GTMust

I love your techniques Richard..... But one small comment for reality. The hose for the bell should not be straight. It would be laid loose and as each car drives over it, it gets kinked out of line (Kind of like a large curve.). I know as I used to own a small rural gas station and I was constantly having to re-aligned that darn hose! Just a thought. Tony

A correction........ I just realized I referred to using 1/32" thick balsa for siding. That's because I build in 1/32 scale...... so the siding is about 1" thick to scale! Obviously the thickness of the balsa should reflect the scale in which you are building! Tony

Interesting concept to install the doors and frames before the walls? Never seen that done before so this should really be interesting! Tony

Tom...... Sometimes, for real structural strength, I also use Elmers Carpenter's glue ... but it dries very hard with that yellowish color, excess is hard to remove and it is difficult to cover with thinned out stain. White glue though dries almost clear and any excess is easier to remove, either by sanding or slicing off with a sharp Exacto blade. I personally find the strength achieved with Elmers white glue is more than adequate for most purposes (and it's a little cheaper!). Tony

I wouldn't discard the idea of using balsa strips for the siding. It can easily be worked with a razor saw and an Exacto blade to achieve a weathered look...... and it takes stain well, soaking into the wood. I buy mine at Michaels using their discount coupons and that makes it very economical. I usually buy the 3" or 4" wide x 36" long pieces x 1/32" thick, and cut it down to the size of the strips I need. Precut strips are too expensive by comparison. But Basswood (also available at Michaels) is best for structural work such as framing, rafters, etc. All you need is Elmers white glue to "stick it together". (Even cheapy dollar store "school glue" will work fine but usually takes longer to set up firmly.) Personally, I use coffee stirrers for fencing and stuff like that, but I find they are usually too hard a texture to really weather successfully if you're looking for the "dilapidated" look. Tony

Great progress Wayne. That lighting is really effective! And the Airfix 250LM is one of the best buildups of this kit I've seen. Tony

You can see in the first picture how the rear tonneau widens out behind the rear doors. Difficult to tell in the second pic though, so could be flatter and is the car the Airfix version was modelled on? Tony

Not trying to steal your thread but........ re Charlie's post...... Here's the Airfix 1/32 scale 1905 Rolls Royce that I built and photographed in 2010. Not one of Airfix's best...... but better than most. All my reference pictures show 1905 Rolls Royces with a more bulbous body and other different details, but as each body was handbuilt on a Rolls Royce chassis, anything is possible. Tony

The Airfix Darracq is actually closer to 1/25 scale... not 1/32 as stated on the packaging. And it's a pretty basic kit with almost no accurate detail. It will need a lot of scratchbuilding to get it to look like the real car. Check out the movie "Genevieve" to see what it should really look like. Tony

That is so impressive! I assume you have an architectural background to have prepared those plans? And built from cardboard.... wow! My hat's off to you.... Tony

Very, very impressive! Tony

Looking good Wayne........ Tony

The concept is great and the build is coming along great! I would suggest something more substantial be added to the floor though..... if you paint it without priming first, that Foamcore board will probably warp badly. Perhaps you could glue it down to a wooden base and sit something really heavy on it while it dries overnight? The same might apply to the walls as well. A very light spray coat on both sides of an artist's primer, or an application of artist's Gesso may be enough to stabilize it before final painting. Don't use any form of laquer paint as it will eat the foam core! I suggest you test your paint on a spare piece of Foamcore first and see how it reacts. Tony

Wow...... I built this back in early 2011 and haven't looked at it since then. I put it in a display case and now it sits on a friend's mantle. I really appreciate all the latest comments..... and if I still had it, I'd definitely think about trying some of them. Maybe on the next one? Tony

Thanks for the comment Wayne. This one has been sitting on the back burner for so long......... I kinda lost interest trying to come up with vendor ideas and other projects took over priority. Maybe one day I'll get back to it, but for now it's stashed away in a closet somewhere while I try to finish some of my other 1/32 scale projects. Why do I always start new ones before finishing the old? Usually it's because I get "snagged" on some minor detail, put the model aside until I can figure out the direction I want to go....... and then get inspired by a new one!!!! Tony

KEEP THIS ONE COMING WAYNE! 1/32 scale dios are my bag, so ask if you need any ideas for supplies, etc........ but looks like you're heading in the right direction without any help already....... I'm going to be following this and the Packard build closely. Tony

I have both the Pyro and Matchbox Bugatti T59's. Both suffer from those wire wheels! I tried the aftermarket (slot cars) to see if any realistic replicas were available... but no luck so far. The Matchbox body is far more detailed than the Pyro one and makes into a better model IMHO. The tail section on the Pyro kit is missing the underside and needs some scratch building to fill the empty space. Tony

1/32.... now you're talking my scale! You are really doing this one justice......... could almost be 1/24 with that smoooooth paint! The Matchbox 1/32 series had some great models... Jag SS100, MG TC, Rolls Royce and some awesome early race cars. Most are still available on Ebay for reasonable prices. My only "beef" with a lot of them was the clunky looking wire wheels... but the Packard was an exception to that. It's a shame that the range was somewhat limited in subject matter, and that they stopped making them. But I guess that's just a matter of supply and demand, I may have to dig some of mine out of their hiding places and do what you are doing! I'm going to be watching this with a great deal of interest. Tony

Absolutely brilliant! I'm not a rust guy either, but this dio really does it for me. Tony

Excellent build! I have two 1:1 Fox Bodied Mustangs and your attention to detail in the engine compartment and interior is superb. And the paintwork..... what more can be said that hasn't already? Looking forward to your next project. Tony

My house was built in 1903. There is a single car garage at the rear probably built around the 1920's and it's only 17' long! Just long enough to get my 1986 Mustang GT inside and close the barn style doors..... but not long enough to walk around the car! The car is being restored so you can imagine how difficult it is to get anything done. Fortunately it's 14' wide, so that helps a bit! Tony

Cool idea. I often thought of doing something similar with a Ford Probe body. Perhaps even mid engine? Tony

Just love it Bill.... Just one small question. How do you keep the hood from flying off and hitting you in the face at high speed? Maybe need a couple of leather hold down straps attached to the side of the firewall and the side of the rad? Just a thought........ Tony

You could also consider a very thin skim coat of Spackle or drywall joint compound over the wood. Once dry you could introduce cracks, manhole covers, etc, and paint to suit. Just a thought! Tony

Beautiful! But how do you keep the dust off? Tony