68' Dodge Charger......my first build

[Eloveless]

It worked. Tub first, then chassis. I only lost my dash board. Lesson to learn; windows and windshield last in case you need back in the car. A little scratched up on edges underneath car, but not bad. Fire wall gave me heck. 

[Eloveless]

need help. Which way does the tire go. Or does it matter? Glue or no glue? Confused. 

[Poppa mitch]

Eric, hang in there, I'm 63 yrs. Old, still trying to improve, many frustrating hours, but great time.  Keep the pics coming.

[mustang1989]

I don't think those last two pics made it through. Can you try again?

Stay with it Eric! The point is to finish. Good going so far buddy!

Edited March 20, 2016 by mustang1989

[disabled modeler]

Eric...With each model you build you learn something new and get better over time....I like it so far...is much better than my fist one was.

[Speedfreak]

I think it looks great, love the colors you got going. 

[charlie8575]

Don't rush.

Test-fitting prior to, and during assembly is your greatest ally; you'll avoid pitfalls like the tumble-home being narrower than the chassis and how to work around that.

Propellant cans are unreliable and become expensive quickly. Invest in a small pancake compressor. From a source in the compressor industry, the Rigid units The Home Depot sell are usually the best ones for longevity and reliability. Don't forget to get the moisture filters and a secondary regulator. The compressor is a handy item to have anyway for tires, inflatable toys, balls, and the like. 

Don't over-glue. But, don't be afraid to use enough.

As stated before, every kit is a learning experience. 

Charlie Larkin

[Richard McClelland]

Nice Work

I have this kit at the top of the pending pile (cars)

[crazyrichard]

eric this particulair modelkit of the charger is known to have that very very tight fit , lots of people broke their doorpanels in half or ....its just a very tight fit and it takes a certain way of wiggeling it in and patience ...and some luck ..

i can tell you now other modelkits not dodge chargers are much easyer to assemble .. and yes the advise above was certainly great advise , that you shousl aways try to dryfit as much as possible ! so like fit before paint and always think about when stuff is in pastic and you fit it and it fits fine you might hae iddues fitting it after you sprayed it in primer and paint , the parts get thicker ...

 

looking good paint looks great ! ps if you ever hve a question you want to ask in dutch you can always send me  pm ....no problem

[Eloveless]

Hey guys almost done with build. Should be done by this weekend. Will put pictures up too. I was on spring break ( I am a school counselor) then we started back, so not as much time. I am looking to start a 71 Plymouth GTX next. Very excited and have learned a lot with this build. 

 

[Eloveless]

Well I finished. Not happy with it or mysel. I know it's my first build. Hood isn't flush. Nor is the front bumper. Missing details bc like a rookie I took parts off with my fingers and broke wipers and stuff. Can't tell from here, but the paint job isn't the best. Seem as though parts didn't fit right. When people recommend dry fit, can anyone be more specific for me so I can on my next build. So no gluing? What does it mean exactly. 

[frozono]

nice one!!!!!

[Eloveless]

nice one!!!!!

not even close. The front looks terrible. 

[carcrazy19]

I would say for your first kit you did a good job. I don't think my first kit looked this good but with every build you learn more, get better, and learn new techniques. Eventually you will learn what tools and products to use to make each building experience easier.... When you hear them saying dry fit or mocking up your kit its a process of putting parts together without painting or permanently gluing the pieces together. You are temporarily putting your kit together to see how all the pieces fit. This way you can make adjustments and make sure the parts fit how you want them before moving forward with painting and final assembly. I use Aleen's Fast Grab Tacky glue when doing my mock up. Its kind of like Elmer's glue but dries faster and it can be washed off with warm water. 

[crazyrichard]

dryfitting means fitting the parts before glue and before paint , making sure tey fot together , often you need to sand some stuff first to make it fit right , sometimes it just fits horrible .. then you first make it fit and testfit and sand and testfit untill you are sure it will fit on final assembly ..

also take in consideration the thickness of primer and paint ...

 

now going from the pictures you def. need to try and take out the grille and bumper and they need to be put in much higher , they need to sit inside the room between the front fenders way higher , the sides of the front bumper will fall in front os the recesses in the fenders ..

why the hood dont closes i dont know could be the hinges or something of the engine being too high ?

 

dryfitting ? lets say you have the sanded body and hood , then you should have put the hood on , make sure it sits flush and also sand along the front lines so its levels with the fenders , always assume a kit wont fit perfect , some revell kits like the 32 fords are pretty well fitting but almost always you need to shave of a mm here and there

[Eloveless]

Thanks for the tips. Another question. Do you dry fit the WHOLE project before one ounce of paint? Or dry fit page by page and then paint?

[dragstk]

Eloveless, Hang in there. We have all been through what your feeling. And we are our own worst critics.

Believe me, your first build is WAY better than my first build.

Dont compare your first build to somebody elses 20 or 30th build. Use this as a learning experience. Your off to a good start

The next build will be better, and the next one better yet

[Jay t.]

Eloveless, Hang in there. We have all been through what your feeling. And we are our own worst critics.

Believe me, your first build is WAY better than my first build.

Dont compare your first build to somebody elses 20 or 30th build. Use this as a learning experience. Your off to a good start

The next build will be better, and the next one better yet

Best advice. With each build you will learn better ways to assemble. Take your time to test fit before glue and paint. Your off to a good start

[Oldmodelmaker]

Thanks for the tips. Another question. Do you dry fit the WHOLE project before one ounce of paint? Or dry fit page by page and then paint?

The way I do it is section by section. I'm not good enough to do a whole model yet so I even go as far as just two pieces at a time sometimes. And as I'm discovering, sanding, as mentioned above is real helpful in getting parts to fit together well.

[Eloveless]

Thanks Oldmodelmaker! That is more like I was thinking. A step or two at a time.. Sand and adjust... Just using primer, fitting, then going from there!! 

[Belugawrx]

ok well   lets start with dry fitting.

enlarge fitting holes on all chrome parts....even if stripping,...

File, sand, get rid of all sharp, parting lines ....(tops of front and rear 1/4's and , usually inside window openings,...) use yer feely thingy's to find sharp edges...

I use tape to hold things together whilst Dry fitting...(really,....  whilst?)

Sub assemblies can be built,.. test fitted before, say putting the headers on,.. to see if they will actually go , where they are supposed to,..Ya know  ?

Have Fun, and MAcGyver on !

 

 

[Oldmodelmaker]

I'm a newbie here too so I'll also take any advise. I like the tape idea. Thnx Bruce.

[Samiches]

The good news is that you can always come back to this model and fix what you don't like. It's only plastic...