ShawnS

Great paint job on a very clean build and the foil looks fine to me too. That's one to be happy with.

Man that would be one hell of a wild sled ride. Nice build Ray. Well done.

Another classic build, Good stuff Matt.

I love old race cars of any type and those are fabulous. Your passion for them really shows through in the build quality and the way each are individually displayed. Great work Darryl.

Thanks guys.The ozautobuilders forum has lots more pics of this build but if you want to see them you'll have to sign up and join us. If you're an Aussie, there's no excuse for not joining us. Non Aussies are also welcome. I am progressing nicely with the engine bay but it will be a while before I can give you some pics so here is some work that I did on the wheels earlier. I originally intended to make this model as a curbside with basic wheel backs but as I started to make more and more details I realised that I needed hollow wheels to house the brakes in, this is how I did it. I found the right sized wheel in my spares box and used my Dremel to grind out the centre, I then cut a section the width that i required off of the wheel I then used a circle cutter to cut some discs the same diameter of the wheel, I drilled a hole in the centre and inserted a length of rod. Here are the wheel components. Once it's all together you can see the difference between the typical wheel back style and the hollow pin style that allow detailed brakes to be fitted. There you go, a basic How-To on turning wheel back style wheels to the pin type that manufacturers like Tamiya use. Thanks again for looking and for the nice comments that you have been handing out. Hopefully next time it will be the engine bay. Cheers ShawnS

Cool. Thanks for that. I've posted this build on two other forums and I have seen it on three more forums where others had posted parts of it but that is the first non-model site that I have seen it on. Has anybody seen it or posted it anywhere else? I don't mind if it gets around just as long as my name is used as the builder. Ok time for some update pics. I have been working on the engine bay this week. Here's the real thing. I intend to do it in three sections, the top flat section which will be attached to the body and the sides which wiil be mated with the chassis. I started out with the back and sides. I shaped some strip styrene for the back and added some strips for the sides. I then cut out a large section of evergreen sheet, cut out the middle and bent the sides up. Glued it in and trimmed the back to match the piece that I put in earlier. I started detailing it with a section that goes on the front. It's made from several bits of strip shaped and glued together. I glued that onto the front of the top of the engine bay an added some strips up the sides. I added some lumps and bumps onto the sides. I made a little bracket for the back corner, cut out the holes in the front corners and the slots for the latch then hit it with some primer and it was done. The bonnet fits without any interference but only just. That's it for now. I'll now shift my attention to doing the sides. There are lots of tricky curves and angles to work on so it may be a while before I get them right. Til then, Thanks for your comments and for your continued interest. Cheers ShawnS

Obscure Italian sports cars really aren't my thing I'm affraid Gerald. This thing has taken me over 15 months so far so I will be keen to return to just scratching individual parts for my kits after this epic build. Feel free to give it a go yourself though, If you get stuck, we're all here to help. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks Ray, Del and Homer. The mesh is made by KA Models and is available from http://stradasports.com The cap is from a Model Car Garage PE engine detail set, available from them or lots of other websites. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks for the comments guys. Hi John, The solvent glues that I use usually come with a brush. The Tamiya extra thin glue has a fine tip brush attatched to the inside of the cap. For the CA glue, I use pretty much anything that is close at hand like a bit of wire, a sliver of scrap styrene, a toothpick, stretched sprue, etc etc. Nothing too fancy or expensive. Cheers Shawns

Awesome 250. In fact both models are superb. You did a top job Matt.

Cool 'stang. You nailed that mean race car look. Well done.

Outstanding work Alyn. I love the paint and the bare bones interior door panels too.

Good work Curtis.

Thanks for the encouraging comments guys. I spend my workdays as a metal polisher. It's not the most awesome job in the world but I'm grateful to be employed in this time of economic instability. As for my eye for detail, It's something that I have had for as long as I can remember. Must have been all those years playing with Lego as a little boy. Mate, if I find anything else for the Falcon in my spares box that doesn't need major surgery I'll probably die from shock. So far the total of spares box virgins is 1x rad fan, 1x starter motor, 1x dizzy, 1x gearshift knob and 4x tyres The hoses are left over from a Tamiya 1:12 F1 car that I trashed years ago. Rob, I've used many different types of glue over the course of the build so far but I use Tamiya Thin cement or Plastruct solvent cement when I can get them. I also use Zap-a-gap CA glue when I'm in a hurry to get things together. As for residue, I clean up the glue as I go. There are areas of residue but thankfully they don't show up in the pictures and will be cleaned up before the primer goes on. Thanks again guys. ShawnS

Hi everyone, thanks again for the kind words. The newest part in this big 'ol jigsaw puzzle is the radiator. A search through the spares boxes found nothing that came close to the part that I needed so I had to hit the Evergreen again. I started by making the main body from a rectangular piece of styrene and I then put some strips around the edges. I cut out a section of KA Models PE radiator mesh for it and lined the borders with more strip styrene. I made the two sides and glued them on. I made the border for the other side larger so the shroud will have something to sit on. The shroud was made from styrene with a ring from a Tamiya Sierra. All done. I added a PE radiator cap and some brackets and locating points for the hoses. Test fitted onto the chassis with some hosses installed for effect. That's it for now. The next step is the engine bay. It's a tricky area to do so the next update may be a while. Thanks for looking. If you have any questions please don't be afraid to ask. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks for the comments guys. A break???? Mate I'm just starting to get into my groove. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks guys. I've been a busy boy at the work bench lately so I have some more to show you. I have finished the brakes. I started by making the front discs using the tried and true sandwich method and made the centres too. The calipers started as a basic shape then I layered the details on to them. Then I added dust covers for the back of the discs. All of the parts together. The rear drums are from an AMT Mustang with rear covers from another kit. That's it for now. I'm still really enjoying every aspect of this build and I'm pleased that you guys seem to be liking it too. Cheers ShawnS

Hi fellow builders. It's been a month since my last update so I think I should post something new. I have been working on the steering setup. I went through a lot of evergreen rod in my many attempts to get it right. I also spent some time fine tuning the parts that I had already made to make sure the work that I did on the steering fitted right. I started by removing the stabiliser bar and making a thicker one. I made it in 3 pieces for easy installation during final assembly. Then I made the steering box from everegreen rod and strip. The mounting bracket. The steering rods were made from various size evergreen rods. Here are the completed units with the pitman and idler arms. I added some boltheads after I glued it all together. In position. That's all for now. I have moved on to making the brakes and I am almost finished them so I will update you on those when I am done. Thanks for dropping by and having a look. Cheers ShawnS

Thanks for the kind words guys. There is still plenty more to do so stay tuned.

Very cool.

Great build Dave. 2 hood pins on the front is just right.

An outstanding model. I've always liked the look of the base spec cars with small hubcaps and without too much chrome on them so this really appeals to me. The restrained road grime weathering is the icing on the cake. Great stuff, well done.

There is some real clean quality work there Ray. The black 32 is a shiny standout and full points for the RHD conversion on the 'Stang. Feel free to add more pics to this thread, we would love to see more.

Thanks guys , It's good to see some more Aussies on the forum following along with my seemingly neverending little project. This week I got a little more done to the front suspension. I made the brackets for the radius rods and mated them to the chassis. I also made the mounting brackets for the sway bar. The radius rods were glued into position onto the suspension arms and I added a threaded rod and nuts from T2M. The radius rod rubbers were cut from a piece of sprue. I also made some sections to dress up the underside of the front crossmember I made a new sway bar from aluminium rod and added some brackets. I added protech boltheads to the sway bar brackets and T2M bolts to the suspension arms. That's it for now. This week I will start work on the steering linkages. There is still some more small details to go into the area but nothing that's super important yet. Thanks again for all your kind comments. Cheers ShawnS

Hi guys. This is an oldie from my display cabinet. Tamiya issued 2 Jag MkII kits, a road version and a race version. This is the race version with chrome from the road version. I built this several years ago and it represents a car that was raced in Australia in the 1960's It's built basically box stock with some racing stripe decals from my spares box. Thanks for looking Cheers ShawnS