What took me so long?

Posted by: @geoff-jowett

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+1 to all above, congrats Kevin. Bought mine couple of years ago from old D4C member, and quality ebay model car seller, Rich Faber. Rich replaced the aerials with slimmer versions.

Thanks for the compliments, Geoff. I appreciate the nice words, and I'm happy to see the model again. Glad you're enjoying it. 

Regarding the antenna replacements, I've done it on several of my models, particularly the ones with the thick plastic antennas. I plan to eventually replace all of the antennas on my '58 Impalas with the pins. For the bases, I use the plastic DM '57 Chevy antennas. They're fairly easy to find, as many of them get bent or chewed up anyway. The base itself is a nice match for the real ones on the actual '58 Impalas, but there's no shortage of replacement bases out there that are similar. I cut the mast off the DM Chevy one, slice the holding pegs at the bottoms so they're the right depth for the more shallow indentations in the rear fenders of the '58, then I use a pin vise to drill a tiny hole into the top, paint the top around the hole with a Molotow chrome pen to match, and finally, I cut the sharp tip off both pins to match height for the masts. I will often file the tops of the pinheads flat, and file the edges so they're not very wide in diameter. I'll put a dab of LocTite Ultra Gel on the ends, and insert them into the drilled holes in the base. I manipulate both while the gel is setting, so they pitch at the same angle. Before I glue them in place on the fenders, I hold the antennas by the masts, and use a black paint pen to paint a thin strip of black around the bottom edge of the base to simulate the rubber gasket on the real thing that seals the antenna to the paint. I like the realism all of the above conveys, and to me, it adds to the aesthetic of the model itself. It's definitely a process that takes patience and time, but the end result is worth the effort to me. Hope this might help someone else.

Best,

Rich

@rich-faber Thanks for your input Rich, fantastic walk-thru, sounds great!

@rich-faber great to hear from you Rich. Hope all goes well. Rich sells on ebay as Kirbycars-Diecast-Model-Cars. Like receiving models from the mints!

No problem, Kevin. Happy to share info.

Thanks for the plug, Geoff. I've been so busy with my actual career work (illustration/drawing instructor), I haven't had as much time for my model sales lately, but I'm gearing up for listing a bunch of stuff soon. I appreciate the kind words, again.

Best,

Rich