blunc Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 great work on this, like the reworked grille and the detail work on the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Thanks, guys... A small update... the snow has melted, so I can get back to the bench: The seats are way too skinny, so I have bulked them out with plastic card: The next stage of detailing is the interesting hinges, which allow the back of the seats to fold forward and twist inwards at the same time. Mine won't do that, but it accounts for the complicated "Flash Gordon" shape... I've been worrying about the state of the decals. You can see the cracks across the number plates. I painted this with Microscale decal solution a couple of weeks ago, and I've used Klear to snug it down. It looks OK though, and this is the most critical of all of the decals... the others are replaceable or paintable relatively easily... These are about 1cm (0.4") long. These coils are quite visible on the firewall. Teeny-tiny, but took over an hour to make between them! I hope it's worth it! There's some "bigger picture" stuff going on off-stage, but as my old editor used to say, "only fules and bairns should see a job half done..." bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino246gt Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Very impressive work, I really love these cars, have the kit, but it does need a lot of modification out of the box as you've already done, really looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plasticfanatic Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 WOW..knowing the original manufacture date of the reissue and scale Detail quality of the kit you started with, the results are nothing short of superb and spectacular, all the mod. work and corrections make this an already beautiful model of a real beautiful car. Again SUPERB work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagedragfan Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 very nice work Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Thanks, guys... some more progress today (it's being on holiday!) Door liners, with body colour at the top. Tan/beige upholstery, done using Vallejo Dark Sand for the seats and a Citadel "Stone" for the carpets. Dash, awaiting the "grab handle" across the glovebox. Coils in place in the engine bay, which was assembled using the chassis as a jig. And the engine bay mocked up, to see how it all fits. I need to build the front suspension before fixing it together properly. ...and this is how the bench is looking tonight. Suspension and those seat hinges next, I reckon... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjracing Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Wow, really cool, nice looking xotic euro car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 Thanks! It's been a rather busy "holiday" so far, but I finally got back to the bench today. First step, those hinges... They're a very distinctive shape, and pretty complex, because the seat backs tilt both forwards AND inwards to give access to the rear seat bench. Plastic card and rod, and some cursing... The seats are mounted canted up on higher, tapering rails. After a bit of washing with Citadel Gryffonne Sepia and a drybrush with beige, the leather interior is complete. The handbrake is in the wrong place, so I've shortened it and moved it forward. I also carved the cone-shaped gear-lever "glove" into something more soft-leather shaped and brushed it with liquid cement to smooth it a bit. And here's a test fit to see how it looks with the dash. The lighting ain't great, but I think it DOES resemble the real thing... You can see that there will be some fudging, because the firewall will leave the side vents half in the cabin... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) I have never been exactly sure how the seats work on the different versions of the 3500GT, but I do know that the cantlievered movement you describe was part of this Allemano version of the car. Just not sure about the GTi. In any case, you still need to add the bottom part of the hinge. Edited April 8, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 (edited) How did you come up with the instrument panel gauges? Edited April 9, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 Hey, Skip... the panel gauges are the kit decal, painted over with liquid decal film to hold it together, cut out close to the gauges, and then applied using Klear as decal settings solution under the decal, and in several coats over it as well... And now, spot the difference time... Now with the missing hinge lower part. I also refitted the "parcel shelf" at a lower angle, so that it doesn't end up half way up the back window. You need trim the mounting pillars to achieve this... Some interesting super tough PVC tape is doing duty as the textured vinyl boot liner -- an optional extra, apparently. ...and this is how it all looks together. I fitted the side vents as well (with a little careful trimming so that they slot under the new fairings at the front), because they'll soon need painting on the inside, split between carpet (stone) in the cabin, and matt black in front of the firewall. I suspect the vents are in the right place on the side of the car, but because of the overdone cut out at the base of the windscreen, the firewall is too far forward. Mind you, I think it's also pushed further forward to make room for the "working" door hinges, so maybe THAT drives the firewall/windscreen/dash geometry as well. I'm trying to reduce the visual impact of the "chrome" window frame, because the engraved areas are a bit heavy. This is a bit more high-contrast than it looks in real life. I've used a panel line chalk wash in dark grey (intended for "grey jet" modern aircraft" which delineates the engraving and represents the rubber seals. The wheels in the kit aren't great, and the tyres are in a real state. Goodness knows what they are made of, but as you can see (on the right) they are shot -- and that's before you try to glue in the fake hard plastic "white walls". I wonder if they were regular styrene in the original release... it would make more sense! The replacements (left) are from an Aoshima MGB. Any ideas on how to take the lettering off without messing up the tyre much appreciated -- a sharp knife doesn't work... I found that out already. If not, I'll just live with it and hope no one looks close enough to read the size... Although the MGB tyres are beefier, and the wheels very slightly larger, the overall diameter of the wheel and tyre combo is very slightly smaller than the originals, so they should fit OK, albeit rather snugly under the wheel arches. It'll probably look sporty, though... ...and finally, tonight's bench shot. The doors can be assembled when I've finished the other window, and I've also stripped, filled, sanded and repainted the sink-mark-ridden bumpers. bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Neither my Aurora nor my Monogram kits came with instrument decals, so that's still up to me. The tires are a semi-gloss vinyl with paintable styrene inserts for whitewalls. I would highly recommend reinforcing the door hinges with metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerN Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 You might consider casting one of the Aoshima tires, removing the lettering from the casting and making four copies of your modified version. I have a couple (I think) of these kits myself, so your build is quite interesting - especially how you are making it more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 13, 2013 Author Share Posted April 13, 2013 These are the K&R etched wheels (left). I'm still not SURE they are better than the Aoshima injected alternative ®, but they do have a wire axle the same size as the Aoshimas, so if I adapt the chassis axle parts to fit, the two options are interchangeable until quite late in the build... The dash completed, with a Renaissance Nardi steering wheel, horn boss printed with Skip Jordan's excellent reference images... The doors will fit nicely. Currently, I'm battling with the replacement windscreen, which needs to have a template cut before I can start with the BMF on the body... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie8575 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Matt, this is simply fantastic work. And that color is outstanding. Very nice job on this! Charlie Larkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plasticfanatic Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 FANTASTIC!!!...A million miles from the base stock kit to the superb looking model we see now...superb...simply superb!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 14, 2013 Author Share Posted April 14, 2013 Various bits and pieces today, but not much to photograph. These are the new tail-lights... I'm shaping them from a piece of perspex that used to be a recipe-book holder! It sands really nicely, and shapes easily. The two lozenges, waiting for paint and metal details... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggie427 Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 Outstanding work on a very cantankerous relic of a kit ! I LOVE IT ! The original kit is so basic this build qualifies as a scatch build. Wonderful eye candy . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Various bits and pieces today, but not much to photograph. These are the new tail-lights... I'm shaping them from a piece of perspex that used to be a recipe-book holder! It sands really nicely, and shapes easily. The two lozenges, waiting for paint and metal details... bestest, M. Those are 3500 GT taillights, not GTi. The kit lights are correct, as shown on the 1:1 GTi below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 Ah. Oh. Darn it! ...anyone want to buy a pair of slightly used Maserati 3500 GT tail lights? Off they come... ;-( bestest, M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelbuilder Mark Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Matt, your build looks fantasitc. I do think that your work is better than using the etched wheels tho. I would stick with the Aoshima wheels, or even look into using the existing hubs you have and wire the wheel. Somewhere here in the forums, there was a thread/how to that was done and I wold certaily say that your are up to the task. Fabulous build sir. These are the K&R etched wheels (left). I'm still not SURE they are better than the Aoshima injected alternative ®, but they do have a wire axle the same size as the Aoshimas, so if I adapt the chassis axle parts to fit, the two options are interchangeable until quite late in the build... The dash completed, with a Renaissance Nardi steering wheel, horn boss printed with Skip Jordan's excellent reference images... The doors will fit nicely. Currently, I'm battling with the replacement windscreen, which needs to have a template cut before I can start with the BMF on the body... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thanks, Mark... yep, the Aoshima wheels are winning at the moment... Well, if yesterday felt a bit "one step forward, two steps back", today feels more like real progress. I've finally got the front end of the car built. The main chassis and the cabin are just mocked-up here to check the fit of the firewall, which is attached to the chassis. The most useful lesson of doing this was that I wont be able to join the two sections inside the car with the pedals in place (you'll remember ;-P, I need to do that so I can fit them into with the rear valance in place, as I built it earlier for better painting of the main body). So the pedals will have to be added from outside after the chassis is in place, but that's not a big chore. I'm not trying the whole chassis inside the body until it's all well and truly set, but I couldn't resist trying the engine bay out... I'm happy with that. The coil wires aren't connected yet. I don't want to mess with them until the firewall and engine are set absolutely solid on the chassis frame... it can wait a couple of days. I'm now making CORRECT lights from clear sprue as we speak... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelbuilder Mark Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thanks, Skip... I'm a bit scared of living up to the billing, now! And today, I finally made it through the snow out to the workbench... Something else I haven't been looking forward to: Not the greatest pictures (the lighting seemed to confuse the camera), but you can see the effect. I've removed the trident from the original one-piece kit grille, which of course doesn't fit the reshaped nose. A combination of Humbrol polished chrome spray and BMF does the rest. The engine with that detail painting and the last bits attached. Citadel metallics blended in various proportions for those details... I think, looking out the window, that progress will be slow the next few days... bestest, M. I would be real interested in your choice of colors and layers of their application to get the colro you haev on those pipes. The color looks very realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjracing Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Wow! Amaizing work! Is a "labor of love". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 (edited) I'm in awe of the crisp Maserati logo you put on the cam cover. The only thing I would add is a teeny bit of chrome strip around the inside lip of the bonnet opening. Edited April 17, 2013 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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