1970 Chevelle SS454, Fathom Blue (Ertl)

I've had this car for some time but I only recently got around to finishing it up. Since I was in the middle of chroming 100 MTR Chevelles, I figured doing the chrome on this one would be a piece of cake. I had fully detailed the car all over except for the chrome so this was a gimmie to finish up. Of course painting in the additional body color on the grills of these models is required for a complete look. I have most of the Ertl 70 Chevelle REs. I had to chase this one down many years after it was discontinued but I found a nice copy with a bad box for a very reasonable price.

One of the reasons I wanted this particular version was because of all the Ertl versions, this is the ONLY version that has the correct RED 454 numerals on the fenders. The car got all the appropriate chrome and the wheels were painted silver on the spokes and lug nuts. In a way, I wish Ertl had done this mold later so it would have more complete and finely tuned details as do their more recent offerings. This is one major muscle car that deserves to be represented well.

I guess I'm not quite done here, I do need to make a set of rectangular tail pipe tips for this one. It does have a custom SS license plate. I wish the rear bumpers on these models was more accurate. It's a little too large and it is missing the white pinstripe around the edge of the black bumper pad. The pad should be sticking out instead of being a recessed area as it appears on the model. The overall body shape is very good.

Nothing sets off the interior on these like painting the steering wheel pad and SS emblem. It is so easy to do and really grabs your eye. The screw nubs have been painted black to hide them better. The glove box latch got some detailing too. One thing Ertl has gotten away from is making cars with differing interiors and automatic/4-speed variations. Not only does this model have the correct missing clutch pedal, the automatic console sits over a correctly shaped automatic transmission. The transmissions correctly look different on the automatic and 4-speed versions of this model.

A little paint to the master cylinder, battery, washer bottle, alternator, distributor and coil help set off the engine compartment. The underside of the hood got painted flat black. Some day I need to tool up a mock cowl hood ducting for the underside of the hood. While I'm at it, I'd love to try to correct the hood flapper door situation. Since the flapper was vacuum operated, when the car is turned off the vacuum is lost and the door opens up. At rest, the car should have the appearance of the flapper door being open.

Early on Ertl didn't do much detailing down below. A little paint to the exhaust, transmission, gas tank and anti-sway bar help lend some detail and visual contrast. Painting the exhaust (with spray paint) is kind of a hassle since the tail pipes and rear axle are cast as one assembly. The undercarriage detail is very well done especially considering this car was one of the first Ertl made in the American Muscle series.