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Hello, Very slowly but moving on! Thanks,

Thanks Steve! OK, turning the attention to the body. Opened the exhaust outlets on both sides and tested the tips. Blended the hood scoop to the hood. The mounting holes for the rear spoiler brackets were way too big. Made them smaller. And the kit makes no provision for the driving lights, which are very prominent on these cars. So the dremel and the Xacto had a party together..... Thanks,

Hello, I may have a workaround, but I admit this issue hit my enthusiasm hard. But I'm back on it. The top of the engine was carefully removed. If displaying the model with the hood in place the engine will not have the top. If the hood is off, the top of the engine will carefully be set in place with nothing but gravity holding it. Oh well.... Anyways, here is what will most likely not be seen. Even without the body it is hard to see the added details but I know they are there Stay tuned: More to come.... Thanks,

Hello, I finished most of what will not be seen. I added the 2 square braces that go from the top of the dash to the upper cage. However, I hit a major roadblock. Tried dry fitting the body and nothing fits! The details added to the engine make not even the hood to fit properly. Sadly, I will have to dismantle and remove the engine top. The engine can not be taken out because it is locked under braces, the cage, axles etc. and would require disassembling pretty much everything. I'm not going that route. Most likely the hood will be glued shut this will become a curbside.... Oh well.... Thanks,

Hello, Thanks Nick! Not much progress but I just did aluminum oval exhaust tips. Of course the molded exhaust port in the body will be opened up for these to go in. Thanks,

Impressive as usual. BTW, you just solved my LSR wheel issue..... Thanks!

HA! That did cross my mind years ago in the C6R build. But I want to finish this one during this millennium... The thought will come again in next Racing Corvette project already in plans... *wink* Thanks,

Hello! Last update of the year! Another "I know it won't be seen but I did it anyways" details Scratchbulit paddle shifters and the anodized star-like piece behind the steering wheel. The spiral cable carries the signals from all the buttons and switches in the steering wheel and goes underneath the dash. Yes it is very long. I'll cut to size once in place. See you in 2017! Thanks,

Hello, Need a hug? Feeling lonely? Nothing will hug you like a tight 5 point harness! Disclaimer: I took an artistic license here. Race cars are always changing. So you need to pick a point in time to replicate. I'm building the car as it raced in Daytona in 2016. However, the car raced with BLACK belts. Now, if I would have made them black, they would be lost in the darkness of the black cockpit. So I did them in red, which this car has used in other venues. Even in red, they will be hard to see once finished. Thanks,

Hello, One of the most prominent and important features of this car is the rear camera and radar system. It is not just a rear camera, but a complete collision avoidance system developed by Pratt & Miller and Bosch that alerts the driver of cars passing, blind spots, closing in, distance, time etc. This system is a tablet size screen on top of the dash, and of course missing in the kit. I cut some bits of styrene and assembled it from 5 bits of styrene and 4 strips of tape. Of course it will barely be seen once painted black but I had to do it Thanks,

Very interesting conversion! Really like it. I can see it in my mind light blue with white stripes and white Halibrands Thanks,

Hello, The kit's safety net was replaced with a more accurate one including the round hook in the dash to attach to. These cars also have a triangular net on the driver's door. I added that one as well. Anyways both are black and will barely be seen once completed. I tinkered with the idea of a tubing roll cage but that would be a waste of time and will take forever. Thanks,

Hello and Merry Christmas to all! Finally I'm back home! These cars have a drink cooler can so the driver can keep hydrated. Since different drivers like different things, they never run sports drinks. Just pure water (my favorite by the way). This cooler "sits" where the passenger would be. The kit's cooler can is... well..... ehhhh... sub-standard for my liking. So, knowing it will not be seen anyways, I machined my own cooler. Painted it and it is ready to reflresh! I've never claimed to be normal Repeat with me: It will not be seen.... it will not be seen..... Thanks,

Thanks guys! Unfortunately, due to my work I am in a last minute "emergency" business trip. Had to fly to Houston over the weekend and will not be back in a few weeks... Will try to find hobby shops in the area. Thanks,

Hello, Due to a work related situation I have to fly "impromptu" today to Houston for a few days. I'll be in Willowbrook (zip 77070), west, southwest of the airport. Any good hobby shops in the area? Not sure if I'll have time but just in case.... Thanks,

Hello! Not much bench time but here is a little update. There is a fluid tank in the C7R engine. Not really sure what it is for. Trying to find out. So I machined my own tank. The lid was machined in place. It came out thinner than I wanted but no big deal. Added aluminum strap to eventually attach it to the bracing and added a fluid line that will disappear underneath. Thanks,

Hello, I took a little break from body mods, which are far from over. My original idea was to build it as a curbside. Yeah right.... Then I though, Well, this will be a "Curbside Plus" with just a lump between the fenders. So here is my idea of a lump between the fenders I thought of machining my own pulleys and all that BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH but I would have never finish it. So I took the kit's belts and sanded them down, plus a few more bits here and there. Still a curbside plus. The headers are loose as they need to be installed after the engine is in place. the heat wraps should go all the way down but that won't be seen anyways. The mold lines in the air box are actually in the real thing. Something I have noticed: In previous cars like C5R and C6R, the engine was a jewel! Glossy carbon fiber with exquisite decals and all. Today's car has more raw carbon parts which is dull and not many decorations. Hope you like it. Thanks, P.S. If you look at it for a while and close your eyes, you can hear it idling...

Hi Marshall! It's been quite a while! I can't believe I've been away for about 7-8 years! Did you ever finish the Astrovette? Cheers!

Hello, Wow! Almost a year with little or no progress! Workbench time is really tight. But anyways, got a few minutes to detail paint the chassis. This is all one piece with 4 huge holes for screws, so nothing to write home about. Just some fun. Looking at the pic I noticed I did not paint the oil filter. I'll fix that, hopefully before 2018. Thanks,

Thanks Tom! I'll try that.

Hello, Not much visual progress, but it took a significant effort to mate and blend the brass and the plastic to look seamless. Some minor tweaking still needed but getting there. Thanks,

Hello, Roof hatch scribed. I ended up doing another template as the first one was too small. Thanks,

Hello, Regulations changes for 2016 allowed for improved aero packages. In the back of the car, the smooth splitter has been replaced with an aero diffuser to optimize airflow and improve downforce. This is a rough mockup but you get the idea where I'm going. OK: Repeat with me: "What part of keep it simple you don't understand?" Thanks,

Hello, Changes in safety regulations for 2016 now mandate a hatch in the roof. This is not an escape hatch like NHRA funny cars. This is for the safety crew to insert a spine brace before extracting the driver in case of an accident. Here is a screen shot of a pit stop video during the 2016 Rolex 24. Not the best picture but you can see the outline of the hatch. And here is mine. This is a template to scribe the outline. For some reason, I made it a hint bigger and it did not look good. This size looks the best but I think it is a tad small. Bu that's OK. My car will not have a driver Thanks,

Hello, The front splitter was longer for 2016 and had aero fences on the sides. So, after removing the kit's splitter, I started working on my own. Added the aero stepped fences Again, minor tweaking is still needed but getting there. Thanks,