ismaelg

Hello, Working some of the worst mold lines I've ever seen! Don't despair! The Styrene Cavalry is coming to the rescue! Obviously a long way to go... Thanks,

Hello, Still a bit more paint stripping to do but looking better already. Pretty ugly mold lines need immediate attention. YIKES! Look at those door gaps! That will be the biggest challenge, other than the interior which reminds me of Palmer models... The interior will most likely be all black as it is almost a lost cause. Thanks,

Doing metal work on a model of a plastic car. Ohh the irony!

Hello folks, Yes, I'm making a 2020 C8 mid-engined Corvette in 1/24! I won't hold my breath waiting for a plastic model from Revell or whoever. So even before the car was announced last year, I planned to grab the first 1/24 release of it and repaint it. So, here is the first version of the C8 in 1/24. It is plastic and metal from Motor Max. In short: Totally un-inspiring. Very close to say it sucks! This will take A LOT of work! Those door gaps will be a nightmare to fix. Rubicon ride height Within a few minutes it already looks better Next: Stripping that paint and start the real work. By the way, paint is on its way from Scalefinishes. Thanks, Ismael

Impressive work for sure! Is this the 1/8 '65 Monogram body?

Hello, I always say I treat each sub-assembly as a model in itself. In that line of thought, I finished... the dash Converting the kit's GT1 generic dash into a proper 2011 specific GT2 as raced in LeMans was a bit more involved that I originally anticipated. But it's done. Hard to see in these pics but there is data displayed in the screen in front of the driver. The rearview camera I think is showing the straight of Laguna Seca but I'll say it is entering Tertre Rouge in LeMans The instrument backdrop is a carbon fiber decal still in its backing (for strenght) mounted from behind. The grille and the dash decal are thicker than I would have liked, but those will be hard to see anyways, especially from this angle. Buttons are little drops of white glue and switches are little pieces of wire. Redid the paddle shifters. Thanks,

Hello Al! Thanks for posting this! Truly inspiring! And the 1:1 is SWEEEEET! This is a super killer project. Looking forward to see it done! Thanks, Ismael

Nice! Looking really good! I've always admired those who can do multiple models in parallel. Never been able to pull that off.

Hello, Updating the interior is more involved than originally thought. And I couldn't just let it be box stock inaccurate. The C6R kit is based on the early show car which is close to the original GT1 car. But as these cars evolved over the years, things changed, especially from the GT1 to GT2 transition in mid 2009. For 2011 they introduced paddle shifters, replacing the sequential shift lever in the center console. The steering wheel changed from a rather simpler round steering wheel with a button or two to a complex command center. Center console got simpler as many buttons were relocated to the steering wheel. The dash now featured the production vent grille on top, missing on the GT1 car. The tablet-like rear view camera screen was now located behind the steering wheel and the dash instruments were replaced by a data display right in front of the driver. This data display had a visor like shade to protect from glare. The driver's side net is also different among many other changes. Here is a look at the interior from a helmet cam during a practice session. For some of these changes, I am relying on photo reduction techniques. I printed the display screens, center console, top grille and steering wheel center. 3D details will be added like switches and buttons. I scratchbuilt the little visor that goes over the display. Also modified the steering wheel and added the paddle shifters as per reference. Thanks,

Hi Len, This project is stalled simply because I can't find a source of modern drag racing wheels/tires. I've posted in multiple forums, multiple times with no luck (Maybe I get lucky now). I want to do this: Simple: Just wheels/tires on a curbside. And maybe a roll bar. And maybe a parachute.... with wheelie bars... and a hood scoop....... Thanks,

Hi Len, Been very busy so I haven't touched it since February. For stripping, I used ZEP aerosol paint remover. I think I got it from Auto Zone or maybe Pep Boys. It works very well and it is not as harsh as aircraft aluminum stripper. Thanks, Ismael

Hello, Anybody thirsty? Fire suppression. Hope you never have to use it. Thanks,

Hello, Focusing a bit on the interior. Dash is been reworked Machined a drinking water jug to replace the kit's molded in part. Also machined the fire suppression tank And started painting them both Thanks,

Hello, The chassis of this project had a major issue: For the correct stance I want, the bottom of the chassis was hitting the floor. So over the course of many weeks I sanded and sanded and then sanded some more trying to make it work but the end, surgery was needed. Fooling around with the idea of removable air jacks Thanks,

It is finally FINISHED! OK, so this is most likely the highest detail/scale ratio I've ever done in over 40 years in this hobby. Wiring, plumbing, brackets, clamps, seatbelts, tail rotor pitch control, etc. Even the pilot headphones! And remember, this is 1/100! Pictures don't do it justice. I'm VERY happy especially considering what I started with and the scale. The story of the registration number: You can see this helicopter has registration NAUF1LT. After searching for weeks in hundreds of decal sheets and decal leftovers, I found the remnants of the 1/24 Williams-Renault F1 car. There were 2 decals that said RENAULT F1. Right size and color (white). So I carefully cut them and rearranged to be NAU-F1-LT. The RE part was not used. Each registration is 3 decals Heller 1/100 Alouette II Added navigation lights which are a very small strip of wire with a painted tip. The top's red strobe light is wire as well, with a white glue dome and painted red. Also added a strobe light to the rear. Added tail rotor pitch control and associated parts. Heavily modified tail rotor. Added the cylindrical thingy that looks like a filter or something, with labels, clamps and a bracket attached to the fuselage. Added exhaust bezel (aluminum tape), hoses, plumbing, wiring, gas tank filler cap, swash plates, links etc. Well over a dozen parts were added to the 2 part kit's engine. Added steel wires holding the rotor blades, added related hardware. Not sure what those sticking things are but are prominent in reference pictures. Cyclic control can be seen as well. Added a control box with wiring and labels. Some of the interior can be seen here including full instrument panel, seatbelts and pilot's headphones among other things And this is the picture that put's everything into perspective: What do you think? Thanks, Ismael

Hello, So this is the box stock engine. That's it! 2 halves. And this is how it s going as of now. I machined an air intake cone. Adding a transmission coupler, what I think is a filter system of some sorts and a control box with wiring. Still pending some wiring and plumbing. Thanks, Ismael

Thanks Lee! As I said in the other forum, it is your fault! Thanks for the inspiration!

Hello, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! I did the pilot's headphones out of wire, glue and tubing... and with that, cyclic control, throttle and pitch the cockpit is done! Thanks,

Hello, Not surprisingly the rear seat and all belts were made out of masking tape. At this scale, even the masking tape thickness is noticeable. Still pending a little wash and dry brush on the seats for a hint of depth. And of course joystick, throttle, pitch, etc. Unfortunately most of this will not be seen once in the enclosed cabin. Remind me, what size is it? Thanks,

Love the headphones! You inspired me to try to do a set.

HA! I'm following an identical one on ARC. Oh wait...

That's a great looking scheme! Looking forward to see it finished.

Hello, Sorry I didn't update this thread frequently. But it is officially FINISHED! A little background history: (This is what the scale 4 ft sign says) July 21 1961 Mercury Redstone 4 Gus Grissom became the second American and third human in space. The capsule, Liberty Bell 7 could not be recovered due to premature hatch explosion, flooding the capsule. Pilot Jim Lewis fought to save it but the flooded capsule weighted too much for his overloaded UH-34D helicopter. The capsule sank to the bottom of the ocean while astronaut Grissom was rescued by another helicopter. The capsule was recovered in 1999 and Lewis was part of that expedition. My story: I bought airframe #148765 and restored it to how it looked on that day. I fly it frequently so that's why it is in different positions in the pictures as these were taken over the course of many days. This hangar is behind the wall where I keep the cars. The 4ft (scale) tall plaque is a print of one of the famous pictures of this incident with a brief description. The model: 1/48 Revell kit. I was pleasantly surprised for a mold that is over 50 years old. Instructions are misleading and incorrect in some areas, some of the gaps are big and the glass is very thick, but overall it was a pleasant kit. Of course I did plenty of modifications, the winch been my favorite. I have to say this is my best helicopter effort to date. There are 3 big issues with this model that drive me nuts and stick out like sore thumbs. I did my best to hide those flaws in the pictures. Other than that, there are some minor "accuracy" issues but in the grand scheme of things I am very happy. After all this model will never leave my house anyways. When you are willing to show pictures of your models at bigger than 1:1 magnification, you are happy with it. I hope you like it. What do you think? Thanks,

Hello, Needless to say, this kit has NOTHING on the interior. So I did this little instrument dash as per 1:1 references. Printed my own instruments panel. Yeah, the altimeter needs calibration Made a fuel tank filler neck and cap. Looks big in this pic but it looks better in person, plus paint will help disguise it a bit more. And finally got a chance to do the second set of pedals. Need to align them both next. Thanks,

Happy Easter everybody! Thanks guys! There has been significant progress in this build. I need to update this thread as I've been updating it elsewhere. That's a great picture of the bird. Is that the Ugly Angels Marines squadron? Vietnam: 65-69? and yes, the instructions are misleading and just plain incorrect in many ways. Thanks, **EDIT** You can see the up to date progress in this thread: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/312344-revell-148-marines-uh-34d-spacecraft-recovery-helicopter/