OldNYJim

OK, front of the block is sanded smooth (hopefully wont need any filler either) and I added those two tiny squares of styrene on the front of the head to match the pics I found of the 1:1's engine - I guess it's a late fifties Olds mill, but I'd love to hear from anyone who knows for sure: Next job was drilling for plug wires, which took some careful scraping away of the moulded in plugs with am Exacto blade and then redrilling: Whilst I was at it, I drilled a hole in the rear of the block and made a little simple stand to hold the engine for painting - the block is a different colour to the gearbox so I can't assemble it much further before painting it but when I get as far as paint and primer this little stand will be a big help Next job - getting the two gearbox halves together (this model works on the 'why use one part when fifteen will do' principal, which suits me just fine) and assembling the rest of the block parts so I can see what space and opportunity I have for additional detailing. I'd kinda like to get a scale dipstick in there at least!

That's the plan Bill! So, like all responsible modellers I've studied the instruction sheet carefully (because we all follow those exactly, right? Right?) and after a little research on the 1:1 jumped right in with step 1 - the engine. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Glue the block halves together and put the heads on and call it ready for paint. WRONG! First challenge to overcome is that the two upper block halves either line up nicely with each other but not the bottom of the block (leaving a noticable gap on one or either edge) or they line up with the edges of the block and leave a wedge shaped gap on top. I decided to line them up with the edge of the block itself to keep the correct silhouette and fill the gap with a tiny sliver of styrene cut into a wedge shape Note that to get everything line up as I have here, you'll need to remove these little locater nubs as indicated with my trusty knife here and eyeball it to get it straight: This is a beautifully designed kit with some well thought out ideas but next issue was that the valvetrain also has locater pins didn't allow them to line up properly . So, I removed one pin from one side to allow it to fit properly and both from the other et voila! A perfect fit! Next challenge to overcome is that the centre part here (top of the intake system) seems as though it should snuggle down flush without a gap....and doesn't. Another small wedge of styrene fills the gap... ...and just three short hours later we've got the block mostly assembled and ready for sanding the flat surfaces back flat in the morning

Thanks Rob!

Well, my trusty Mikky D's tray is empty - time to dust off a kit off the shelf and really test my skills (if the parts count and reviews of this kit are anything to go by this should be a patience-tester): Sure is a lot of chrome in this one! And, bizarrely, just one resin piece?! I figure I should strip the chrome for the most part and re-Alclad seeing as this thing is flash-city and I'm planning to detail it as best I can without blowing 500 bucks on parts - lets see how we go here!

Tom does GREAT design! I'm trying to get the spirit of one of his designs here a little, its definately more of a concept or showcar kinda thing than a super detailed build with all the plumbing and wiring. That said - I did the last bit of Alclading today and glued the last couple of bits in place - she's basically there! I'll take some better pics tomorrow but I love how it's come together - even cooler than I hoped for!

These old kits are cool! I love it! Cant wait to see it come together!

What a sick build! The teardrop headlights really give it that kustom look, and the colour is great!

I like how the car you're BMFing matches the car on the BMF pack!

Looks GREAT so far! What colour you going with?

LOVE the tank! Great build!

I'll be watching Mike!

I thought about what you said Mike, and though I couldn't quite work out a good way to mount them, I did figure I could modify one of the guns and the kit air intake and make something menacing and cool: She'll need Alclading too, but I think it'll look cool!

I wish I'd thought of that Mike! I was trying to thing where to mount the guns but they looked kinda dumb whatever I did. Shoulda put them through the cowl! Next time... I've been putting off masking up the chassis to chrome the axle and the engine detail moulded into the bottom of the chassis....it wasn't too fun but fingers crossed it'll look good when it's done!

Joe - that's basically what I did for the fronts, except I used a little 12v mini drill! Alclad chores complete! Did the wheels, the engine, the axle and real leaf spring, the driveshaft...realy pleased with them - theyre even shinier than in the pictures, they look great! Before:

That colour is gorgeous!

Incredible inspirational paint

That looks gorgeous already! Really nice clean building - can't wait to see it come together!

What IS 'this thing'?

That colour looks good enough to eat!

Really clean builds, both of them! That blue looks a great match for the 1:1 colour!

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! Tom - that sounds great - I had no idea anything like that existed! I'll check the site out, thank you for the welcome

HAHA! Why didn't I think of that!! I wasnt at all happy with the quality of the chrome plating on a lot of the parts - the red styrene was visible through a number of them so into the bleach they go... Meanwhile, onto tyre sanding chores! Don't they look so much better with the shine taken off? Just wondering if I can chuck the tyres into a mini drill so save me sanding them for too many hours

What an inspirational build! Masterful! Love your painting work so far!

That chrome looks great!

Just laying some clear on the body - three mist coats over the course of 15 minutes then a nice heavy wet coat - looks shiny!