Foxer Posted June 28, 2012 Author Posted June 28, 2012 (edited) This is moving down the historic path .. two steps forward and one back. I masked the body to spray some flat black where some old bodywork was done and just primered over. That went beautifully as I wanted the edges faded and leaving the masks loose at the edges accomplished that perfectly. Trouble was, the tape on the rear doors lifted some of the decals off. I made extra decals so that's not a big problem, but I don't need the extra work. You can compare this new shot to the one just above to see what got lifted off the rear doors. Also adding a photo of the 1:1 to see the black patched areas on the left side. The door hinge is repaired and just needs some touch up paint. Also cut out the patterns for the windows. I have some purple tinted clear plastic from report folders but it's not the best shade. Going to have to visit Michel's again to see if they have some better purple shades. I'm ready to Alclad the bumpers, but still nervous as this will be my first chrome Alclad job. Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer
Foxer Posted June 28, 2012 Author Posted June 28, 2012 OH MY!!~! I just saw next year's NLL East SubTheme ... VANS! I'm FINISHING this!!!!
Badluck 13 Posted June 28, 2012 Posted June 28, 2012 I am so glad to see this one back on the bench,this is one amazing replica,prime work is soooooo dead on!!!
Foxer Posted June 29, 2012 Author Posted June 29, 2012 (edited) Thanks Mike. I just read your profile intro about your "motorhead" daughter ... That's exactly why I had to get back to this rendering of my daughter's van ... what a motorhead! She hasn't let up on me since I took a break. I though I was safe since she just turned her dog sitting business full tilt with building and all ,,, but even with 14 hour days she hasn't let up. You KNOW you'll have to treat us to your daughter's work if she does start building! Edited June 29, 2012 by Foxer
Badluck 13 Posted June 29, 2012 Posted June 29, 2012 Thanks Mike. I just read your profile intro about your "motorhead" daughter ... That's exactly why I had to get back to this rendering of my daughter's van ... what a motorhead! She hasn't let up on me since I took a break. I though I was safe since she just turned her dog sitting business full tilt with building and all ,,, but even with 14 hour days she hasn't let up. You KNOW you'll have to treat us to your daughter's work if she does start building! Having a "motorhead" daughter is coolest as we both know!!!,as my dad always said "its in the blood" I just posted her first build last week,a Model A coupe,quite proud of it,shoot she laid on a mean paint for being her first spray,and shes got a tractor/trailer shes been on off with..
Foxer Posted June 29, 2012 Author Posted June 29, 2012 Having a "motorhead" daughter is coolest as we both know!!!,as my dad always said "its in the blood" I just posted her first build last week,a Model A coupe,quite proud of it,shoot she laid on a mean paint for being her first spray,and shes got a tractor/trailer shes been on off with.. AHHH . that's your daughter! I know I commented on that post ... amazing firs build she did! My daughter had no interest in building models, but she does work on her 1:1's.
Badluck 13 Posted June 29, 2012 Posted June 29, 2012 AHHH . that's your daughter! I know I commented on that post ... amazing firs build she did! My daughter had no interest in building models, but she does work on her 1:1's. Mike 1:1's is even better,my avatar is a piture of my daughter in our 'Vair right after she helped me get it runnin' after a 10yr hibernation,she was the one who pushed me to get it running and road worthy and the Lil' doober helped at wat ever her little hands could do......you n I are one lucky dads ,thanks for sharing!!!!
socal76 Posted July 1, 2012 Posted July 1, 2012 Foxer, I have to add my two cents in here. I am glad you did not split the post. I am new to this one and I went through all 17 pages and enjoyed every bit of it. Even with all of the issues you have had, this is still an incredible read and well worth the time. And judging by all the other comments, I know I am not the only one that is saying you have done some mighty fine work! Funny thing is, I have always wanted some of the A-Team vans, but only for the Mr. T figure!! But now I am going to have to think about getting back to an old van project I first started over 15 years ago! Not as detailed as yours, but a bit different in concept. But you did get my attention! Keep up the work on this one!!
Foxer Posted July 5, 2012 Author Posted July 5, 2012 (edited) I'm a happy camper tonight! I did my first Alclad chrome paint on the bumpers, hubcaps and mirrors and it came out fantastic! I've been paranoid of Alclad but with all the help here (on MCM forum) I had it down and was simple as pie to apply. The front bumper was a bit dull (the black paint) but it looks just right for this beat up van. It still needs the body color separation and black wash. The mirrors and rear bumper exceeded my expectations. The hubcaps need decals so will be in a later post. I also did the front grill for my Infinity build which I also love! The Infiniti doesn't belong here but I'm just too up not to post it!!!! Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer
91blaze Posted July 5, 2012 Posted July 5, 2012 Wow, this is looking great! I'm gonna have to steal some of your tricks when I finally make my dad's work van.
Ryan S. Posted July 13, 2012 Posted July 13, 2012 Really nice job on the Alclad, especially for you first time! Keep it going!
Foxer Posted July 15, 2012 Author Posted July 15, 2012 Some seemingly small updates but It's been going steady since the last one. The chassis got the suspension and exhausts mounted. Had to make new front shocks which are shown unpainted with the rusted up wheels. Once the front spindles are mounted (pin keeps jumping to the carpet .. Grrrr ) the chassis is dome and wheels can be mounted. The front hubcaps are chromed (Alclad) and just need the decals I had shown before on a different set.
Foxer Posted July 26, 2012 Author Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) It's been little pieces that have been keeping me busy .. a milk crate and the steering wheel mostly. The crate was made from styrene shapes and brass mesh. It's far from perfect but will do deep inside the van. The steering wheel I found I had to make from scratch to get the right shape. I just used the outer rim from another wheel. I needed a GMC logo for the back doors and made a cast of the grill logo to use. My resin is way too old and it came out pretty bad. I made a number of casts using sprue melted in Ambroid cement and the two shown in Alclad are the best ones. It's stopping here after I use a red sharpie on them. Here's why I left off half the engine accessories .. especially on top. The radiator goes tight against this making it even less visible. Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer
Foxer Posted August 2, 2012 Author Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) A VERY small one to keep this alive. Seems everything need to finish is small. There were always tennis balls in the van for my daughter's dog, so ... Some correct sized metal beads I found at Michaels. They even had a pin attached for holding and to mount! I coated with some embossing powder for a bit of texture. Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer
Jon Cole Posted August 2, 2012 Posted August 2, 2012 Glad to see this one back and making progress, Mike!
Foxer Posted August 3, 2012 Author Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) Moving right along ... front grill/bumper is done. I made a ceiling that is similar to the "tapestry" my daughter had hanging in the van ... just printed on some white paper and glued in. The rear logos look ok painted .. one will work. All the decals are printed and drying and should get applied this weekend. I made some CD cases from clear sheet and decals that will get distributed in the front ...maybe some photos later in the weekend. All are Grateful Dead ... she IS my daughter! Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer
Foxer Posted August 8, 2012 Author Posted August 8, 2012 (edited) Finished the decals, but I may re-do some of these rounded ones after looking at the photo! I left the photo a bit larger than usual so the decals were more readable. I'm amazed the decal process lets me do things this fine. Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer
Foxer Posted August 11, 2012 Author Posted August 11, 2012 (edited) This is in FINAL ASSEMBLY! One side of the interior is epoxied in and did a mockup to check fit and see how purple window color works. The purple passes and fit is good. The only problem ... THE TOP HINGE ON LEFT DOOR CAME UNGLUED!!! gRRRRR Don't mind the wheels as they were just stuck on and somewhat wobbly with no glue. At any rate, I'm happy with it all. Just a few little things .. waiting for some radio faces to see if Detail Master's are better than ones i have. The rear axle came unglued during the mockup so it got epoxied in place for good. The matching plastic glur face was pretty small so the epoxy should hold it. I can almost SMELL the final display case!!! Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer
Randy D Posted August 11, 2012 Posted August 11, 2012 Hi Mike, Good to see you finishing this one up :mellow: Looking forward to seeing the completed interior with all the cool details you made!! Randy
Foxer Posted August 12, 2012 Author Posted August 12, 2012 Thanks Randy. I plan to take a bunch of photos of the interior before I put it in the body as it will be tough to see then.
Gluhead Posted August 12, 2012 Posted August 12, 2012 I've been watching this one since December, Mike. It's great to see someone put so much effort into making a faithful scale depiction of a family ride. Great execution, as well.
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