Ok, so I'm a day late and a dollar short, but this looks a lot better today with some fresh white primer on it. 1:18 '48 convert turned '47 coupe. The roof is still rough, I just finished making the B pillars, but they are just set there for the pic. Job #1 was to drop the front a hair, and dress up the motor a little. Those are polished freeze plugs for air cleaners. I also took the seats out and changed the color from tan to white. It's also nosed and decked. I was happy to see that the stock painted wheels were painted over chrome, with just the edge exposed like a trim ring. Some careful thinner work with a rag and it's got all chrome wheels. Same with the dash trim. I also spaced the back wheels out about 1/4" on each side to fill the fenders better. I need to find some small steel tube to make dual exhaust...
Just use small diameter Aluminum tubing from any hoby shop. Insert brass wire into most of it, so it doesnt kink when you bend it, but leave the last inch or so open, polish the oustide with some Mothers aluminum polish, and paint the inside dark flat grey, and your set.
Thanks for the tip. That was the plan with polishing the tips. I'll be at napa tomorrow, so I was gonna check see how small they have tubing, but I'm guessing it won't be small enough. Not many good hobby shops around here.
The nice thing about "Hobby Shop" tubing is its all sized to be telescoping, so its very quick and easy to match up a perfect size brass rod to fit inside the aluminum tubing (if its not a good fit, it WILL kink), as well as the next larger size aluminum tubing to make a set of exhaust tips to go over the end if you want. K&M tubing is what all the shops sell, Im sure it can be ordered online. For 1:18 scale, the proper diameters for 2" pipe would be "1/8" (more accurately 0.111", but 1/8 is what you will find, and damn close), and 3" pipes would be 3/16" inch (Closest match you will find, actual scale size is 0.166"). Also, remember that bending the aluminum tubing, and brass rod is very tough in scale, as it isnt necessarly hard to bend at all, just a lot of test fitting, bending, more test fit, bend, etc. A lot of guys use heavy gauge solder, because it bends very easily, can even be polished (make sure you clear coat it), and just make an exhaust tip from aluminum tubing for the end. Anything you find in stanless will be VERY hard to bend properly, stainless is just a hard metal to use in scale. If you cant find the K&M tubing anywhere, im sure I have some, but you best bet is the correct size solder from you hardware/plumbing store, and I can probably hook you up with some matching tubing to make the tips from. Chad
Yes you can! I've used Meguier's Mirror Glaze #7 for polishing the K&S aluminum tubing. If you don't have that handy and you wanna go cheap, regular toothpaste works great too! Just make sure you apply the toothpaste(you only need a little bit)with a soft cloth, then use another seperate soft cloth to buff it clean.
Also check the size of your rear window on that ford. It definately looks a bit small. If you want, I can measure the height and width of the back window on my 1:1 47 coupe, and give you the correct dimentions in 1:18 scale.
All of that awesome work inspired me to get a hold of two models at Big Lots the other day. Both were $4 a piece, would it be worth it to pick up a few more? I had a few questions about assembling them. First, for painting them, am I best off using a fine brush, or can I use an airbrushing kit that I have laying around to spray on coats as needed? Second, a friend has an old Mattel Spinwelder. Granted its from the '70s and doesn't look very safe, but are these things worth getting a hold of, or should I just stick to glue? And last, isn't that Cola Wagon just begging to have a beer sign on the side?
I'd do the airbrush. Never tried anything but glue. I've been using ambroid liquid cement lately with good results. It dries clear which is nice on clear lenses. I've used testors and it works good, but it turned headlights yellow on a few I did so I turned to this.
$4 kits are always worth it, even if it's just fer parts. My favorite glues are, in order... Tenax 7R (along with microbrushes or a touch-n-flow applicator) Ambroid (handy brush in cap) Testors (the black one with the needle applicator...not the nasty ol' tube glue) Zap-a-Gap CA with accelerator (the spot welder of the model world) As for the airbrush vs. brush question, I always spray as much as I possibly can, and leave brush work for detail work. I actually use Testors or Tamiya synthetic laquers in spray cans more often than anything else, because they are great model paints that go on thin, dry fast, and there's no cleanup. A handy thing when you work on them a little bit at a time. Btw, these are not yer typical model paints...they've come out over the last few years and simply blow away the old Testors enamel spray cans. I also frequently abuse another Testors product called "Metalizers". They are also laquer based and are designed to produce natural metal tones, like Aluminum, Magnesium, Titanium, etc. If you've got a halfway decent hobby shop near you, stop in and look around. It's come a long way since the so-called "golden age" of model building. Also, check out either one of these... the Modelcarlist http://groups.yahoo.com/group/modelcarlist/ Scale Auto's forum http://www.scaleautomag.com/sca/community/forum/ Have fun...'round my house winter means time for plastic cars. Olson
The standard glue used for anything clear in the modeling world has been plain old white glue, for years now. Elmers is fine. Since clear parts are never structural components, the fact that the glue doesnt "bite" into the plastic isnt an issue, and is prefered, as it doesnt show on the plastic, and is easily removed for repositioning at any point. any plastic cement will fog areas of the glass it get on, and any form of super glue is way out of the question, as it will "fog" the plastic as it dried. Epoxy also works, but if you get any on a visible area, thats it! Some guys alo use clear testoes enamel (brush on), but white glue has always been the best for me, and all the guys (60+ members) in our model car club.
Speaking of installing clear parts, heres the proress on my build, with the windshield frame, and beltline. The windshield frame is constricted so there is a channel on the backside, so that the clear "glass" will snap into place, and fir tightly flush against the back of the frame. The red template currently represents how the glass will fit. You can also see the beltline roughed out on the body.
Heres a close up of the fit of the glass template in the windshield frame. I cant take credit for this technique, its actualy a Rik Hoving (rikster) technique, relayed to me by a mutual friend, but it worked incredibly well, I can post step by step pics of how its done if anyone cares to see. The inside pic shows the inner channel that the template sits in. The inner area still needs a lot of cleanup work, but you can see the channel. You can see the fit of the template against the B pillar, as well as along the top of the channel. The top doesnt fit perfect because of the template not curving properly. There is no glue here, just pressure fit. Once the clear glass is glued it, it will fit perfectly.
I would like to see how it is done, if you dont mind posting it. You could pm the tips too, but i would love to know how its done. H.R.P.
Ok, this may be kind of a long post, but here is how its done. Step 1. Cut a template of the windshield opening. I use the red material shown. Its halfway between tagboard and paper in thickness, and the best template material for models I have found. The template must fit the opening exactly. Step 2. Transfer this to a piece of styrene sheet, .020" Evergreen sheet works great. Cut the styrene, and make sure it fits perfectly. Step 3. Glue the sheet into the windshield opening. This may be easier said than done, especialy on a curved windshield. I started at one end, using gap filling (slow) superglue (JET brand works well, but all the hobby shop brands are similar), and do about 1/4" at a time, allowing it good time to set COMPLETELY before proceeding. 20 second CA glue takes a few minutes to fully set in this situation, I allowed about 10 minutes between each section. The idea is to get the curvature of the windshield opening to the perfect radius. Work slowly and carefuly, as if not, it WILL show. In the first pic, you see the plastic glued in place. NOTE, if you are using this method on an older style vehicle than Im dealing with, such as something with a single flat glass windhsield, you should use a sanding stick to apply a slight bevel around the edge of this filler piece, and use thin CA glue applied from the INSIDE of the body to attach this piece (thin glue so cappilary action will pull the glue into the gap), as this piece will be the complete windshield frame, no bead will be added. Step 3. Using the smallest Evergreen half round strip styrene, or small square stock evergreen (it all depends on the witdh and shape needed of the windshield frame), and glue it around the windhsield opening. I started at the top, and worked my way around. With half round, this can be tricky on the tight corners. I used CA (super) glue for most of the gluing, but on the tight curves (the top 2), I used small drops of Tenax 7R (the best plastic glue IMO) to soften the plastic, to work it around the curve. Be careful,or it will distort the plastic. (I wound up using a bit of filler, but remember, working this small, and tight, its very hard to sand filler, so dont expect to rely on filler to save you). Work it around the entire frame, and make the ends meet as close as you can (a small bit of filler will be used, this area is easy to sand to shape). Make sure to overlap the kit body's windshield opening and the plastic filler sheet you glued in in the last shape, as when we cut away the remaining center plastic, this will create the channel from the back for the "glass". Also refer to picture 1 for the finished frame "bead". Step 4. The safest way to remove the center is the main catch of this technique, as was relayed to me. Dont try to take a shortcut, as the joint between the body and the sheet plastic will be of diecent strength, but there is very little surface area on the bond, and you must tread lightly in this area. Using a small drill bit, and a pin vise (I used a .028" bit), drill a series of tiny holes, as close together as you can around the inside, about 1/16" away from your edge. You will need to use one of these small bits, you can get them at any hobby shop, a large bit wont work, it will most likely break the glue seams. The tiny bits go through the plastic very quickly and easily. While it looks like a lot of work, it probably only took me about 20 minutes to drill all of the holes. Refer to picture #2. Step 5. Now, using the BACK side of a fresh #11 xacto blade, score along these holes, slowly untill the thin web between each hole breaks, and work with about 4 hole distances at a time, untill the center piece falls free. Refer to picture 3. Step 6. Using files, sanding stocks, and rolled fine grit sandpaper, remove the remaining material untill you meet the edge of the bead you attached in step 3. At this point, you are basicly there, a little putty to even out any of the tight radiuses, and where the two ends of the bead meet, prime, and yor set. After your done painting, apply Bare Metal Foil to the frame. The original template you made to cut the first piece of sheet styrene should fit right into the frame from behind like a glove. Cut your "glass" using that template from some overhead projector acetate (available at any office supply shop),which is the absolute best glass material for 1/25th scale, with some small drops of white glue (refer to above post about glues for use on clear parts) applied in the channel, snap the glass in, and your all set. Perfect gap (or lack of gap), thin, relasitc glass, and a tight fit that wont come loose. There you have it, probably tons of spelling and typing mistakes, but thats all there is too it. Mine took me several hours, but I think it was worth it. Chad
Well, it was issued over 35 years ago as "The Beer Wagon". My Brother got one as a coming home gift after getting out of the Hospital. I still have parts of it around here somewhere. Does it still have the chain final drive?
Wow. Thanks for posting your how-to on getting that windshield frame so nice. Your Chevy is looking good! It does seem like a lot of work, but the results are way worth it and it seems the best way to do it too! I love it because I tend to be a sucker for punishment and often end up attempting to do things the right way(read this as more difficult or more time consuming )just so I can get better results--especially when it comes to bodywork/paint. I'm definitely going to try your technique at some point. Thanks again!
Post some pictures after you do it! Please remember that it isnt really my technique, its one developed by Rik Hoving, the custom model car master, this was just my first time doing it. I was scared it wouldnt work out the first time, but I worked slowly, and got it right, and Im very satisfied with the results. Chad
I have to ask Fidgiter, do you have a shot of the photo setup you are using? I like the "endless background" look... the cars rock too! Thanks, Ben
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