Scale-Master

I gave up looking and shot some new photos: Testors Blue Angel Blue for the body and Dark Yellow for the nose. The wheels are items I machined, but used the stock rubber tires. They are correct for the vintage car the kit builds but do look anemic compared to today’s tires and what comes on Caterhams. The velocity stacks are also machined and the hood had to be modified for them to fit. Added some wiring, plumbing and throttle linkage, machined the mirror and piston gear shft knob, added seat belts. A very fun kit. While I was digging for photos of the above model, I found these of another build from the same kit: This one is was converted to left hand drive and the motor was replaced with a Rotary from an RX-7 (Tamiya kit). A few machined parts for the intake and exhaust and a new dash made with custom decals, simple seatbelts and minimal wiring. The wheels and tires are modified units from a Mini4WD toy with some added hardware. These kits are great starting points to build from.

Looks great! There is one minor detail that is off though. The license plate is from 1970, it would never have been issued to a '72 car. (I know because I created the art for that decal plate and the real car that wears it is a '70 Camaro.) Otherwise you did a fantastic job!

The solvents from the paint applied over any silver paint applied earlier will “blend†or absorb the silver paint into the color coat. Sanding through to only the silver will not be an option, plus you run a small risk of having some metallic particles bleed through to the surface. The technique as described works well with BMF as it is not affected by paint and can withstand the polishing. I use the BMF technique, hand painting similar to the techniques described by charlie and diymirage (I like Tamiya X11 enamel and Testor Silver Chrome Trim enamel), unless I have decals... I also use a considerably large but pointed brush that holds enough paint to keep the consistency the same.

Thanks all again very much for the kind comments. And here are a few more of my own: Please do enjoy the pictures on your desktop Slant6, very flattering. It was discussed to put this in the Real Or Model when it was just done, but since I built it step by step here on MCM over a period of a couple years, it seemed to be obvious it was a model at that time. Skeck has been a very good (and also flattering) spokesman for the questions he fielded. To clarify a point, I tried to find as many items that could have a theme of “7â€. If it was a part that logically and reasonably could have been fabricated with “sevens†in it, I tried to incorporate it. But not at the expense of creating inaccurate parts. For example, the fuel filler has the proper amount of bolts (not 7) because the vendor that makes the parts I chose to replicate does not offer filler with a 7 bolt pattern. Items that would have been custom fabricated/machined on a real car were addressed with different restrictions, but had to be able to be produced in the real world.

Thank you all very much for the kind words. Here are a few answers/responses/reminiscences: The oil is representative of the oil in most of my cars, relatively clean yes. Please note the oil filtration and pump system and the context of the rest of the model. The flash of the camera washed out the tone, but it is visible and at the proper fill level, you can tell by the fill pattern on the dipstick. (It’s synthetic.) The engine is built with gaskets much like a real one, even though it is British in heritage, my Americanized version does not leak. And if you think that is too much, for a while on the predecessor to this car, (the Red Super 7) the fuel tank smelled like gas when I opened the filler cap. A little sponge and a drop of gasoline wrapped in foil creates an aroma that lasts longer than you may think… It is 1/12 scale, only about a foot long, these are tiny cars. No I don’t intend to build a real one, I have had enough experience with real ones to get over the wanting to own one for now. (But then again, I didn’t “intend†to acquire the last few cars I did either…) I’ve done a few “stamped†or raised lettering reflectorized license plates; maybe I should to do a How-To…? (Note the registration is dated 07/07 and uses reflectorized state seal tags too.) While I realize it is usually meant as a tongue in cheek comment/compliment to say something like “I give up buildingâ€, and much as Mark & Dave pointed out, I really hope that quality workmanship by anyone (that simply shows what can be accomplished by just practice and effort) would serve to ignite and promote more passion and participation to build to ones desired level instead of creating any kind of negativity. I am honored and humbled to hear I inspired someone to build something.

Thanks Guys, very kind of you to say. And as requested, here is the Caterham. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=31766 I’ll see if I can dig up photos of the 1/24 Lotus I did using this kit to show how underrated this kit can be.

Here is a copy of what I posted back when I finished it: Well, after two years and seven months, it is finally done! Literally thousands of scratchbuilt and machined parts, most of them made of aluminum, but also including brass, stainless steel and various plastics, resin and acrylic materials plus all the decals were drawn and printed by me. *It's quite possible that over the next few weeks I will come up with some small things to add, maybe touch-up or adjust. I see there is a little dusting to be done... But as of now, it appears to be technically finished! This has been a most rewarding and enjoyable build. Seems like all the frustrating times I put myself through have been forgotten now. Thank you to all who have encouraged me and expressed interest during this long term project... - Mark (*Turns out it was indeed finished at that point, no further work was done on it subsequent to these pictures.…) These are actually “in-progress†shots:

Killer engine! And the opened grille is great too!

I second Pete J.’s comments. There is a lot more work than meets the eye to properly convert this Lotus kit into a Caterham version of a Super 7.

There you go again kid, not addressing the issue. And it's Pit-Bull. At least you spelled my name correctly... Thanks! Now make due with the offered pictures to back up your grandiose claims please.

Nah, I'll stick with door #1 Mr. Hall... You should provide the pictures to back up your stories. You put it out there, pony up young man. You know what they say. A picture is worth a thousand words. No doubt you'll try to wiggle out of providing any substantial proof... Or just not address the issues...The dukefan way...

Excellent! Can't wait to see the pictures. You do know I'll hold you to that. Just speaking of severe rust just gets me interested even more. And Thanks!

Actually Nick, I read your claim of being a trucker on your Truckers Board. But that place has been edited with the delete key so much I’m not wasting time to see if it is there. And you can’t even remember what you think I was referring to. Taken in context, (which you failed to include) I still stand by my comments, yes my opinion. I notice you failed to address the issue of showing us any of the several real cars you claimed to have owned. Got another one, and it is half hearted…: Popcorn Towing Service! I know, it’s CORNY!

OK… I have my popcorn and apron… Anyone else need to whip up some? I can wait… And now I will respond to some of the points much like young Nick does, ready? "is that your best half Assed attempt at a apology?" Nice Nick, back to mis-quoting me again I see. That is not what I said/wrote. But it is what many of us have come to expect from DukeFan. And to be fair/accurate, your apologies are at best a day late and a dollar short. You so far only offer them when you have been called out by enough people that you are trying to appease. Makes for a very watered down “apologyâ€, I can see you kicking the dirt with eyes averted as you offer it.... I think Mr. Taylor’s and Danno’s advice is something you should really consider. My comments were not meant as insults; think of them as entertaining responses to a question YOU asked. Again, this is a public forum, deal with it, well deal with it better. I still think Firebird Wrecking is my best offering… C’mon, call 1-800-Hour-Firebird? I may just have to build it… “Thats just uncalled for bashing.†Why? How? I fail to see the insult/bash. A 14 year old cannot legally operate a truck on the highway, yet you seem to infer that you are a trucker/operator and take offense accordingly. I do recall you stating you “owned†several vehicles. You now have an operational camera, how about showing us some of them to lend an air of legitimacy to those claims? Uh huh, I didn’t think so… “Around that time we had about 5-7 members were now at 27.†Uhhhmm, what time? No time was stated. Does that 27 include all the past members you banned or kicked off? Wow 27! To quote one of those members: Whoo Hoo! (Saskatoon…) “and of course Mark likes to bad mouth my building†Please provide an example Nick. Since when did stating a fact, (such as in the Emperor’s New Clothes), become bad mouthing? Am I not entitled to my opinions? And before anyone jumps down my throat about what level a 14 year old builds at, take a moment to recall the models I recently posted from when I was 12-14 years old. Nick begs for attention and he gets it. Positive helpful tips and comments are twisted by him into percieved negative attacks and he ramps up into tantrum mode. And he gets more attention. I’m just giving him what he craves… And we all get free entertainment.

What’s a 66 Camaro look like?

Oh I think I found ‘em! But Dave already used them…

It’s just the other side of Camel Towing… A Corporate Subsidiary specializing in read end collisions?

How about: GlueBomb Garage “We’ll pull you out no matter how stuck you are.†Or: Corporate Salvage “We rescue truckers.â€

Or…… Firebird Wrecking Call 1-800-Hour-Firebird

The one I was thinking of is the top one. Thanks for clarifying.

Too easy! Rocky’s Tow Service or Rockford Roadside Assistance, use a GMC platform.

Any tutorial that clearly explains how to make a quality (especially a popular) part will be received well. Just do something you want, if others like it, great. (Build for yourself.) Wheels are a great choice to show everyone how to make from scratch. BTW, Wasn’t it you that was doing the Barracuda-Viper custom? Did I miss it finished? That had a lot of work in it last time I saw it.

Huh? Not familiar with that “termâ€. Am I to infer you did not appreciate my attempts at the helpful advice you requested in earlier threads?

Wow, I can’t find the words…

I gotta say, when I first saw it, I thought much along the lines of everyone else who does not care for the styling. Then I drove it. Holy Schmoly! It rips! After a fun romp, I got out and it looked 100% better. And as embarrassing as it is, I got beaten by a bone stock one in a drag race. What was I driving that makes it embarrassing? A Ferrari 355, and no, I was not sandbagging. The cool part is if you don’t like the nose, well, you can’t see the outside when you’re driving it, and you have the ability to hide the front from almost anyone by pushing the throttle harder. Those who know what my daily driver is might be surprised to know I’d definitely consider getting one of these little “eco-rocketsâ€. I’ve driven Miatas, and these are so much more fun and flat out faster. The only issue I have with it is the torque steer, but the rest of the package, Zoom-Zoom-Yes!