Early 'Vette Triple Play
Text & Photos by the Webmaster
AMT first released the '53 Corvette kit in the mid 70s. It was quickly followed up by the '55 version. From time to time i get the urge to set up an assembly line, especially when I have more than one similar kit. Such was the case when I decided to tackle this project. It helpful to take this approach when the kits are so similar; for one thing, once you figure out an assembly on one, the others follow easily.
 
The 'Vette triple play is based on the reissued versions of the kits. The only significant difference between the 1:1 '53 and '54 Corvettes was color availability. The '53 was offered only in Polo White with red interior. That was expanded in '54 when Pennant Blue, Guardsman Red and Black were also offered. So using two of the '53 kits, it's an easy task to build both '53 and '54 versions, with the appropriate paint selection. Although these kits were well received when they were first issued, and have enjoyed success in their reissued verisons, there are some problems that have to be addressed. We'll discuss those as the project progresses.
 
 
The first thing I noticed that I didn't like was the separate taillight pieces. On the 1:1 vehicle, these were an integral part of the body.
So I glued the pieces in place and then filled the gaps with sprue-glue filler. After a lot of sanding and shaping I got them like I wanted.
The next problem that cropped up was the fit of the front and rear pans. In both instances they seemed just a little too wide. Again, on the 1:1 vehicle these were also part of the body, so I deviated from the kit instructions and glued them in place. That way I could not only fill the seams, but also reshape them to better fit the body.
Notice that I've beveled the edges slightly on both the pans and the body to get them ready for a coating of body filler. I'm always looking for new and better ways to do things, so this seemed like a good time to try out a couple of different kinds of body filler.
On the '53 I decided to use the old sprue-glue filler I had been using for a number of years.
Here's the rear pan, filled and ready for sanding.
 

 

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