Nitrozilla

I'm done with the interior body panels. What a difference !! Before: After: I can't believe I'm actually polishing the inside of a car body..........Not sure if I've sunk to a new low or soared to a new height. Tomorrow, either my homemade decals will be a failure (3rd time) or an Epic Success. I may be begging and pleading for help. lol

Any chance of getting a pic of the underside? Being a front wheel drive, I'd be interested to see how you pulled it off. Excellent restore. Every time I see a Toronado, I think of Wonder Warthog !!

You can tell when a model is built with the right state of mind. My guess is he was watching and guiding it the whole way. Excellent tribute from car lover to car lover.

Finally we have something in common !! I used brass tubing in MY headers to add weight to my LA Dart motor. I'm not a solderer, but you get the idea. Right, I'm really reaching here, aren't I? lol I've never got around to trying this yet, but for bending aluminum tubing, would it work to insert two peices of brass rod until they meet where you want the bend, then apply pressure until desired angle? Might help to use a jig. It works in my mind, which BTW, should scare everybody on the board. Think I'll give it a try this afternoon. If you see reports of a major explosion in Las Vegas, that's my experiment blowing up on me.

Darin, you said it better than I did. I was trying not to blow my own horn, so I used a generalization instead of a specific example. When ya read it over, it could be taken that way. Luis, nice new thumby type emote. lol Barrett, that's IT !! All I could remember was I salvaged it from a vendor in a plastic baggie.

Hi Romell. I'm back checkin' out your stuff. Since it's been a while, let me catch up on some exclamations. Whoa !! Kewl !! Outstanding !! Impressive !! Mind boggling !! You made a what out of a WHAT ??!! Do you have a secret stash of elves in your multi-drawer storage bins....and if so, do they each have their own little matchbox beds ? Why isn't there an emoticon of a smiley face at the top of a 3 story building with his jaw dropped to the curb? Incredible as per usual. I bestow a new title upon you. "Sir Afta of Shox, Lord and Master of Modlebuildingdom, Esq." or words to that effect.

Thanx all. That's some feel good comments. Sorry Niko, my phone doesn't have a macro setting and resolution is high as it will go. I do have a better camera for the finished project. Phone camera too easy. djway, Sorry, I've heard Dave is otherwise occupied, but I have a driver named Hal that I've shared emails with. We're in negotiations.

Somebody PLEASE remind me why I stay in this hobby !!!! What's that? The ego boosts?? The pride of accomplishment?? The accolades of your friends, family and fellow modelers?? Wrong! I obviously don't have enough stress in my life that I need to generate it artificially. Ergo......build a model. Hopefully, that phase of this build is resolved now as I near completion of the interior panels. Did I say they were gonna be white? My bad. Chalk it up to "creative process liberty." Get it? Liberty? The theme? I sense a connection....... After installation of the panels for the hood, roof, rear pillars and sides, I needed a pair of custom trim pieces for the rear deck and doors. After a couple of templates, I had my pieces ready to go. The cut outs are for the wheelie bar strut mounts. Just as I suspected, easily visible anywhere. If I can trim the rear window to fit, I'm going to mix a little Future floor polish and some blue food coloring (a tip I read here), and give it a dip. While I sand down the edges of the glass, I'll leave enough to drill a hole to loop a wire thru for dipping, then remove after it dries. My mother did raise a fool. Thankfully, it was my brother. lol

Well, I guess I've gone and done it. I was making a simple statement to express my pride in my work. It appears I've only stirred up a nest of hornets. Sorry to have offended any IPMS sensibilities. I'm aware of the difference between a regional award and a national one. So, I haven't been to a national and you haven't been to Wonderfest. I'll take the hit for being controversial and let it go at that. I'll consider the matter closed with a smile and a handshake, okay? I'm going back to work on my LA Dart.

Here's some shots to hold y'all over until I get the interior body panels in place. Hey Jacen! Thanx for the nod. I'm kinda fond of your name too. "Cept yer folks spelled it wrong. Just ask my son, Jason. LOL KIDDING!!! I think Futurabat is kewl. I'd use it myself if you weren't already. This is the lead - loaded engine. Some detail still to come. Next is the wheelie bar and hydraulic struts to control height. I thought it might be painted black before use to get an idea of how much it wears before replacement. On the real ones, I believe they were made with an infusion of phosphorus so it would shoot sparks as it moved down the track. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Could be a separate bar (?). And finally, a gratuitous shot of the interior.

Thanx for the views and replies all. Scale-Master, I respect your right to disagree, but, I have to disagree with your disagreement. I'm speaking from experience at both venues. It seems like you may only be referencing your experience with IPMS. Have you competed at Wonderfest? It is primarily Sci-Fi / Anime / Horror, but they have the strictest judging criteria in the hobby. They judge each model on it's own merit, regardless of which category it's placed in. There can be 10 models in 1 category and (theoretically) they could all get Gold or none could even place. At any rate, it's all speculative because I've had award winners from one show not even place at another. It's all up to the judges. I'm just here to show my stuff, have a good time with my fellow modelers and stay out of controversial subject matter. If you have been there, I hope you placed well and had a great time. If you haven't, you might wanna give it a shot.

For those of you following my LA Dart work in progress and for those of you who aren't (but who wouldn't be?). Thought I'd post an old build so you can see what insanity I'm capable of. It took an Honorable Mention at Wonderfest a couple years back. That's the equivalent of a First or Second at an IPMS National event. Body is PL 60's Batmobile with American Muscle tires, engine and exhaust. THE BAT is a reworked Ed Roth monster. Don't remember if it's Mother's Worry or Mr. Gasser. After losing the hair, I gave him ears, Bat-cuffs on the wrists and made him a cute little utility belt. Cape is satin with a chain and Bat-clasp. Enjoy (if you can stop laffing long enuff).

Thanx to everyone for the good words. It feels good to be building again and even better to see your great responses. First up this visit? "My God! It's full of Stars!!" Are you sensing that this is more than a simple deviated theme from the original? Perhaps even taking on a patriotic theme of some type.? What's up next? Disaster and triumph all rolled into one. In my rush to start body paint, I didn't take the EXTREMELY visible body interior into consideration. Normally I will shoot the inside first, mask, then exterior. Now I've got a mess. How to fix it? I made templates for white duct tape panels. While finishing them, I thought I might just as well spray bomb them white and be done with it. NEVER give up on a project. If you think calmly and locically, anything can be fixed. I even considered another body or stripping this one. Glad I didn't. Last touch to note are the door handles. Thin plastic for the handle, thinner plastic for the base plate and a chunk of 0.100 solder for the buttons. See Y'all Tomorrow.

Hi Group. Let me start off by re-introducing myself. My name is Joe Goss. I go by the handles of Kitbasher and Batzilla. I'm a Disabled Veteran currently coming out of a deep depression. Last year was ugly. 'Nuff 'bout dat. I've been lurking and admiring everyone's rides. Now, it's time to get serious. Not on the level of John T or Aftashox, but I do hope to entertain. Speaking of our intrepid heroes, I share their philosophy of, "Build for the build, not to everyone else's expectations of what's accurate or right." I consider myself an artist first, automotive knowledge database last. First up, my current project, a whacked out LA Dart. I'm a "chassis before body" builder for the most part. I let the build tell me when to start on the body. I have done a number of things to add weight to the back of the car. As you will see later, I have stuffed 5 ounces of lead fishing weights into every empty space on the engine from the blower to the oil pan and tranny. There will also be a wheelie bar that carries 3 ounces. The fuel tanks are filled and, finally, brass rod has been added to the headers. If I get it right, thanx to Newton, it will sit on all fours and do a wheelstand with a simple touch of a finger on the nose. Oh, yeah!! I might have made some minor tweaks to the interior. Reworked and centered the rollcage, added gauges, gas and brake pedal, extinguisher, etc. The first person to notice the twin "tank brake type" steering handles for the dual caliper rear brakes gets a cookie. Wait !!!???? Does the LA Dart have a blue nose? Stay tuned to find out why.

So, um, lemme see if I got dis right? Jaguars live in the jungle. Steve Kanuika used to sponsor Jungle Jim. Jungle used to have a hot lady. Naw, let's leave Pam outa this. lol Stunningly magnuteous in concept and execution John.

John, you gonna build a trailer like you did for the Showboat? Joe =/\=

Looking sooooo good! Beyond my meager capabilities at any rate. Food for thought. I love the look of the radiator mesh as is. I'm a big fan of mesh. Gonna use it on my Batmobile build for the hood vents. However, for a radiator, even though it's sweet to see through it, might you wanna see what it looks like with 2 pieces? Might give it some more depth and still see through it. I'd love to be a judge at the first show it hits. Just so I could inspect it up close. Innovate Romell, it's what you're best at. Joe =/\=

You da man, John. Feel free to check out the progress on my 1966 Batmobile in the "In Progress" posts. By the way, when someone points out stuff like headlights being 180 degrees out (), I tell them it's a security measure in case a bad man is trying to claim my model at a show. I always have at least 3 "signatures" on any model I plan on competing with. I had that happen at a show in Virginia. It was a starship Enterprise and the thief didn't notice I spelled my initials in the aztec pattern on the lower saucer. He was SO BUSTED! Joe =/\=

I'll jump on the inspiration bandwagon John. I sold my 3rd collection (mostly sci-fi stuff) a year ago and decided to "simplify my life" and stop building. As we all know, once it's in your blood, no transfusion can eliminate the desire to build and show yer stuff. Sigh. I was cruising sites and saw your Ivo hauler and got re-hooked. Thank you from every glue oozing pore of my body. (Ewwww!) Now I just gotta fiure out how to post pics right. More to come from me too. Thanx. My criticism of your Jungle Tribute? Where's Jungle Pam, in cut-offs, leaning into the Bronco to get Jim a clean shirt? Joe =/\= P. S. Hope to get to Cali next year to see you and your stuff in person. MODEL ON!

We Nevada Plastique Artisans really know how to put 'em together, huh Wayne? What a great Job! Not even gonna call it weathered. Got to call it realisticalosityness. Hang on a sec. Got to look up "realisticalosityness" in the dictionary. Nope, not there. NP. That's what it are anywho. Nice. Joe =/\=

My mother always told me to be suspicious of cars that can't decide what color they are! And trust me, I'd be suspicious the whole time that I wuz cruizin down Whittier Blvd in that beautiful, sleek, Sweetness Machine. Great Job. Joe =/\=

And thank you Mark. I'm very pleased. I knew I came to the right place when I moved from Sci-Fi kitbashes on Starship Modeler. Used to have the handle of "Kitbasher", if anybody recognizes that. I've come back to my first love. Vroom VroomMobiles! This starts my weekend, so there should be some nice shots of the chassis and interior by the end of Thursday. Thanx All, Joe =/\=

Thanx some more there then too also. David, this is the 1/32 version. There is also a tin box edition that includes the kit and some extra goodies. Really nice art on the tin. Best guess is end of year for the 1/25 version. I may need eye transplants before that! Since Harry pointed out the piping on the seats, anybody got an idea for marking the compass? Might be I'm doing something wrong, but I tried to reduce a pic of a compass. However, it still prints full page. Can't wait to foil the canopy frame. Yee Haa! Joe

Thanx for the kudo's folks. This isn't going to be a replica of any one version. It's incorporating all of my favorite features. Next will be painting and Bare Metal Foil on the chassis, then the first coat of gloss on the body before decaling. Gonna shoot it straight on the black plastic because I blended the nose with a mixture of glue and black plastic shavings. Polished out very nicely. Harry, not too late for the piping. I'll give it a try. I tried pinstriping, but the corners refused to stick. More to come. Joe

Here's mine so far. Using lots of straight pins to detail the push button tranny, door pulls, antennae, etc. Also made a radar do hickie, rocket launcher tubes, gas / brake pedals and a bat phone. What self respecting Batmobile model comes without a Batphone????? I know it's the original molds, so I can't blame RC2 / PL, can I? Only other lament is the time required to make the nose fit. Don't get me wrong. I love the kit, but 2 hours? Okay, I'm done. Did I mention the added mesh to the front and rear grills? Enjoy. Joe P. S. I'm not a fast builder, so be patient young padawans.