Scale-Master

My stat camera was obsolete for a long time before I disposed of it. Yes the industry moved to digital output, but long before then the art was generated by computer then printouts were converted to film. I was one of the first to incorporate computers for making decal artwork for kits back in the 80's. I no longer use photo-resist coatings (still have them...) because I figured out a way to eliminate the need for films and exposure to the resist. No longer having to do the "photo" processes saves me a full day of tedious work.

Thanks Guys! I refer to it as acid etched because it isn't photo-etched. It is a different process in the resist phase. I used to do PE (I still do art for others), but I figured out a way to make parts with out the "photo" part after I got rid of my photostat camera.

The gas struts for the doors. Upper hinges, acid cut brass. The strut bodies are brass, the shafts are stainless steel. The lower hinges are machined aluminum. Closed. They compress well. Open. They slide smoothly and provide just enough friction to keep the door open.

Also I can't tell from the posted image, but did you measure the widths of the top stripes to see if they taper? The real ones are not a constant width on the top, but a clever illusion of sizing to make them look like they are once applied to the car.

With all your eye on detail Maxx, are you aware the GT350 lettering is not supposed to be the same color as the stripes? Viking Blue and Guardsman Blue were the two colors. If you're OK with them being all the same color I would think the 0.030 thickness difference wouldn't be that be much of an issue either...

That silence sure seems to speak volumes...

Brass tubing was used to make the hinges for the engine cover. More magnets were also utilized.

I started reworking the two rear supports that connect the tray to the rear bulkhead so I can continue working on the hinging of the engine cover. I removed the posts that supported the battery box (used to be a motorized kit) and drilled out the flanges for the spare tire guides. Since they also have suspension mounting points that will need to accept closed ended fittings I had to engineer them to facilitate those parts (that will be made later). The first machined aluminum pieces for this project…

More magnets…

The outer hinges are made of brass and styrene.

Final new part with 1/16 inch steel rod laminated in to it for strength.

The owner/client requested more sponsorship in the way of Scale-Master Decals. Gotta keep the client happy…

The two little plastic parts of the hinges that mount to the engine cover didn't look like they would stand up to too much action, at least at the joint where they would be cemented. Plus I could see they are supposed to be added after painting the exterior, further creating fit continuity issues. The gray pieces are the modified and beefed up kit parts; the rest is scratch-built from sheet styrene. The plan is to make the hinge system stand-alone from the body shell.

I wanted to get the hinge mechanism made for the rear hatch since it's the last part of fitting up the body that needed to be done. I had to start by reworking the rear bulkhead. The rear tray has half of the hinges molded to it. I cut them off and installed a stainless steel tube.

It drove great. There are some magnets in the chassis that might keep it from fishtailing.