FC Holden

this is The Parts Box's FC Holden, gunna build it pretty much box stock, this is what i have done so far.

Good luck.
I gave up on mine.
I had it all painted and everything but then hit a wall when it came to fitting the windows.
As they are cut from flat clear I really should have built in some sort of channel system to hold them in place BEFORE i painted the bloody thing.
With a bit of work the headlight buckets from the AMT old mould '57 chevy can be made to fit this.

I never got a TPB body because Id be able get the windows in lol

Looks great so far!

Looking real nice , like your paint choice - windows certainly not easy , especially rear window - have a friend who built one , he had to glue one corner of window in and let dry and then work along from there.

OOOOOh looking good so far,I have one but chiped off a bit of the chrome trim on one rear fennder,put it away before it hit the wall.

Looking good Dude, I got a real soft spot for FC's

Shoey wrote:Looking good Dude, I got a real soft spot for FC's

That's because they look like 55 Chevs.

FC looks more like a baby 53 chevy, the FB was the one that got the 55-57 dog leg A pillar.

your FC looks good so far, can't go wrong with stock.

Nice work so far!
Adam

interior is done, waiting on the weather to clear the body

Great job so far mate.
Got to ask though, do you think the kit is value for money and easy enough to build?
What about the windows....clear sheet or cast?
I've been thinking seriously about getting one of these from Jason, as my first car was an FC and I'd love to replicate it someday.
Antwon

the cost of the kit is comparable to most resin kits of aussie cars, so far it has gone together well, havent tried the windows yet but shouldnt be a problem as i have done several dozen resin bodies that didnt come with windows, the kits includes clear sheet plastic for the windows, but i ususaly use offcuts from laminating as they are very flexible, will post more picks when i get them done, i havent looked to hard at it but have been told that some aspects are not quite right, shape of wheel arches etc, it looks like an FC to me and i am happy to go with it as it is but some ppl rekon there are things that need to be fixed, maybe there are others who can add there opinions ?

You know as modellers we can be quite critical of model/resin companies for producing a less than perfect model. In some cases it is the only way you are able to build that model. Every major model company has released a dud model kit. Resin companies face harsher criticism because they are usually backyard/part time manufactures who have mocked up a body by modifying another. When you've been around a few years like dv8v8 an myself, you've built showcars out of dung heaps. What it boils down to is if want to build the model remember it is not a real car and it will come with some flaws. I agree with dv8v8, if it looks like the car then it doesn't matter if its not an exact replica.
Enjoy building, enjoy the challenge and above all enjoy your finished model.

Oh and nice build up John this will look sweet once it's finished, good job mate.

Thanks guys, I have looked at photos of the kit for a while now, and your right DV8V8, it does look right.
I'm not about to get a scale rule out and measure any kit for exactness, I was more concerned about parts not fitting. I've only built one resin kit, the Cavalier 2001 ClubSport, and it was a bit of a dog, I had to do a heap of reshaping and fitting to get it anywhere near accpetable.
Also was it the curbside or full version you bought?
Antwon

its the full version but its still a curbside, has detail on the underside of floorpan and full interior but no engine and bonnet is part of the body, you would have to cut it out and get a grey motor as well as scratchbuild the engine bay if you wanted a full detail kit

OK, I got it. I just had another look at their site and I had thought the full kit had the motor in it but I see now how it's offered.
Still might get one, I'll follow your build and see how happy you are with the finished product.
Thanks man.

as there has been much curiosity about how the windows are fitted thought i would post this; started with the rear window as its the most difficult, have used the clear plastic provided with the kit (works quite well) cut it out as per the template found the template was about 2-3 mil larger than the window opening, suspect that is so u can cement the glass in place from the inside, however i find that resin bodies are much thicker than plastic and attaching the glass to the inside will often leave a large gap around the window frame therefore i trimmed the piece cut out some more, testing and trimming untill happy with the fit then using a large piece of masking tape on the inside the glass is fitted in place, then as Silverfox suggested starting with one end glue is applied and the corner is pushed into postiton then more masking tape is applied to hold it while the glue dries, will post more pics when its done.

will keep the tip in mine when I get around to finishing mine.

rear screen done (needs cleaning) front screen drying while taped in place

Looking great.

:bigthumbsup

nice work

OK, this doesn't seem so hard after all, I think I'm sold.
Thanks dv8v8, for showing us how, can't wait to see it done, great work.

Hi guys, I haven't posted on here for ages but I know a bit about this model and it's history so I thought I might add my two cents.

A good friend of mine over here in WA, Bruce Laker, many years ago produced the master for this model. He cut up 54 and 55 Chevy models if my memory serves me correctly and spent a long long time on it. A good mate of his had a real FC and they would spend hours measuring every inch of it to get it just right. Bruce would show me the progress and ask for my comments. Even back then I thought the rear wheel arches were a little "odd" but when we rechecked the dimensions they were spot on. It was one of those strange things that happens some time.

A fellow member of Perth Districts Model Club once visited the Tamiya factory in Japan. In their display room they had two huge 1/10 scale wooden masters for a 1/24 scale Ferrari Testa Rossa. One looked perfect, the other was a bit awkward in proportion. When he enquired why they were different, the guide explained that the strange one was the dimensionally perfect one. The accurate looking one was a dimensionally perfect one that had then been "massaged" by a sculptor to make it look right. Curves especially dont always scale down correctly and we tend to look at models from overhead but real cars from eye height - it all adds to the discrepancy.

Bruce realised after many years that he simply wasnt going to get the FC into production so he passed the master on to Jason who then spent even more time refining it to the stage you see today. I don't believe I am speaking out of turn here and Jason has acknowledged Bruce's work on the box.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it is not as easy as it looks. Both these guys put in massive efforts so that we could all have a model of an Australian car. It looks good as it is but if you think it needs a bit more massaging to look good in your eyes then I would say "Go for it!" Bruce and Jason have already saved you hundreds of hours of work so another half hour or so shouldnt be too much of a comittment.

Nice job DV8, by the way. The glass is always tricky on a resin kit. I have had success filing kit windows to fit inside the window surrounds but it is painful and you can't always get an oversize one that is the right shape to start with. You've done a tidy job with the clear sheet.
Cheers
Alan