sbm1204 - Scale Auto

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1 2 If you don’t want to pay the going price for a mint, out-of-production 1960s annual kit, online merchants and old-kit vendors often sell damaged kits at a reduced price. I picked up this convertible for around $70, but had to repair major damage to the windshield frame and cowl areas, which were broken away from the body. Strips of K&S sheet brass reinforced the cowl repair, and several “pins” cut from K&S brass rod assured that the windshield repair joint would stay aligned while the glue dried. K&S products can be found at any well-stocked hobby store. 5 6 The Revell kit replicates the Newport’s standard 361 two-barrel engine. The block was painted real Chrysler Engine Turquoise from Eastwood Automotive, and the remaining engine components wear factory-correct colors as shown. The completed engine was very nicely detailed for a kit from this era. The air cleaner is semigloss black. Dig that three speed manual transmission – the standard (but rare) choice for 1:1 scale 1962 Newports. 9 10 The simplified chassis castings of kits from this era are a fun challenge for those who enjoy paint detailing. The chassis is painted first with gray primer, then the body color is fogged along the edges. Don’t forget to finish the engine compartment components, including the body-colored firewall, at this time. Looking at the finished chassis installed in the body, the added painting effort definitely pays off. The suspension parts are shades of flat black and semigloss black, the exhaust system is shades of silver, and the rear leaf springs wear a simulated cosmoline coating (a mix of gold, silver, and gunmetal metallics). DECEMBER 2004 • scaleautomag.com 47
11 12 Detail the front grille area with flat black paint, thinned to the consistency of lowfat milk and flowed onto the grille area. The plated headlights adopt a more-realistic appearance when painted with flat silver paint. Note the brilliance of the original plated parts from the Revell factory. Cars from this era had wonderful (and occasionally over-the-top) detailing. Note the semiflat black front fender insert above the bumper, which wore gold anodized series nomenclature, and the detailed badge on the upper driver’s side of the grille area. 15 NO JUNIORS HERE “There’s not a junior edition in the whole family.” That assertive statement from the 1962 Chrysler brochure summed up the marketing philosophy of Chrysler Corporation’s near-luxury brand in the 1960s. As competitors Buick and Mercury proffered compacts, and later, intermediate-sized cars to meet the broadening tastes of car buyers in the 1960s, Chrysler saw an opportunity to retain and convey exclusivity and caché by offering only full-size cars. But that wasn’t quite all of the story. The bird’s-eye view shows off the interior engraving and your kit-finishing skills. Even Chrysler’s most inexpensive models of the 1960s had premium interiors. Check out the ashtray in the center for the front seatback – another detail for your Bare-Metal foiling efforts. Note the realistic appearance of the flocked carpet areas. SOURCES MCW Automotive Finishes, Box 0518, Burlington NC 27216-0518, www.ourworld.cs.com/mcwautofinishes Eastwood Automotive, 263 Shoemaker Rd., Pottstown PA 19464 (800) 345-1178, www.eastwoodcompany.com Micro-Mark, 340 Snyder Ave., Berkeley Heights NJ 07922-1595 (800) 225-1066, www.micromark.com REFERENCES Collecting Model Car and Truck Kits, pp. 45 and 64, by Tim Boyd, 2001, MBI Publishing, St. Paul MN In 1961, the DeSoto brand, arrayed between Dodge and Chrysler in Mopar’s lineup, was near death. Chrysler Corporation hedged its bets by adding a lower-priced entry-level Newport series to its Chrysler lineup to cover the market DeSoto was to soon abandon. Price always sells cars, and the Newport was an immediate success. For 1962, Chrysler dropped the slightly-more-expensive Windsor series and positioned Newport as the highest-volume Chrysler offering. These captions from the brochure tell it best: “Newport – Chrysler’s price surprise is no junior edition. Newport’s surprisingly low price has caused thousands of smart car buyers to move up to Chrysler. And because Chrysler builds full-size cars only, your new-car investment is fully protected. No small car steals thunder from the Chrysler name, or the pride you take in owning one!” And next to the Newport Convertible is this description: “Newport convertible is obviously a full-size Chrysler and nothing else but – the kind of car you’d like to see your family in. And you can. This glamorous Newport, shown in the exciting new Caramel shade, has a surprisingly low price, too.” – Tim Boyd 48 Scale Auto • DECEMBER 2004
Page 1 and 2: 1962 Chrysler MAINSTREAM NEWPORT? I
Page 3: The 1962 Chrysler products catalog

sbm1204 - Scale Auto

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