I've always liked going my own way with colour. The '55 Cameo is nice enough - but red on white? White on red? Boring!

Go forward two years to AMT's '57 Cameo, and you get a lesser-seen front end (and hood), some chrome trim on the bed sides which just begs for accenting and more colour choice. Let's throw things wide open, let's paint it light blue. (Shh - this is an early seventies Ford blue! Mustn't hurt Chevy's feelings...) 🙂

The final pic is taken using a calendar photo for a backdrop.

The WIP is here. https://forum.modelcarmakers.com/topic/205203-1950-chevy-pickup-bash/

I got this idea from a YouTube channel called Carter Auto Restyling. I really like his work with metal fabrication but I didn’t use the same years vehicles as he did.

Carter Auto Restyling  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgzmgPnF-dM&t=3s

Thanks for looking and I hope you like it.

Dave

I built this about 45 years ago. Everything’s brush-painted with Humbrol enamel here. Stripes were painted freehand - I couldn't do THAT now!

Foiling the side trim made me realise just how much shiny stuff these beasts had! AMT moulded a lot of detail into one single slab of chrome for that front end - I think I got the black paint in all the right places. Underhood area is a bit barren, needs a bigger battery, brake booster and a few other things.

She's a big beast, just crying out for a camper shell. But that'd get in the way of the light bar. Oh well.....

Back in '71 we didn't get trucks all dressed up like this in Australia, they were atill pretty basic, so I had a look online to find a colour combo I liked, to go with all the fancy trim.

Paint is several coats of Humbrol enamel, brushed on. Yep, I still handpaint a model now and then, just to keep my skills sharp.

In the last pic, the Ford's hitched to an MPC Super Trailer (minus clear top), carrying a MiniRetro Austin A30 (3D kit).

For Aussies, this was a lesser-known venture of Griffiths Brothers Tea, famed for those old billboards and signs along railway lines. No, I haven't done a Griffiths Tea truck.

Monogram chose to do the SWB Landie with the roof and door pieces separate, which opens up all sorts of possibilities. And there's engine detail (sorry I forgot to show you), and the chassis's not too bad. The deep rims and overisze tyres are a nice touch, but the wide spare on the hood would be hard to see over. Paint's a home-brewed mix of Humbrol enamels, done to match a magazine photo.

I'm imagining a farmer had a good year and decided to treat himself to a new pickup. Whitewalls and a white roof just to dress it up a bit beyond the usual Custom Cab.

So I was very interested when this kit came out. Not one to follow the box art, this happened.

Decals are intended for an HO railroad boxcar, cut apart and rearranged to fit the Ford. Apparently an 'Edison' boxcar would be yellow, they said. Okay...

This reminded me of another model I built inspired by Rodder's Journal features. In this case it was an AMT-Ertl 1957 Chevy Stepside, with the roof removed and the grille swapped from the earlier AMT-Ertl 1955 Chevy Cameo kit.

This was a pretty quick build/simple kitbash, so it was not a highly detailed or extensively modified project.

Other than cutting off the roof, the biggest change was using the Chevy 409 engine from the original Revell l1955 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop kit (the same one currently being reissued by Atlantis). This engine was configured/tooled as thought it might have been an upcoming, but never actually issued, continuation of the Revell Parts Pack product line that was suddenly terminated c.1964.

The dropped front axle came from the AMT-Ertl 1955 Stepside Street Machine kit. The paint was Tamiya light pearl green, a color very reminiscent of the RJ cover truck, but finished with a flat rather than gloss clear coat (this was a mini-trend underway at the Cobo Autorama and other shows in the mid 2000's decade).

Most of the interior was finished in a simulated "Zylotone" paint, popular in the 1960s, with the seat from the (IIRC) custom interior option in the Revell 1929 Model A Pickup kit, wearing colors and a sew pattern that match a companion boat project (referenced below). A dark green metalflake steering wheel and a Moon "foot" gas pedal completed the interior mods.

The project was based on the AMT-Ertl '57 kit as the earlier '55 Cameo kit had an incorrect downward slopping beltline atop the doors that I just couldn't stomach. The later '57 kit tooling corrected that error. The grille from the '55 Cameo kit was modified by cutting away the backing and tweaking the remaining grille bars.

Below are some pix, including the truck along with its matching Revell Hemi-Hydro/"Show and Go" drag boat kitbash, finished in matching colors except wearing a glossy clearcoat and a real wood front deck insert.

Thanks for looking ....TIM

The Bedford O came out just before the war. They're kind of a semi-forward control, with half the engine tucked up under the cowl and a doghouse protruding into the cab, level with the dash like a console. Must be a pain to work on! Engine's very like a Chevy six. With a military-pattern front it was one of the main British trucks serving, then after the war came back into civilian service, made until about '53. I remember seeing a few of these oldies as a kid.

Lots of tiny parts - all the hooks and cleats the British used to tie down their loads - and each one is a separate part about 2x4mm! Your tweezers and magnifier will get a workout. Wonderful woodgraining on the bed and the dropsides; it really deserves a better job than I did.

The only really tricky part was mounting the cab straight and getting the radiator and grille assembly in the right place for the bonnet to fit properly. I've built two of these already (dump, tow) and it's still tricky. Two moulded plastic rods run between grille and cab - I broke one, so used 0.5mm brass wire and made both rods afresh.

Great fun, but I'm not going to build the last one any time soon! Oh, my eyes..... 😵

Only two photos of this one, Henderson mattresses.

As before, decals for an HO railroad boxcar. trimmed to fit. Amazing what odd period local companies and brands you can find from the aftermarket.

The idea here is that somebody (the apprentice?) has just washed the truck cab but didn't bother cleaning the rear. It's a work truck, after all. A bit of rust and weathering, dirty handprints etc. on the back underlines this. And the paint's lost its shine because who bothers polishing the work truck? Speaking of paint, it's a Tamiya military shade with a sort of satin finish.

https://media.fotki.com/2v2Zmyuf9xAVNRq.jpg