Panel Lines

[Jay!]

I have an idea, but I don't know if it would do more harm than good.

What would happen if you cut apart a car body at every panel line? I'm going to open the hood of my Mugen ITR, so I was wondering why not cut apart the whole front end to fit the front bumper better? (Normally, it just fits over the existing bumper.)

Would you have to construct a whole frame for the panels to connect back to? Would it make the panel lines look more realistic, giving them real depth?

What do you guys (or girls ) think? Any examples?

[primera man]

Good luck

It can be done but would take a lot of work to cut them out and getting them to fit correctly again.
You would have to make/buy something to support the door etc.
I have seen it done on only one other model and it looked really good. The guy made all his own brackets for the doors etc.
Maybe do a look through some model places to see if they can help out with fittings.

[hiro]

That would be really cool make the doors open too (but how do u keep them closed?) How do you keep the hood open?
I'd love to see the end result, of course I have no idea how you go about doing it

Originally posted by jay@af
What do you guys (or girls ) think? Any examples?

haha how many girls here?? (apart from me..hmmm)

[Murco]

Yes, it can be done!! One of my many ongoing projects is a replica of the Gibb Harrell ZL1 Camaro dragster. The body has been completely opened and I will use rare earth magnets (see Radio Shack or any electronics store) to hold the doors closed. Since it is a racer I can get away with "simplified" hinges and mounts as the real car has them!! Were this a factory stock car I'd make the hinges out of brass shim stock, formed with pliers. The hood hinges can be made from the same material if you cut it out, find a piece of metal with a thin groove in it for forming the ridges, and pinning it with soldered brass hinges. When I get going forward with this project I'll do a thread.
BTW - Cut the panels out with sewing thread (practice on an old body first) for the cleanest, tightest gaps ever seen!!

[Jay!]

You use the thread like a saw, right? How do you hold the car while you do it?

I need to know more about making hinges. Any references?

[Murco]

Originally posted by jay@af
You use the thread like a saw, right? How do you hold the car while you do it?

I use a little C-shaped loop to hold the thread tight with one hand and hold the body with the other

I need to know more about making hinges. Any references?

Very easy!! Use U-shaped brass channel stock, use a dremel too cut to rough shape of factory hinge and file to final shapes. Use thin guitar string for the pins. I'll make a couple and post photos next weekend...

[Guiddy]

No offence Jay, but do you really want to start such an ambitious project?
One can often get bored if a kit is taking too long to finish! (i.e. my extensive R390 Project!)

[nismo kid]

Whats the point in using rare earth magnets? Wouldn't normal ferrous ones do? I'm sure they'd be a lot cheaper.

[Jay!]

Originally posted by nismo kid
Whats the point in using rare earth magnets? Wouldn't normal ferrous ones do? I'm sure they'd be a lot cheaper.

IIRC, rare earth magnets are stronger for their smaller size, making them easier to hide in projects like these. I remember people using them to mount interchangable limbs on figure models...

[nismo kid]

Forgive me for sounding stupid beyond the realms of believability, but what does IIRC mean?

[Jay!]

Originally posted by nismo kid
what does IIRC mean?

It's short for "If I recall/remember correctly." Heep never knows any of my acronyms, either, so don't feel bad.