inventory/l ... aerosedan/