Nacho Z

Another build I'll be watching.

Beautiful model, Sean. The photography just makes it that much better!

Thanks for the nice comments guys, you are too kind. I would like to add that I just took this model to Pittsburgh this weekend to the 3 Rivers Automodelers show. I met the guy that I built it for at the show. It was only the second time he has even seen the car, (I have not given to him yet.) I was very fortunate to win "Best Engine" and first place in class with it. He was happier about that then I was.

If it wasn't for this board I would not have known about this, so thank you Greg for starting this thread. I ran down to my local Ollie's and found they had a decent selection that had no been picked through yet. My problem is I already have all of the kits I want, (and way more than I need). So I only picked up kits that I would not have bought had they been at regular price. I got two Lindberg kits, the '37 Ford 'vert and the Raminator. I also got the Revell Midget. I picked up a bunch more but put them back. It is sooooo tempting to buy kits when they are cheap but I know I will never build them.

I use the cheap, white cotton gloves too. Here is what I do while painting. My wife uses the Playtex gloves for washing dishes. They are the yellow ones that come up to about mid-forearm. Whenever she pokes a hole in one of them she gives me the pair. I then use them when I spray paint. I always seem to manage to get over-spray on me. The gloves will get a buildup of paint over time at which point I throw them away.

Are you kidding me??? How amazing is that!?!?

And a few more detail pictures. The drivetrain.

Time to show you all some pictures of the finished model. I have had a build thread going on for a few months now. There are a lot of detail pictures and info there. Here is the link: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=89345&page=1 This is my first, and probably only, commissioned model. I have 530 documented hours in this model. I have many more hours in internet searches, hobby and craft store browsing, etc. Other than the braided lines and A/N fittings along with the harness hardware I have scratchbuilt most other "extra" parts not in the kit. I would like to thank the folks who have helped me with this project but I would be remiss if I did not give a special shout out to Gary Kulchock. He gave me a bag of spare parts for this kit and I used them. He gave me the correct rear tires. Without those I would have been in trouble. Gary also, without me asking or even thinking about asking, built this BEAUTIFUL base that the car is sitting on. Thank you Buddy! Let me know what you think! Any questions about the build, ask away. Here are some detail shots. Cockpit first.

I have the original kit decals and used them on the engine. I purchased a set of decals from Studio 27. The set only had the body decals. I had no problems with the kit decals, but again, they were the small engine decals.

Thank you very much for the kind words! If you decide to start your kit and have any questions, let me know, I would be more than happy to help. I'll be posting pics of the finished model very soon.

Geezzz Joe, you're killing me with all of these good looking models! I have all of these kits in my stash and you are driving me crazy. Everytime I see one of yours it makes me want to crack mine open and start on it. I don't have that much room on my bench! Nice Aston Martin by the way.

Jason said what I was thinking. This genre is not at the top of my list but I sure do enjoy seeing the WIP photos, tips and techniques. Looking forward to this one.

How about that Joe, I just commented on my Lotus F1 thread about your builds and I come across this....wow! You just proved my point. Niiiiiiiiiiccccceeee models.

LOL Joe! I've seen your work and I have NO doubt that you would knock this puppy out of the park.

This will be my last workbench post. She is just about finished. I hope I was able to help someone or spark some interest. This one did not get a lot of feedback so it is hard to judge. Here is the nose piece. The flag could have went in two different places. The guy I am building it for wanted it here. Note that the mesh screen has not been installed yet. These side panels are 6" long. Look at the size of the ejector pin marks. They were all filled. Next up are a couple of pictures to show the amount of work done on the underside of various panels. I normally would not put this much effort in to an area of a part that would not be seen, but I did for this. And lastly, it is the small details that make for a nice model. I took the fastners, covered them with The Detailer and when dried, sanded them down.

I like it!! Nice job, Scott.

I have no idea but I will say it is a beautiful photo of a beautiful car!

It was good seeing you and talking with you today. Thanks for posting the pictures!

I like it Joe and I think it looks great. Nice job!

Very nice, Jeff. Looks to be an extremely clean build. Great job!

Hi Joe, no, I do not have metal wheels for this. There are pictures of the kit's wheels on page 3 of this WIP thread. Thanks for the kind words!

I plan on being there!

Once I had the front suspension fairings on I was able to plumb and install the front rotors, wheels and tires. There is nothing in the kit to represent the brake plumbing but I did have a couple of pictures to go by. I gave it a shot and it turned out fairly well. I started with #1 size fittings from Detail Master, some wire, #1 braided line that was installed at the beginning of this build some 10 years ago and lastly, a "T" that I made by soldering two pieces of brass wire together. I drilled two small holes in the brake calipers. Cleaned up the brass "T", painted it silver than used a blue marker. Fittings are made gold with a marker too. I used eyeball engineering to determine the size of the "T" and cut it to size. I installed it as it was on the 1:1. I used thread as a cable tie. I ran the thread through wax to get the fuzzies down to a minimum. There is enough line to allow the tires to be steered. I tried to get some symmetry between left and right. Not a lot of room to work and the lines and wires have a mind of their own. I think they came out fair, not great. Please keep in mind there is distortion in the first two pictures.

Wow Jason, just WOW! This is fantastic. These "Big Boyz" don't get a lot of attention but should. I am in no way trying to hi-jack your thread but thought I would let you know I have a '78 JPS build thread going on too, you may find something of use there. I bought the Acu-Stion PE set for my JPS and did not like it and barely used anything from it. Let me know if you have any questions that I may be able to help you with.

Very cool. I have always had a soft spot for the Stratos.