1/18

[Bronze21]

I'm glad you're not taking credit for the resin CONCORDE nose...it's horrible IMO. That was just wrong, charging you what he did for that...THING. Well, I got the lower fascia and headlight area done, the leading edge of the bonnet piece with a return flange under the bonnet, the cutout beneath the top section of the nose and the top of the bumper today, and I'm starting on the headlight buckets tonight and tomorrow. It's closing in on 75 pieces of styrene now.

DRAKNOIR: What are you using for a mold material? Is it silicon, which is plyable in case there are any undercuts, or is it a rigid type? The reason I ask, is because of the flange outlining the headlight openings. If I can put a small flange (like .035"-.050", or 1mm-2mm), smaller than the buckets, it'll give it more real estate to glue the lense covers on, and be a little more accurate. So far, everything is less than a +/- .5mm tolerance all around. I'm hoping to get it everything roughed in by end of day tomorrow, but I'll have to finish it when I get back on Wednesday.

[draknoir2]

Got my Torino Cobra today! It shouldn't be a problem "Maximizing" the rear end, but the front will be a challenge. Since it's supposed to be an American take on the Pursuit Special, I might just leave the Torino front end. I'm not looking to make these cars identical to the XB... I want you to be able to tell what they are, while retaining the Mad Max flavor. Bigger car than I thought... much longer than the XB. Plenty of room for zoomies and side flutes on the rear QPs.



Still have a Mach 1 coming... closer in appearance to the XB, and a candidate for a Monza nosecone. There might not be enough room for zoomies and flutes, though. I'm also bidding on an AMX.

[draknoir2]

I'm glad you're not taking credit for the resin CONCORDE nose...it's horrible IMO. That was just wrong, charging you what he did for that...THING. Well, I got the lower fascia and headlight area done, the leading edge of the bonnet piece with a return flange under the bonnet, the cutout beneath the top section of the nose and the top of the bumper today, and I'm starting on the headlight buckets tonight and tomorrow. It's closing in on 75 pieces of styrene now.

DRAKNOIR: What are you using for a mold material? Is it silicon, which is plyable in case there are any undercuts, or is it a rigid type? The reason I ask, is because of the flange outlining the headlight openings. If I can put a small flange (like .035"-.050", or 1mm-2mm), smaller than the buckets, it'll give it more real estate to glue the lense covers on, and be a little more accurate. So far, everything is less than a +/- .5mm tolerance all around. I'm hoping to get it everything roughed in by end of day tomorrow, but I'll have to finish it when I get back on Wednesday.

Well, live and learn. It didn't look so bad in the finished photos he sent.

[75 pcs? Holy smokes!]

I use different compounds depending on the casting media. For metal casting I use a special iron oxide filled high temp GE silicone. For general resin castings without deep undercuts I use a 1:1 low viscosity mix. For deep undercuts I use a 10:1 high tear strength silicone. I'm restocking the latter, so don't worry about undercuts.

[mad_manx]

Draknoir and a few others might find this interesting....I made some headway on my 1/18 BoB's bodywork this morning before I headed off to work.
*Repaired crack in lower spoiler and cleaned up the horizontal openings:


*Sculpted & sanded the boot lid spoiler & added a wee bit more putty for the next round of sanding:


As I get more done I'll add more pics, but here's the link to my album for now:
http://public.fotki.com/VWDave/my_model ... 8th-scale/

[Bronze21]

"Bigger car than I thought... much longer than the XB." 18 inches longer overall, and six inch longer wheelbase to the XA/B/C's. Interesting history about it's development too. It was cool seeing a Torino sitting next to a Falcon sitting next to Bill's BoB (Saturday morning) at the Ford 100yr. You definitely get a perspective on the scale (and attitudes) of the different cars. Even just watching a red XB coming in the parking area in front of Bill's BoB was amazing...considering they started out life at relatively the same level (the BoB's a JGS). Even comparing the bonnet of the XB to the hood of a MACH I makes you take a step back. The MACH I hood is almost six feet long, whereas the XB's is about four foot and almost square. I did an overlay of the XB and MACH, and driving the MACH, the driver is in the backseat of the Falcon. Visibility (pre-scoop and spoilers) is much better in the Falcon. You kind of have to "Use the Force" when driving the MACH, because anything behind the sideglass basically gets lost. The rear-view mirror is basically good for looking at your buddy's date in the backseat and nothing more. I've owned both now, and prefer the XB. I haven't driven/owned a Torino to compare it with the others. Scar might be able to elaborate on the Torino aspect.

[Bronze21]

Here's a progress pic...



The close-up pic is showing me things that need to be fixed.

[draknoir2]

Manx: Nice job on the nose repairs. I haven't been able to tell from the photos, but how are the fender flares? Are they nice and symmetrical? I'm eager to mold them. Boot spoiler is looking good, but if I cast the whole piece in metal, the spoiler will make it too heavy. I think I'll just mold the spoiler alone and cast it in resin. I will make side flutes off my XB for you.

Bronze: Your work looks so clean and crisp. Great job.

Yeah, I'm going to do the blower, wheels, spoilers, and BoB paint scheme on the Torino, AMX, and Mach 1. I'll also do the zoomies and side flutes on the Torino for sure, possibly the Mach and AMX if there's room, and perhaps add an Arcadipane-style nosecone on the Mach, and possibly the AMX. I couldn't find a '73 AMX in 1/18, and the previous model had a different front end which may not be conducive to a nosecone.

I haven't been to a car show in ages... not since I was looking for new performance parts for my Shelby back in the mid '80s. Always wanted to go to SEMA.

I've been busy casting. Yeah, I know... need to clean up my bench again. Those four painted rear rims are for you and Manx, and the pink stuff in the tube was going to be the mold for the inner hubs of your wheels, until I found out that the rubber wouldn't cure anymore. It's been a week and it's only gone from liquid to hot chewing gum texture. Time for new supplies.

[Bronze21]

QUESTION: Didn't the AMX title as a stand-alone badge end after the '70 production year, then was added onto the Javelin as the "AMX" package thereafter?

I also got MANXs' e-mail and responded. Thanks.

[draknoir2]

QUESTION: Didn't the AMX title as a stand-alone badge end after the '70 production year, then was added onto the Javelin as the "AMX" package thereafter?

I also got MANXs' e-mail and responded. Thanks.

I think 71-74 it was attached to Javelins. Different front ends... longer, with squared off grille. The prototype '68 looks like a Gremlin to me. Don't care for it.

Manx: What is "Squadron Putty"?

[mad_manx]

Bronze: Your work looks so clean and crisp. Great job.

I couldn't agree more; it looks great, even in the early stages. That's a truly 'droolworthy' box of goodies you got there as well.

The flares Grant did on mine look very good, and I'd say they're damn near symmetrical. Squadron is a brand of lacquer-based putty, and they make it in white and green.....no clue what the difference is between the two, but I use the white because it has less chance of showing through light colored primers. Google helped me find this pic:


This stuff dries fast and offers minimal shrinkage, but in my experience it can be a little 'hot' for plastic so I recommend light coats for sure.