No denying it, the BM package
on the Chevelle is striking to see. One thing that Ertl has left
undone though, is to complete the stripe to the edge of the roof.
That's why my version got a vinyl roof. The top looks cool too.
The grill also received the necessary additional body color paint
to have it look correct.
It's
always a little tricky to get the vinyl to look correct at the
spot where it ends at the back of the c-pillar and begins to go
across the rear panel below the rear window. This car had a nice
smooth transition in this area so the vinyl laid down nicely.
Trimming it cleanly was another story!
The
BM motors always look good. A bit of paint has been added to the
master cylinder, washer bottle, alternator, battery and a little
black wash to the air cleaner grill. Of course the underside of
the hood has been painted black for a more correct 1:1 look.
I
just can't get over what a little white paint on the 70 Chevelle
steering wheel does to the interior on these models. A little
touch of paint hit the appropriate knobs and switches, most on
the 1:1 were black though. Though it doesn't show, the doors got
a little silver paint on the door panel emblems and the arm rest
trim. As always, the screw nubs in the door sills got painted
carpet color to make them disappear (well almost).
Paint
on the gas tank, drive shaft, anti-sway bar, starter and oil filter
help improve the underside. This one doesn't have shocks so the
rear axle looks a little barren without the exhaust running over
the axle.
Gosh
these vinyl top kits work nice and look great. These kits are
easy to install and even the seams turn out nice to add a bit
of realism. On the 70, even the strip of vinyl below the rear
window has it's own set of seams and that is represented on this
model. These lower seams are a little wider apart than the seams
on the main part of the roof and I copied that too.