"The Hot One"- AMT's 1/16 scale 1955 Chevy Bel Air hardtop build up from around 1980

Here is a model that I built a couple of years after I did my orange and white AMT 1/16 '57 Bel Air. This model came out much nicer than the '57 did, as I took more time to build this one, and I had made the switch from Pactra to Testors paint. I had to, as Pactra had just gone out of business, and their paints had all but disappeared from all the hobby shops that I dealt with. Those shops all restocked with Testors paints, except for one. I don't know how they did it, but they carried the full Pactra line until around 1982. Then it dissapeared from them, too. This model was one of the earliest models, once I had the color paint work done, I clear coated the body, for more of a wet look gloss. Both doors and the hood  still work as they should. I had some problems with the doors, with the paint blistering from putting the clear coat on too soon after I painted the dark red on them, so I had to strip, and repaint them. That is why they are slightly darker than the dark red on the rest of the model.Other than that, this is still a gorgeous model, for my having built this 32 years ago.

Here are some random images of the thing, including some shots of the sparely detailed engine compartment. Other than it being there, I left it in it's unpainted orange-red plastic state, but I did paint the transmission silver, as well as the carburetor. I also painted the air cleaner, generator, starter motor, distributor, fan, and fan belt pulleys black.I also took the time to paint the master cylinder silver, too. Other than that, I did nothing else to the engine compartment. For the interior, I just added flat white to the bare orange red colored plastic seats, and sidepanels to give it a two toned red and white interior. I  did fully detail paint the dashboard,though.

The model is spray canned painted Testors dark red, and I believe Testors tan, with Testors "Glosscote" clearcoat to finish it off.

I just recently printed up these "1955" license tags on my computer for this about 5 years ago. I had already had these red painted plastic tag blanks mounted on the model, though, since I built it, in the first place, in the hope I would put some kind of decal or glue on some kind of license graphic in the future. Which I finally did here.

Now that I really look at these images of this model is I now remember how I really got frustrated at the fact, that when I was in the final stages of assembly with the thing, no matter what I did, or how hard I tried, I could NOT get the rear bumper to mount level on the car. So I had to settle for a look that looks like the driver of this car backed into somebody else's car at parking lot speed, and bent  the whole bumper up at the bracket mounts on both sides of the car at the same time. So the results are a bumper that hangs down at the front ends of it. To me, it looks like crap, but that's life, sometimes.

Interior shot. Sorry, I guss I should have opened the doors so you can see the seat and dashboard better. The thing was, I kind of had to hurry up, as I photographed the model on my actual driveway, and my wife was away. I didn't want her to come back and squish the model and me laying on the driveway to get the images that you see here.

Two engine compartment shots. It does have some detailling, but very little plumbing, and no wiring. What for? the model doesn't run, anyway!

  Two nice profile shots.

As with the '57 model, this model is about a foot long.

  Three-quarter passenger side-front view shot.

  

 Here is a shot of  the model in my hand. See image below for full shot.

This last image is a picture my daughter took of me, complete with my scruffy 1975 haircut and all, holding the model, after I finished my photo shoot.

Jim V.