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Ian McLaren

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  1. Ian McLaren
    Another fine update, and another trick learned, the way you made the brackets for the puke tank is so easy and much more accurate than trying to herd 4 individual brackets into position. I can't believe I never thought of that. Thanks Daniel.
  2. Ian McLaren
    Thank you Francis for the kind words. I build jigs for a couple of reasons. For one thing if I draw it properly it ensures that the final product is straight, level and most importantly symmetrical. The second reason is that they save assembly time by securing the tubes and putting pressure on the joints for easier soldering or gluing (the time saved far out weighs the time spent making the jig). I also keep the jigs as I may need, (for example) another FED chassis and then it's just cut tubes and solder or I could duplicate the same part in plastic for a different project.
  3. Ian McLaren
    Yes it is Roger, but even though it was custom built for the Camaro body there are influences from Chris Alston and Tim McAmis. It has been built as close as possible to the NHRA class rules for this kind of car. Also a couple of friends who currently run Pro Mods in the area have provide invaluable help.
  4. Ian McLaren
    Wheelie bar structure fabricated and mounted, clean up detailing and hardware to follow. Now I can also do the required modifications to the rear valence for clearance for the bars and the parachute lanyard mount to the frame.
  5. Ian McLaren
    Great update Francis! Especially the process for the wheel tubs. I've seen this done in furniture making with wood, but it never occurred to me it would work with styrene. I have a pair of 43 inch 1/12th tubs I had no good idea how to fabricate them, brass just seems too complicated to get a good result. Plastic it is. THANK YOU!
  6. Ian McLaren
    Redid the body work on this again and I'm setting it aside for a while to let everything cure and settle, it will need at least one more set of refinements but at least it's getting close. Next on the body will be hinging the drivers door and if that goes well I'll open up the other side as well. Now it's back to the chassis and the current project is the wheelie bars. As this is a lower horsepower, heavier, older style Top Sportsman car I'm using a 60" McAmis style bar. I built a simple jig and will set the bars wheels at nominal 4 to 5 inches of the ground ( this would be the typical starting range for this type of car.
  7. Ian McLaren
    I'm not much of a truck guy, but I like good design where ever it's found. The truck looks great, the color should work well on this body and your four link is excellent. In fact I may borrow your technique if my RB Motion order does not get here soon.
  8. Ian McLaren
    Thank you so much Francis and I have to say I'm really enjoying watching your new project progress as well as picking up a few Ideas and tips from it as well.
  9. Ian McLaren
    Thanks Marcos I'll post some better photos of that area shortly once I have finished the cables and post clamps.
  10. Ian McLaren
    Thank you Randy, yes the paint really helped solidify the design and made me comfortable enough to continue down this path. I have since the photos pulled the sides of the new valance in some to narrow the profile ( less road race style) and now is a little sleeker.
  11. Ian McLaren
    Daniel you are making great progress. I admire that you have gone back to some of the sub assemblies which most people would have called finished, and have redone/replaced them to improve the look. No where is this better shown than on the parachutes and lines, your final version is one of the most convincing I have seen. The rest of the sub assemblies follow suit, and I love your version of the battery/ electronics box and mounts. Well done!
  12. Ian McLaren
    I can see photos of in progress and close to finished. Looks pretty good from here
  13. Ian McLaren
    Progress on the interior, the floor panels have been redone and a 16 volt battery has been fabricated and the hold down bar and retaining rods are ready to be installed
  14. Ian McLaren
    All weekend taken up with the new restaurant opening, not much time for modeling, but the front valance is aligned and attached and the process of molding it in is started, Also started is the rear spoiler. As I am depicting an earlier Top Sportsman entry I am not using the current picnic table style rear wing assembly and instead opting for an oversized stock type unit, trying to keep the earlier look intact.
  15. Ian McLaren
    Great job so far on this Francis, as usual your attention to detail is off the charts. I also have to agree with your assessment of the brass verses styrene situation, especially in the case of the Mopar unibody construction (there's a term I haven't used in decades) where unlike other manufacturers everything was body color from the factory.
  16. Ian McLaren
    Darn, that is very unfortunate. His products were great, especially for railroad and armor modelers. I've used his details on several racing themed models, they were a unique solution to adding surface details to any model, especially his weld beads. I'm not aware of anyone else making a similar product. The hobby has lost a valuable resource.
  17. Ian McLaren
    WOW Daniel you are really in the zone on this one, great progress, all of the details look very convincing, love your blower belt solution. Very well done!
  18. Ian McLaren
    More changes to the body shell, new front lower valance. Had to add color to check the surface contours. The original lower valance is still intact as I'm deciding if I want to go down this route. As it sits the body is as low and it can go because of tire to fender clearance issues and it still gives me the required 3 inchs of ground clearance at the lower edge of the valance. Also pretty sure the car is going to remain Orange but that might change yet
  19. Ian McLaren
    Yes it is and quite brittle, I've used Nicks parts before and it takes very sharp, high quality drill bit and a gentle touch to drill it, but it does sand surprisingly easy.
  20. Ian McLaren
    Deck lid cut out and mounting flange added, fuel system parts have arrived from Nick Bradshaw and they are awesome. Rae body mount points are starting to be added (lower edge of rear body in photos)
  21. Ian McLaren
    Even with hobbies, if you spend too much time in one area it can become a chore to move ahead. So this is kind of the modeling equivalent of a staycation. Even with lots left to do on the chassis and power train I've decided to do some of the body work for a change of pace. Beside some of the plans for the body will have an impact on areas of the chassis. Hinges, inner door panels and rear valance to wheelie bar clearances are some examples of items that can cause issues. Also a consideration is the amount of details required as panels are opened up. So here is the start of the next phase of this project.
  22. Ian McLaren
    Daniel, I have tried and discarded many options, among them wood glue out of a syringe, glue on the tip of a needle, several materials pounded flat and cut into strips. But the two I keep coming back to are Archer surface decals ( available in welds of many styles , tig , mig and something that looks like I did it LOL, rivets, embossed lettering and a myriad of other surface details) Originally for railroad, aircraft and armor modelers I have found several of them useful (see photo). The other method I have tried was to scribe the weld line and then rough it up with a very small (but fairly coarse) carbide bit in my mini die grinder. Even though it gives a depressed detail rather than a raised one, once painted over with very thin paint the effect is actually quite good. The Archer decals, although a pain to install on fabricated headers give a fantastic result.
  23. Ian McLaren
    Looking great Marcos!
  24. Ian McLaren
    Great update, you have really improved the engine. Both the block and heads make a big difference. Well done! I can however see a possible issue with boring the block to fit the 4 D shaped pistons. It must have been an early "D"onovan deal.
  25. Ian McLaren
    The tunnel is now ready for C/F decals and has been split so it now will fit into the completed cage thus easing construction issues MVI_0318.MOV
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