1/18

[draknoir2]

I won the bidding on eBay for the 1/18 1971 Ford Torino Cobra... got it for $12 NIB! I placed 2 bids within the last 30 seconds to beat the other guy... my first time, and I must admit it was kinda fun.

It will be "Maximized" just like the XB and the Mach 1.

[Bronze21]

UPDATE: I worked for another couple of hours tonight, making some supports in the side pieces and sanding off the vents on either side of the main scoop to look right and make casting easier for DRAKNOIR, then tomorrow, I'll finish the center scoop lower angle pieces with the sides and the lower chin spoiler. The chin spoiler needs a little putty to fill some scratches and air bubbles in, then I'll start the top headlight piece.

Now as far as the headlights, I'm thinking of measuring the 1:18 XC COBRA and Moffat #1 cars to see how far inboard of the marker lights the rectangular headlights would be, then making rectangular plates that represent the headlights, gluing them inside the back of the buckets. If you want to find/make better looking headlights, the back of the bucket can always be trimmed off, making the opening usable for said pieces to be mounted to the radiator crossmember.

Some pics will be posted in the next couple of days.

[draknoir2]

I took the gold plastic proto wheels off the XB and replaced them with the black cast metal ones. They looked cool, but I could see that the rear rims needed a deeper offset. So, I added 1/8" to the lip of the master and cast new rims for the rear. Now the car looks right. Here are the front and rear wheels side by side and on the car.

[Madmaxing]

Those look slick, no pun intended.

Isn't that how it always goes, with your Tango car? That would be my luck as well.

Looking forward to seeing the pics, Jay. Sounds promising.

Steve

[Bronze21]

UPDATE: I just got off of the phone with Brad, and he's saying the models should be in by the beginning of February. Japan seems to get the stuff first, then we'll get it a few weeks later. He'll contact me as soon as he hears anything from his importer on the Left Coast.

Something else to consider (DRAKNOIR/MAD MANX/MAD MAXING) and others helping out in this little endeavor...people have already asked Brad if a MM1 diecast is coming out. He said "No." However, he is interested in selling the 1:18 Biante Tango/Apollo XBGT to MM1/BoB/PS conversion kits if we make some. I told him that I'd run it by you guys to see if you'd be interested in it. One thing though, if the flares are cast in metal, they could be bent to fit the Cobra GT or MACH I, if someones going that route. The MM2 GMC blower front and rear plate would have to be modified to look like the MM1 WEIAND hardware. Lemme know.

[draknoir2]

I'm not really set up for big production runs. The supplies are expensive, and the process is time consuming and labor intensive. The wife gives me a hard tme as it is for spending so much time in my War Room/Man Cave/Workshop. I certainly don't mind sharing parts with others here, but I haven't really considered selling. What's good enough for me isn't necessarily good enough to charge others for. If there's a big demand, I don't want to pull an AFX N Scale Resin and not be able to deliver. Sharing with fellow enthusiasts, there's no such pressure. It's no big deal for me to squeeze off a few extra sets at a sitting, and I can handle the time it takes to clean up a few sets of parts... but filing, grinding, and polishing castings for hours and hours is a real drag.

Let's see what we wind up with in the way of a salable kit. I'm open to the possibility.

[draknoir2]

Good point on the fender flares, Bronze. I was going to do them in resin... but with the two other car projects, your idea makes more sense.

[draknoir2]

I couldn't resist roughing out the zoomies just to see how they look on the car. They are rough indeed... I still need to rig up a bending and cutting jig so I can be more precise than freehand.

[Bronze21]

I didn't get to work on the nose yesterday (computer issues and getting ready for the Consumer Electronics Show in "Lost Wages"), but I plan on working on it pretty much all day today.

The mock-up (except for the nose) is looking really good.

[draknoir2]

Thanks Bronze... but I can't take credit for the nose. At this point I'm just using it to support the front end. If your nose turns out as good as the front fascia did, it should be awesome. I'm hoping to get the revised scoop molded this weekend. I painted your rear wheels last night, and the tire casting rubber came in. I need to order new silicone, though, as the pound I have is old and will no longer cure. Once that comes in I can crank out some tires for Manx and myself.