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How early is too early to create a custom thread? Anyways my first serious project for a custom model is recreating my 330Ci in 1:18 scale. I am fortunate to drive a BMW 330Ci which was also coincidentally my first car (the BMW was the car that made the most sense for me to get from a repair logistics point and also my dad insisted I own the car that saved his life from someone who ran a stop sign 10 years ago). Anyways, she's been a lovely automobile to own. I slowly started to change the rules I made when I got her as a lucky find right after I got my learners permit, such as no bumper stickers (Broke that a few months when I got a New York Mets sticker to honor a friend/mentor/teacher who died unexpectedly) For my build, I bought a BMW 328Ci which is not only Titanium Silver Metallic like my car, but has the right BMW Style 68 wheels. However, it was a convertible. I was able to find one with a broken windshield frame which would be brutally cut apart for its wheels, motor, and exhaust. However, I needed a coupe for my build, as my car is obviously a coupe. I scanned ebay for a few days, looking for various E46 coupe models. Green and blue 328Ci's with tan interiors. I then remembered Kyosho made a 318Ci, with a piddling 1.8 liter inline 4. In addition, it was steel blue metallic. However, the interior is the right color for what I need-Gray. My plan is to send the body off to the man who runs www.modell-dealer24.de and have him repaint it Titanium Silver Metallic as I don't have the skills or facilities to do it the right way like he does. His website shows a resprayed 8 Series with a beautiful repaint job. My idea is to use the motor, exhaust, and wheels of the 328Ci and put them in my car. In the meantime I need to learn how to turn amber turn signals clear, make/find an automatic shifter, have my stickers reproduced as decals, and try and find someone who could help me get a decal/laser etch part of my car's badge all for a smallish budget. Today, the 328i I bought for the Style 68 wheels arrived. As soon as I opened the box I knew why I bought this damaged model-to hack apart! The wheels are now off! Here it is, with the interior removed. Now, it's all apart. I am currently wondering if I can use the same undertray from the 328 Cab with the 318 body. Those are all the posts I have on DiecastXChange up to now for the thread. When the 318 Coupe comes in I will post the dismantling and test fitting of that car before the stripping.

Last week when I bought a 993 Turbo for $13, I had no guess what I was getting myself into. I saw in the photos that it was missing an engine cover and a turn signal. However, what I got was something on several different levels. Oh? I was surprised to find that the package was left in the mailbox. I knew at worst I would have wasted $20 and had something to post in Diecast Disasters. Something in such a small box? Goodness. Anyways, I soldiered on, splitting the box open like a fish. Oookay? The only sign of a car is the weigh. Otherwise-had I been duped? Oh-thank goodness. It's in better condition than I expected. It is down a headlight but has a whole side window that wasn't shown in the listing, with the other one broken half off after the smoker window. BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH! The paint on the hood was beat. During disassembly I used the youtube technique of a screwdriver and broke off the wheel attachment stub on one of the wheels. In an act of panic, I cut out the broken wheel stub. Here's a "Glamour" shot of the rear of the car. I then went to a hobby store and bought some 3/16 inch carbon tubing and cut off a tiny section and put it in the now clean hub. With some sand paper I was able to file it down to where it is almost flush with the wheel, so that it will fit like the old one did. Sadly I had to spend $8 on the BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH tubing! Anyways, with that fire out I was able to continue on. Scanning through the hobby shop, I planned the repaint. I didn't want to repaint but seeing the chipped paint on the front and other scuffs justified a full strip down. Hmm... what color? Since I didn't want to lose what the beautiful red interior offered me, I had to work around the colors that were already there. Royal blue? I found a beautiful can of Tamiya Racing White paint for this car. This will be my repaint I am focusing on legitimately doing right as opposed to spraycanning it and just having sorta glossy paint. One of the things that is good about diecast is that it's gonna be easy to polish it up compared to plastic! Today, when I get home, this will be stripped off with epoxy remover now all the plastic is gone, and the wheels with a pretty bad degree of wheel melt will be cleaned off with oven cleaner. On the rear wheels I do need to know how to clean off the rear wheels without stripping the paint off the brake discs.