custom body kit help?

[sliferkiller]

I have a few questions about making a custom body kit before i mess everything up, I'm planning on adding skirts, front and rear body kits, and possibly adding more vents to the body
1) Tools I will need: other than the basic, hobby knife, sand paper, various cements,
2) what materials will i need? what kinda putty, and plastics

3) better to start with a picture of what i want, or free hand?

[Ace-Garageguy]

First things first.

3) Start with a drawn-out plan for what you want to accomplish. There's no better way to make an ugly mess that doesn't work design-wise than to just start cutting and gluing with no coherent goal. The real-car custom world is full of the results, and so is the modeling equivalent. If you can't draw yet, get yourself one of the many "how to draw cars" books and practice....that is, if you want to do good looking work.

1) A razor saw with a 32TPI blade, and probably some PE saws as well. Files: small jewlers and rifflers, medium size flat, triangular and round files too. A Dremel is always good to have, with a wide assortment of bits. Several sizes of X-acto handles and blades. Sanding blocks and sticks. Things to roll sandpaper around to make round openings, like wheel-wells.

2) Sheet plastic from suppliers like Evergreen of Plastruct. Shapes and strip-stock too. Epoxy, CA and liquid cement. 2-part polyester glazing putty (for real cars) for heavy fills, something like Squadron Green one-part putty for minor imperfections. High-build primers, and sandable primers.

That should get you going.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[sliferkiller]

Ah thanks for the detailed response, will get ordering tools once i get a basic design of what i want. Probably will start basic and not too advanced until i get comfortable with cutting my bodies..

Also do you have any tips for being styrene/polystyrene? Heat to make it softer? and will i need to make a mold to conform it, for instance if i needed to make a hood scoop, make a wood block and conform the styrene to that shape? Whats the difference between styrene and PS?

Edited September 15, 2014 by sliferkiller

[Ace-Garageguy]

As far as modeling is concerned, "styrene" and "polystyrene" are pretty much interchangeable terms. They're not as far as chemistry goes, but "styrene" is usually taken to mean "polystyrene" among model builders.

As far as the techniques go for working the stuff, they're varied and range from simple cold-bending to making hard molds and vacuum-forming. Start with simple projects, develop skills, and move to more complex work.

[sliferkiller]

thanks, notes taken, will start rough draft

[sliferkiller]

If i were to take the fujimi kit of the lamborghini gallardo and convert it to the later series front like this one : how hard would you think it was on a scale of 1-10

[Mike Kucaba]

Not trying to hose you here, But if you didn't know about styrene, I'd say a 10.

Your playing a guessing game here. No one knows your skill level or if you have even built a model car.

Why not give a little insight as to where your at in building model cars, or any models

Fair enough?

[sliferkiller]

I havent been into any custom work, just building stock box builds,