55 Chevy Bel Air: Remember?

Thanks for the kind words on the model, Octane.   Probably will try to get into the airbrush soon -- lots of great coupons right now from Hobby Lobby.  We'll see.  Thanks for your suggestion, though.  

very well built, sir!

Numan

 I kept thinking to myself, I've got to get an airbrush.

i'd suggest trying spray cans before stepping up to an airbrush. sure a spray can is a sledge hammer compared to the airbrush, but it'll give you good basic skills and show you what to expect. i pull out the model and spray all the parts on the tree with undercoat, then a couple of light top coats.

I'm going to post my lessons learned from this model in the next few days.  Stuff I am sure you all know but things I want to work on as I try to move to a "fine" scale modeler.  Maybe you guys can give me your suggestions.  Thanks.

Doog, the hand painting was indeed a chore.  I kept thinking to myself, I've got to get an airbrush.  Am researching now (on this forum and others) what people think is a good choice.  I'm pretty happy with how the model turned out even with the cheap brushes I used and the paint right out of the bottle.  I do a fair bit of art work outside of modeling, so I at least think I can paint a smooth line.  Just don't look too close.  

Macattack80, I like the color too.  It must have been close enough.  I mixed flat brown with gloss white, then sprayed the body with several coats of clear coat from a rattle can.

I'd like to respond to all the wonderful relies to my post.  First of all, TD4438 thanks for your kind words.  Griffin, yes, remembrance is a true gift, and one that I think we never think we won't have.  So much of the enjoyment of my hobbies is recreating memories and building new ones.

Great story.  Your mom is right....that is a great color.  Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Modeling is so much more special when you can present a model to someone and evoke a feeling or a personal memory.

Good for you, and it sounds like your mom really appreciated it. Nice model, and a decent paint job for a brush! I don't think I'd even try to paint a whole car with a brush!
Now get yourself an airbrush, and you'll really be cooking with gas, so to speak!

That is a great story! Those moments of clarity and recognition are precious. I'm glad you got to experience one with her.

Great story and welcome back to the hobby.

So I took the '55 Bel Air up to the Alzheimer's care facility where my mom lives to see if she would remember.... I walked in to her room with it carefully bagged, and pulled it out to show her.  

I said, Mom, do you remember this car, and I placed it in her hands.  She held it up, and turned it around and around.  Then she said,  "The rear windows weren't like this at all -- they had a metal bar between them..... but I always loved the color."  

Mission accomplished.  She remembered!!

So here we go.  Finishing it up as best as I can.

As I look back at the model, I learned so very much -- lessons learned that I will share with all of you.  But that is for another thread.  This one is about remembering!  

Getting to look like '55 -- body on now -- all nice an shiny (albeit rough)!

Gotta have the chrome !  Hood on and open.

A view inside my past -- I remember the stick on the column and the tightness of the clutch, the taught bench seats, the dash and radio!

Sorry it's a little blurry, but you get the idea.

So on we go.  I remember our '55 was brown and white -- can't exactly recall the interior, so I decided to paint it in a similar mode.  Here is the first attempt -- which I then cleaned up a bit over time.  

And here is the body to go along with it. 

As I stand back and look at it (it looks better the farther I stand back, by the way), it looks as I remember it.