'53 Stude: Complete (#13 for 2018)

Some last minute screwups. The white paint on the roof went on well and sat for a few days to harden before taping, but obviously not long enough as the tape left an imprint in the paint, and in a couple of cases ripped slabs of paint off. This is in spite of detacking the tape by sticking it on my cutting mat first; the 3M blue tape was significantly more aggressive than the Tamiya.



So rather than strip it, I settled for some fixes involving a brush and some decanted paint (to fill the holes) and a thorough sanding and polishing regime. It's not show quality but it will do.



Stance is odd in this kit. Using the lowest position for the axles on kingpins yields a stance that looks, well, stock. And there is a lot of chassis showing below the bumper. Nonetheless it all seems to work.



Overall I went for a mild custom look. The hood scoop, from the parts bin, clears the 4 bbl carbs (from the parts bin) and venturis (from the aftermarket storehouse). In retrospect the scoop distracts from the clean lines, but not excessively so.





A classic dash, livened up with some careful brushwork. There were no decals for gauges in the kit.



A clean '50s car.



The custom bumpers front and rear are particularly understated.



It looks good as it joins the other American iron.



So now back to the Alfa TZ1!