Psychographic

I started on the front axle assembly. The wheels and tires are from a 1/18 scale GMP Sprintcar kit. I''m not sure if I'll use these or scratch build my own. I have a cool idea for a very distorted tire, I just don't know if I can pull it off. Some pics.

The frame, rub rails and front bumper are done. Next is either the engine or suspension.

It's a Deal's Wheels 410 Sprint Car that Never Was. Hence the name DW410NW. ( BTW, it looks like you're the guy on here I would want to hang out with, you recognized it right off the bat.) With all the cool DW themed builds of Ira's, I thought I would take a shot at a somewhat detailed version of one. What a better subject than the best race car in the world, a 410 sprint car. This is why the frame is arched, to get that cartoony look to it. Add some crazy stagger and having it all crossed up and twisted like it's coming out of the turn should make for a fun project. Here's how far I got before I ran out of 1/8 rod. At least one side is done,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I think. I'm not sure, but it looks like something is missing in this pic. Next to a Monogram W.C. sprinter.

Is this any better?

HHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, what could this be?

Wet sand with 3-4000, just enough to knock the razor edge off. Then clear, then sand the clear to remove the rest of the edge.

You are absolutely correct, with a dual action airbrush, not only can you control the amount of paint you are spraying, you can control the amount of air pressure. The air pressure plays a huge part in equation in keeping most of the paint directed at the part and not just blowing into the air.

I've had this problem my whole life, now relating to models, I have this "This model or part will NOT beat me, I MUST win by getting whatever it is that's giving me the problem done. I cannot walk away, it's just not my nature, yes a major design flaw in me. So far, I've only destroyed one 427 Ford motor and that's OK, I'm a Chevy guy, so you can't hold it against me. Unless you're a Ford guy, then I deny anything said above.

This is sad to hear. I've been saying for a long time, technology is killing many forms of racing. When icons of a sport can no longer afford to race, something is WRONG. I know technology is great and everyone involved in the sport is looking for a speed advantage, but if this is the outcome, is it really good for racing? If it wasn't for the scoreboards showing the speed, would the fans really notice the difference from say 280 to 330 or whatever they were running before the shortened the tracks? I doubt it, yes the hardcore fans would, but if your a hardcore fan, would you rather see them slow the cars down and see your hero's run a full 1320 or see a smaller field at 1000 ft? I don't have the answer to the problem, but do cars really need to go that fast? As a kid I loved drag racing, but as the cars got more technical and less indentifiable to what make and model they were, I started losing interest. Going to 1000 feet instead of slowing down the cars was the nail in the coffin for me, I no longer follow drag racing at all.

Doc, specifically, what were you thinning the enamels with? If you are using mineral spirits or possibly a generic paint thinner from a hardware or box store, chances are it's mineral spirits. A quick sniff and feel will let you know if it's spirits, mineral spirits has a slightly oily feel to it . My lettering enamels are very similar to model enamels or the old Alkyd enamels, i add a hardener to it for durability as they pulled all of the lead out of it recently. The hardener will speed up the drying time considerably. I also thin my paint with DuPont 3812s, this is their fast dry reducer, IIRC they also have 2 other reducers that dry slower. I have under extreme conditions needed to use their slower drying reducers and the drying time increases dramatically. I have also found that you do get a slight better shine from the reducer over laquer thinner. BTW, the hardener I use is Valspar's Enamel Hardener, I buy it at Tractor Supply, 1/2 pint for $16. 3812 is expensive compared to generic thinner at about $35 compared to $10-$15 for thinner. I just wanted to throw some more options out there. Spraying the hardened enamel dries WAY faster than brushing it. So my point is, to all who say enamel takes too long to dry, if you find the right components for it, you can speed up your drying

What were you using to thin your paint before?

I vote yes to the ribs.

The paint is done, not perfect, but pretty good considering I had to do most of it with an assembled model. I sanded and buffed her this afternoon and just finished the pinstripe. The silver, black base, blue pearl are nail polish, the clear is Nason urethane and the pinstripe is 1-Shot lettering enamel. Buffed and ready for the stripe, After the stripe,

Why not buy a qt. of clear and the hardener for it? In the long run, It's got to be cheaper than spray cans. You can't control the pattern or pressure with a spray can and most of the paint winds up in the air, not on the model.

Added the blue over the black, once it dries a day or so, I'll knock down the edges, remask and clear it.

Swordstripers are long for a reason, not only to hold a lot of paint, they are long so they track straight. Back in my youth I took one of my Swordstripers and made a miniature that I wore as an earring. it was about 1" long including the handle and worked quite well. Now for a much easier solution to your quest. You want a small quill used by signpainters, there are a lot of different ones, depending on how good your brush control is and if you are doing long lines or tight curves. For long lines, you want an outliner which has longer hair, for tighter curves, a regular lettering quill will work better. If you can't find quills anywhere, look for a brush with a round pattern and it needs to be soft, but not too droopy when loaded, a stiff bristle brush won't bend around corners as easy.

Getting ready for the bottom color. The black base is on, now it's time to figure out how to dress up the black. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do some blue pearl over it, but do I want to do it solid or graphics of some sort?

Getting the turbo mounted and working on the fuel rail for the intake along with the exhaust pipe from the turbo..

The piece of body that I broke off is reattached, the gaps have been filled by adding .030 strips to the edges of the door and sanded to fit, I added a striker and latch notch for the door. I also cut a strip from the floor and glued it to the door opening for a little strength. The gaps still need some fine tuning, but are close,

That's not Balsa, it's a 4x4.

OOPS!

Another beautiful build John. I do have a question, I see what looks like a very stylized turbo and you mention one being mounted, but I see no way the exhaust can mount to it. Am I missing something?

I had to scrap the gullwing side door, there was just no room for a hinge. I'd rather have the sunroof than the gullwing. It needs a lot of fine tuning, and well, maybe some major tuning, but we do have a functioning suicide side door. That's not a misalignment of the top front edge of the door, it's a poor gap that will be addressed once the hinge is adjusted. I wish I could get it to open more than this, at least you can get a peak inside. Just kidding, it opens all the way. A rear view.

I bet if you took the stock roof and chopped to sit as low as the Camaro roof, it wouldn't look 1/100th as good as this. Great ideas followed up with great craftsmanship.

And it fits!