R. Thorne

Thanks, Chris. Very true, Ulf. One of the things learned from this build. Thanks for responding.

Yellow sharpie?

I apologize for this thread/tip. Sorry you had that experience, Greg. Mine had worked great for a week as I popped it out easily the next day. Then, last week I left ca glue in it for 2 days and it ripped apart trying to pop it out. Real silicone would not have reacted that way, so I assume these widgets are not made of pure silicone. Back to my upside down pill bottle, but it does work good for small dabs of paint and Green Stuff World chrome paint.

Thanks, Ian. This project was more challenging than I thought it would be. My OCD inclination is not completely satisfied with the results, but are we ever? Still, I learned some things and had some fun. One of my next projects and, possibly, the prettiest Stocker out there.

Thanks, guys. Much appreciated.

Thanks, Roger. Your comments are always appreciated.

A model I built of a friend’s current Stock Eliminator car. It’s not perfect, but I had fun and some challenging experiences, plus some new tools to try out. More details of the build and numerous pictures of the progress in the WIP thread with the same title. Cheers.

First of all, thanks to all who took the time to look and comment on my build (especially you, Roger). Secondly, for those expecting perfection, sorry, not in my capabilities. I am, however, a constant experimenter and curious fellow about all things. That comes with obvious rewards and pitfalls. Anyway, I am done with this model. Put the pesky mirror on (drilled out the mirror back so the nub would go in, removed paint and chrome and used modelmaster cement). Tried out the fountain pen style Dspiae tool and did the panel lines with it (after scraping them out on the doors with a sharpened toothpick). Forgot to do that on the trunk and it shows. I am not really thrilled with the looks (too dark, may soften it a bit on my next build). Very little cleanup with the pen. I like it. Will get some finished pics up in that section. Thanks for looking.

Mr. Hobby has a similar base white in a 180ml can.

Put rear bumper on, then looked for hood and remembered it was still in the alcohol tank. Cleaned both hoods up, ran the sander over them. Now they’re ready for primer.

Sometimes it’s 2 steps forward and 1 step backward. In the process of installing the front bumper/grille assembly, the right side header fell off. Then, forgot to drill the hole for the master cylinder (as no booster is used). My low speed drill saved me there. Got the top radiator hose on, next is the coil on the firewall.

Speechless!

Should finish tonight. Made subframe connectors from 2mm square stock and driveshaft loop from .010” styrene. Yes, I know the driveshaft loop is supposed to be 360 degrees, but not this time. Not my best work, but I guess I’m really getting tired of looking at this and am antsy to move on. Trial fit of body on frame. The stance is not perfect (should sit a little lower in the rear). The Milwaukee marker is not quite as “purply “ as the Sharpie version. The spreader tool really helps stretch the body for installation.

I like the fidget for small amounts of ca glue and paint. The next day, after it has dried, I just pop it out. Since ca doesn’t stick to silicone, it works decent for me.

Closer and closer, but always experimenting. Completed bmf and lettering. Not thrilled with the results, but I don’t think I will forget to do the bmf before the windows are installed again. Anyway, some small stuff, drilled the door handles and body for some .025” styrene rod installation. Some Tamiya black wash on the vent holes, Then made some windshield wiper “stubs” from .025” rod. Very few people use wipers on stockers, but the mechanisms are still required. Some “chrome” for the side markers and door and trunk locks. I then noticed some marks on one corner of the roof. They were not there after painting, but materialized during the last week or so. Tried some Tamiya polish to remove them with no improvement. Then the old reliable Novus 2 came through for me and removed the mysterious marks on the top and did the rest of the car with it, too.

Daniel, what I like about those blades is you can “rock” or pivot them around corners without fear of slipping out of the groove or channel. Also, you can push or pull (like slicing tomatoes) as you proceed down the panel.

Thanks, Mark. I am always experimenting, sometimes with less than optimum results. Finished up the numbers and bare metal foil today. Two of my most helpful tools when it comes to bare metal foil: my fingernail and a #15 scalpel blade. It cuts better than the pointed end of a #11 type blade.

Got the blue numbers and letters yesterday. Some progress last night with them. I only have the rear window to do. Ran out of #3, so made some out of #8. Not exactly thrilled with the look, but I am moving on with this build. Still have some foil work to finish, hopefully today.

Front and rear are done. Finishing up the side windows which are slow going.

Did this late last night. Used a #15 scalpel blade and a metal ruler to cut as straight a line as possible with the bare metal foil. Will have to cut a more narrow piece for the rest of the windshields. Looks much better. Finally getting around to the bench tonight.

A day of experimentation and efforts that did not pan out. The numbers and class designation first. Tried some blue marker on the white decals to approximate blue numbers. Didn’t like it. Then had some stick on numbers I “blued”. Not impressed. Finally, after some research, ordered some blue 1/4” and 1/8” numbers and letters decal sheets. The next less than successful outing was the chrome trim on front and rear windshields. I had completely forgot about the chrome trim when I installed the glass. I always do that first, but brain fade got me this time. Tried some chrome decal strips I had used before on the straight side trim. Looked okay, but had wrinkles. Then some 1mm (.040”) wide strips of chrome tape. Better, but the next step is 1 mm wide strips of bare metal foil. Will try that tomorrow.

Couple of chassis shots with wheels glued on. Also, the making of a rear license plate. Some scrap thin styrene sheet, some double back tape to hold it for individual decal application (thanks to Slixx for 1/8” letter sheet), and some semi steady hands and water. Oh, and a blue jel type pen I am going to experiment with to make blue class numbers tomorrow.

Got the driver and passengers side windows in with Mod Podge, ca glue on the front rims to chassis with testors bottles for alignment. Painted a helmet and glued it on. Gonna let stuff sit over nite , then trial fit chassis and more detail work tomorrow.

Thanks, guys. Well, I am not going to meet my goal of finishing today. Glued some windows in, superglued the front inner wheel halves on, painted the tailights bezels with modelmasters stop light red, some clear parts on the bumpers. Don’t know what I would do without my excellent sprue cutters on the clear parts that leave essentially no nubs protruding. Also, the rubber coated tweezers are great.

Glued rear tires on with some tacky glue for a trial basis. Painted the lower edge of grill. Also, used masking tape to pattern the driver and passengers side windows. Then cut out some .005” clear styrene.