What was your hardest build yet?

[vizio93]

just interested in what everybody's hardest (or your most involved) build was.

[jbwelda]

it depends on what you mean by "hardest". my "hardest" was probably some pile of cr@p that didnt fit together at all and i eventually gave up or ended up with nothing to show anyone because nothing fit!

but as i recall from my childhood, trying to build the orange crate

was probably what i would call the most challenging out of the box build i ever tried. dont think i ever got that one done properly either!

by the way, while i was looking for orange crate images this site popped up, check it out, an EXQUISITE build up of the orange crate. incredible!

http://www.warpedplastic.co.uk/cars/orange.../crate-main.htm

probably my most involved would be:

[Scott Colmer]

Seems like every one is harder than the last one. That's not bad - I just keep trying to do more. It's actually fun.

But THIS was a pain because I made mistakes I had to correct.

It all started with using gloss white instead of primer white, then wiping it down with lacquer thinner and consequently wiping a layer of thickness off the molded gauge detail off the tank. I had to etch it back in and build it up with BMF.

Scott

Hosted on Fotki

[B_rad88]

hardest? HA, in what scale? and die-cast or plastic?

[Scott H.]

My hardest and most involved to build model isn't one that is finished yet because it is the Diorama I'm working on right now. The link to what I have done so far is below.

The Oasis Convenience Store in the Diorama section

The building isn't the hard part as it's just 4 walls and some windows from the old MRC Texaco Gas Station kit that I modified to work for my needs. The hard part is finding and making all the little detail items in it! Before I started building the store, I thought it would be a piece of cake... THEN I started looking around the different stores I go into from time to time to see what I needed to add to my store and started wondering how I was going to make stuff like Candy Bars, Hot Dogs, Sodas, etc., etc.

There are a couple of things that I have found online or in other kits I already owned, and Ed was kind enough to make an Ice Machine for the outside of the building for me, but for the most part I'm going to be making all the little details that I never thought about when I started the project.

I like a good challenge once in a while and it's definitely been worth every second I have put into it!

-Scott H.

Edited May 23, 2009 by Scott H. AKA Cpt. Bondo

[Eshaver]

I too am not sure if you mean from a kit with " Fit "isues or just plain hard to build . First the Fit issue kit would have to be the old I M C Ford GT kit as the doors wer a good 1-16th away from the body in any posisition . The exaust was a total nightmare . Hey , we didn;t have super glue in 1965 either!

As to building a car/truck from scratch......... well, I did build the G M C L'Universalle of 1956 from the Motorama shows . I spent two and a half years just pronding up parts and forming Bondo to try and re-create the van . I also wanted the doors to work just like on the real one . They operate similar to those found in the luggage compartment of a intercity bus . Even after I finially did finish the dang truck , I found out that I did the finish in Copper as opposed to Bronze as I found out later from Rick Wagner of G M that the color was too light . Ed Shaver

[RodBurNeR]

Once I sat and drank two bottles of water and ate a 3lb bag of pistaccio's.....that was pretty much the hardest build I ever had.

Ohhhh....you mean models? hehe

I guess I have not considered any of them to be hard? Some take longer than others, some take a lot of patience. Probably the most detailed, most work I have into

one is a '32 Roadster I have not finished yet. The car literally has every bit of detail that I can put into it and have added more realism every where I could by making parts

and correcting some things. The valve covers, tranny cover and rear differential cover, alternator and some other things are actually bolted on with RB Motion bolts...just to

give an idea. Working with tweezers is fun!

There is a lot that can't be seen, someday I will finish it and take a million photos in better lighting.

Above all....this was not hard, just takes time and patience.

[chris coller]

Right now I am working on a slot car for a customer. So I am going to say that, that being a Heller Ferrari 512. Things don't seem to fit right, soft palstic and japanese instructions. What a mess but it actually coming along ok. Just have to study the box art and diagrams. That would has to be the hardest build to date and it is mostly body parts and paint work.

[Harry P.]

Pocher 1/8 scale Rolls Royce 1932 Phantom Sedanca.

Here's a photo of a finished one (not mine... mine's still under construction):

Here are a few shots of mine, still far from finished:

More than 2,500 parts. Operating windows, lights, steering and suspension, brake system from pedal through the operating brake shoes, roll-back top, etc. Not for the squeamish...

[MikeMc]

Simple ...My current '29 rpu buildup .

I decided to go with big n little steelies with caps and a flattie

Not at all what I've built for years...but totally kool!

As I've never used a crab style distributor before wiring is going.........

and then the 3 tube headers....starting to rethink...........

I need to remember to walk B4 running and as long as its still fun

[RodBurNeR]

Harry, them kits are definately for the pro builder. Not much out there can top them. If I knew of something they made that is in my genre , I would tackle one!

[vizio93]

I too am not sure if you mean from a kit with " Fit "isues or just plain hard to build .

sorry i mean just plain hard. like it didn't fit together at all or it had so many details that it overwhelmed you to the point of insanity.

[MrObsessive]

I would have to say this one.................

This '58 Chevy represented a LOT of firsts for me, and easy it was not! My '64 GTO comes in a close second........probably because I had already did some of the working features, but that one never got finished.

[jbwelda]

bill: WOW!

i would have thought the turbine car would have come close?

that was another fantastic project!

[E St. Kruiser50]

For me this was my most "CHALLANGING EVER".

It's a 1941 HOLLYWOOD GRAHAM STREET ROD - SCRATCH-BUILT.

2000parts

2000 hours

Over 2 years to complete

Finished at the end of 2003

Building something like this changes you forever.

Everything I have done since then has been simple in comparison.

I didn't know anything could be so difficult, or require so much personal growth and change.

Edited May 24, 2009 by Treehugger Dave

[vizio93]

For me this was my most "CHALLANGING EVER".

It's a 1941 HOLLYWOOD GRAHAM STREET ROD - SCRATCH-BUILT.

holy cr@p that is absolutley amazing!!! I love the chassis detail that you put into it. And those wheels set that car off ! I could see alot of headaches going into that one. beautiful job

[roadhawg]

I'm not so sure any one build is "harder" than any other, but some are certainly more frustrating. My most frustrating build SHOULD'VE been an easy build....a model of a 1976 Trans Am I used to own........

I had searched for an MPC 76 Formula to convert into a T/A, but then I saw a resin caster, who shall remain nameless, with a 1976 Trans Am trans kit, to convert the MPC/Ertl Blackbird kit into a 76 T/A. It took forever to get the parts....about 3 months.....with different excuses as to WHY I hadn't gotten them, and when I FINALLY got them, I probably could've carved pieces that fit better. The Blackbird kit doesn't exactly "fall together" on a GOOD day, and every part gave fit issues. Since the nosepiece wasn't even close, I had to putty everything and rescribe lines. I had it looking sorta ok, started to put it on the stand for paint, and dropped it.....busted it all apart. GRRRRRR!

Well, I got it all back together as best I could....never did get the resin hood to fit right, just poor quality if you ask me, but most REAL GM cars of that era had fit issues too, so I just got it close as I could. It wasn't a show model anyway.

So.....that was two years ago, and this thing is STILL being frustrating. You see, I noticed about a year ago that the hood didn't fit as good as I thought it did......WAIT A MINUTE......the hood is WARPING as time goes by! Over the last two years, the resin hood has transformed from merely a poor fitting hood into a white, screamin' chicken, banana! I snapped this pic this morning on my way out the door....see what I mean?

Yep, Thats my most frustrating build. Its been finished for two years, and it STILL might make it to the scrap box! Lol!

[vizio93]

a white, screamin' chicken, banana

ohh i hate those

[jbwelda]

treehugger dave, did you build TWO of those chassis, or is that some trick photography?

because i am in awe of that build even though its not really my style...but to build two of those chassis? almost unbelievable.

[FujimiLover]

I think every model has one issue or another. So what was the hardest? Probably the KS Competition with it's complicated exaust system. It's hard getting all the seperate pipes to line up properly and glue together at the same time.

However, when I get around to building my KS Countach, THAT will be the HARDEST one yet as it's so well detailed and so very complex!

[vizio93]

So what was the hardest? Probably the KS Competition with it's complicated exaust system. It's hard getting all the seperate pipes to line up properly and glue together at the same time.

can we see some pics of your exhaust?

[FujimiLover]

The only way to do that is to remove the body off the car and I don't want to risk braking the exaust pipes on it as their delicate and where their located in conjunction to the rear of the body, they can easily be broken off when removing the body from the chassis. I'd rather not sorry. Maybe when I build the convertible version, which has the same identical set up, I'll post pic's of that. But I'd rather not mess with any of my finished models.

[vizio93]

oh .It's just that i've never had an exhaust system to be hard on a model car. you'll have to remind me when you start building the covertable one

[roadhawg]

oh .It's just that i've never had an exhaust system to be hard on a model car......

See if you can find an old IMC Ford GT40. You'll never look at exhaust systems the same.

[MrObsessive]

See if you can find an old IMC Ford GT40. You'll never look at exhaust systems the same.

I second that!!