Dodge Viper SRT10

[Merkava]

Okay, I'm cheating a little for starting this kit before finishing the 612... I hope you all will forgive me.

So I decided to build this kit because I have been feeling a little uninspired by the austere nature of the Scaglietti. I needed something hotblooded to keep me going, and a Viper is just what the doctor ordered.
On another level the new Vipers hold a special meaning to me. I had the privilege to drive one of these beasts during a performance driving course held by Skip Barber Racing School. The experience was something you can't easily forget for sure, and I have not forgotten how it felt to have 500hp pouring onto the concrete below me.

Here I am in Sebring, FL (I'm the one driving):


Those cars were red, but I plan to paint mine black. While we are talking plans, I also want to strip the chrome from the stock wheels and paint them in MM Magnesium metallizer. Interior will be black, maybe with some color trim.

So far I have begun detailing the engine. I added fuel rails made from paperclip and fuel injector wires from fine steel wire painted black:


Then I added spark plug wires:


I covered the scripts on the valve covers with BMF, then painted them gloss red. When it dried I scraped off the paint to reveal the scripts. I detailed the pulleys with testors chrome silver. The whole engine is washed in thinned down Smoke. Finally I made an oil dipstick from fine wire and painted the sparkplug wires dark gray:





Last thing is I primed the body in Testors Lacquer Gray Primer:



Oh, another thing I feel like mentioning. Here at Kansas State, the Architecture building has two features I plan to use extensively to my advantage. One is the spraybooth:

Say hello to my buddy Nick!
This is one huge spraybooth, and I use it for all lacquer painting now.

The other thing is called the Heliodon:

This is a giant photgraphy room designed to replicate any lighting condition you could possibly imagine. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but this is where I will be taking many on my completed photos, hopefully.


That's it for now! Comments and suggestions are welcome!

[WasteGas]

Photography room? right... looks more like a UFO observatory LOL

Great progress so far. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see the final product.

[99civichic]

You lucky dog...all we have in the ENGR department at my school has is a rapid prototype machine capable of making model parts...and a CNC machine

[redstang423]

I built a replica of the wheels on my 1:1 car on the CNC machine at my school.. this post actually gave me the idea to do that in 1:24 or 25 scale so i can make a scale replica of my car.... I don't know if they would be too happy if I used our spray booth for model car painting.

the other interesting thing we have at my school is a 3D printer. I can basically "print" any plastic part i could ever imagine. It works by "growing" the part... imagine printer ink having thickness, and layering it to grow a 3D part. It even prints out a water soluble medium so that you can make a part with a spinning axle or something like that in the medium, run the final product in water, and dissolve out the medium, leaving you with a free spinning part. Hopefully I'll be able to find something interesting to use that for....

[arknok784]

Great engine job. I'm going to have to watch this build. Nice to have that spray booth at ur disposal. And I can't wait to see some sick shots of the completed project from inside the spaceship thingy!

[NissanSkylineGTR98]

wow nice work on the engine, mustve been some experience driving a SRT-10, i thought i knew fast when i got to drive a new malibu with the 3.5l v6 in it

[D_LaMz]

nice progress and I thought that photo room was an atomic bomb!

[mickbench]

Nice kit, nice car as well.. Stunning detail with the engine.

Would love to try this kit myself, but can't find it for sale in the UK.. Such is life..!!

[gionc]

Originally Posted by redstang423

I built a replica of the wheels on my 1:1 car on the CNC machine at my school.. this post actually gave me the idea to do that in 1:24 or 25 scale so i can make a scale replica of my car.... I don't know if they would be too happy if I used our spray booth for model car painting.

the other interesting thing we have at my school is a 3D printer. I can basically "print" any plastic part i could ever imagine. It works by "growing" the part... imagine printer ink having thickness, and layering it to grow a 3D part. It even prints out a water soluble medium so that you can make a part with a spinning axle or something like that in the medium, run the final product in water, and dissolve out the medium, leaving you with a free spinning part. Hopefully I'll be able to find something interesting to use that for....

Stereolytography: it' fun becouse is not a milling CNC so it can work undersquare without shape turning, anyway normally don't match a fine texture like a good milling: a lot of time to handfinish is required.

I also had a professional CNC proto machine in my office since 2 years ago then I trade for 2 parametric design cad. Was really unuseful to me: too waste of time, I made prototype (my designs not models) by outsource. I simply hadn't time for modelling for long time too. Now I took my spares time and havent CNC machine

[Merkava]

Hey all!

I've been getting more work done these last few weeks, since Studio has been winding down.

I started painting the body, the color is Duplicolor Nighthawk Black Pearl. It's a neat color to look at in person; it has a subtle blue pearl in the black. Once I get some clear on it, you should be able to see it.
This is the body with about five coats of paint, no clear yet:



I've also been working to get the interior done:



Another thing I've done is the exhaust. The real car has a metal-foil heatshield over the headers, which I tried to replicate with BMF:



I painted the pipes in MM Metallizer Stainless Steel, and heatstained them with Burnt Metal. Then I washed them with Tamiya Smoke:




I might finish this one before Christmas break, but I doubt it. I have four finals next week, so who knows what will happen?

Anyways, Comments and Criticism welcome!

[willimo]

The motor and the interior look great! The body looks like it's coming along well, also. You lucky stiff - the only cars I build that I've driven are Hondas This is gonna be a sweet build, I'm looking forward to seeing it move right a long.

[white97ex]

looking real good

[Jaimenew]

Color Nighthawk Black Pearl looks very well
Great choice

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by Jaimenew

Color Nighthawk Black Pearl looks very well
Great choice

It doesn't just look good, it SOUNDS great too IMO !! In fact, it almost sounds like a Marvel superhero character LOL

Great job on the build. Did you use foil for heat shielding in the headers?

[Wheelin75r]

The heat-washes on the exhaust look verry realistic!