Saab Aero-X 1/6

[mike@af]

Those carbon ceramic discs are amazing! Great work, and brilliant idea! The rest of your build is just as magnificent. Can't wait to see more.

[hirg]

my God!!!!!!

[kaho]

You are officially my new scratchbuild deity! The brake rotors are genius! Was this how you made your brake pads too?

[crisjr]

Oh my goodness!! this is definitely a thread that should be follow by every modeler!!.. great start.. the rims looks perfect!!.. what paint did you use to get that chrome result??

[Fizik]

Originally Posted by kaho

You are officially my new scratchbuild deity! The brake rotors are genius! Was this how you made your brake pads too?

Originally Posted by crisjr

Oh my goodness!! this is definitely a thread that should be follow by every modeler!!.. great start.. the rims looks perfect!!.. what paint did you use to get that chrome result??

Thanks!

I actually made new brake rotors already with a bit finer carbon particles and different rotor bell. Looks even better I think. The brake pads are made of black, softer cd case. Easy to cut and after light sanding with fine grit paper I got that result.

For painting the rims I used Alclad polished aluminum over Alclad gloss black base. So I was not after the chrome.

FYI this is my first ever model to make or assemble, so I think I'm the one that should follow other modellers threads. And lately I have, and got some new ideas and techniques which is great! But for this Saab it's a bit too late to put all the new knowledge to use that mostly I have learned in the process of making it. But I'll finish it the way I'm able to and be proud of it when it's sitting behind the glass showcase and say: "I could not buy one, so I made one"

[Fizik]

Here are some "behind the scenes" photos. Since I only have two wheels done, I'm working with the rest of them. Just like brake calipers.











The wheel hub is from an rc car and the spokes are cut from 2mm styrene sheet, filed to shape and then baked in an oven for about 30 seconds to make it soft and give the right curve. So, if you ever want to spend 40+ workhours to make a wheel - now you know how it's made...

[crisjr]

i wish i could see some more progress on this project

[Fizik]

As some of you may know, Saab is going through a very difficult phase of its life and has filed for bankruptcy. Why I drive a Saab and what attracts me to this brand is a mixture of many unique ingredients that other car brands do not have or do not mix together the way Saab does.

But even if they really do not make Saabs any more, I will. And through that show my gratitude and deepest respect to people who have made my favorite car recipe.

With that in mind I am trying to spend at least some time I have in the weekends to the model.

New brake disc with smaller carbon particles and with new center part:



Half done exhaust pipe:



And the template for headlight:



But here is a question: I was thinking that the headlights glass could be made by vacuum forming a clear plastic sheet over the template. What I found was that the clear plastic that I'm using is not as easy to manipulate with. It appeared to cool down ultra quickly when taken from the oven or was not soft enough... Does anybody have any experience or suggestions for this kind of process?

Here is the clear plastic used:



Oh, and here is my favorite recipe - and it's all mine....

[ales]

Good to see your model is doing better than Saab itself.

Nice 2-door there! Turbo? (I'm a Volvo guy myself )

[Fizik]

Originally Posted by ales

Good to see your model is doing better than Saab itself.

Nice 2-door there! Turbo? (I'm a Volvo guy myself )

It's a 1993 900 Aero. Yes, it's a turbo

[crisjr]

Well done so far.. glad to see that you didn't gave up!. i wish i had some experience to share you with regarding to reproducing the glasses.

btw... very nice car.. 1993.. it looks very nice

[countach79]

crazy!!

[Pascal D]

WOW this is a nice project. Your workmanship is stunning.

But here is a question: I was thinking that the headlights glass could be made by vacuum forming a clear plastic sheet over the template. What I found was that the clear plastic that I'm using is not as easy to manipulate with. It appeared to cool down ultra quickly when taken from the oven or was not soft enough... Does anybody have any experience or suggestions for this kind of process?

Try using the clear plastic from a blister package. Make a mold for the headlights, heat the plastic with a lighter and pull it over the mold.

Sincerely

Pascal

[914joe]

Some great modeling here!!! I have had success with limited experience vacuforming sheet styrene. I've always had to make a frame that had pins and made holes in the styrene located on the pins so the styrene will strech and not bend & warp when heated. Are you using a vaccum box???

[Fizik]

I have not made the vacuum box just yet, but there is no escape from that

But I had some time this weekend and managed to get my hands on the model.
Not much but everything takes me a lot of time.

New brake caliper finish. I wanted them to stand out a bit more since I put a lot of effort into them. But it had to stay modest. The mat gold seems to do the trick. Just the red Brembo decal is missing


All 4 tires and wheels are finally fabricated. (To be painted)


And the two small air intakes next to the headlights are also being made