Custom / Concept '09 Challenger SportWagon: Back on the bench, Feb.28

[Mopar - D]

Bill great build you have going on here glad to see that you have been able to get this one going again. By the way this is a mix between my wife's Magnum and my Challenger very cool idea.

[rustybill1960]

I am truly in awe of Your concept and design on this build

The body lines are very visually pleasing in the form and flow

and I like that You also kept the rear quarter window in

I am glad Your able to get back into the project looking forward to more

Thank You for sharing it with Us here

later

Russ

[vwrabbit]

Keep going! Want to see this completed!

Tim

[dino246gt]

Beautiful shape, very sleek, I'd buy one!

[Steven Zimmerman]

Great job. For those of you interested, Race Motor Replicas offers a similar body in resin.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Thanks again for all the enthusiastic and positive comments. I'm really trying to get a few minutes in on it every day, just to keep it moving forward...at least a little.

[Dominik]

Looking good so far!

[DrKerry]

Hey Bill, I only got one thing to say to you!!!!!!!! That thing flat out rocks!!!!! Love the idea you came up with, it all fits so well together!!!!! Great concept!!!

[pharr7226]

Great execution of the concept... especially the roof. Life always seems to interfere with bench time in my house too. Good luck on getting back to bench. We'll be here when you do.

[Ace-Garageguy]

One of the toughest parts has been getting the lines scribed back in the new roof. Several fillers I've tried wouldn't hold the sharp detail. I ended up using West Epoxy 105, and microballoon to get it.

I made filler / stiffeners for the sides of the Magnum pillars, to close up the back glass and reinforce the joints at the decklid...

...and another stiffener for the pillar joints underneath.

[customsrus]

looking good Ace, glad to see you working on this again.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Thanks. There have been some scale engineering issues come up, plus all the lost time moving, but I'm beginning to see the possible end of this one.

[DrKerry]

Kool...

[dragzz]

i like the work that u are doing to it vary cool keep up the great work

[MikeBoyle]

Thanks. There have been some scale engineering issues come up, plus all the lost time moving, but I'm beginning to see the possible end of this one.

The scale issues can be frustrating. Glad to see you are working through them.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Thanks for the encouragement. The scribing on the roof was very frustrating, as I'd get it looking nice and sharp, and it would flake off just when I thought I had it beat. Having to sand the whole mess off and start fresh with some other filler made me tend to put the model away for a while, between attempts.

None of the one-part putties would hold the sharp detail and stay stuck to the body, nor would any of the 2-part polyesters. Once it crumbled or flaked, there wasn't any point putting more on and trying again. It became obvious each material I tried had limitations, so it just had to be removed and filled with something tougher until I found something that worked.

[microwheel]

You got some great scratch building talent. Love how this is coming along.

[Ace-Garageguy]

The hold up now (it's always something) is deciding if the "reachover" (the height of whatever obstructs the rear load floor) needs to be improved. I know, nobody is ever really going to load little engines or surfboards or groceries into a model, but I like to get things so they COULD work in real-life.

 

Cutting down through the taillight casting and housing, and making the center part of the light assembly raise up with the deck is the obvious solution, but the saw-cut will go right through the centers of the little molded-in "bulbs" in the reflective housing, and will miss the scribed-in lines on the lens casting itself.

 

It's always something.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Custom Mike]

Bill, I know it's too late, since you've got the lines cut in the roof already, but give this stuff a shot next time!

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28553&st=0&p=274698

Scroll down to reply #11 to see how well panel lines come out with this stuff!

Edited August 10, 2014 by Custom Mike

[Ace-Garageguy]

Getting the roof panel-lines scribed wasn't working as cleanly as I would have liked, and I shelved the model until I could work it out to suit my need for quality. I eventually found just the right mix of epoxy and Cab-o-Sil that would take sharp lines without flaking on the edges.

Then I had to find a better method for getting the lines on the left to match exactly the lines on the right. Few things spoil a model quicker (in my opinion) than poorly scribed panel lines, and since these were on the top of the car, very obvious, they had to be right.

I laid out the edges of the new lines with a piece of stiff aluminum tape, well burnished down.

The new photo-etched razor-saw blades I got a few weeks back made the perfect scribing tool, keeping the lines straight and true. She's ready for primer on the roof at this point.

 

 

[lghtngyello03]

This looks awesome, love the change of wheels too! Wish I had the skill to do this.

 

[Mr. Metallic]

I've not seen this one before. Very cool. I really liked the fact that you kept the full side window openings.

[iBorg]

What's Cab O Sil?

 

The lines look very well done.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Thanks to all for your interest and comments. 

What's Cab O Sil?

It's a trade name for fumed silica, a very fine thickening agent used for a variety of products, widely used in composite adhesive applications. It's much finer than talc or microballoon.    

http://www.eagerplastics.com/cab.htm

 

[BLOODBANE]

Very cool concept. Im glad on the other hand that they didnt make these in 1:1. We have a 2014 challenger and seeing yours, I could only imaging the blind spot on this car (the Challenger has a terrible blind spot on it, sucks when backing out of parking places). I love the car on everything else.

 

Keep up the great work....