mrmike Posted May 19, 2019 Author Posted May 19, 2019 Back on the Aston Martin DB4. I never cared for the wire wheels or the skinny tires that came in the kit. I dug through the parts box looking for a better set of tires and I found them...with Borrani wire wheels on them! If my memory is correct, these wheels and tires came from an old Fujimi Ferrari Daytona from many years ago and was retired from the shelf before it fell completely apart. I'll just transfer the knockoffs from the kit wheels to the Borrani wire wheels. The tires are twice as wide as the originals. I assembled and detailed the luggage. I want to add ignition wires to the engine, but the wires run out of a tube to the distributor and I need to drill some attachment points into the tube. Maybe I can find a slightly larger tube... More to come...
bill_67 Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 Hi, Mike great build. Just make sure that windshield fits before paint and body are finished. I bought 3 kits before I got a decent windsheild for mine.
mrmike Posted May 19, 2019 Author Posted May 19, 2019 Thanks for the heads-up, Bill! I'll watch for that when I get to that point in the build. I was asked about the different tire sizes elsewhere. The new tires that I am using are about 1/16th inch shorter than the taller, skinny tires in the kit. They just look a whole lot better than the originals do. And, the wire wheels don't stick out a country mile like the kit wheels do. More to come...
djflyer Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 (edited) If you're going period-correct the taller/skinny wheels and tires are more accurate, just the molding of the wire wheels isnt as good as you can get now. (ie. the Fujimi Borrani's). I have a couple DB4's and DB5's and have considering the 3D printed wires I have been seeing, but yours look really good also. I love pretty much everything Aston so will be enjoying this build. (Hey Dann Tier its time to get going on yours too lol) Edited May 19, 2019 by djflyer
mrmike Posted May 20, 2019 Author Posted May 20, 2019 (edited) Thanks David! I am not going for the 100% period correct look for my DB4. I just want a better looking wheel and the wire wheels that I found will look 100% better than the toy-like wires in the kit. BTW, here's my laptop background. Different cars and photographer, simular picture! Edited May 20, 2019 by mrmike
mrmike Posted May 21, 2019 Author Posted May 21, 2019 I've been picking away at the DB4 today and I finished the engine compartment. I next tackled the steering wheel by painting the spokes silver and the rim with flat dark tan covered with clear ornage. The instrument panel is completed. Just needs the steering wheel and steering column. More to come...
mrmike Posted May 23, 2019 Author Posted May 23, 2019 Someone, somewhere said that this kit is a bear to put together. The chassis and interior are starting to prove that. I have been struggling to get this together even after I have scraped the paint and plastic for glue adhesion. I got the engine compartment and the trunk floor glued and clamped and I will leave it like this for a while. More to come...
mrmike Posted May 24, 2019 Author Posted May 24, 2019 A little progress on the DB4 3.7 Liter engine. I got the wires installed into the plug holes and the plug wire tube with holes drilled for the plug wires. I removed the clamps from the chassis/interior and finished the interior. I added the front and rear suspensions. More to come...
mrmike Posted May 29, 2019 Author Posted May 29, 2019 I washed the DB4 this morning in preparation for primer and paint! More to come...
mrmike Posted May 29, 2019 Author Posted May 29, 2019 I got the DB4 body and parts into a coat of grey primer. I still have some work to do here. I finally finished wiring the 3.7 L Straight Six engine. More to come...
Matt Bacon Posted May 29, 2019 Posted May 29, 2019 The engine is looking great, but I do wonder where they got that exhaust header layout from... I’ve never seen one that looks remotely like that. beat, M.
mrmike Posted May 30, 2019 Author Posted May 30, 2019 I couldn't begin to tell you why the exhaust header layout is as it is. That system is the only one in the kit. The header design could be a racing header, but I couldn't find any information on it during my research. The 3.7 L engine and the exhaust system has been installed into the chassis.
mrmike Posted May 30, 2019 Author Posted May 30, 2019 The chassis is done with the exception touchups. I had to mockup with the body. Looks great and I'm glad I went with the Borrani wires and tires from my parts box. More to come...
mrmike Posted May 31, 2019 Author Posted May 31, 2019 Well, it was bound to happen, I broke the body just below the trunk opening. With all the webbing used in the opening, I started to carefully cut away the webbing and I thought I cracked the plastic. Turns out that the plastic completely broke a few minutes later. I reinforced the plastic with a strip of 0.020 sheet styrene with Testors Liquid Cement and I clamped it overnight. I'm moving forward with this build... More to come...
mrmike Posted May 31, 2019 Author Posted May 31, 2019 Thanks Gary! I think the repair I made will be fine. Spray some primer, sand it smooth and if it is okay, paint it!
djflyer Posted May 31, 2019 Posted May 31, 2019 You should also watch the area between the window and the trunk. That piece also cracked on 2 of the bodies I have so I added reinforcement on the 3rd before it had the chance. I'm guessing thats a weak spot in the molding process. Good work on that engine and looking forward to the finish.
mrmike Posted June 1, 2019 Author Posted June 1, 2019 Thanks David! So far, so good! There are no other cracks or breaks on the body. Time to move forward with this build!
89AKurt Posted June 1, 2019 Posted June 1, 2019 That's a kit I got from an estate last year, and did not sell. Will keep an eye on this build!
slusher Posted June 2, 2019 Posted June 2, 2019 Really looking great Mike, I will be watching friend...
mrmike Posted June 13, 2019 Author Posted June 13, 2019 (edited) I spent a little time this afternoon working on the DB4. I didn't like the way the exhaust tips splayed out , so I carefully moved the right inwards towards the left and broke the tip off completely. A little model glue and and little pressure and the tip is back on the silencer (British for muffler) and it looks better to my eye. Due to the way the hood scoop was molded open on the hood, I added a piece of styrene to the opening to mimic how the hood should actually be on the outside looking at the front of the scoop. One of the things I don't like about opening doors is the way they can sag and stay open when you don't want them to. I added a couple of rare earth magnets to each side of the Aston to help keep the doors closed. More to come... Edited June 14, 2019 by mrmike
mrmike Posted June 20, 2019 Author Posted June 20, 2019 I gave the Aston what maybe its final coat of primer before paint. The paint will be Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf. The last picture is of the hood, trunk lid, front and rear valances. More to come...
mrmike Posted June 20, 2019 Author Posted June 20, 2019 Paint was flying today in mrmike's Model Cave! I painted the Aston Martin DB4 with Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf. So far, so good. Very little trash in the paint. I will add a couple more coats of paint later followed by several coats of Tamiya TS-13 Clear. More to come...
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