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I got some more work done on the Metro Mite. The doghouse is glued in and I cut out the floor for the engine. I added 1mm sheet styrene that I filed at a slight angle to the fenders. I'll add some putty to the fenders and angle it some more. The front of the floor/firewall area is angled in a bit and I started cutting out the wheel openings in the fenders and quarter panels.

Does 2K Clear work over any of the Chrome paints?

How durable is the Duralumen Chrome? Have you used clear coat over it?

Today I added the floor extension under the rear of the doghouse.

Thanks Bob.

I have an OLFA cutter for this. I've cut thicker pieces and rounded the corners with a sanding stick. I haven't worked with lexan this thin. Will a hobby knife work for scoring the thinner lexan? I'm using 1.5mm sheet styrene for the walls of the truck. Should I get lexan thicker than .010" or will that make cutting and shaping the rounded corners tougher to do? I want to make sure it's stiff enough.

Have you used this? I've used much thicker lexan that has to be scored and snapped to cut it. Can this be cut with a hobby knife?

I'm currently scratch building an International Harvester Metro Mite in 1/25 scale. It has flat large front and side windows. I have some acetate but it doesn't lay completely flat and is flexible. I also tried Evergreen clear sheet styrene but it has a frosted texture. Is there another brand of clear sheet styrene or something else that's flat and stiff I can use?

I have to figure out what to use for the window glass. I have acetate but it's not stiff enough for the large front windows. I also have some Evergreen clear sheet styrene but it has a texture on it. Maybe Plastruct or another brand has clear sheet styrene that's smooth.

I saw a 1971 Metro Mite on YouTube that has an AMC in line 6. I ordered an AMT AMC Pacer Wagon kit for the in line 6. I had also bought an AMT International Scout II kit but the chassis is not the same. A member of a group on Facebook took measurements and sent me pictures of part of the chassis rails he took out of his Metro Mite. It's unibody but does have chassis rails welded to the floor. The chassis rails are channeled on the inside so I ordered some Evergreen channels that I'll use for the rails. Unless I can find a front axle I'll just scratch build one. These had a straight front axle with leaf springs. For the rear end I might use one from an AMT Ford Econoline van. It seems to be the right width and looks close to the one in the AMT Scout II kit which is a bit shorter. I have some small pictures showing the chassis/underside of a Metro Mite I found online. I'll do the best I can to make it look correct. There's not a lot of information on these.

Thanks Jonathan.

Thanks Jim.

Work continues on the floor. I made the doghouse using measurements a member of a group on Facebook sent me. To get the angle of the floor under the doghouse I placed the doghouse upside down under the floor after I glued it in place. It worked well. I then held the doghouse in place to support the firewall while the glue dried. I'll add the extended floor under the doghouse which is for the in line 6 cylinder engine I'm using. The 8 cylinder option had a shorter doghouse and didn't have the floor extension.

Some more work on the floor.

I got some more work done on this. I used the angled side pieces I put together. Today I started on the floor.

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Iceman Collections, VCG Resins and Texas 3D Customs don't have an AMC in line 6. The AMT Pacer wagon kit's in line 6 is fine. I'm watching one on E-Bay now.

I'm looking for a 1/25 AMC in line 6 cylinder engine. Is the MPC AMC Pacer X the only kit that has an AMC In Line 6 Cylinder engine? I need an AMC in line 6 cylinder engine but if I have to I'll just try and buy a whole Pacer X kit on E-bay.

Greg, Thanks for the drawing. I'm still brainstorming on this one. So far I'm liking what I came up with. I just have to test a few more ideas out.

I'm attempting to scratch build an International Harvester Metro Mite in 1/25 scale. A Metro Mite was used in the 1985 NBC TV series, Misfits Of Science as an Ice Cream truck. This is the version I want to build. The show is a favorite of mine. I picked up a Metro Mite Brochure on E-bay that had the specs and dimensional drawings. I started cutting out the sides using .060"(1.5mm) sheet styrene. The lower sides angle out so I'm experimenting with ways to replicate it. I would like to make the rear door roll up and I'm considering making the side doors slide open. However the doors curve out below the windows and I'd have to make the lower sides of the body curve out not only on the outside but the inside as well. The ice cream truck was only seen with the side doors closed in 2 shots in the pilot episode and the rest of the time they were open so I'm considering just making them in a fixed open position. This would solve some problems and make it easier. In the pilot the freezer unit on the roof was taller than the rest of the series so I might make it removable so I can use both. Does anyone have ideas on how to make the angled out lower body/sliding doors? I posted pictures of one test I did for the lower body. It will require cutting out the lower part of the side wall and gluing in the angled section. Another option would be to add an angled section on top of the side wall using thinner sheet styrene than I have in the picture. I appreciate any ideas and/or comments anyone can share. Thanks, Michael.

This 1/27 Welly 2019 Dodge Ram Bighorn Quad Cab die cast started as silver. I re-painted it black and scratch built running boards, a tonneau cover for the bed and new side view mirrors. This was done for a friend to replicate his 1:1 2023 Dodge Ram Bighorn Quad Cab truck. I stripped the body and sprayed Duplicolor Self Etching primer followed by Duplicolor Hot Rod Gray Sandable primer. The interior is painted in Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black black with Tamiya XF-63 German Grey on the seats. The chassis is painted in Splash Paints Semi Gloss Black with a mix Gunze Lacquer semi gloss and flat clear. The exhaust is Tamiya XF-16 Flat aluminum and the transmission is a mix of Tamyia XF-56 Metallic Gray and Flat Aluminum. I had Splash Paints custom mix 2023 Dodge Diamond Black, the color of my friend's 1:1 truck. The clear is Splash Paints 2K Gloss Clear polished. The emblems are 3D resin printed and sprayed black. The sideview mirrors are painted body color on top with Splash Paints 2K Gloss Clear and Splash Semi Gloss Black on the bottom with a mix Gunze Lacquer semi gloss and flat clear. This was a fun quick build.

This is really cool. Can you post some underside pictures?

I'm trying to find a place by me that has the Jasco paint remover. So far all I can find is Rustoleum Aircraft Remover.

Thanks Bill. Is it better than the stuff in the spray can?

What's a good brand Aircraft remover?

Great job! Is Tamiya fine surface primer good to use on a die cast body? It says for plastic and metal but is an Etching primer from Duplicolor better?