DaytonaTim

TDR Innovations does make a 1/12th scale Eleanor Mustang These pictures are for a 1/24th scale test print of the model that was done before we manufactured it in 1/12th scale I know it is not exactly what you asked for, but it is close

Still waiting on the Allison to show up in my mailbox. This is always the hardest part!!

Ok, been clicking the ole mouse some more while waiting on the delivery of the basic Allison engine. Thought I would work up something that is completely over the top. This is based on some pics of some hydroplanes power plants. If this aint enough power for you.........you need some serious therepy!!!!

Well, finished up the tranny for the Allison. I designed it so it can be used in a rear engine setup or a conventional engine/tranny/driveshaft/rear end setup. The tranny is loosely designed around an Allison auto tranny. The conventional setup uses the auto tranny with a tailpiece that includes a tranny mount if the modeler should need it. The rear engine setup is the same as the conventional except the modeler just leaves off the tailpiece. The back of the tranny is designed to mate directly up with the TDR 11 inch rear end. So you can have a solid 1 piece mechanical system. This rear engine setup is what I am going to use to make my Trike. Well here are a few pictures.

Hey Santiago! How you been? How is the Impala coming along? Did not see you at Toledo this past Oct. I guess it is hard to make all the shows though especially when they are 2000 miles away. Thanks for the good words. This new version of the Allison is going to be much better though. Hopefully I will get it in a few days. This is always the harderst part.....standing by the mailbox....... waiting for a new creation to arrive, it seems to take forever. I have been thinking about this trike build up.......I think I am going to try and incorporate as many P15 Mustang parts in it as I can. As if someone had a P51 setting in their barn and just decided to build a trike out of it...... Hopefully I will have it done by Oct 2010 for the Toledo show. Good to hear from you Tim

Here are a few Pics of the 1/12th scale Quad Al I did 2 or 3 years ago. The engines are done in resin. I made the masters for the silicone molds out of corian that was machined on a homemade 3 axis CNC mill I built. The 3 axis mill really limited the details that I could reproduce on the Allison engines. Once we discovered rapid prototyping I knew I had to remodel the Allison engine inorder to take advantage of this higher level of detail that could be obtained. This model is not an exact reproductions of the real Quad Al that was build, I just used it for inspiration. I tried to think of how I would build this beast .........if I had about a million dollars laying around and noting to do for a year or so....... Anyway, here are some pics of the Quad Al. Now all we need is someone to build this thing in 1/8 scale!!! But you better have about 3 feet of shelf space available

Sounds like you got bit by the Allison bug there William!!!! All your ideas sound interesting to me. This engine really is the ultimate power plant for attracting attention to your model. It just stands up and scream...."LOOK AT ME!!!!" I am thinking of making a tranny for the Allison that will bolt right up to the TDR 11 inch rear end for the trike. That would make the engine, tranny and rear one solid mechanical component. This setup should work really nice for a rear engine dragster too. Then I can make a small tranny tail piece that can be attached to the tranny and set it up for a more conventional drive shaft output. That way the modeler can use a front engine setup if they want or the rear mount setup. Tim

Yes, I know it has been a long wait and I thank you guys for putting up with me. The original computer model I did, back about 3 years ago, lacked a lot of details. I was using a 3 axis CNC mill to make the parts back then and it really limited the amount of detail I could reproduce so I never put them into the computer model. Now, using the rapid prototype method, there is no limit on the detail that can be made. So I completely redid the Allison model from the ground up, trying to include as many of the details as I could. Believe me, this engine has a LOT of details. I guess since it was built for airborn use they really tried to keep the weight down. So instead of just casting thick flanges on every thing they made them thin and cast in bosses at almost every bolt hole. This really complicates the modeling process but it should be well worth it. This engine is going to have all kinds of surface details in it that should really POP out at you, especially if you use a dark wash on the engine. No slab sided engine parts here. I plan on working up some different exhaust systems for this engine too. I am going to work up the 24 stub tubes that you would see on P51 or P38. I also want to work up some Zoomies that go strait up for the tractor pulling crowd and I want to work up a manifolded system that is going to be used in conjunction with a twin turbo setup for those that want to build hydroplanes or something really wild. I also need to work up a tranny to hook up behind this thing too. Bolting up an automatic car tranny to this thing would be laughable. I will probably work something up that is loosly based on an Allison transmission, though I will keep it a lot shorter.

Hello. I am starting this thread to show the buildup of the first TDR Big Al model kit. I have been doing the computer modeling on it for the past 2 months or so and I just finished it today. I will be sending the computer files off to the rapid prototype service tomorrow and should have the actual parts in hand by the end of next week. I hope to show, in this thread, how to approach finishing these rapid prototype kits, made by TDR Innovations. Here are some rendered computer graphic pics of Big Al just to give you an idea of where I am going to head with model.

Hey CB. Here is a video I found that profiles the exact process we use to make our parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfUva9Y3BJY Harry, desktop manufacturing is very close. I have seen 3d printers advertised for $14,000 which is wayyyyy down from just 5 years ago. Plus, now that 3d laser scanners can be bought for $3,000, the generating of 3d models by non-computer modelers, is very close too! I think in the next 5 to 10 years there will be a MAJOR shift in how car modelers do their thing!

Hey Don, I think I have something that you can use behind that beast of yours. The bellhousing has never been tested behind the 1/6 th scale stuff, it was made to fit the 1/8th scale TDR 426, but it should be pretty close. Scaling it up from 1/8th and printing it out in 1/6th will just take a few clicks of the mouse. Here are some computer graphics pics of the setup. Just give me a yell when you are ready for it. Here is what it looks like behind the TDR 426 with optional blower/FI setup

Just wanted to share an 1/8th scale engine that I just put the finishing touches on this weekend. It is the TDR 426 Street/Strip Hemi engine with 727 Torqueflite tranny. This is the first time I tried using a dark wash on anything. I think it helped give the Hemi a little of that "used" look Thanks for any and all comments.

I found this little video on Youtube that explains how these parts are made a lot better than I can. This is exactly how ours are made except we print all of our parts out in an off white color so there are no color bleed through problems when you are finishing your model. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfUva9Y3BJY

Just wanted to share a little project that I just put the last touches on. This was my first experiment in producing and finishing out a rapid prototyped body. I really did not spend a lot of time on it, probably about 2 weeks. It is finished as a curbside. Oh......why 1/18th scale........well my experimenting with this rapid prototype stuff all started because I could not get some cars that I wanted in my 1/18th scale diecast collection of race/performance cars of the 1950's and 1960's. So I figured I would have to make it. The next one I will add is my model of an Aston Martin DBR1. Anyway, here are some pics. I have included a couple of pics showing what I started with just for reference. Oh, just incase anybody is interested in these rapid prototype models, we just opened a web store at: http://www.tdrcatalog.com Here are a couple of pictures of what I started with

At this time, this technology really shines when you are making something that does not exist at this time. That could be a body style or a version of a car in another scale. For instance, a Jag D type in the 1/24th scale.....or any scale as far as that goes. If a model company has already made the model in the scale you desire, you would be far better off finding it, purchasing it, and casting it in rubber for resin molding. It would be much cheaper But............ If it don't exist in the scale you want, then this is the route to go, if you have to have it. This Eleanor is a perfect example. It does exist as a resin kit in 1/24th scale, but the customer wanted it in 1/12th scale. So, a computer model was found on the web, purchased, I fleshed it out and we printed it up in 1/12th. As far as the machine shown on the Leno video, there are many different rapid prototypers out there and they range in price from 20K to over 100K. The rapid prototyped parts can be made of anything from metal, to plastic, to the epoxy saturated powder we use. It all just comes down to $$$$$$$

The video that Jay Leno made showed a laser scanner that is used to create the 3D computer model inside the computer. It costs about $3500 when it is all said and done. Using this machine gets you to basicly the same point as purchasing a model off of the websites I posted above. To actually get a physical model that you can hold in your hand will take a 3d printer. The cheapest 3d printer out there will cost you between $20,000 to $25,000 USD. This is the expensive part. This technology is just starting to get into the hands of the average Joe. There will come a day when a modeler will just go to a website, pick out the body style he wants, choose an engine package, and pick his wheels and then hit print. Then the parts will be created right there on his desktop on his personal 3d printer. I work with 3 other modelers, at TDR Innovations, and we are trying to develope a model car digital library so we will be ready when that day arrives. Right now we have about half a dozen bodies, 5 engines, multiple options for these engines, suspension compontents, and frames developed and we are working on more as we speak. The times........they are a changing.........

We are working hard at trying to bring this process to the modelers. Up till now, most of our efforts have been in the 8th scale world. This Eleanor model was as much an experiment as it was a test print. I wanted to see how the process would work on the smaller scale stuff and I must say it looks promising. Here is a link to a forum that we started to try and incubate this idea http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/digital-workbench/ I hope it is ok to put this link in this thread. If not ....... sorry.........just zap it out. This rapid prototype stuff takes more work to finish out than resin. That is why we consider them to be DIY master kits. The plus side is that there are people all over the world making these computer car models that can be purchased and converted to real "glue and paint" models If you have time, check out our "TDR Cyber Workbench" thread at the above link. Tim

If you mean the 49 Merc....... I have that one. Dan gave it to our group so we could learn how to flesh out the computer models and print them up. Hopefully early next year we will be doing it in 8th scale.

I am afraid I am too much an engineer and not enough of an artist. I can model just about anything mechanical.......but when it comes to doing flowing lines and compound curves, I defer to the artists. Here are some links where you can find a ton of bodies that have been modeled and are for sale. http://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Index.cfm...;sort_order=asc http://www.3d02.com/3d_model_index.aspx?Op...;TxtKeyword=car Here is one of the best car modelers I have ever seen http://www.palat.com.br/cars.html All the car bodies I have done, so far, have been bodies that others have modeled. I just flesh them out so they can be printed out. The only car bodies I have personally drawn in the computer are an Aston Martin DBR1, and a short and long nosed King Cobra. All of which I intend to print up someday.

You have to learn how to make the meshes printable. You cannot just print out a surface model, you have to actually give it some thickness.

Thanks for the nice words. I did not spend much time on finishing this one out, and my modeling skills leave a lot to be desired........ and it shows. Foxer, we just use a comercial rapid prototype service, here is a link to their site http://3dimensiondesign.com/ Unforgiven, No it does not have to be curbside. It can be finished out just like you would any other model. The body on this one is right at .040 thick, which is what I find your typical plastic model is. So it should fit up in a similar fashion. FujimiLover, No this is not a platic at all. It is best described as a substance similar to gypsum powder that has been saturated in super glue and allowed to harden. It sands easily and take paint great. Its major drawback is that it is more brittle than plastic. I actually dropped this model twice from a height of about 3 feet onto a hardwood floor. It survived the first drop but I broke a part out of the front airdam on the second one. It was easy to fix though. Any object can be done. The only limit is the computer modeling skill of the computer artist. I had this body printed up along with tires, wheels, and bumper for about $25, if memory serves me right. The 1/12th version cost about $180 to print up.

Just wanted to share a little project I did about a month ago. This is a 1/24th scale model of a 1967 Eleanor Mustang. It was actually just a test print for a computer model I was working up to produce a 1/12th scale model for someone. I don't build vary many "glue and paint" type models too often. I usually stick to computer models. But I figured I would try and finish this one out as a curbside I kit bashed the tires, wheels and chassis from a 1969 Mustang Boss model I had laying around. The unfinished pictures show how the rapid prototype model is delivered to me. The bracing you see inside the body is there to help the model survive the printing process. Once it is delivered it is removed and finished out using regular modeling techniques.

Thanks guys. It means a lot coming from this tallented pool of people. Erik, if you click on this lin it will take you to a website that tells pretty much the whole story of the Offy. http://www.milleroffy.com/ I did a lot of research while I was helping to develope the computer model for this engine and I really gained a lot of respect for this little motor. It is probably the greatest American racing motor ever made. It had a pretty long run, about 50 years, which speaks a lot for the designers and developers.

Just wanted to share my first 1/8th scale model with everyone. I worked on it for about 2 months. All the bolts are hand made using pins and tacks. The sparkplug boots and fuel fittigs are made from wire insulation and the fuel lines are made from 1/16" solder. The kit is actually a rapid prototyped kit that I developed from 3D computer models.

Work continues on the Allison. I started painting it..... I had to get rid of that "rock" look. Nothing fancy, just some rattle can paint http://public.fotki.com/gkulchock/allison-v12--18-and/