Hello, good morning and welcome to the new Forum. JK has already posted a few starters but since I originally proposed this Forum I didn't want people turning up to take a look and saying "Hah! Not much to see here. Let's go back to The Lounge and get quietly drunk." So I thought I would help get the ball rolling by posting a model which is by no means a new creation, it was done quite a while ago (devoted readers of the original Model Auto Review magazine may vaguely remember it) but I’m just offering it as an example of the kind of more detailed modelling post that this Forum is designed to accommodate.
You could call this conversion a “mid-level” project. A bit more than a cosmetic touch-up but not a seriously hard-core structural job.
I have a Consumer Guide book of “Classic American Convertibles”. I wouldn’t personally describe everything in the book as a classic, but this ’61 Ford Galaxie Sunliner looked attractive enough to be worth trying in 1:43.
Dinky made a nice plain vanilla Fairlane 500 two-door hardtop
So I took a scruffy specimen, drilled out the rivets holding the floor and glazing unit, and sawed off the roof. A fairly obvious first move, I grant you. Sawing a zinc diecast needs a bit of patient work with a jeweller’s piercing saw (and usually a few broken blades)
but if you are doing a more radical re-working of the bodywork you can cut away large areas and still be left with something robust enough to work on safely, whereas a white metal model can sag or buckle, and a resin or plastic model could easily crack or shatter - especially if you are trying to leave just a fine windscreen/windshield frame, as in this case.
The original seat/dash unit on the old Dinky was a shallow, flimsy vacu-form moulding with very little detail. Not really fit to be exposed to full view. I found some suitably-patterned seats in the parts box (I’ve cannibalised a fair number of models in my time and saved the useful bits). A new flat floor was needed to disguise the depression where the suspension spring was located. The dashboard, front footwell, transmission tunnel and inner body trims were scratchbuilt from various thicknesses of plastic card. The tonneau cover was carved and sanded from body filler.
The original front grille wasn’t bad but I treated it to some Bare Metal foil and a black wash, and proper glass – OK, plastic - headlamps were added.
Like a lot of people, I’m usually not too keen on continental spare kits and rear wheel spats, both of which can make a car look tail-heavy, but in this case they matched the prototype and I thought they looked OK and added a bit of extra visual interest. The original rear bumper was extended at the sides, with a plastic infill to carry the spare. (I can’t claim the detailing of the spare carrier is accurate, and there seems to have been more than one version, I was just trying to give a reasonable impression). I was also lucky enough to find a piece of suitably-textured chromed plastic to represent the typical Ford rear “grille”.
The trademark chrome ribbing seen on the rear flanks of a number of Fords of this era was reproduced with pieces of fine-ribbed plastic (from an old “flicker” postcard) with BMF added. The wheel spats were cut from thin aluminium sheet.
The improved wheels and tyres came from a Road Champs ’57 Ranchero. I made Dagmars for the bumpers to match the photo, although I realised later they weren’t very commonly fitted. A new steering wheel, door mirrors, interior mirror and sun visors, front vent windows (small triangles of clear plastic, edged with BMF), interior door handles and window winders (snipped from watch hands) and a wire aerial finished the job.
Just as a matter of personal taste I ended up painting it white rather than red. No deep psychological significance should be attached to this, although you can never be sure. And just in case some eagle-eyed obsessive is wondering why the number of studs holding down the tonneau cover seems to vary from one pic to another, well, I took a few photos then decided I had overdone it a little with the silver dots, so I painted some of them out before taking more photos. Simple as that really.
Not a very difficult project, just a combination of lots of fairly simple little add-on details, but I thought the result was quite appealing.
This topic was modified 2 months ago 5 times by Graeme Ogg
What an excellent initial post to this new forum Graeme. That is an amazing transformation to that original Dinky. Wish that I had that talent and patience. I do have a box of 'junk' Dinky and Corgi so maybe I can try something.
Graeme, first of all thanks, for the suggestion to have a forum of this nature as it should be of interest to the majority of gearheads who frequent the forums regardless of their scale of choice. Secondly, your opening salvo is beautifully done with excellent prose to accompany the pictures. Well done.
Also thanks to JK for his execution of the plan...also, well done.
Dinky made a nice plain vanilla Fairlane 500 two-door hardtop
Nice work, that convertible turned out to be a real looker, but that Dinky was a 2-dr sedan (a hardtop would've been an easier project ). Also, and perhaps I missed it, I was surprised you didn't use a Dremel for all or most of those cuts. A few quick passes and BAHM! ...your diecast is cut.
Jewler's saws are fantastic, I use them when cutting 1/18 "fixed panels," like trunks or hoods, but as you noted, it can be an arduous process. Thank goodness I have 700 blades, right? 🙄 😏 🙄
Dinky made a nice plain vanilla Fairlane 500 two-door hardtop
Nice work, that convertible turned out to be a real looker, but that Dinky was a 2-dr sedan (a hardtop would've been an easier project ). Also, and perhaps I missed it, I was surprised you didn't use a Dremel for all or most of those cuts. A few quick passes and BAHM! ...your diecast is cut.
Jewler's saws are fantastic, I use them when cutting 1/18 "fixed panels," like trunks or hoods, but as you noted, it can be an arduous process. Thank goodness I have 700 blades, right? 🙄 😏 🙄
