39 replies to this topic

[Futurabat]

Since Archer is on assignment ut of the country at the moment I don't have much needed access to the car so... A quick update, just to get this back to where I can find it. I just didn't like the way the red frame contrasted against the pink, so I went back to black. I also went a little too heavy with the Alclad on the wheels so i'm going to pop another set out of the molds and try again.



I like the look of the wheels, they're just not chrome enough. Back soon with an all new update on this all too slow project.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Really cool project, fun to watch.

[mrm]

This is cool to see evolve. I have a Pink Panter started too, but my enthusiasm for it kind of died. Seeing your project here may motivate me to finish mine.

[Bartster]

l forgot about this! Glad it's purring again. Bart. Can't wait til it growls!

Edited by Bartster, 24 October 2012 - 11:43 AM.

[mrm]

l forgot about this! Glad it's purring again. Bart. Can't wait til it growls!

Hate to rain on anyone's parade, but this car never growled. It was powered by an electric motor and was quite slow. All the shiny stuff behind the driver were just well made dummies.

[sportandmiah]

Looking.forward to this...u make some sweet cars my friend.

[Futurabat]

Hate to rain on anyone's parade, but this car never growled. It was powered by an electric motor and was quite slow. All the shiny stuff behind the driver were just well made dummies.

Just a play on words guy. You know...panthers growl. And you are wrong. The car was powered by a Oldsmobile Toronado engine ( I contacted Mr. Jay Orhberg who, like Barris, thinks he built the car because he owns it now ). The steering was electric though so maybe that's what your thinking about. Oh look,,,the rain seems to have stopped.

Edited by Futurabat, 24 October 2012 - 01:32 PM.

[Bartster]

Just a play on words guy. You know...panthers growl. And you are wrong. The car was powered by a Oldsmobile Toronado engine ( I contacted Mr. Jay Orhberg who, like Barris, thinks he built the car because he owns it now ). The steering was electric though so maybe that's what your thinking about. Oh look,,,the rain seems to have stopped.

........l see sunshiiiiine......on a cloudy day!!!

[Futurabat]

I didn't get much done tonight so here's a small update. I wanted to get to work on the taillight panel so I could make a little headway on the body. Anyone who's ever worked with clear resin knows that it can be slicker than snot on a doorknob! (i'll give you a minute to shake that image )
Masking tape just does NOT want to stick for love or money, so to protect the surface as well as give my tape something to bite I dipped the panel in Future and taped away.

I hate to admit it, but I came within a cat's whisker ( ) of screwing it up by not masking the backside of the light panel.

I hit it with a coat of silver to A: brighten up the taillight and give it some reflectability
AND 2: Prevent bleed through when I go into the white primer and pink. I know it's red and white over that would make it pink, but it would still bleed through and cause a color differential between panels. I mean maybe not, but i've learned through the years to just not take the chance. You know...an ounce of prevention and all that.
Next up is the rear body panel. This will be a tad tricky. As you can see here it's almost the same as the taillight...


...but it's actually a lexan panel tinted red with handpainted ribbon trim. (THAT'S going to cause me some fits). To start I covered the kit panel with masking tape, trimmed it out and placed the tape on some clear sheet plastic.


I'll paint one side of it with clear red glass staining ink from a suncatcher kit. Then hand paint the silver ribbons. Well that's all for now. I really want to get this done soon. I have a killer idea for an "under glass" video.

[mrm]

Just a play on words guy. You know...panthers growl. And you are wrong. The car was powered by a Oldsmobile Toronado engine ( I contacted Mr. Jay Orhberg who, like Barris, thinks he built the car because he owns it now ). The steering was electric though so maybe that's what your thinking about. Oh look,,,the rain seems to have stopped.

Indeed just play with words. However, when I got my model I was really excited about it and started reading on the net. There were a couple of places that were saying that the car was actually powered by an electric motor and the "engine" behind the driver was a plastic dummy that housed the batteries. Now, I don't believe everything I read on the internet, but it seemed pretty convincing, especially when I there is no visible fuel tank or exhaust on any of the pictures I have seen. Of course this info may be just wrong.
Either way, I am looking forward to this build, so I can learn a thing or two and then eventually apply them to my model....whenever that day comes.

[Futurabat]

Aha! Well that is easily explained then. The gas tank is under the raised rear portion of the interior floor while the fuel filler cap is artfully hidden (originally) the nonfunctional TV aerial which nowadays is just a vinyl (tablecloth material) pad on the rear deck. As with many show cars it's a small tank holding only about five gallons and is custom made. It is hidden by a panel of sheet metal underneath. I never did find out why.

It was my understanding the exhaust is a single (not dual as one would expect) that runs down the side opposite the door and dumps just ahead of the rear wheel. Of course most of my info comes from the internet as well. It was Jay Orbergh that told me it was a 7 litre Toronado engine.

Edited by Futurabat, 24 October 2012 - 09:49 PM.

[Futurabat]

Sometimes...oftentimes in life, things just get wierd on you with no apparent reason. Then there are those times when wierd has to be forced! There is something about this kit that has bugged me and nagged at the back of my brain from the first time I grokked it. That being the inside of the roof.


See what I mean? It is exceptional in it's inconsistency. Anyone who has ever worked on, in or around custom cars and in particular the field of upholstering can tell you, that diamond tip tuck and roll is supposed to look as it does here on the door panel.

See? Spectacularly proper! Now, if you scroll back up to the top picture you'll see some rediculousness. (not entirely sure that's a word but there you have it) For some reason the mental midgets at Eldon felt the need to make the headliner in the cabin a ridged outline with sunken tuck and roll, the lower door panel with proper tuck and roll and the upper door with zero, tuck and roll. I mean how? HOW does that even happen?!? To add insult to injury the perimeter wall of the interior...you guessed it...is also the exact opposite of tuck and roll! If I were Khan, then the designer of this kit is my Kirk. "He tasks me!"
This all started out innocently enough. Make a mold of the headliner, pour a really thin coat of resin onto said mold and viola...I have the pattern to make the upper door's inside look like the rest...except the lower door panel. Oy-Vey! So I poured a mold.

Then I had this.


It got me to thinking. Right there before me is the proper pattern. If I can duplicate this...then I can fix the whole of the interior, headliner and wall panels! But how? A mold of a mold! Therefore, I am going to attempt to make a mold of this mold and make a resin copy of the design in the picture above. Resin will have to do. I would love to do it in a soft vinyly kind of material but A: I don't want to try and have to search it up (even though I know it's out there) and 2: I don't want to have to order it and wait for it to arrive. The tricky part here will be getting the new layer of silicone and this one apart. I'll use mold release but I want it to be super thin so as to get the super smooth surface you see before you. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!
For those of you who haven't seen my latest post in "What did you get today" I finally scored the perfect companion/driver figure.

Third from left should do nicely. These are from the U.K., about 2 to 2 and 1/2 inches tall and come from what are called Kinder eggs. I assume something similar to our bubble gum machine dealies where you get a 5 cent toy in a plastic bubble for 25 cents.

Edited by Futurabat, 26 October 2012 - 01:56 AM.

[bryan_m]

lookin good buddy......this is a wild project, lookin forward to more..

cheers
bryan

[Futurabat]

Indeed just play with words. However, when I got my model I was really excited about it and started reading on the net. There were a couple of places that were saying that the car was actually powered by an electric motor and the "engine" behind the driver was a plastic dummy that housed the batteries. Now, I don't believe everything I read on the internet, but it seemed pretty convincing, especially when I there is no visible fuel tank or exhaust on any of the pictures I have seen. Of course this info may be just wrong.
Either way, I am looking forward to this build, so I can learn a thing or two and then eventually apply them to my model....whenever that day comes.

Micheal- This was starting to bug me...alot. So i've sent another e-mail to Mr. Ohrberg from a different e-mail address than the last group of questions I asked. Worded differently, I asked the same question about the powertrain. I can't wait to hear what he says and if it's a different answer. I'm also trying to find Bob Riesner, the original builder of the car. We'll get to the bottom of this yet.

[bryan_m]

check your messages jacen.....just sent you one.

cheers
bryan

[Futurabat]

It worked! I can't believe it but it actually worked. After making a mold of the headliner pattern, I pulled a reverse mold of it. Due to it's curvature I didn't want a bunch of buildup in the middle causing me a major problem so I poured a little in the middle and let that resin set. Then did the ends by raising each end and pouring a little more.



Because of the rubber to rubber mold release the surface came out a little uneven but some light sanding will take care of that. It will take a few sections to get the roof and upper door covered right but this is going to work! I also have to sand the inside of the roof smooth so it's going to be a long night!

[bryan_m]

Nice mold work Jacen!!

keep it goin
cheers
bryan

[Futurabat]

Nice mold work Jacen!!

keep it goin
cheers
bryan

Thanks! There were a couple small spots where the two halves stuck to each other but fortunately it leaves a nub on the casting that sands away easily. Now if I can just get it thinned down.

[Futurabat]

While I ruminate a bit on my glovebox problem i'll try and get a little done on this one. As my little friend here shows I think I finally found a set of whitewall tires that go with the wheels. They come from the Monogram T-bird.



Then there's this little gem...


...Which is actually right about 1/64th scale. I fully intend to one day turn it into a hot-wheels type resin cast.

[Futurabat]

My hands are feeling pretty good this evening, and the weekend's here, so I thought i'd get a little work going here. As discussed before, this kit has some really wierd reversed tuck and roll upholstery in it. I still haven't found out why.
Interior...

Body inside...


Lemme tellya...this is some exceptionally tough styrene, more like high impact plastic than regular styrene and on top of that it's awkward as can be to sand! Never let it be said though, that I lost an argument to an inanimate object!


With a smooth surface to glue it to I can now get to work setting up the proper tuck and roll for the interior. Remember my reverse engineered mold?


Time for some more sanding and alot of dry fittings!