Hi Folks,
Thanks for the kind words, Dingo. This is a long-term project that will take
at least a year or two. The current building is just a temporary mock-up and
too small for my final goals. As you'll see from the latest pics, a scale shop
tends to fill up with "stuff" just as quickly as the real thing.
Well, it's pouring rain so I decided to take a break, get caught up on some
photos, and dive into the next build.
I've recently acquired an airbrush and plan to use it extensively from now
on so, any advice in that area would be most welcome. I just need to get
everything set up and practice a little more then I should be off and
running. I'll just say here that painting isn't my favorite part of modeling so I
tend to "batch process" as much as possible. I'll spend a number of sessions
prepping as many parts as I can manage then prime them all at once. Then
sort it all into color groups and go at it again. Right now, I'm mostly
prepping and scratch-building but I hope to have the airbrush set up and
parts ready to prime in the next week or two.
A little more about my build style. My primary production modes are:
research and design; scratch-building; prep and alteration of molded pieces;
primer and paint; and finally decals. I bounce around regularly though I do
tend to build in the following order: engine; chassis; running gear; interior;
other additions/modifications; and finish with the body and decals. Saving
the body until last allows time to consider any changes/improvements to it
or the rest of the model and prevents the body and/or decals from being
damaged while the rest of the model is completed.
Two of the things that got me re-ignited about models were SPEED
channel's WRC coverage in the early 2000's and the potential for reference
photos on the Web. Of course, the only good one I have been able to find
of the current project is included below so, if you happen to have others, or
could point me in the direction of some, I would be eternally grateful.
As for recent progress, pretty much just the scratch-built stuff (structure,
palette, stairs, bench, table, trailer box) and the very beginnings of the
current build. The Evo body and parts are very clean (thanks Tamiya!) and
will require minimal work so I dove right in on the suspension mod's. The
wheel-wells will be red so, while probably not "correct", I'll go with white
springs for contrast. Everything else will most likely be as is, but you never
know.
Thanks again for your encouragement and enthusiasm for this project. As
always, questions, comments, and suggestions welcome.
Cheers!
Some exterior shots of the "finished" prototype structure
The panel to the left opens to reveal the bathroom etc but I spaced getting a shot
Open sez me!
All our ducks in a row...
The shop bike has her new pipes, though they seem a little big...
Nice to have that stuff off the floor...
No more climbing the walls...
And some more new fixtures...
She's got a few miles...
More ducks in a row...
And the next "victim"...
You can see the template for the stairs and some extra (tarmac) parts from the kit to the right.
"Shocking"... apologies for the washed out pic but hopefully you get the idea.
OK, I know these aren't the best pics but it's late and the light is marginal at best. Hope you enjoyed them anyway!
Cheers!
.
.