Davewilly Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 WOW! Love how this is turning out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) Remember how I said I wasn't happy with the tail lights? Well, I did something about it! Here's how I did it, pull up a chair. I used a piece of Clear Red plastic I got from a really old motion detector I replaced about a week ago. I started by cutting the tail light openings into one big tail light... A bit of sanding to smooth it out... A piece of the Clear Red plastic ready for cutting... I smoothed out one side and added the curve at the top, now to cut it to fit side-to-side... Now that it fits in the opening, I'll cut the bottom edge off! Edited December 30, 2012 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) And now for the finishing touches. I didn't like the "smooth" taillight, so I filed a groove across the lens just to break it up a bit. Once the groove was in place, I polished the lens up, drilled it out for it's "Blue Dot", and added some foil to the backside of each lens! The new lens in place, awaiting some thinning and it's new groove... Here's how thick the new lens was at the start, gotta knock that down a bit... And this is how I added the groove across the lens. I taped it off to match the other lens, and went after it with a file... Not perfect, but it'll do. Now to polish it up and add the "Blue Dot"! And the completed new taillights. I like 'em much better already! Edited January 1, 2013 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Pretty cool procedure, Mike. I have to get me some of that Tamiya paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy D Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Hi Mike. Really enjoy following along on this, cool idea on the taillights. That bed is just amazing!!! Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shardik Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Yep, the new thread title IS appropriate . Cool tail lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gluhead Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Hey Mike, looking great. Nice change on the taillights. One tip I picked up along the way was to back handmade taillights with the foil found inside a pack of cigarettes...the stuff with the embossed pattern like Winstons or Marlboro use have a real good look. It adds a nice level of dimension, kind of like the diffusing pattern cast into factory 1:1 lamps. If you haven't stuck 'em in for good yet, give it a look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Christopher, thank you for that tip, I've been trying out different things since they look very plain with just foil behind them, I'll give that a shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customsrus Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) great start on this. the bed is just awesome. love the color too. but the tail lights will have to grow on me.One of these days I am going to have to try the leather on the seats.. Edited September 8, 2012 by customsrus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonFL Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 You have some cool tricks up your sleeve. Love the work you've done so far, especially those killer tail lights, been giving me a lot of ideas. Thanks for the inspiration, keep up the good work, I'll be watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) OK, we're back at it, I tried the foil trick on the tail lights, and let me tell ya, it's beautiful! John, this may just change your mind, we'll see! I've got enough foil on hand now to last me for a few hundred models, it works that well! I also got the final piece installed on the wood bed, and received my PE radio face from Rick over on Scale Avenue, so we've got some progress to show ya! I sprayed some Craft Bond on the foil, placed the tail lights on the foil, and let it dry... One hour later, we have beautiful tail lights! The back end piece on the bed, now to get the tail gate cleared so I can assemble the bed! Notice how it's higher on the ends than the middle? Yup, the wooden bed is slightly warped! And the PE radio face that Rick sent me, gotta get some paint on this baby! I painted the radio Semi-Gloss Black, removed the excess paint, and added some Tamiya Clear Green to the display area, I may go back and redo that, we'll see. I measured off the dash and centered the radio... I cut a notch in my my piece of dash pad/leather for the radio, and attached it to the dash, then set the gauge inlay into it's home... Then the PE face for the gauges was added... A bit of Black wash... And finally the Detail Master Krome Foil strip, a straight pin for the glove box lock, and a drop of Testors Clear Parts cement was added to each gauge! Edited July 6, 2014 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Gorgeous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gluhead Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Nice job on the dash, and glad to see the foil trick worked out well for ya. Funny what the simplest stuff can do, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shardik Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Wow, that foil really did the trick. What brand are you smoking? That dash pad looks like it belongs there (I knew you could pull it off ). The P.E. parts and the subtle wash really make the dash details pop. I can't wait to see more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 Nice job on the dash, and glad to see the foil trick worked out well for ya. Funny what the simplest stuff can do, eh? Christopher, you and a friend over on Scale Avenue both suggested the same thing, so I checked it out, and I'm glad I did, it looks incredibly good in person! Wow, that foil really did the trick. What brand are you smoking? Johann, I'm smoking Pall Malls right now, but I'm willing to bet any brand's foil would do the trick. Thanks for all the comps guys, now I've gotta get back to it, this baby won't build itself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shardik Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy D Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Hi Mike, The tail lites and dash look great!! Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) Johann, those are my pins, i had to buy my own so she wouldn't kill me for using so many! I've got a small update tonight. First up, I re-did my rear brake lines to be more accurate, and to keep Alyn from coming over here and whacking me over the head because they were wrong. The brake lines now go over the axle like normal brake lines, I'll add a bit of black insulation from some 22 gauge wire when they are glued in place to represent the flexible parts. Now onto a bit of work on the bed. I looked at the reference pics I have of the chains for the tailgate, and found there's really no way to attach the chains in the same way on the model version, so I came up with a way to do it. I bent up some small pieces of 26 gauge wire, trimmed them into tiny "u" shapes, drilled a pair of holes in the bed sides, cut some pieces of chain, and carefully glued the u-shapes into place. As soon as the Clear cures on the tailgate, I'll find a way to attach the chain to it and get the bed completed! Measure? Nah, I'll just eyeball the holes and hope I get lucky as usual! One of the 26 gauge u-shapes undergoing a test-fitting, it actually worked! Here's the chain I'm going to be using, it's from the model Railroad section of Hayes Hobby House, along with two pieces of heat-shrink tubing, I'm still not sure which one I'll be using to cover the chain. Here's the chain and u-shape next to an X-Acto blade just to show you how small these pieces actually are! And the chain in place on the sides of the bed, it looks pretty good for not being 100% accurate! Edited July 6, 2014 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I find these details just amazing. Did you glue the wire - oops - brake line to the rear end or is it formed just right so it lays there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeym Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Awesome job on this. Very nicely done!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 I find these details just amazing. Did you glue the wire - oops - brake line to the rear end or is it formed just right so it lays there? Right now it's just formed so it lays there, but I have some thin brass sheet that I'm going to try to make some straps out of, we'll see how successful I am with that, they're gonna be really tiny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmvw guy Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I really like your tailgate chains, guess I'll have to stay tuned in to see how you handle the other end of the chain. Awesome details! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 Ron, that tailgate is gonna be the tough part. There's nowhere near as much plastic to drill into on the edges of the tailgate where the chain goes on the 1:1, so I'm gonna have to find a different location and hope I can make it look right. Once the tailgate gets polished, we'll tackle that part! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydime Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 (edited) Alright, we all know what's going on here...that's a fake giant cardboard xacto wrapped in aluminum foil and it's all out on a footbball field marked like a cutting mat. OR, that's just my way of saying that this thing just that realistic looking. You are doing one heck of a job here! I've noticed that there are quite a few interesting trucks in progress or recently finished and I think this one takes the cake. Edited September 18, 2012 by Skydime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Thanks Ken, I'll keep building, you keep watching! Since I'm sick as a dog, this is not much of an update, but I did get a little bit done on the bed today. I polished up the tailgate and mocked the bed up, and I need to see why I have such a large gap around the bottom of the tailgate and the front end of the bed. Once I figure that bit of trouble out, I'll figure out where to attach the chains to the tailgate and get the bed finished off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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