Ryan S. Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 I'm loving watching this come along and it's looking really good. You'll be ready to fight crime here in no time!
Drake69 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Posted July 2, 2011 Beacon light is attached but "antlers" will not go on the car as they are right up against it. I decided to cut a small sliver off of the edge of each side of the beacon, and I will try it again here soon. Had to remove the Bat Turnaround Lever underneath the canopy, and I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that the beacon, antlers, lever, and decals all be on the canopy arch before mounting the whole thing to the car, even before putting in the glass. And I haven't even gotten to the whip antenna and chrome emitter on the hood yet. Yikes.
RodneyBad Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Big Thanks Drake69 for the Build up. Me think this could be a Pinned topic in the tips section?? Mag Article? Batmobile is looking Great.. I'm thinking of doing one up as if Robin Drove it. Not perty at all
Drake69 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Posted July 2, 2011 Okay. I think I figured out why the antlers were so troublesome to put on. I've been VERY CAREFUL with the numbered parts in this kit, and I think the parts "16" and "17" (left and right antlers) are actually labelled backwards in the instructions. I looked at the tabs on the bottom and then reversed the antlers so that the tab terminates closest to the beacon light, and both antlers popped right in! Where she sits now... I gave her a brushed-over glaze of Future after wiping the body of fingerprints which is why she's so glossy. Canopy is now sealed in Future at this point, and she will dry nicely overnight. All that's left to do at this point is... 1: Paint buckles on the parachutes silver and glaze with Future. 2: BMF door handles and locks. 3: Attach spinner to last wheel (once I get it in the mail...). 4: Attach wheel to chassis. 5: Screw chassis to body. 6: Attach bottom panels to chassis and glaze with Future. 7: Attach rear antenna. 8: Attach license plate. 9: Affix license plate decal and coat with Future. A few last minute things. The small silver "radar" antenna needed to be smoothed out with an emory board on its peg to get it on the car. It also is keyed to the hole a certain way, so hold the piece gently between the tabs of your fingers (fingernails are a plus here), and test fit the piece to the hole. If it does not slide in, rotate the piece (or car) and try again. It should just go in nice and snug. Paint the radar fins gold, copper, or lite bronze once the piece is installed using a brush with a very fine point (I found it easier to paint once it was mounted). And lastly, there are SEVERAL decals left on my sheet which are not mentioned in the instructions. Some will be left over from using only one of the 2-part set thoughtfully included by Polar Lights, but there are others I can't read very well that look like they might be used (on other versions of the Batmobile??) They are #1 (four small round decals in a row!!), #7a, #8a, #8b, #9a, #10a, #12, and two other license plates. Any idea where these go, if at all?
Drake69 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Posted July 2, 2011 (edited) Big Thanks Drake69 for the Build up. Me think this could be a Pinned topic in the tips section?? Mag Article? I'd like to think my work would be featured in an issue of MCM, as a build or review feature, or possibly in a BOOK (.....cough....FUTURABAT.....cough....), or pinned up as a build thread here. But I'm just as happy providing this thread to those who want a nice, clean Batmobile to add to their shelves. Edited July 2, 2011 by Drake69
Danno Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Geez, what are ya doing, writing a book or something???!!! VIOLATION! Rules for On The Workbench For those viewing others who are presenting their works in progress in this section of the forum, please keep your criticisms, sarcasms, and other comments to yourself, unless the builder/poster has specifically asked for such replies. -- HOA Police
Danno Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Your comments here, and in other Batmobile threads shouldn't require any apology beforehand to be welcomed. This kit is of interest to a lot of people, and clearly you're in a position to lend a ton of information on the subject. I'm sure eventually cooler heads will prevail in regards to clarifying the new workbench "rule," but it's precisely this kind of insight that most of us come to this board for. I've learned 10 times more about this car from your posts than I ever knew before. I'm sure I'm speaking for just about everyone here who will attempt a Batmobile build in the coming months who will owe you credit for helping us get the details closer to right, and make the models better than they ever would have been if we were winging it on the details. Amen, Brother Mark! Futurabat, feel free to chime in on any WIP post I ever make. Please feel welcome here . . .
Danno Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Here are the best period pictures I have to offer. Hope they are of use. [Photos deleted in interest of bandwidth conservation.] Most of these are production stills from season one of the car on the backlot.* The two bottom pics are season two. Where's the ashtray?
Danno Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 I know this is a very small issue... but until this photo I had never seen the Batmobile's door handles! After all these years, I finally see where they were! But seeing as how the Batmobile is an open car... (did any crime in Gotham City ever happen when it was raining? If so I assume B and R arrived at Commissioner Gordon's office thoroughly soaked!)... why the door locks???!!! Considering the method Batman and Robin used to enter and exit the Batmobile ... and considering they learned that technique from a couple of good old cousins, shouldn't the Batmobile doors be welded shut to be accurately detailed? :lol:
Danno Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Nice job, Allen {not sure I'm allowed to say that, but you did ask for comments and I think that gives me a hallpass}! Nice job, Jacen, for jumping in with detail information and photos. Can't wait to get started on mine, now that I have all this very helpful data. Thanks to both of you for the heads-ups!
Harry P. Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 It might be too late in this case, but for anyone else planning on building this kit, I suggest you ream out the holes in the three pipes behind the canopy to get the walls of the pipes closer to a scale thickness... and then paint the insides with flat black.
Mooneyzs Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Very Cool... your build takes me back to when I used to enjoy watching the Old Batman and Robin TV show when I was a little kid, But they were a rerun then.
Tony T Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Allen - Thanks for taking us through this build...it will sure help me when I get started on mine.
Drake69 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Posted July 2, 2011 (edited) Okay. I went ahead and screwed down the body to the chassis, attached the lower fender panels then covered them in Future, attached the rear antenna and license plate, and put on the rear plate. After glazing the plate in Future I let it all dry overnight. The rear antenna had to be routed out with my pin vise and the peg sanded before it would even consider going into the hole, The license plate went on without a hitch. Although I am posting a "completed" thread, I still have the remaining spinner, BMF door handles, and parachute buckles to do. I also will try and darken the rocket tubes some, but to rout them out would require disassembly at this point. Here is a "teaser" shot of the car at this point.... Edited July 2, 2011 by Drake69
Drake69 Posted July 3, 2011 Author Posted July 3, 2011 Okay. BMF applied to door handles and buckles painted silver with Future shine. I have two more pics to post up soon to mark the last minute stuff, then all that's left is the spinner when I get it. Car is complete!
Tony T Posted July 3, 2011 Posted July 3, 2011 BRAVO!! You sure did it justice, Allen! I will be referring to this for my build especially for the interior.
David G. Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 (edited) It might be too late in this case, but for anyone else planning on building this kit, I suggest you ream out the holes in the three pipes behind the canopy to get the walls of the pipes closer to a scale thickness... and then paint the insides with flat black. Thanks Drake for all the hints and tips, you've helped me to avoid some frustrating mistakes on the one I'm currently building. Your build-up really came out nicely too! There is a question I have about the rocket tubes though; somehow I got it fixed in my mind that the insides are red and not black. If there is anybody who can confirm this matter for me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks, David G. Edited September 13, 2011 by David G.
High octane Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 Here are the best period pictures I have to offer. Hope they are of use. Most of these are production stills from season one of the car on the backlot.* The two bottom pics are season two. Wow, great photos and what are those two things above the beacon, are they lights also? Thanks.
Maindrian Pace Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 The BAT floor shifter looks pretty far back on that first car. -MJS
Maindrian Pace Posted September 13, 2011 Posted September 13, 2011 One of them looks to have a horn ring and an extra square thing on the dash. Does it have a 4spd looking floor shift? What's the T handle back between the seats do? That was what I thought the shifter was. -MJS
Custom Mike Posted September 16, 2011 Posted September 16, 2011 Allen, this is one of the nicest Batmobiles I've ever seen, even if it is a snap-together, great work! You've made me want to buy one now, Mike at my LHS will be very pleased with you! I saw another article here somewhere that suggested using actual aluminum foil with an added adhesive. I've thought about that before and i'm going to have to try it. It may not be as effective adhesion wise, as BMF but it's worth a shot. Jacen, since you've given such good advice, I'll give you some. Micro-Scale Metal Foil Adhesive is an excellent alternative to BMF. Get a bottle, and buy the cheapest, no-name aluminum foil you can find (It's thinner than the brand-name stuff!). There is a modification to the instructions on the bottle though. Instead of applying the adhesive to the foil as they suggest, paint it onto the trim you need foiled. Let it set for a few minutes to "tack", then lay your foil down and burnish it as usual. Once it's trimmed, polish the foil with your polish of choice (I use Mequiar's #7 Show Car Glaze), and you'll have great foil trim cheaply. I've got a few models with this on them, and they've held up for over a decade with no peeling!
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