Arrgh! That one starts resembling with one of my builds, when I get pinned into a point with the rest of the build just galloping forward (I still didn't finish my hood on Chrysler ). I think a little patience is the main ingredient there...

And yes, that red looks awesome!

Gabriel

Sanding pen added to wishlist

Bummer about the fender skirt. Our hobby do bestow upon us a few setbacks once in a while, but we love it nevertheless

Great choice of red. Even with a little setback, you're making good progress.

D,
The Red really looked quite good. But having to go back and redo those skirts is a real killer. I have to tip my modeling hat to you, as you didn't hesitate one min, and just did what had to be done. I'm sure that the effort will be well worth the effort.

Joel

Well for an early breakfast thismorning (before I headed out to work) I had a large coffee and a handful of wet&dry sandpaper




Primer tonight to see how this came up, then hopefully another crack at the top coat. I'm thinking a very fine rescribe of the fender/skirt delineation with a black pinwash after I'm happy with the top coat. I will cut a template of the shape before I prime it again.

Cheers, D

I've experienced about the same just a few days ago with my SAAF Gripen, Damian. Not putty and sanding but taking all paint off and do it all again. I know how frustatig it can be. Or as we say here in Germany "Nicht zur Strafe, nur zur Übung" which means in english something like "not to punish, just for practising" You'll get it .... That red on the engine hood looks awesome!

Torsten

"Practise makes perfect" . . . plenty more practise required for me!



Thanks mate, that has had a wet polish on one side with a super fine sanding sponge. This is my first time using the locally manufactured SMS Lacquer paint on a large surface, so I'm trying out a few variations of airbrush setup and pressure, as well as sanding to get a nice polished finish.

I really appreciate the feedback, and I hope your next attempt on the Gripen works out better. It's such a cool looking airframe (as are all Saab models).

Cheers, D

Yaiks! Those skirts are haunting! I guess at this point the best solution will be to fill them completely with putty, sand flash and re-scribe the contours as panel lines. (It may be I'm not "reading" correctly the pictures - the darker plastic or putty had me confused).

Gabriel

The slightly darker plastic is the remnants of my "sprue-goo" which is black. I have it sanded back nicely now and a fine coat of primer will show if I need to go over it again.

Cheers, D

D,
I'm hoping that your repair does the trick. Looking forward to your pics.

Joel

I have assembled the interior tub and firewall, installed the engine, and assembled the front inner guards and radiator. I still need to paint and detail the battery, give the engine a pin wash, and add a couple of parts to the firewall. Once the front assembly is complete the whole lot will get a bit of a pin wash, not to make it too grimy, just to pop the detail.

The lower body has paint and 3 light coats of SMS Super Clear Gloss lacquer. It will get a good wet sand then a further 2 solid coats of clear then a cut and polish.

After that I will mask for the chrome trims, then mask the trims up and unmask the roof for painting.

The side skirts came out quite good, I will get closer images of them once the clear is finished and I have scribed the join lines for pin wash. Overall this kit has been quite good. A bit fiddly in lining a couple of parts up where the joints were not defined, but once I worked it out it went together nicely.



Cheers, D

This is coming along really fine. Great to hear you were able to fix the side skirts.

D,
Great progress for sure. Looking forward to seeing how your steps look as you go through the sanding, polishing, and waxing process, and then marvel at the perfect '51 Bel Air body.

Joel

D, the body looks good - no doubt. Now, seeing the interior / exterior together, I'm quite sure you have hit the jackpot with the color combo (saved for later in my database).
Skirts problem solved, you are clearly on the fast lane with this build and I am anticipating a very attractive finish.

Cheers!
Gabriel

P.S. What the "Magic" thing is on your desk? I guess it's a glue, but which kind / characteristics?
G.

Thanks Gabriel, I'm happier with the results on the body now.




The bottle is "Plastic Magic" by Deluxe Materials, similar to Tamiya Extra Thin but with a lower odour, and I find on some of the older plastics it gives a stronger bond. It is suitable for use on a range of plastics as well, not just Styrene.

https://deluxematerials.co.uk/products/plastic-magic-1

Quite a few local stores are starting to stock this brand now, and I use it more frequently on the older car kits.

Cheers, D

This is looking nice D.

Two things, what are those two black things in the lower part of the photo?
The other is if I hadn’t of known that it was masked I love the effect of the paint on the roof, the photo makes it look sort of like a 3D custom mottled paint job.

Thanks Luciano. Now that you say it, the roof does look pretty cool!
The black things are shrouds that run either side of the engine from the firewall to beside the radiator. I will post up a reference pic soon.

Cheers, D

Hi Damian,
I have just read this through from the start, I seemed to have missed it. Great idea and great cause, but what happened to the idea of keeping the colour a secret?

cheers
Michael

Hi Michael.

A few of us have been in contact on various Facebook pages and we decided that promoting the Single Kit Group Build by posting our progress would be more important in raising the profile and interest in the fundraiser, hopefully generate more entrants.

The judging will be a great fun event day regardless of how it turns out for any of us.

Cheers, D

Luciano, here you go. You can see the black trunking or shrouds either side of the engine.



Cheers, D

That moment when you scratch your head trying to work out what and where



The instructions are vague and there is no locating point on the firewall, and I have looked at as many engine bay shots as I can find for the 51 Bel Air 6-cylinder, these little things just don't exist.

Off to the spares bin with them!

Cheers, D

Thanks D makes sense now, from the photo I was thinking the upper one was a very poor moulding of a diff, thankfully it’s not.

Ow parts that don’t belong, I think at some point most of us can share that head scratching moment.

D., isn't that two halves of a collar to lock the piece going thru the hole (air compressor?) from behind the firewall?

scratch! scratch!

Gabriel

D,
I'm racking my brain trying to remember exactly what those pipes were as the last time I actually saw them was back in the very late 50s.

For starters one is a fresh for air, the other is part of the heater system.

On the very left that is the fresh air intake with a manual flapper to close of the flow of so called fresh air. I still think it's pretty funny that they sucked in air from the engine compartment that had all sorts of engine fluid smells.

To the right of it is two hoses, they moved hot water from the radiator core top to the heater core. The other hose for the spent hot water being returned to the radiator to start the cycle again. The other duct is right below the actual heater fan which is behind that plate. That's where the air for the heater system comes from. I just don't remember if it was actually attached to the radiator or just hung off of a bracket near it.

Joel

Thanks for the feedback guys, here are a couple more reference images of the same engine bay from different angles. The trunking attaches to the front radiator brackets on either side of the radiator, so I think they take fresh air in before it hits the engine bay.




Plenty of scope for scratch on the wiring and hoses here.

Cheers, D

Hi Damian

That could be the sub-title to my modelling "career"! But, in all fairness, if I could get a quid for every time I thought I had a seam looking perfect - only for a coat of paint to highlight it like the Grand Canyon!... - I'd have a nice little nest-egg to look forward to one day!

Your build is just looking great! A classic '50s American car kit like this is definitely in my sights and causing an ominous itch in my wallet, so I can't see it being too long before I succumb!

All the best

Rowan