Amuse 350z Super Leggera Conversion

[KevHw]

I wish I could do interiors as good as yours. Looking very clean and liking all the little details. Looking forward to more...

[janositamas]

Convincing modelling so far, congrats! I like the interior color combo. Keep us updated!

[rockinanko]

One piece of friendly advice for this build bro...
just make sure the styrene mods all add up to a smooth body flow(aerodynamics).

how to judge that?
oh, as long as you feel it's SMOOTH & LOGIC...you'll be doing fine.

cheers!

[tuned.by.twenty]

Thanks for the replies everyone!
rockinanko: no need to worry. The body will not go into paint until it's perfect.
Updates soon hopefully; I'm out of grey primer so painting has temporarily stopped.

[ImolaEK]

Wow, great stuff. The exterior of the car looks very challenging but it seems like you have it all under control! Great work, can't wait to see more~

[tuned.by.twenty]

Thank you all for your continued interest!
Well, I was out running errands again today and got the Nismo kit. I also managed to get into a debate with my mother over how much time and money I spend at the hobby shop, while I was merging into heavy traffic. Thanks Mom.....



I also wanted to try a mock-up with some wheels. I think I found a suitable back-up set, in case I can't find a scale version of the 1:1's wheels.


(My favorite picture)

If I do go with the Advans, I'll paint the red plastic (spokes and back half of wheel), probably a variant of aluminum.
Over the weekend I'll take care of the mold lines and any other small imperfections, and then the fun can start.

[rsxse240]

SA3-R, excellent choice!

as for your debate with your mom...Simply tell her it's better than spending hundreds of dollars on drugs, or booze. Not only that, but it's somewhat educational, and mentally stimulating. These are things parents like to hear, specially when they are TRUE!

[tuned.by.twenty]

Originally Posted by rsxse240

SA3-R, excellent choice!

as for your debate with your mom...Simply tell her it's better than spending hundreds of dollars on drugs, or booze. Not only that, but it's somewhat educational, and mentally stimulating. These are things parents like to hear, specially when they are TRUE!

That is literally the exact argument I use every time-and it works. She just likes to remind me.

[tuned.by.twenty]

Another update. As of late I'm really in the mood to work on my 350Z.
I decided I'd start at the front and work back, which meant that the whole front bumper/lip/undertray assembly is first. Of that assembly I thought it'd be good to start on the grill and radiator. Here is a reference photo to show what it has to look like:

And this is the scale version. Not quite the same.

To start, the grill had to go.


By gluing the two halves to the body and lip, I could keep the original mounting points and assembly order.



After some block-sanding, the upper half has almost been finished.

Next up, the radiator, chassis, and front lip have to be modified to match the real versions.
The radiator, for instance, has to be reworked by extending the sides. Oh look, I've made more work for myself.

That's all for this update. I still have a good bit of sanding ahead of me to finish smoothing the front lip and bumper opening.

[tonioseven]

You can handle it!

[gulzz]

very awesome dude.. like it..
why u change ur mind about the hood?

[tuned.by.twenty]

Originally Posted by gulzz

very awesome dude.. like it..
why u change ur mind about the hood?

I didn't. The original hood will be swapped onto the Nismo body at a later date.
And while I'm replying to this thread, I thought it'd be good to have a picture to go along with it. The front lip has undergone some work, so it's better than nothing. The two parts have been smoothed together as one using a strip of styrene to fill the gap. Only a small indent remains.

Progress is slowed at the moment as much of my time is going into the Mini Cooper and my resin engine kit (it's driving me insane ). Hopefully more sometime soon.

[JTninja]

Very nice work so far! Very interesting progress...

[tuned.by.twenty]

Updates!
After a little 'disaster' with my R33, I was immediately put off of modelling for several days. All interest and motivation were gone. They've started to come back though, so I've tinkered a bit with a kit or two.
The front lip has had the last small dips filled with putty and the whole thing has been smoothed out. Next up the lip has to be extended, and an undertray has to be molded in as well.


The front of the chassis is still very rough at this point, but is gradually being smoothed out. With no grill to hide it the whole radiator assembly has to be show-quality.


The final update for today is of the radiator itself. The sides have to be extended as the 1:1 radiator is wider than the kit part.

On another topic, I've started to think that the stock seats should be replaced with something...sportier.
These are one possibility, resin Ferrari 599 seats. Any thoughts?

[willimo]

I've been wanting an excuse to use those seats in something - I think that car would be as good an excuse as any. Though I'm sure the Ferrari folk will take none too kindly to it.

What is that going across the radiator in your reference picture? A chassis stiffener?