1/8 Eaglemoss Delorean WIP

[DrZero]

Have started assembly of my Eaglemoss Delorean and despite copious amounts of research two thing shocked me when the first parts arrive: 1) This thing is going to be HUGE when finished. 2) This thing is going to be HEAVY when it's finished.

Thought this was some molding flash at first but on closer look it's actually a DMC logo that is on the real car!

If you look closely on the real Delorean you'll spot the faint logo

More to come. I'll answer any questions as best as I can.

 

[Dave Van]

Looks cool....want one....but almost $2k!!!!!

[DrZero]

5 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

Looks cool....want one....but almost $2k!!!!!

It's definitely a labor of love. I mean it's cheaper than building a 1/1 replica! Doing it in monthly payments helps with the sticker shock a little... it's less than most cell phone monthly payments for the length of a typical cell contract.

But you can always watch me build mine for free

[DrZero]

Also worth mentioning if you're trying to give up smoking cigarettes this maybe the motivation you need. I quit my $20-$25 a week habit for a slightly cheaper (and healthier) one.

[Dave Van]

On 3/22/2018 at 11:03 PM, DrZero said:

 

Edited April 19, 2018 by Dave Van

[MrObsessive]

I'm just curious.................is this the stock Delorean, or the "Back to The Future" one?

I never cared for the movie car although the movie was good, but I'd LOVE a stock Delorean! Yeah, these 1/8 scale kits are pricey..........I have a few more months of paying for the DeAgostini 1/8 scale '67 Shelby, so that's lessened the sticker shock a lot.

I haven't even started on it yet, but it'll be another one of those items that will be all but impossible to get once production is through. And yes, these things are HEAVY AND HUGE when they're done! I've got to make room right now for the bunch of boxes of parts I have for this thing as it's quite a lot now!

Edited March 23, 2018 by MrObsessive

[DrZero]

On 3/23/2018 at 4:44 AM, MrObsessive said:

I'm just curious.................is this the stock Delorean, or the "Back to The Future" one?

I never cared for the movie car although the movie was good, but I'd LOVE a stock Delorean! Yeah, these 1/8 scale kits are pricey..........I have a few more months of paying for the DeAgostini 1/8 scale '67 Shelby, so that's lessened the sticker shock a lot.

I haven't even started on it yet, but it'll be another one of those items that will be all but impossible to get once production is through. And yes, these things are HEAVY AND HUGE when they're done! I've got to make room right now for the bunch of boxes of parts I have for this thing as it's quite a lot now!

It is of the BTTF Delorean which is a shame because it includes a full engine and nicely detailed suspension. I actually thought about how easy it would be to convert it to a stock Delorean while building the bumper. While not impossible to do it would be a ton of work. The interior has many of Doc's gizmos molded in so that would need tons of work to make stock.

The body also has various holes drilled in the panels for the time travel parts and completely omits the rear Louvre. Again not impossible to alter but since the Delorean is "bare metal" I don't know how you'd cover the fill holes without a coat of paint.

So if you would want to make it into a painted stock Delorean and could find some 3d printed parts I think it could be done. Just out of curiosity what about the BTTF Delorean didn't look good to you? I loved how the prop guys made it look like something Doc built in his garage! Many of the parts they used were salvaged from military/early computer parts and I always felt it was the most believable looking movie prop out there.

[DrZero]

On 3/22/2018 at 11:23 PM, Dave Van said:

That's what I will do!!! I like movie cars.......so I was tempted.......but this cost me $600.....back in the day!!!

Nice score. Was it in that shape for $600? The 1/8 Shelby Mr Obsessive mentioned above is also a nice looking "subscription" kit and I think that company is related to Eaglemoss. That would be a fun one to convert to look more like your 1/1 stang.

I've always wanted to build a model of a car I owned but since I've only owned rather humble daily drivers I've never found a kit of any of them

[Dave Van]

On 3/24/2018 at 4:41 PM, DrZero said:

Nice score. Was it in that shape for $600? The 1/8 Shelby Mr Obsessive mentioned above is also a nice looking "subscription" kit and I think that company is related to Eaglemoss. That would be a fun one to convert to look more like your 1/1 stang.

I've always wanted to build a model of a car I owned but since I've only owned rather humble daily drivers I've never found a kit of any of them

To be 100% honest that was $600 in Jan 1975!!! But still....a lot of car for $600 even 1975. The photo is a recent resto we are doing. 

1975....

Edited June 23, 2018 by Dave Van

[MrObsessive]

11 hours ago, DrZero said:

Just out of curiosity what about the BTTF Delorean didn't look good to you? I loved how the prop guys made it look like something Doc built in his garage! Many of the parts they used were salvaged from military/early computer parts and I always felt it was the most believable looking movie prop out there.

That's just it. While the movie car was well done for what it was supposed to do, to me it just flat out appears too "busy" and I'd much rather have the clean, uncluttered look of the street car. I've always like the Deloreans and can remember very well when they came out in the early '80's. They were seldom seen then, and while not a great performer considering the times, they're very cool to look at and it's too bad no one's ever seen fit to make this kit in regular street car form.

[DrZero]

10 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

That's just it. While the movie car was well done for what it was supposed to do, to me it just flat out appears too "busy" and I'd much rather have the clean, uncluttered look of the street car. I've always like the Deloreans and can remember very well when they came out in the early '80's. They were seldom seen then, and while not a great performer considering the times, they're very cool to look at and it's too bad no one's ever seen fit to make this kit in regular street car form.

Indeed. I know someone made a stock version of the 1/18 Delorean diecasts but you aren't the only one bummed this offering doesn't have a stock option. I may have been tempted to order one of both if it was an option. Luckily the frame parts are all *pretty much* stock to the Delorean and nicely rendered.

Wheel hubs in "normal" and "flight" mode. The hubs have magnetic locks to secure the wheels in normal driving mode.

The rubber boots on the linkage are real rubber.

Closeup of the front assemblies all attached. Makes the frame much heavier than it already was.

Working steering. Looks pretty sweet as-is. Too bad a lot of this detail will be tucked away out of view.

Flight mode/wheels down. Uses magnets to hold the hubs in normal mode. Clever way of having both options though I intend to display it as we first see the time machine in the movie (plutonium chamber & no flying circuits.)

Edited March 25, 2018 by DrZero

[DrZero]

Now the build moves onto the rear wheel hubs. The main Y frame gets a rear engine cradle assembly attached to it.

Finished rear wheel hub with a penny for scale

In flight mode

In regular driving mode

The engine cradle assembly. This is made up of about 7-8 parts and add features nice detail for a non-visible part.


So the first body panel is actually in issue 2 but I'm skipping around.

You can see how thick and detailed the body panels are. The stainless steel is brushed but it's hard to photograph.

The brushing is slightly more visible in real life than in this picture. I would hazard a guess that the effect is scale accurate.

Edited April 3, 2018 by DrZero

[Russell C]

Didn't even know there was such a kit:  http://www.eaglemoss.com/en-uk/model-making/build-the-back-to-the-future-delorean-1/

[DrZero]

There is also a release in the U.S. which is how I got a hold of it. USA Delorean Website

I think the kit was actually first released in Japan, then the UK, then eventually the US.

[DrZero]

Small update: I skipped an issue that's early in the run because I wanted to get the chassis going but here's a look at the reactor parts in issue 3

The original plutonium reactor is made up of 3 parts that screw together underneath. On the real time machine this assembly was made from an old Plymouth hubcap and a turbine ring from a military jet engine. The hatch for the plutonium rod was a custom made part as far as I know.

        

Mr. Fusion is made up of several parts and builds up to a nice looking fusion reactor made from a coffee grinder - from one side atleast. It does have the little red latch but I haven't attached it yet because it's spring loaded and I need tweezers to put that assembly together.

http://i.imgur.com/NNe8Va9.jpg[/img][/url]

There are individual parts for the coffee grounds bin (the clear bit near the bottom) as well as the clear logos and the clear lid.

 

Opens up so you can throw 1/8 scale garbage into it to generate the 1.21 jigawatts of electricity you'll need. The black base is a 1/8 scale mainframe computer harddrive enclosure circa pre1980.

This is the biggest drawback of the screw-only assembly method. 3 big screws on one side hold the coffee grinder halves together. It definitely ruins the ability to display the final cars passenger side. There is a builder that makes stickers to cover them; but honestly if it's really an issue one could easily superglue the parts together without the screws and fill them in. I haven't seen aftermarket Mr. Fusion decals for this *yet* but it'd be fairly easy to fix the screw holes with putty and paint.

For me it wasn't a big deal since I'm going for Delorean time machine v.1. Since the final issue includes a mini plutonium case I'd like to have the original reactor on there. I'll keep Mr. Fusion sitting nearby with a 1/8 can of beer and banana peel since it's still a cool looking bit.

[Cien1986]

Wow.... what a great kit.... it must be costly....

Is that come prepainted?

[DrZero]

On 5/10/2018 at 8:28 PM, Cien1986 said:

Wow.... what a great kit.... it must be costly....

Is that come prepainted?

It does and it is costly in terms of final build costs. The advantage here is that they spread the cost out over time (like a car payment) and it's an effective way of making costs more manageable without the need of putting it on a credit card that'd charge you interest.

 

Iv'e begun putting the transmission and engine together. The bigger parts are all metal which gives the finished assembly some weight.

It's worth noting that this transmission is not accurate for the time machine - it's an automatic transmission when it should be a manual. I believe the interior of the car will have a clutch pedal and shifter (both more visible parts) so this error doesn't bother me much. Plus, in spite of that it is nicely detailed.

Mated to the engine block (which I forgot to take internal pictures of.) No pistons or anything inside the block - it's made up of "wall" parts that screw together with the screws on the inside of the block out of view.

The block is only halfway built as will have plenty more tidbits added to it. It still looks pretty cool even half-built.

These smaller detail parts are molded in plastic but they have gone to decent lengths to capture the real 1/1 parts which further add to the overall authenticity of the power-train.

A note worth mentioning is there are a few gaps in the parts here that could be improved using super glue. Not a deal-breaker since many of the gaps will be hidden once the engine is installed. I still feel that what they give you will build up to look good but I know many builders would want to clean some parts up. I've seen one build where the guy weathered the engine a bit which really did make it look more realistic. I am still debating if I will do a "dirty wash" on the engine since I've never seen an engine that really look squeaky clean.

[MrObsessive]

Oh yeah! I really like what I'm seeing here!

Regarding the cost, there's no way I could have afforded DeAgostini's 1/8 '67 Shelby all in one shot! The price would have been prohibitive!. Now it's taken roughly 2 years to get all the parts (25 month subscription), but it's not like I can start on it anytime soon anyway! A couple more shipments to go, and I'll be all set.

One thing I like about your Delorean is the engine detail. That's one area I think corners were cut a bit on the Shelby. Instead of giving you an entire transmission casting like yours, they "halved" it, and to me just would seem incomplete even though I doubt I ever try to pick that thing up and turn it over for all to see.

That I tell you will be one HEAVY model!

Later on, I may go to Shapeways and see if I can find a 3d printed 1/8 scale Ford 4spd trans from that era. Some re-engineering would be needed perhaps to make it fit properly, but at least to me it'll look better.

[DrZero]

On 6/2/2018 at 3:53 PM, MrObsessive said:

Oh yeah! I really like what I'm seeing here!

Regarding the cost, there's no way I could have afforded DeAgostini's 1/8 '67 Shelby all in one shot! The price would have been prohibitive!. Now it's taken roughly 2 years to get all the parts (25 month subscription), but it's not like I can start on it anytime soon anyway! A couple more shipments to go, and I'll be all set.

One thing I like about your Delorean is the engine detail. That's one area I think corners were cut a bit on the Shelby. Instead of giving you an entire transmission casting like yours, they "halved" it, and to me just would seem incomplete even though I doubt I ever try to pick that thing up and turn it over for all to see.

That I tell you will be one HEAVY model!

Later on, I may go to Shapeways and see if I can find a 3d printed 1/8 scale Ford 4spd trans from that era. Some re-engineering would be needed perhaps to make it fit properly, but at least to me it'll look better.

Yeah I think the subscription model has several benefits once you get used to the idea. I sure wouldn't have been able to pay $1600 or even $1000 all at once for the Delorean. Why aren't you building the Mustang as the parts arrive? I found that doing the little bit every month makes it much more manageable to work on. Plus, it gives me time to do a little detailing here and there. Please post pictures of the build when you begin! Would love to see more of these kits and how each one looks.

The engine does look pretty nice - though I'll admit it's one part of the Delorean I wouldn't have cared much not to have. I decided that the engine looked a little too new and clean so I broke out some oil paints I have and added some weathering. I bet if you did the same with the Mustang engine it'd look much more realistic. Took me about 45 minutes over two nights to get to this level of weathering (let the first coat cure overnight.)
(click picture to enlarge)


The weathering looks a bit stronger in the photos - in real life its a bit more muted. You can see a bit of the original color of the metal on the mounts near the bottom.
(click picture to enlarge)


Front of the engine with the value covers and intake parts installed. Looking more realistic as it's built.
(click picture to enlarge)


I also applied a thin dull coat of paint on the value covers to make them look like a different type of metal.
(click picture to enlarge)


Also gave a coat of color to a few small parts. Anyone who's seen an engine up close knows all the individual components are different colors. A good example of how a little bit of paint can make this kit really start to shine. The hose on the engine parts is actually a rubber tube! I'm interested in seeing how much more detail there will be once the engine assembly is complete.

[MrObsessive]

Excellent job on the weathering........it DOES look a lot more realistic!

About the Shelby...........I ordered it right around the time I started working on my much smaller Shelby Green Hornet. I'm a "one model at a time" kind of guy, and it's very difficult for me to do multiple models at once like some folks are able to do. Also, I found the build sequence to be rather odd and somewhat haphazard in how they want you to build it. I first like to get the bodywork out of the way, but in the instance of the '67, it's already painted and there's not a lot one needs to do to it 'cept put the parts together.

I wanted to start on the engine, but DeAgostini only sent the upper part of the engine at first, and I just received the block and other parts a few months ago. As of now, I have only a couple more subscription parts to get, and I'm a lot further along in my 1/25 Shelby now. Later on, once I have all the parts lined up and organized, I can then do the detailing on the engine and whatnot a little at a time. The sheer size of this beast and other things I want to do to it that DeAgostini did not include will take me quite some time to finish. One of them being an actual sequential turn signal setup which the car doesn't include. There's rear lights that turn on, but I want to make mine flash like I used to see the 1:1's do as a kid when those cars were new.

Also, the ad stated that the car had working windows.............it does not. Soooooo, out come my watch gears as I'd like to make actual crank windows which would be MUCH easier since this is in 1/8 scale.

Keep up the TERRIFIC work on this one and yes, I too would like to see more of the 1/8 DeAgostini/Eaglemoss vehicles built on the board!

 

[Dougritt]

The weathering looks awesome! I love the stock Delorean, but I must admit-if I owned one, I would be tempted to convert it to a Time Machine! It is one of the most iconic movie cars of all time! About the cost- golfing buddies spend $2k a year on greens fees and have nothing to show for it! Stay the course!

[DrZero]

Sorry for the delay in updates but I have put together a short video showing the first step in weathering the engine. Thought you guys might enjoy it since the techniques can be used for any engine. I'll be posting additional tutorials as I continue to build the Delorean.

Edited July 21, 2018 by DrZero

[DrZero]

Been a while since my last update -  I've had a rough month but luckily I've started working on the Delorean some more which has helped keep my mind off the stress.

Installed the engine assembly

Had a few new parts added to it that got weathered to match the block

The whole frame and engine weigh a lot when combined

Radiator and fan assembly

Nice details on the radiator but since it was molded in black plastic the detail was hard to see

A nice wash of lighter colored oil paint helps bring out the details.

And a have a new video showing the weathering process on some of the new engine parts. Have a look:

[Bugatti Fan]

Has this huge kit got the option of being built as a factory standard road car?

[DrZero]

11 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Has this huge kit got the option of being built as a factory standard road car?

It wouldn't be easy BUT I have come across a few guys converting it to a stock DMC on the facebook build group. I believe he's building a time machine version and a stock one as well.

The hardest part would probably be filling the holes in the body panels then repainting it in a simulated stainless steel finish.

Hard... but apparently not impossible.