Monogram's 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Car: WIP

[David G.]

20 hours ago, customline said:

Well.....they'll never go flat on you. ?

Actually Jim I plan to flatten them a little on a sanding block. But just on the bottom.

 

19 hours ago, LennyB said:

They will once David hits them with the dull coat?Hopefully he does that before you hit me Jim. ?‍♂️

Already done that Len! I used some dull coat to knock back the styrene sheen on the whitewalls.

 

17 hours ago, Kenmojr said:

Interesting kit and build for sure. Will be watching....

Thank you Ken. It's great to have you along for the ride.

 

11 hours ago, Kah puts said:

Those are some of the coolest wheel covers ever ?

They are, aren't they Glen? Sort of like rocket satellite dishes.

 

David G.

[customline]

54 minutes ago, David G. said:

Actually Jim I plan to flatten them a little on a sanding block. But just on the bottom.

 

May I suggest you glue them solid to the axles so they don't make a lot of noise while it is rolling. Think "that shopping cart " 

Edited May 19, 2024 by customline

[LennyB]

On 5/19/2024 at 10:45 AM, customline said:

May I suggest you glue them solid to the axles so they don't make a lot of noise while it is rolling. Think "that shopping cart " 

It has “symmetrical all wheel drive” so they will thump in harmony?

 

Actually I hate that Subaru term, if your wheels turned  symmetrically you couldn’t go around corners too well.?

Edited May 21, 2024 by LennyB

[customline]

1 hour ago, LennyB said:

It has “asymmetrical all wheel drive” so they will thump in harmony?

 

Actually I hate that phrase, if your wheels turned asymmetrically you couldn’t go around corners too well.?

I could never get my head around how a differential works ?...or posi-traction ?

[FoMoCo66]

45 minutes ago, customline said:

I could never get my head around how a differential works ?...or posi-traction ?

This is a good explanation.

 

[LennyB]

When I was a kid my father explained it to me in regard to my slot cars.  Said if they had a differential they would take the corners better.  Never did figure out how to build one in HO scale?

[customline]

5 hours ago, FoMoCo66 said:

This is a good explanation.

 

I appreciate you supplying this wonderful video, Ace. That was totally ? amazing! So this is how they invented tinker-toys! ?!  No, really though, it cleared up a very dark, murky corner of the root cellar that serves as my brain. I do know one thing about differentials, though, from first-hand experience...if they leak, check 'em once in a while ?.

[FoMoCo66]

1 hour ago, customline said:

I appreciate you supplying this wonderful video, Ace. That was totally ? amazing! So this is how they invented tinker-toys! ?!  No, really though, it cleared up a very dark, murky corner of the root cellar that serves as my brain. I do know one thing about differentials, though, from first-hand experience...if they leak, check 'em once in a while ?.

Yeah, no problem.?

[deuces wild]

On 5/19/2024 at 12:32 PM, customline said:

I could never get my head around how a differential works ?...or posi-traction ?

It just does....?

[customline]

1 hour ago, deuces wild said:

It just does....?

As long as it works, I'm  happy ? 

[David G.]

On 5/19/2024 at 7:54 AM, LennyB said:

It has “asymmetrical all wheel drive” so they will thump in harmony?

 

Actually I hate that phrase, if your wheels turned asymmetrically you couldn’t go around corners too well.?

The wheels have to turn asymmetrically to go around corners. The outer wheel has a longer distance to travel than the inner wheel and has to turn faster to cover the larger distance in the same time that the inner wheel travels the shorter distance.

The diagram below shows why.

 

In this diagram the lines "r" and "R" would represent the path of the wheels through a turn. The outer wheel "R" would have to travel a greater distance around the circle than the inner wheel "r" would. To do that without dragging, it would have to go a little faster to keep up with wheel "r".

The inner and outer wheels would have to travel at different speeds or "asymmetrically". There would be a difference in speed between the inner "r" and outer "R" wheels. In mathematic terms, a speed "differential".

An automotive differential is a set of gears that allow the inner and outer wheels to travel at different speeds. It's essentially a mechanical algorithm (a topic for another time). 

Sorry, I don't mean to be a smart-aleck. It really can be a tricky concept to wrap one's head around.

I hope that this little science lesson helps.

Cheers,

David G.

 

[LennyB]

Right, which is why I hate the Subaru ads that their cars have "symmetrical all wheel drive". It has to be asymmetrical.

I can see now that I wasn't clear in my post above and we went way off on a tangent starting from flat tires. Let's get some air in those things and get this post rolling in the right direction.?

[deuces wild]

11 hours ago, customline said:

As long as it works, I'm  happy ? 

I was quoting Fred Ward from the Joe Dirt movie...?

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

For as much fun as it is when threads take on a life of their own, I think it's time to bump this one back onto the rails.

Now that the upper body has been assembled and reinforced, I've started filling the sink marks.

 

 

It's going to require some work to get the area where the rear quarters meet the rear deck to look anywhere near decent.

 

 

But holy moly, the sink marks! It seems that every time I shoot one down, two more pop up!

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment if you wish.

David G.

[customline]

I've gotta say, Dave, you have your hands full on this one.  The end result will be worth the work though. This is a really cool project. ? 

[customsrus]

On 5/16/2024 at 9:38 AM, customline said:

Maybe with AI and all the 3D out there we could see these in 1:25 someday ? (that last one ought to be an easy kit-bash )

Working on the Pontiac Bonnevile special. One day I will get it done

[David G.]

7 hours ago, customline said:

I've gotta say, Dave, you have your hands full on this one.  The end result will be worth the work though. This is a really cool project. ? 

Thank you Jim. Plannin' muh work an' workin, muh plan, as the saying goes.

4 hours ago, customsrus said:

Working on the Pontiac Bonnevile special. One day I will get it done

 

Definitely worth finishing that one John. It would be a true one of a kind.

David G.

[LennyB]

It’s amazing how much work these simple projects take. Nice to see it’s coming along ? 

[David G.]

4 minutes ago, LennyB said:

It’s amazing how much work these simple projects take. Nice to see it’s coming along ? 

Thank you Len.

I guess we end up having to square the corners that were cut to simplify it.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

It's time for me to post another update for the Lincoln Futura, so here it is!

This kit comes with two figures. The instructions indicate that if the figures are to be used, they need to be placed into the car before adding the steering wheel. This effectively makes them more or less permanent. However, I would like to retain the option of displaying the car without the figures. Or displaying the figures in a different car. 

 

 

Based on that, I decided that I would make the steering wheel removable. I've drilled out the dashboard and steering wheel to accommodate a set of 3mm micro magnets. One mounted in the steering wheel column and protruding about 1mm, the second one in the dashboard inset by about 1mm, giving the steering wheel a positive location point. That way it automatically aligns itself properly when installed.

 

 

With just a click and a snap, it works as it should.

 

 

Now I can display the model either with or without the figures.

 

As always, thanks for stopping by to have a look, please feel free to sign the guest book on your way out.

David G.

[LennyB]

Cool idea on the steering wheel David.  Another use for those mighty little ? 

[David G.]

16 minutes ago, LennyB said:

Cool idea on the steering wheel David.  Another use for those mighty little ? 

Thanks Len.

Yeah, I'm lovin' these little magnetic marvels.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

First color! I know that the original car was pearl white. Literally pearl white. In that thousands of seashells were ground up to make the paint. Quite an extravagance if you ask me. I'm also aware that the pale green color often associated with this car is due to an error in how some of the photos were rendered.

But still, in my opinion the green is a much better color for this car. It just looks right for this car, right for the era. So much more than does the white.

 

As always, thanks for stopping by for a look and please feel free to share any thought, opinions or comments.

David G.

[customline]

 Really like this build, David. Clever use of magnets and I think, because of the rarity of the kit, you would do well to retain the occupants for display. They "belong" ?.  How many car kits include figures?  I dunno, Dave, they are a handsome couple ?.

[Anglia105E]

This build of yours is very interesting David G. . . . For some reason the 1955 Lincoln Futura reminds me of the early Batmobile !!!

Your use of micro magnets just makes me want to use mine for some aspect of the Phantom III build. Those ' little marvels ' have been sitting immediately to my left as I sit at the workbench, and I am waiting for the right moment to incorporate the magnets in my build . . . Maybe the opening doors or the bonnet panels?

I understand how you feel about the figures for your Lincoln not being permanently fixed, and your solution with the removable steering wheel is pure genius . . .

Regarding the paint colour for this car, I do agree that pale green is much more suited to the car than white, and one possibility might be a two-tone pale green and white paint scheme, which would be so 1950's . . .

David W.