mad mike Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 (edited) Just behind the Cheetah comes the Cobra! Special greetings to the guys of TDR, can't wait to see your "Beast" all up and running! My Snake is just a curbside model again, and like the Cheetah carved from rigid foam by hand, with rapid prototyping detail parts. I have to admit that in real life, I'd buy the Cobra rather than the Cheetah, because I don't think that I have what it takes to tame this cat... In my opinion, a Cheetah would kick a Cobra's ass, but she wouldn't make it through the bend that has to come sometime after the straight Well, have a look at the snake, with those hypnotizing body lines... All right, now we're cooking with gas! The camera's still smoking, and now you've got the pics this forum deserves Edited June 23, 2011 by mad mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcandela Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Really KOOL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XJ6 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 That looks Great...Which kit did you build this from?...Thanks, Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Mike, This is the best Cobra I've seen IN ANY SCALE, except 1:1. You have nailed the look nearly perfectly. Being a hand carved body, its contours are outstanding compared to anything out there to date. The windshield, hood scoop, flairs, thicknesses and proportions are dead on. Did you digitize an accurate replica or original? It looks that good. Picking the most minor of nits, Comp cars or S/C's as you've modeled had rectangular Lucas tail lights not the twin round street car lights. The rear tires should sit inboard a touch, just inside the flair. Also the S/C's and Comps had a different gauge layout and no glove box. The only bad thing is your pictures leave a lot to be desired for Cobraphiles! Please either shoot more or post a link to more detailed pictures. Congrats on a superb job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp1839 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 another one that's gorgeous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scale-Master Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I'm left with just WoW! Great stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZIL 111V Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 ...Very, very, impresive, Herr Stunning "curbside" indeed of this legendary "beast" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffs396 Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 BEAUTIFUL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plasticfanatic Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Magnificent and superb Cobra model.....and....BEAUTIFUL of course!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plasticfanatic Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Mike, This is the best Cobra I've seen IN ANY SCALE, except 1:1. You have nailed the look nearly perfectly. Being a hand carved body, its contours are outstanding compared to anything out there to date. The windshield, hood scoop, flairs, thicknesses and proportions are dead on. Did you digitize an accurate replica or original? It looks that good. Picking the most minor of nits, Comp cars or S/C's as you've modeled had rectangular Lucas tail lights not the twin round street car lights. The rear tires should sit inboard a touch, just inside the flair. Also the S/C's and Comps had a different gauge layout and no glove box. The only bad thing is your pictures leave a lot to be desired for Cobraphiles! Please either shoot more or post a link to more detailed pictures. Congrats on a superb job. http://www.detailed-models.de/#/gallery/automotive-1/ I took the liberty of including Mad Mike website link here with more photos of his Car models by the way the Porsche 917 looks to be another superb project!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad mike Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Hey, I'm really glad that you like the good ol' snake! @ Plasticfanatic: Thanks for adding my webpage link, guess that should've been my job. @ XJ6: It's not a kit, it's... scratchbuilt! I used an AMT/ERTL 1/16 Cobra for reference, though. @ Cato: Guess you know more about the S/C than I do I started off with an AMT/ERTL 1/16 Cobra for reference, and just about when the body was finished and fillered, I came across an original S/C. Quite some shock... I went home, grabbed my biggest rasp and gave her a good do-over. Also had to use a lot of putty. With the tail lights, I took the freedom to use the round ones since they duplicate as front turn signals. You know, I made moulds from almost every part, so I reduced my workload whenever possible. I liked the round ones more, too. Same goes with the dashboard and the tires, I guess I was tired of absolute accuracy on those issues, just did what liked best But man, for the paint job I tried to get some "original" Guardsman blue, till somebody told me that Shelby himself couldn't say which blue that exactly was. So I used BMW LeMans Blue, which is what they use on the new Cobras... About the pictures: I'm really sorry for the bad quality. I tried to make some new pics especially for posting them here, but the weather here in Germany really sucks right now, and since I like to shoot in daylight, that's all I got. But I promise you some close-ups with a macro lens sometime soon! Any special angles you want to see? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad mike Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 At least the Cheetah thread has some nice pictures now. There you can also have a look at how I'm carving my cars. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 @ Cato: Guess you know more about the S/C than I do I started off with an AMT/ERTL 1/16 Cobra for reference, and just about when the body was finished and fillered, I came across an original S/C. Quite some shock... Maybe just a little. Here is my 1:1 replica which I built and raced for over two decades now. You can see we have similar tastes as to what a Cobra should be: With the tail lights, I took the freedom to use the round ones since they duplicate as front turn signals. You know, I made moulds from almost every part, so I reduced my workload whenever possible. I liked the round ones more, too. If you ever decide to cast your parts for public sale, I would be very interested to know that (and possibly other members here) so please contact me. Same goes with the dashboard and the tires, I guess I was tired of absolute accuracy on those issues, just did what liked best That's absolutely as it should be-your freedom to build as you like. My comments were to help anyone who would wish to build for most accuracy, not criticize one's choices. I post to help those who love these cars enough to model them but are not completely familiar with them. But man, for the paint job I tried to get some "original" Guardsman blue, till somebody told me that Shelby himself couldn't say which blue that exactly was. So I used BMW LeMans Blue, which is what they use on the new Cobras... Yes that BMW blue is very popular amongst replica builders but there are PPG and Sherwin paint codes for all the original Cobra colors. About the pictures: I'm really sorry for the bad quality. I tried to make some new pics especially for posting them here, but the weather here in Germany really sucks right now, and since I like to shoot in daylight, that's all I got. But I promise you some close-ups with a macro lens sometime soon! Any special angles you want to see? That's great news. Just shoot focused, tight shots from all angles and macro close-ups. This takes nothing away from your excellent work. You have a special talent since you fashioned this by eye and hand with great accuracy without CAD assistance. Great job Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad mike Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) @ Cato: Man, this Cobra of yours could be the one I'm dreaming of. One day I'm going to own one like that... Maybe a Superformance replica. Guess you're not going to swap your ride with one of my kits XD I'm going to contact you if I'm about to start casting again, but as far as I now, it wouldn't be legal to sell copies just like that. Now for some macro lens shots. Although I think that it's kind of unfair to shoot a model like this, because I'm not working with magnifiers during modeling. But it's the best way to catch those details... I think that the emblems and front cooler are the maximum what can be achieved by the rapid prototyping technique I'm using. For the Le Mans filler cap (handmade) and the cooler fittings (bought), the detail of RP parts would've been not crisp enough. Edited June 23, 2011 by mad mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad mike Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 Now for some cockpit shots... I'm really proud of the way the "leather" seats turned out (the are, in fact, a one-piece cast taken from a magic-sculp model). The steering wheel rim is a turned part made from real wood, and I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't use layered wood because it would break. The mirrors are not good enough, too. Still room for improvement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastardo Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 No doubt at all: The best Cobra model EVER!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Mike, You've satisfied my request for photos perfectly. Your car is the benchmark for models of Cobras. Some facts for reference should you wish to refine the next one or build for production: The front park lights have a thin chrome bezel-the light you did is superb with the orange bulb in white cover. The steering wheel is flatter with about a 1" dish and 16" around on originals. The shifter you chose is from the small block cars-big blocks have the forward bent Mustang shifter. I'm sure you made these choices simply because you prefer the way they look. The body at the tail lights seems to have a slight 'edge' but 1:1's just have a gently flowing curve-it's very subtle and hard to do. Also a more gradual angle as it tapers downward under the car. Magnesium Halibrands have the stems outboard on the rim a bit, not inside the spokes. You have modeled (perfectly) aluminum replicas. The aluminum over the oil cooler is raised like a small 'roof', not flat. In fact, it's called a 'dog house'. The cooler is taller than the 'shelf' in the nose. I agree, RP is the wrong process to capture metal surfaces and sharp details. It's very labor intensive to get it smooth. The tires are stunning-did you carve yours and then cast them? Never seen G'years in this scale before. A nit - the letters do not have raised edges-they are sprayed through a stencil and have soft edges-see mine. And Goodyear was very careless about it-they're race tires. And friendly advice-forget Superformance. Your standards are much higher than that. It's the 'Monogram' of 1:1 replicas. Search for an aluminum Kirkham, CSX or ERA. And build it yourself, your way, like I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad mike Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 @ Cato: I guessed you would find some more imperfections with those pics up But you missed one: I didn't add rubber seals to the hookup and roll bar body ports. Aw, let's just call it a prototype... About those tires: Actually the tread pattern is from a Dunlop tire I came across. I am using them in a module fashion for all my cars in different sizes and with different emblems, a bit sloppy I have to admit. But they are rapid prototyping parts I'm casting off (the only other means to make such a tread is with CNC milling as far as I know), and since RP parts of this size are rather costly, I'm content with them. Plus, the rough RP surface really looks interesting on the tread. Guess if I had a spare garage, I'd have already started a real kit Cobra. But I already have storage problems with my 1/8 kits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 @ Cato: I guessed you would find some more imperfections with those pics up But you missed one: I didn't add rubber seals to the hookup and roll bar body ports. Aw, let's just call it a prototype... Mike-make no mistake-I'm not picking on 'imperfections'! The work is fantastic as is. I'm simply offering facts should you wish to modify your parts in the future and help others who may view your thread and want to build them as they actually were. A problem for builders is that today there are so many 1:1 replicas on the web as reference that are built to their owners taste but not as originals were. One has to be careful what one uses for reference where accuracy is desired. I didn't 'miss' one-you got it RIGHT! There were NO grommets around the roll bars of Comps and S/C's. And mostly none around the front and rear jack hooks! That came much later from the replica guys. I have none on my roll bar-you have to make perfect holes and a slot and I did. Your garage is doing just fine with a Boxster and Elise inside...you have good taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad mike Posted June 25, 2011 Author Share Posted June 25, 2011 @ Cato: Man, I really wish I'd met you before starting the Cobra. You're the man to ask! About the Elise: That was just a short love affair, a test drive. I couldn't keep her... It's just me and my Boxster But guess what, I've got a one-eight Elise 111R in the making, maybe someday she'll make it to this forum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsimmons Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 I don't care about the minor stuff - that is a freakin' gorgeous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semijoe Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 i can talk my jaw hit the ground. just awesome man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 The only other model I've ever seen even near what you accomplished is Kyosho's 1/12 S/C. http://www.diecast.org/diecast98/html/asp/list_reviews/xq/ASP/id.KY08631B/qx/reviewpix.htm But it's a die cast with some of that 'clunkiness' that goes with them-but the shape is also dead-on. Yours is a superior accomplishment in my view because it's a hand-carved piece of art. And you've definitely captured the soul of the Cobra. Should you ever want Cobra 'technical support', just PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baddgass Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Not a ford man, but COBRA are off the hook. Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Wow. What a stunning model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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