ShawnS

Thanks every one. Bruce I use AK crystal magic glue for my fiddly parts. It dries fairly strong but parts can popped off without damage if a mistake is made and any dried residue can be picked off with a tooth pick or a long finger nail and wet residue is also easy to clean up. It dries in a few minutes so it gives you ample time to place your parts on the model and add tape to secure the parts like those rubber strips. Cheers ShawnS

Hi guys, This is the 2002tii that was driven in the 1975 Bathurst 1000 by Peter Williamson and John McDonald. They started 23rd but DNF'ed. It's the late version Hasegawa kit with the USCP late model door cards. I designed and 3D printed the right hand drive dash as well as my own front seats. I also did my own wheels and tyres and had the decals custom printed from my own artwork. I painted the fluorescent red stripes with paint from a can of Tamiya TS36 which by my estimation is either side of 30 years old. I decanted the paint and airbrushed it. If you've ever wondered if it really is fluorescent, here's a pic I took with the lights out and the UV torch on. Just for something different. Thanks for looking. I've had a busy last couple of months finishing various models so please look out for them in the near future. Cheers ShawnS

You've done a supreme job Bruce. Well done.

Hi Mike. It's not waterslide but adhesive. https://www.bnamodelworld.com.au/model-cars-motorcycles-parts-decals-hasegawa-models-ha-71936 Just might suit your needs. Cheers ShawnS

I've had some of these for a couple of months now and I can say that they are handy items to have. If you need a quick coat of something and don't want to bother with a brush then they are a go-to tool. They have decent coverage and can be re-coated without affecting the previous coat. They are all matt finish and the colour choices are more aimed at airplane and military modellers but I hope that AK can develop these a bit more and make some more colours that are less military oriented. They aren't a magic bullet cure for anything but a very handy weapon in the arsenal. Cheers ShawnS

Its not like full reflective chrome but depending on their own personal standards those builders who use plain silver paint for their chrome might be happy with the results. These roll cages were painted with sparkling silver and the identical TS83 metallic silver spray can. Just like Alclad etc. they work best over a smooth coat of any dark colour. It doesn't dull with handling either and both LP48 and TS83 are more idiot proof than Alclad etc type of paints as you can get a quick and easy result. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks Andy and Bruce.

Thanks again everyone. I'm glad you like the little bit of history that I included as some context makes things a bit more interesting. Niko, the clamps are from an old Crazy Modeler PE set of asst clamps that I've had for years. It's very nice soft metal that bends easily and stays there. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any more available anywhere that I have looked which is a bummer as I would like some more. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks guys. Norm didn't seem to mind a bench seat as quite a few of his cars had them he even raced a '66 Nova with a front bench seat for a couple of years. Cheers ShawnS

Hi guys, Fresh off the bench after 13 years is this beast. It started out as AMT's '62 Impala convertible with a roof from an AMT '63 Impala. I made my own 3d printed interior and Carter AFB carbs and detailed the rest of the engine bay. The paint is a custom mix of SMS pearls to get my own approximation of Twilight Turquoise and the roof is Tamiya TS26. The bumpers, mirror and door handles are SMS Hyperchrome. The Car. Australian racing legend Norm Beechey needed a solution to the problem of beating the Jaguars that were starting to dominate Australian racing in the early 1960's. After reading about Dan Gurney shaking up the Jags in the UK with an Impala he decided to get one and see if it could do the same here. Gurney's Impala was a 2 door but as large capacity 2 door cars were banned under Australian touring car rules at the time Norm had to settle for a four door. Not a big issue as he was going to sell it after he was finished racing anyway. The car arrived and after some running in time it was found there were issues with the 409s bearings and after some correspondence with Mr Gurney a solution was found and the big car ht the track. It only raced 8 times over the course of a year and was expensive to race and maintain so Norm returned it to road car spec and moved on. Anyone who saw the car race back in the day (not me) still talk fondly of it and it has made itself at home in the foggy mythology that is the history of Australian Touring cars. Norm ended up buying the car again and used in targa rally type events. I'm not sure if he still owns it but it pops up now and again at historic events. It also has Model Car Garage PE inside and out and Modelhaus Tyres. So very glad to have this one finished after way too many fights with it. Thanks for looking. Cheers ShawnS

I'm in the southern suburbs of Adelaide and I have to squeeze in as much painting as I can in between constant days of 20-30 knot winds. 😔. I try to avoid the heat by painting in the mornings. The (very big) book is worth the money with many pictures and detailed stories about the car and it's history and it also busts a lot of myths but doesn't have a huge amount of pictures that show smaller details that help me as a model builder. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks guys. I have that book Shayne and it was the catalyst for me pulling the trigger to start this project and although the book doesn't have the answer to every question it has certainly been very helpful. I would love to give everyone an update on this but I have had to set it aside as it is painting season and the Mustang was taking a bit too much time away from other projects that could actually be finished this year. I will get back to it sooner or later. Cheers ShawnS

Hi again. I originally wanted to just lightly modify the original kit suspension but as usual with me I decided to go all the way so that is why I had to re-do the frame, and since I did the frame obviously I had to remake the entire front suspension. This style of suspension setup was used for decades over a variety of Fords world-wide range of cars but in the model kit world it has always been the victim of manufacturing compromises and therefore a little bit underdone. This is my chance to get it closer to spec. To start with I needed something to hang the control arms on. I tried to incorporate these brackets and cross member onto the frame and print them as one piece but after a couple of test prints I found that they weren't printing as clean as I wanted so I decided to make them as separate parts. Next was the control arms. The next step was to mount the upper control arm and add a shock. The shock absorber sets the control arm in place and helps with setting the ride height. The spring isn't the final item, it's just for show. The front brakes will be two piece items mounted to the spindle. The assembled items are just prototypes so don't worry about the print marks. Obviously a steering box and tie rods were required. Test fitted in place. The front sway bar and radius rods are in progress. Another update soon. Thanks for looking. Cheers ShawnS

No. After experimenting with a spare body I found that my attempts to get the drooped nose look ruined the lines and made it look like that 2019 Mustang Supercar. I have however developed a small tweak to the nose that helps get a bit of that mean nose look. That's for a future update. Here are the Goody Blue Streaks with some Daisies. As As the rim of the wheel needs to be painted polished aluminium I made it separate. Next update soon. Soooo much work to do. Cheers ShawnS

Hi Guys. I don't often do WIP threads but as I am trying to get a bit more motivated to get some momentum up and get these done. The Man. Allan Moffat is a Canadian who was a Ford Trans-Am and factory test driver in the US in the early-mid 1960's. He moved to Australia to try his luck on the local Touring car scene but was without a car. He wrote a letter to Ford special vehicles boss Jacque Passino looking to source a 2nd hand Trans-Am Mustang for racing in Australia. Allan was invited to a meeting with Mr Passino in Detroit and after a few days was sent to Bud Moore's workshop in South Carolina where much to Bud Moore's dismay he was gifted a brand new Bud Moore '69 Trans-Am Mustang for his racing activities in Australia. Moffat's reputation as a good race and development driver helped grease the wheels with the Ford bigwigs both in the US and in Aus to get him that gift of a lifetime. The Machine. I will be building 3 versions of this car. The 1969 debut, The early-mid 1970 version and the 1972 version from what is regarded as Australia's greatest touring car race (more on that later). The first version is as it arrived from Bud Moore with changes that reflect the necessities of the Aust touring car rules. The second version is early to mid 1970, The slightly enlarged wheel arch flares, Minilite wheels, rear wing and covered over headlights are the main points of difference. This have the only visible engine of the 3 models. The 1972 version will have bigger flares with bigger ROH wheels, side scoops, a bigger front spoiler and will look a bit lower and meaner. The Models. I have wanted to build a model of this Mustang for years but the amount of work to change the road car kit into the race car was more than I could deal with. The kit is just fine but not accurate enough for me. Having a 3d printer and drawing my own parts for various models over the last 2 years has put me in the right mindset to get the details of this car a lot closer to spec. One of the many ways the kit falls short is the really dull engine bay. To do the engine bay right I had to remove the chassis rails and build up from there. engine bay sides The firewall Radiator support panel Export brace All printed oaut and ready to install I am well advanced with the first version but still along way off. There are still a few things that need developing and I am always re-drawing and printing items. I am not aiming to do THE most accurate or highly detailed model I just want to update the deficient details of the kit. I am using an old tech 4k Photon Mono printer with E-sun bio resin. My drawing program is DesignSpark. Thanks for looking. next update soon. Cheers ShawnS

Hi guys just a quick one for you. Fujimi kit, 3d printed wheels, tyres and tail light bodies. I modified the front valance to better represent a road car and I added a roll cage too. The paint is Tamiya and the decals are from custom hobby decals from my own artwork. The car was driven by Tony Farrell and Brian Reed to a brilliant 6th place (1st in class C) at the 1974 Bathurst 1000 after starting in the 24th grid place. Thanks for looking, Cheers ShawnS

Cabinet? That's a warehouse?. Nice.

Crikey! If those are the same size boxes as the other kits, 7 DDA boxes are gonna take up a LOT of real estate.

Thank you Gary. I spend a LOT of time on the drawing of the graphics. I'm a terrible font Nazi so I set high standards for myself when I do the graphics. (incoming rant)I just wish that the guys who do the graphics for the touring car restorations here in Aus had the same attitude as there are some brilliant restorations with some very lazily done graphics. (rant over) Thanks everybody I'm glad you all like it. CheersSS

Thanks, The trim on the body is exactly as AMT made it as the body didn't need any mods other than to scribe the door lines. When I decided to take on the project I did some research on the wheelbase measurements and I realised that I didn't need to make the body longer I just needed to make the front doors shorter and throw a roof on it. Thanks everyone.

Hi guys here's another new one. No this isn't an escapee from the MAD MAX movie set it is a real beast that graced our race tracks in 1972. It was built with many design philosophies from Formula 5000 as well as being powered by a Repco Holden F5000 308ci engine. It was too under powered against the well sorted 350's and 351's but due to the open wheeler style suspension setup it handled well enough to snare a couple of podiums during the 1972 championship season. It's the Kingswood kit from DDA with my own 3d printed wheels and tyres, brake ducts, seats, pedals, gearstick and exhaust pipes. The flares were made from Apoxie sculpt and the decals were printed by Custom Hobby Decals from my own artwork. The bumpers and wheels are painted with SMS Hyperchrome and the orange paint is a custom Tamiya mix and the black stripes are also painted. The kit went together well and the only issues I had were self inflicted. Thanks for looking. Cheers ShawnS

Hi, Thanks for your interest in my recent posts. Here is another Galaxie, this time with four doors. I built this along side the light weight version but the final assembly took extra time as it started to fight me a bit. Over ten years ago I grafted the roof from a Revell Thunderbolt kit onto AMT's Galaxie body. I also made the Starliner chassis fit and started work on the interior, Then I lost interest and the project stalled. I restarted again last year and after many battles I have finally finished it. I made 3d printed interior door panels and the rear seat is reworked from the Starliner kit item. I rejected the original Galaxie kit front seats as they were too small for the spacious interior space that the Starliner chassis conversion provides. So the rear seats from the Galaxie kit were cut up and rebuilt with Apoxie sculpt and evergreen strips, This allowed me to have wider front seats that took up more space. It was worth the effort. I also modified the engine bay sides to fill out the engine bay a bit more. I wasn't intending on going crazy with the engine detail so it was just a case of adding plug wires from fishing line that were blacked out with a sharpie. I totally forgot that it needed a battery until it was too late so I couldn't add wires because the engine was already installed. The car had it's headlights taped over in a simple attempt at aerodynamic streamlining and I replicated that with more Apoxie sculpt. The white walls were painted as well. The chrome was redone with SMS Hyperchrome for the bumpers and mirrors and copious amounts of BMF and I added the 427 Bird badge and the C pillar crest from the MCG Thunderbolt PE set. I don't know a great deal about the car itself but I do know that it was owned by wealthy businessman Len Lukey and he imported it into Australia with some Holman and Moody tweaks and it was raced by both Norm Beechey and Lex Davison (grand father of Supercars driver Wil Davison) many times on circuits around Australia. The car was raced in historic races in the 1980's and still exists in that form. Obviously I've done a fair bit of work on it so if you have some questions please don't be afraid to ask. Thanks for looking. Cheers ShawnS

Side by side comparison. It's not the roof line as such but the top of the door frame is too straight compared to the real car which has a downward curve. I'm not too sure how easily that could be fixed as there have been issues with the plastic DDA uses that doesn't like to take glue. The other issues are with the wheel arches. The front wheel arch flare is too wide at the bottom (easily fixed with the Dremel) and the front of the rear wheel arch flare needs to meet the door shut line. Also the rear lower swage line is a bit too high where it meets the bumper. Honestly, the model is still buildable so these issues shouldn't really be of concern to the casual modeller. Cheers ShwnS

Thanks, The windows aren't tinted it's just the photos. Thanks Pierre, The wood panel dash is painted and I'm happy with it too.

Hi again, Here is my second finished build of the year. Before the internet is inundated with everyone building the impending re-issue of Tamiya's little red rocket, I figured I would get in first with my own take on the little Alfa. Although we had a couple of GTAs racing in our improved production touring car races it wasn't eligible for the Bathurst 500 which was for locally made or assembled production cars but the GTV was eligible. I have had this one in progress for quite a while but with my new found love for designing and 3d printing my own parts I decided to finally get on with converting the race spec GTA to the road spec GTV. Here is a list of the changes. Door handles, mirror, wheels, grille, RH dash, seats, steering wheel, radiator and hose, arm rests, window cranks, engine parts to downgrade from twin spark to single spark. I stripped the chrome from the bumpers and used SMS hyperchrome. The paint is Tamiya TS-26 for the body and Vallejo red leather acrylic for the interior. I hand painted the wood grain dash and was happy with the result. Unfortunately the 27 year old Tamiya decals were no good so I had to use some spare gauge decals that I had. The car was driven by Paul Hawkins and Syd Fisher and they finished 25th after contending for the race lead early but suffered overheating during the race. I know it was a lot of effort to make something so seemingly mundane but since everyone makes a red GTA I wanted something different and I am pleased with the result. Cheers ShawnS