sbm1204 - Scale Auto
sbm1204 - Scale Auto
sbm1204 - Scale Auto
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1962 Chrysler<br />
MAINSTREAM NEWPORT?<br />
Is Revell’s rare 1962 Chrysler Newport convertible annual kit<br />
a Mainstreamer? Let’s go through our checklist from the<br />
June 2004 issue and see if it qualifies:<br />
• Post-World-War-II to early 1970s model year automobiles.<br />
Check: right in the middle of the age range.<br />
• The best-selling trim series within a given product range. Yep.<br />
On the more-premium makes, the Mainstreamer offering<br />
was often the bottom series (think Pontiac’s Catalina and<br />
Oldsmobile’s Dynamic 88), rather than the top-of-the-line<br />
Chevy Impala or Ford Galaxie 500. In 1962, and for most of<br />
the 1960s, Chrysler’s Newport outsold the other two moreexpensive<br />
series (300 and New Yorker) combined.<br />
• The best-selling six-cylinder or smallest V-8 under the hood.<br />
Revell’s kit includes the standard 361 V-8, although the kit’s<br />
pairing of the standard three-speed manual transmission<br />
(instead of the Torqueflite automatic) would certainly make<br />
for “one of few hundred” status for this car if it had been<br />
made in 1:1 scale.<br />
• Bench seats front and rear. Check again. The kit even<br />
includes the rear seat ashtray plunked<br />
right in the center of the front seatback.<br />
• Hubcaps or wheel covers, and whitewall tires. You bet.<br />
• Paint and trim that reflects the preferences of the period.<br />
Revell’s 1962 annuals were molded in the same color as the<br />
catalog illustration of the car. In this case, the Newport convertible<br />
wore code Z Caramel – a solid tan color. The catalog<br />
shows many other similar colors (available as airbrush lacquers<br />
from MCW <strong>Auto</strong>motive Miniatures). I chose MCW’s<br />
Code J Bermuda Turquoise solid for this buildup.<br />
• A wide variety of body styles. Although Mainstreamers are<br />
based on the most-popular trim series, that doesn’t mean<br />
they have to be the most-popular body styles within the<br />
series. In this case, the Newport convertible was the rarest<br />
of the series offerings.<br />
So based on our checklist review, Revell’s 1962 Newport<br />
convertible qualifies as a Mainstreamer in every way.<br />
– Tim Boyd<br />
44 <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Auto</strong> • DECEMBER 2004
Newport Convertible<br />
by TIM BOYD<br />
Building a “Mainstreamers” kit<br />
IN THE JUNE 2004 <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Auto</strong> we put forth the idea of<br />
“Mainstreamers” (see sidebar) as a new model-car building category<br />
– added to a list that already includes muscle cars, light<br />
commercial, racing, street rods, and so forth. We also mentioned that<br />
even though most Mainstreamer cars would be kitbashing projects,<br />
a few kits – primarily from the late 1950s and early 1960s –<br />
would quality as Mainstreamers straight from the box.<br />
Finding one of these kits can be a challenge, but thanks to online<br />
auctions, regional old toy shows, and mail-order/online kit vendors,<br />
the challenge is significantly less than it was five or ten years ago.<br />
If you are willing to buy a less-than-perfect kit, you can acquire your<br />
chosen kit for well less than the three-digit price tags that pristine<br />
1960s annual kits can command.<br />
And although the chassis and engine compartments are greatly<br />
simplified when compared to today’s new-kit tools, they respond<br />
surprisingly well to many of the same finishing techniques that<br />
have become popular among builders of today’s ultradetailed muscle-car<br />
replicas.<br />
I recently completed a buildup of Revell’s rare 1962 Chrysler<br />
Newport convertible kit. Follow along as I take an unbuilt-butdamaged<br />
kit (part of the windshield frame and cowl were broken<br />
away from the rest of the body, so it cost $70 instead of $110-120<br />
for a perfect kit) and create a shelf replica that captures the excitement<br />
of the Mainstreamers era.<br />
Most Mainstreamer subjects<br />
are kitbashing projects,<br />
but some straight kit buildups<br />
can be found, like this Revell 1962<br />
Chrysler Newport convertible.<br />
In 1962, Revell produced a one-year-only series of annual kits based<br />
on the Chrysler Corporation lineup. The kits were reissued later the<br />
same year as the Metalflake Series. Here are the 1962 Newport kits<br />
(no. H-1254 on the left, and H-1264). You can read more about this<br />
Revell kit series in the author’s book Collecting Model Car and Truck<br />
Kits (see References).<br />
DECEMBER 2004 • scaleautomag.com 45
The 1962 Chrysler products catalog contained these gorgeous illustrations. The Code Z Caramel Newport convertible occupies a two-page<br />
spread; the 300 Special series convertible, finished in Code J Bermuda Turquoise with black interior, inspired the color scheme of this<br />
Mainstreamers buildup.<br />
3 4<br />
The interior was finished in Krylon Ultra Flat Black no. 1602 spray,<br />
followed by a light coat of Testor’s Semigloss Clear. Although it has<br />
just three pieces, the interior captures the details of the benchseated<br />
1:1 car.<br />
Bare-Metal foil and flat silver paint are employed to recreate the<br />
“juke box” instrument panel of the ’62 Chrysler. I added Ken’s Fuzzi-<br />
Fur black flocking to the carpeted areas – an especially appropriate<br />
step for convertible models, where the interior is open for all to see.<br />
7 8<br />
After priming the body and painting it with the factory-authentic<br />
color from MCW <strong>Auto</strong>motive Miniatures, I finished the paint work by<br />
polishing it with a Micro-Mark no. 3600 polishing pad, followed by a<br />
mild rubbing compound, Meguiar’s no. 7 Mirror Glaze, and Deep<br />
Crystal wax.<br />
Bodies from this era require a significant investment of time to complete<br />
Bare-Metal foiling of all molded-in chrome trim. The windshield<br />
was polished with wax, then glued in place with DevCon five-minute<br />
epoxy for maximum strength. The installed windshield also helps to<br />
hold the repaired windshield frame in proper shape.<br />
46 <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Auto</strong> • DECEMBER 2004
1 2<br />
If you don’t want to pay the going price for a mint, out-of-production<br />
1960s annual kit, online merchants and old-kit vendors often sell<br />
damaged kits at a reduced price. I picked up this convertible for<br />
around $70, but had to repair major damage to the windshield frame<br />
and cowl areas, which were broken away from the body.<br />
Strips of K&S sheet brass reinforced the cowl repair, and several<br />
“pins” cut from K&S brass rod assured that the windshield repair<br />
joint would stay aligned while the glue dried. K&S products can be<br />
found at any well-stocked hobby store.<br />
5 6<br />
The Revell kit replicates the Newport’s standard 361 two-barrel<br />
engine. The block was painted real Chrysler Engine Turquoise from<br />
Eastwood <strong>Auto</strong>motive, and the remaining engine components wear<br />
factory-correct colors as shown.<br />
The completed engine was very nicely detailed for a kit from this era.<br />
The air cleaner is semigloss black. Dig that three speed manual transmission<br />
– the standard (but rare) choice for 1:1 scale 1962 Newports.<br />
9 10<br />
The simplified chassis castings of kits from this era are a fun challenge<br />
for those who enjoy paint detailing. The chassis is painted first<br />
with gray primer, then the body color is fogged along the edges. Don’t<br />
forget to finish the engine compartment components, including the<br />
body-colored firewall, at this time.<br />
Looking at the finished chassis installed in the body, the added painting<br />
effort definitely pays off. The suspension parts are shades of flat<br />
black and semigloss black, the exhaust system is shades of silver, and<br />
the rear leaf springs wear a simulated cosmoline coating (a mix of<br />
gold, silver, and gunmetal metallics).<br />
DECEMBER 2004 • scaleautomag.com 47
11 12<br />
Detail the front grille area with flat black paint, thinned to the consistency<br />
of lowfat milk and flowed onto the grille area. The plated<br />
headlights adopt a more-realistic appearance when painted with flat<br />
silver paint. Note the brilliance of the original plated parts from the<br />
Revell factory.<br />
Cars from this era had wonderful (and occasionally over-the-top)<br />
detailing. Note the semiflat black front fender insert above the<br />
bumper, which wore gold anodized series nomenclature, and the<br />
detailed badge on the upper driver’s side of the grille area.<br />
15<br />
NO JUNIORS HERE<br />
“There’s not a junior edition in the whole family.”<br />
That assertive statement from the 1962 Chrysler<br />
brochure summed up the marketing philosophy of<br />
Chrysler Corporation’s near-luxury brand in the 1960s.<br />
As competitors Buick and Mercury proffered compacts,<br />
and later, intermediate-sized cars to meet the<br />
broadening tastes of car buyers in the 1960s, Chrysler saw<br />
an opportunity to retain and convey exclusivity and caché<br />
by offering only full-size cars.<br />
But that wasn’t quite all of the story.<br />
The bird’s-eye view shows off the interior engraving and your kit-finishing<br />
skills. Even Chrysler’s most inexpensive models of the 1960s<br />
had premium interiors. Check out the ashtray in the center for the<br />
front seatback – another detail for your Bare-Metal foiling efforts.<br />
Note the realistic appearance of the flocked carpet areas.<br />
SOURCES<br />
MCW <strong>Auto</strong>motive Finishes, Box 0518, Burlington NC 27216-0518,<br />
www.ourworld.cs.com/mcwautofinishes<br />
Eastwood <strong>Auto</strong>motive, 263 Shoemaker Rd., Pottstown PA 19464<br />
(800) 345-1178, www.eastwoodcompany.com<br />
Micro-Mark, 340 Snyder Ave., Berkeley Heights NJ 07922-1595<br />
(800) 225-1066, www.micromark.com<br />
REFERENCES<br />
Collecting Model Car and Truck Kits, pp. 45 and 64, by Tim Boyd, 2001,<br />
MBI Publishing, St. Paul MN<br />
In 1961, the DeSoto brand, arrayed between Dodge<br />
and Chrysler in Mopar’s lineup, was near death. Chrysler<br />
Corporation hedged its bets by adding a lower-priced<br />
entry-level Newport series to its Chrysler lineup to cover<br />
the market DeSoto was to soon abandon. Price always<br />
sells cars, and the Newport was an immediate success. For<br />
1962, Chrysler dropped the slightly-more-expensive<br />
Windsor series and positioned Newport as the highest-volume<br />
Chrysler offering.<br />
These captions from the brochure tell it best:<br />
“Newport – Chrysler’s price surprise is no junior edition.<br />
Newport’s surprisingly low price has caused thousands of<br />
smart car buyers to move up to Chrysler. And because<br />
Chrysler builds full-size cars only, your new-car investment<br />
is fully protected. No small car steals thunder from<br />
the Chrysler name, or the pride you take in owning one!”<br />
And next to the Newport Convertible is this description:<br />
“Newport convertible is obviously a full-size Chrysler<br />
and nothing else but – the kind of car you’d like to see your<br />
family in. And you can. This glamorous Newport, shown<br />
in the exciting new Caramel shade, has a surprisingly<br />
low price, too.”<br />
– Tim Boyd<br />
48 <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Auto</strong> • DECEMBER 2004
13 14<br />
The plated taillights were detailed with Testor’s Model Master<br />
Stoplight Red metallic. Note the molding around the trunk lock; this<br />
model may represent a preproduction prototype, because the 1:1 regular<br />
production Newports did not include this ornamental molding.<br />
The personalized license plate came from The Platemaker.<br />
The engine compartment shows the potential of paint detailing as a<br />
technique for achieving a realistic appearance. The next detailing<br />
step would be to add sparkplug wires, heater hoses, and battery<br />
cables – a necessity for context models but an option for display<br />
models such as ours.<br />
PAINT REFERENCE CHART FOR 1962 CHRYSLER NEWPORT<br />
Order Code Paint Name Description MCW no.<br />
BB-1 Formal Black Black Solid 2000<br />
CC-1 Dawn Blue Pale Blue Solid 6253<br />
DD-1 Sapphire Blue Medium Blue Metallic 6254<br />
FF-1 Willow Green Pale Green Solid 6252<br />
GG-1 Sage Green Medium Green Metallic 6255<br />
JJ-1 Bermuda Turquoise Medium Turquoise Solid special order<br />
MM-1 Dove Gray Light Gray Solid 6258<br />
PP-1 Festival Red Bright Red Solid 6151<br />
TT-1 Coral Gray Light Beige Solid 6256<br />
WW-1 Oyster White White Solid special order<br />
YY-1 Rosewood Medium Beige Metallic 6250<br />
ZZ-1 Caramel Medium Tan Solid special order<br />
Additional 1962 1 ⁄2 (Spring Colors):<br />
LL-1 Limelight Lt. Pale Olive Green Solid special order<br />
VV-1 Seascape Pale Olive Green Solid special order<br />
(Sources: 1962 Chrysler brochure, DuPont 1962 Chrysler Corporation Paint Sample Chart, and American<br />
<strong>Auto</strong>mobile Paint Code Interchange Manual 1945-1995, Peter C. Sessler, 1995, MBI Publishing, Osceola WI<br />
54020)<br />
Below: The completed<br />
kit not only does a fine<br />
job of replicating<br />
Chrysler’s volume convertible<br />
for 1962, it also<br />
is an excellent example<br />
of the Mainstreamers<br />
theme. However, contrary<br />
to the myth that<br />
kit bodies from this era<br />
were nearly perfect,<br />
look closely at the body<br />
side molding as it traverses<br />
the front fender;<br />
the molding droops<br />
unrealistically because<br />
of slightly incorrect<br />
fender contours.