ismaelg Posted August 17, 2015 Posted August 17, 2015 (edited) Hello! I've always been fascinated by jet and rocket powered Hot Wheels cars. My Hot Wheels collection is always growing and can be divided in 4 major categories: Corvettes, Ferraris, Jet/Rocket Cars and everything else. You may remember my Jet Threat II "resto-mod" from before. The Jet Sweep X5 is a Larry Wood designed jet car from 1985 and it seems it was only released twice. The original spectraflame olive color and the second unpainted release in 1986-87.I found this little worn puppy all alone in ebay and had to rescue it. It's missing the canopy and the rear spoiler. Axles are bent and the paint in the Ultra Hots wheels is a bit worn.... PERFECT subject for a Resto-Mod..... It is all metal so I disassembled and stripped it. The body was sanded and sprayed with automotive primer. After sanding the primer, it was painted Corvette Atomic Orange. It was then masked for a second color: Cadillac Pelham blue. While these are not the Gulf Colors nor it's scheme, it was nonetheless inspired by it. The nailbiting and nervewracking process of removing the tape was a success. Only minor touchup will be needed before clearcoating. And that is where I am as of now with the body. The base and engine hold the body together and I didn't want to bother much re-engineering it so it was left as is. However, the gap is ugly so I machined a simple turbine cone to hide the seam. I think it came out better than I expected. The inside will be painted black to hide it. Here is a mockup of how it's coming along: Still a long way to go but slowly getting there. Still pending the canopy and spoiler that have to be scratchbuilt and I'm not decided yet on what to do with the wheels/tires.... I hope to post more updates as I move along. What do you think? Thanks! Edited October 1, 2015 by ismaelg
spencer1984 Posted August 17, 2015 Posted August 17, 2015 I always liked this one myself, it looks good in the Gulf colors! What did you make the exhaust nozzle from?
AzTom Posted August 17, 2015 Posted August 17, 2015 Your paint looks incredible. This is going to be a great looking car.
ismaelg Posted August 17, 2015 Author Posted August 17, 2015 Thanks! Bill, that is aluminum turned in my mini-lathe. Now, STOP ME before I hurt myself! I machined these front wheels from aluminum to use a small O ring as tires. Then I reworked some parts box tires for the rear. reworked tire on the left, still untouched on the right. And a little mockup test: I may paint the rear wheels to tone down the chrome a bit. Keep in mind this is 1/64 ... Thanks,
AzTom Posted August 18, 2015 Posted August 18, 2015 I like it. I would agree that the rear wheels would look better in the machined aluminum color.
ismaelg Posted August 20, 2015 Author Posted August 20, 2015 STOP ME!!!!!! Not yet installed, but this is what's going on..... The vertical struts will also support parachute tubes. Thanks,
ismaelg Posted September 1, 2015 Author Posted September 1, 2015 OK! So, this was supposed to be a simple repaint / wheel straightening job, right? WRONG! It has taken a life of its own and it is now controlling me! I machined a parachute tube with a built in aerodynamic bullet shaped front section. Wouldn't it be easier just to use tubing? Yes, but what fun would that be? Now I need to make a parachute.... hint, hint..... The scratchbuilt styrene spoiler was painted black to simulate carbon fiber. Of course this is just a mock-up. Nothing is fixed in place yet. The spoiler will be straight. Not sure if you can see it but the center section of the spoiler is actually curved. What do you think? Thanks, Ismael
AzTom Posted September 1, 2015 Posted September 1, 2015 Im liking it. I'll see if I can find a 1/64 sewing machine to make a parachute on.
spencer1984 Posted September 4, 2015 Posted September 4, 2015 This is coming along nicely, great job!
ismaelg Posted September 13, 2015 Author Posted September 13, 2015 Hello again!!! After a serious mishap during clearcoating, the whole thing had to be sanded down and repainted, including masking the scheme once again. But anyways, it is back to where it should have been a few weeks ago. In the meantime, I made a parachute for it..... The driver's cage was painted in the same Atomic Orange: And that's where we are now. Stay tuned as this approaches completion... What do you think? Thanks,
AzTom Posted September 14, 2015 Posted September 14, 2015 Oh ya! That engine and chassis would look nice painted black chrome, like transparent black
ismaelg Posted October 1, 2015 Author Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) It is FINALLY FINISHED! This was supposed to be a simple wheel improvement job and ended up with a life of its own and controlling me for a while. Just in time for the upcoming Caribbean Scale Auto Expo show next weekend. A few tiny details I'd have liked to come out better but overall I'm happy it is done. I originally intented the scratchbuilt clear canopy to be hinged but it would have taken way too long. Hope you like it! The parachute is made out of paper and wire. What do you think? Thanks! Edited October 1, 2015 by ismaelg
Yenkocamaro Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Nice build, looks great! Thanks for sharing. Cheers, Lance
Dave Van Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Very nice save!!!One of the very few HW I do not own......
ismaelg Posted October 3, 2015 Author Posted October 3, 2015 Thank you all! And for the rest of the world who may have no idea what they are seeing: Thanks!
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now