Scary 'Meri

[CrewDawg15]

Well...the Scare lady Z build is on hold because of a busted body , but I still want to progress on with the OS Giken TC24-B1. So...I went through the stash of kits that I packed away for this trip, and found the perfect car...a KPGC110 Kenmeri. IMO, its the perfect kit for a swap since the S20 engine included in the kit is compete garbage. If I ever build a true GT-R, I'd use a Tamiya S20 anyways...waaayyy better looking.

I've seen a few of these kits built recently. They look good, but most guys fall a little short on the engine bay. You must do A Lot of hacking away at the wheel wells, or the bay will look Waaayyy too claustrophobic . With all of the work I've done the the engine, I have to build a worthy engine by to fit it in. So...armed with my trusty razor saw, a knife and a full 15 pack of blades , a ton of styrene, and glue, and a whole lot of imagination with some reference pics thrown in for good measure , I started to hack away at the Fujimi chassis.

Here's how I turned this Fujimi chassis into a FuJimmy chassis:







All together:





Finally...the money shot. Here's what makes 'Meri Scary!!!:



Now the Giken Goblin has some breathing room in the engine bay .

Thanks for looking.

Jimmy

[euro_z]

love your work!

[tonioseven]

Terrific work as always! I'm not too certain about building mine now because yours will blow mine out of the water.

[CrewDawg15]

Thanks guys.

Don't worry Tonio...I don't have a real good track record of actually finishing a build

Its been a while since my last update...life has gotten in the way, I haven't got a chance to do much. Also, my next update has been a real pain to get right. I went through a lot of styrene before I was finally happy with the outcome. What am I talking about you ask? I'm talking trannys...no not the kind named Lola , but Nissan's old trusted workhorse, the FS5W71. Here is what Fujimi came up with on their incarnations:

S20 type in their Kenmeri kit


The one attached to their L24 from their 240Z Fairlady kit


Overall, not bad looking, but to me, not very accurate...especially in the belhousing area. It took me quite a few attempts, but I finally got it. I present to you the FuJimmy TC24 with a FS5W71B 5-speed tranny:



Its about 90% done, just needs a few more details to it before I'm happy. Finding a good reference is really hard because of all of the different versions of it, so this one is bit of a hybrid/composite of all of my references I have.

Now, the motor parts count is climbing, and I can move on with the rest of the engine bay fabrication.



Thanks for looking!

Jimmy

[tonioseven]

Geez!! It's a work of art already and it's BARE PLASTIC!!!

[CrewDawg15]

Thanks Tonio! Things are moving a bit low because I'm using model glue instead of the super glue that I usually use to Fab up engine bays. I have to wait a bit for it to set up, but I don't have to sand as hard

So I watched a bit of TV, and inspiration kicked in. Gaps are a big pet peeve of mine, so I started closing them off. I closed off the space between the front of the rear wheelwells, between the trunk floor and rear fenders, and the rear valance and trunk floor.

As most of you know me...the more I look at something, the more I find fault. I decided that my first strut towers were a little anorexic, so I made a new set with a bit more meat on their bones . I also finished up he upper firewall, and radiator support. Now, just gotta let all of the glue set up before slapping some color on her.

Thanks for looking.

Jimmy

[CrewDawg15]

I was hoping to have a big update, but my paint was not cooperating with me...the interior is getting its third alcohol bath

I did get some color on the chassis though...the moment of truth on how my fabrication work turned out. I just had to touch up a little bit on the firewall, but overall I'm pretty happy with how she's turning out. Here's a teaser on what color she's gonna be:




Its Model Master GM Fathom Green lacquer paint. I wanted something different than the usual colors...a color that screams 1970's

Jimmy

[mike@af]

Great work Jimmy, as usual! Can't wait to see more!

[tonioseven]

Yeah, this is good so far!!! I have a friend stationed over there with you. His name's Russ Crump and he builds models as well. You might run into each other at a hobby shop.

[CrewDawg15]

Thanks Mike...you know me, I'm not afraid of a little work

Tonio...Russ contacted me last year, but work commitments have been in the way. Actually, Ive been away from home since April...I'm building this one in my hotel room. Hopefully, when I get back I'll be able to get in contact with him again.

Jimmy

[rsxse240]

Sad thing is, no one is going to appreciate it unless they've built the kit you are working from. It looks so realistic and well planned out that one would be led to believe it's been cast that way from the box. I guess that's what you strive for really. If it looks like nothing's been done, then you've done a great job, right? lol

The detail is very striking, I am quite impressed.

[CrewDawg15]

Yeah...I'm not a big aftermarket fan, so you won't see that from me. What you will see is some honest building. I try to get it right...I might not get it at first, but I keep trying until I do. My SR20 engine, and the tranny for this one is a prime example. I had a lot of attempts before I posted up what I did. In fact, when I get around to it, I need to re make my SR intake, and revamp the S13's engine bay...I see room for improvement

[CrewDawg15]

Finally, I got the interior painted. I spent way too much time on it than I should have because its gonna be hid by the body...I don't plan on opening any doors. I used a combination of Tamiya semi gloss and flat black for the seats, and Model Master semi gloss black for the dash and door panels. I based 'Meri off of a 2000GT, and not a GT-R, so she got wood grain trim instead of the GT-R's brushed metal. The carpet is black embossing powder. Fujimi didn't include pedals, so I fabbed up a brake and clutch and Joe Dirt foot gas pedal





The steering wheel was taken from my busted Fairlady build since a Datsun steering wheel is a common "upgrade " in Japan. Also, the red in the horn button will get toned down once it dries.

Now, I can move on to the suspension. Stay tuned for more...

Jimmy

[hirg]

Perfect! 11/10!

[drunken monkey]

always a pleasure seeing you/r work.
it's when someone makes it look easy that you know how good they are at it.