A Streetcar Named Desire (Katrina Fund)

[mikevillena]

I finally got Desire's bodyshell....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire.jpg

I'm still vacillating on the powerplant......perhaps a 427 FE all alloy from Caroll Shelby? Oh and probably no blower on this one. Just some massive Holley's and enough torque to spin the earth the other way :cool:

[Legend_Car]

when are we going to see production on this one

[mikevillena]

when are we going to see production on this one
I'll be starting on the engine block sometime today. :) Oh, and I'll be donating the completed Concours bodyshell to Pitstop's Katrina Fund :D :D :D

[FESTER2004]

really, thats cooL! i in the mist of working on a body to sell for donation too! i will try to put it up on ebay somehow!its a traxxas nitro rustler body

[More Juice]

that is very nice of you. Cant wait to see how it turns out.

[Piggy89373]

Mike, after looking at it, it's definitely crying out for the Caroll Shelby 427. You have to take it back to a real muscle car! After looking at it, you don't need fancy graphics, just a nice clean candy color and a CF hood with chrome pins.

[mikevillena]

Hey Piggy,
Yup! I kept thinking "Marlon Brando" in a crsip, white t-shirt; unpretentious, gut wrenching performance. Masterful, quintessential cool, all-American. The kind that you get from honest, normally aspirated ponies. Ol' Caroll Shelby er....excuse me....MISTER Caroll Shelby even has a 427 bored out to get a 526!!!!! Can you say "STELLA!!!!!!!"? How about "tire smoke" and wheel hop?
Okay gang, let's hear your recommendations for the candy color.....please. Also, should I retain the racing stripes and if so, what color should they be. :D

[Farwar]

The racing stripes would suit the shelby motor. Colour combos that would look good are black with silver stripes or vice versa, Original blue and white shelby colours, red with white stripes. The list can go on. Just a simple paintjob is needed to make it look awesome. imo don't put a carbon fiber hood on it, leave it classic and all muscle. :D

[LEADFOOT]

Mike, after looking at it, it's definitely crying out for the Caroll Shelby 427. You have to take it back to a real muscle car! After looking at it, you don't need fancy graphics, just a nice clean candy color and a CF hood with chrome pins.

Piggy, if you ever mention 427 and CF hood again in the same context I will personally drive up there and give you a whoopin like no other.......

[Piggy89373]

LMAO!!!! Ok, I'll give up on the CF.

Mike, how about simplistic style and grace. A nice deep blue with white pinstriping.

[^j!nx^]

LMAO!!!! Ok, I'll give up on the CF.

Mike, how about simplistic style and grace. A nice deep blue with white pinstriping.


Incase you didnt know ;) muscle car hoods where flat black not carbon. Reason being is the hoods where so large and flat the glair from the sun was a killer. So they where painted flat black :D

PS: Mike cant wait to see the finished product!

[^j!nx^]

This was just on ebay. The car is like 20 minutes fro me.
:eek: It only has 1100 mile total EVER!
http://www.rj-electric.com/gt500/5.jpg
http://www.rj-electric.com/gt500/6.jpg
http://www.rj-electric.com/gt500/3.jpg
http://www.rj-electric.com/gt500/1.jpg

[jcnalley]

Hey Piggy,
Yup! I kept thinking "Marlon Brando" in a crsip, white t-shirt; unpretentious, gut wrenching performance. Masterful, quintessential cool, all-American. The kind that you get from honest, normally aspirated ponies. Ol' Caroll Shelby er....excuse me....MISTER Caroll Shelby even has a 427 bored out to get a 526!!!!! Can you say "STELLA!!!!!!!"? How about "tire smoke" and wheel hop?
Okay gang, let's hear your recommendations for the candy color.....please. Also, should I retain the racing stripes and if so, what color should they be. :D


Mike,
If you want to go for the classis Shelby look,but with candy colors,how about using candy blue with pearl white stripes?

[Legend_Car]

that car on ebay looks like elanor off of gone in 60 seconds. i thinks its a replica though. Mike you got any work done on desire?

[mikevillena]

Hey guys!

A quick update..... I was initially happy when I finally got the bodyshell but then, I noticed how ridiculously wide this bodyshell is! Although HPI deserves credit for attempting to replicate an important American Icon, from the "scale" standpoint, they scoohced the pooch on this one. I understand that they had to cater to a predominantly "wide track (200 mm.)" market, but they could have at least gotten it to look proportional. As it is, this abomination reminds me of Bolink and early Parma bodyshells....caricatures of cars. Sorry HPI. I'm surprised that Caroll Shelby allowed you to release your "interpretation" of this (and HIS) legendary car! :mad: As to the project, I'm taking measurements and trying to come up with a game plan on how to correct the bodyshell proportions without having to resort to throwing it away and scratchbuilding the bodyshell entirely!!!!! Sorry about the delay, gang. Major BUMMER!!! :(

PS. I believe HPI must never again be allowed to print "1/10th scale" or "SCALE" on anything they make or advertise :mad:

[mikevillena]

BTW....Thanks for all of the suggestions on colours. As soon as I resolve the "scale" problem, I'll start masking and spraying.
J!nkx - Thanks for the nice pictures. That is one gorgeous car! Even though I'm working on a GT350, the paint scheme on that GT500 is very attractive! Oh, an no carbon fiber on Desire. I've even made her functional hood pins already! (to scale, of course) Sorry about the bad temper in the previous post. I was extremely disappointed with HPI.

[AreCee]

Hi Mike,

How about using the paint scheme from the original GT350H? In case you don't remember it was a special production for Hertz Rental using a nice deep black body color with gold GT stripes.

Anyway, isn't the HPI body a GT-R version which should include the roll-bars, fire system and racing seats. Also I noticed the the rear quarter panels are louvered in the HPI version but they were glassed in the 1:1 1966 G.T.350 and H.

[calvin3]

Mike here are a couple of links that may help ya out. I use to have a 67 coupe that was painted Spingtime yellow.

http://www.uniqueperformance.com/
Mustang Colors 64-73 (http://www.svs.com/zim/mustang/colors.html)
www.createastang.com <---kinda weird but kinda cool.

[mikevillena]

Hey gang,
ARCEE - BRO!!!! Wazzzzzuppppp! I believe they replaced the quarter windows with riveted panels on the G.T.350 R. You might be correct on the Hertz version. Black and gold sounds cool too. Hmmm...anybody want to rent a G.T. 350H?

Calvin3 - Wow, thanks for the really cool links!

I went and bought a 1/24th scale kit and I did some rough calculations based on Monogram's old but reasonably accurate G.T.350R. I found too many dimensional discrepancies that I simply decided to use the HPI bodyshell as it was and adjust the super-details to hide as many of HPI's errors as possible. I think the wide racing stripes will go a long way to visually hide the excessive width.....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire002.jpg

Peace
P.B.

[Farwar]

Looks good so far. I like the fact that your trying to make it to scale with measurements and all. Can't wait to see it finished.

[MrCrash]

Lookin' good! I can;t wait to see the finished product!

If I might make a suggestion on paint. My friends dad owns a 67 GT-350 converted completely over to GT-500 everything, except for the beast of a motor sitting under the hood. It is the original color, which is a kinda light forest green pearl kinda color. Very distinct and very cool, especially with the white stripes. If I can find a pic, I'll post it.

Anyway, good luck, and keep up the killer work!

[FESTER2004]

yeah i cant wait to see it done eather,it looks good thus far mike!

[mikevillena]

Hey gang,
Another major hiccup on "Desire".....I mocked up a 427 FE block and started to locate it in the engine bay. Major interference from the TT-01's front diff assembly and suspension even without the shocks installed...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire004.jpg

As it stands, very little if any of the engine block will be there and some portion of the valve covers may have to be ommited, not to mention that big and stupid crossbrace on the TT-01's front diff case halve!!!! God, I hate this chassis!!!!! Short of scratchbuilding an entire pan car chassis, I won't be able to incorporate enough engine details except for some stupid lumps of plastic. I need some opinions gang. Should I nix the engine bay completely and just leave the hood closed or should I still try to incorporate some engine bay details? Either way, I will have a near full depth interior with opening door(s).

[Rain Man]

I think a pan chassis would be perfect. Plenty of room for the engine plus it would be rear wheel drive just like the real car. Why spend so much time making the body perfectly scale to the real thing and then put it on a 4wd chassis? :p IT"S JUST NOT RIGHT!!! j/k :D

[mikevillena]

Hey gang,

Rainman - Believe me, I'm been very tempted to build an entire pan chassis just like my Mercedes CLK-GTR project car. But since I will be donating this bodyshell, I have to consider the eventual owner's chassis. TT-01's seem to be very popular, more so than TL-01's and a TC-3/4 won't give me enough interior room to play with. Besides, a TL-01 will yield very little room at all. I currently don't have enough cash to build a complete pan car with full drive train (no job :( :o ) so that I can donate the entire car. Anyway, I've sanded the bodyshell and after preping it, I'll try to find some of that Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter (if it's available in spray cans). I'm now leaning towards Raven Black and Gold Stripes as the black will hide the "wwwwwiddddde" body. Same principle behind the "little black dress" ;)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire005.jpg
Ignore the black wheels as I don't have the proper HPI Vintage wheels and rubber. Unfortunately, a complete set of wheels and rubber would set me back close to 40 dollars :( .

Later gang! :D

P.B.

[FESTER2004]

could u do this,if u pop open the hood ,maybe u could do the top part of the engine only,like in flat piece of lexan,then maybe cut the valve coves in half (depth wise),i woudl do this the sale for the air cleaner,etc.it would be like a illusion or soemthing,hope this gives u ideas.

[FESTER2004]

i mean this:sorry for the cra**y drawn':

[mikevillena]

Hey Fes..
That's kind of like what I was thinking. Cool sketch! I like the really big air cleaner! lol
Thanks for the idea, bro!

[FESTER2004]

no prob!i'd figure it would give it a "3-d" illusion maybe but i am sure u will make it
awesome no matter what!thanks!

[pumpkinfish]

You need to build a butterfly blower scoop

http://www.alsblowers.com/images/small_sc510_1.jpg:

[mikevillena]

Whoah, pumpkinfish!!! That is one mean looking scoop! Is that a photo of a full size scoop or a 1/10th? If it's 1/10th, my hats off to you! Hmmm...think it'll look good on her......
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire007.jpg
After several hours of cutting masks and trying to lay it down straight, I squeezed the trigger and painted her. I used some Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter which surprised me by drying somewhat cloudy. I followed the directions to the letter and humidity was relatively low. After following the required waiting period, I shot a first light dusting of Viper Graphite. Ultimately, I have five very light coats that I will allow to gas out overnight. Just a slight bleed on the sharp crease of the hood but looks good thus far.
I'm thinking of white stripes but I"m open to suggestions. Thanks gang.
P.B.
PS. She won't have bumpers. I'll be building replicas of the GT350R's front fiberglass clip and a blankout plate for the rear. :D

[MrCrash]

Black, perhaps pearl black, or maybe metallic black for the stripes. Kind of a ghosted look.

Looks great so far! I like the color!

[mikevillena]

Thanks MrCrash! Yeah, I walked up and down the paint aisle trying to choose the color. I thought about Guardsman Blue with white stripes but that's common. I wanted an updated yet dignified color. The original Dupli-Color was intended for the Dodge Viper so it wasn't a total blasphemy on my part. Should look even better when I lift the overspray film and take a photo of it in bright sunlight :D Pearl black stripes....hmmmm...... Oh yeah, she'll have lots of shiny chrome trim around the windows. I'll be scratchbuilding the trim and either spraying them with Alclad II or using BareMetal Foil.

[Rain Man]

Black, perhaps pearl black, or maybe metallic black for the stripes. Kind of a ghosted look.

Looks great so far! I like the color!
That's the first thing thought when I saw it. Black stripes with that paint would look mean.

[MT2 owns you]

bronze colored stripes? i dont think ive ever seen a car with bronze stripes. just an idea.

[MrCrash]

Or perhaps even a lighter graphite color, or maybe silver.

Bronze would look pretty sharp as well.

[Legend_Car]

it looks awesome mike you should stripe it in white

[RealJDMman]

Black Stripes!!!!!

[mikevillena]

Hmmmm...think Brando err...I mean MR. BRANDO would approve of the black stripes? I dunno...this guy is a tough customer :D

[mikevillena]

Here's something interesting....just for giggles, I dug up my old RC10DS. This bodyshell is so durn wide it actually fits!!!! :eek:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire008.jpg

[elcid4300]

Black stripes with gold or bronze seperating the black from the body color :)

[mikevillena]

Hey elcid,
Hmmmm........ won't it look like a Chevy? I keep thinking classic Camaro with the RS stripes, white stripes with black outlines?

[MrCrash]

The stripes were always one color AFAIK. So it wouldn't be in danger of copying a chevy.

[mikevillena]

Cool. I never thought I'd be so wishy-washy in picking colors! But I really want to do the car justice and I want to build my best for the Fund. I've set the bodyshell aside to gas out and I'll try choose something tomorrow. Thanks you guys! :D

Oh, and should the gold demarcation stripe be really thin?

[elcid4300]

IMHO, the widths you have there look good :)

[Tyrael1986]

That body looks so awesome! I love your work mike, some of the best on the forum by far. How much do you think this will sell for? By the work your putting into it I wouldn't be surprised if the price goes into the 4 digit marks.... totally awesome!

[Legend_Car]

he isnt selling it he is donating it to an auction for the katrina relief

[elcid4300]

he isnt selling it he is donating it to an auction for the katrina relief


Yes, but isn't an auction selling something? :p :) Any way, I am sure this will fetch a good sum. All the quality work and the sheer beauty of this thing, how can it not!

[Divman]

Agreed.. its looking superb already.. good work mike.

As for the stripes, something copper , but really metallic wud own... with some thin black stripes just inside, not sperating the colors, like thin copper ...thin black ...big fat copper ...thin black...thin copper.

If that makes any sense ?!?!

[^j!nx^]

if you need some one to photograph that for you let me know ;)

[mikevillena]

Hey gang!
Whoah....lots of really great suggestions for colors! I'm still mulling over the stripe color choice (sorry). I can't really do multiple colors with narrow 3rd color stripe because of the side stripes: two .060 inch stripes on either side of a .150 inch stripe (roughly what the real GT350R's stripes would scale down to). I sprayed some pieces of white paper with different colors and held the color swatch against the unsanded front valance...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire013.jpg
Red
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire014.jpg
Silver
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire015.jpg
Here's that lLight Blue Metallic
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire016.jpg
And of course, Black
Sorry, I don't have any Copper or Bronze paint at the moment :o

BTW...The paint seems to be holding up with no peeling or chipping! Keep your fingers crossed :D

[FESTER2004]

i like the gold or silver stripes,i dunno about red stripes on a black car.

[^j!nx^]

i vote for light blue metalic

[LEADFOOT]

mike, looks good!

I had a black '72 Camaro with red stripes...I didn't like it. I think the black or charcoal would look really slick. I can't tell from the pic what color the body is because of the light, but I think sticking to a grey-scale type thing would be tough! ;)

[Farwar]

Either silver or black. Black may look too dark with the dark grey though. My vote is silver.

[pumpkinfish]

mikevillena, that is a photo of a real blower.

I suggest solid stripes as all Shelby's were always one color and I say a non metallic color for contrast. I have seen real Stangs with metallic paint and metallic stipes and didn't like it. Perhaps white would be best and would "pop" the most.

[SpamCake]

If it isn't already too late, have a good look at your posted picture with the masking tape still in place - the racing stripes are one colour in the middle with a wide lighter-coloured 'pinstripe' to each side of 'em. You wanted to hide the wideness of the shell, yes? That, exactly, is how to accomplish it. Just the racing stripes on their own will lean in the right direction, but if you add borders like the masking tape alludes, the car will suddenly look a whole lot narrower. It all comes down to which is more important to you - narrowing the shell, or keeping to a traditional 2-tone paint scheme.
My fiftieth of a buck for the day.
---
And oh yeah.. Fester may be on to something with his engine bay idea.. ever seen the engine bay on a full-on Chip Foose car? Particularly Chris Titus' 1956 (I think) Chevrolet? Smooth fibreglass everywhere, large sculpted air cleaner cover... if you could come up with something in the middle between a bare engine and a Foose-esque cover, maybe it'd allow you just the right amount of leeway to cover that pesky Tamiya suspension setup.

Or, you could extend your scratchbuilding skills to functional parts, and build in a laydown suspension system. Just a thought.

[minimole]

i vote for light blue metalic

Ditto.

Keep up the excellent work Mike!

Duane. :D

[Legend_Car]

dont go with red thats horrible, maybe a white or silver

[cuchytil]

I don't know man, that silver looks pretty nice... Especially once you add all the detail work!

[mikevillena]

Hey gang,
Thanks for all of the very positive remarks and the generous suggestions. After agonizing over the color choice for the stripes, I settled on a solid silver (GM340). I test sprayed Pactra's Indy Silver but found the metal flakes too large and clumsy (almost too bass-boatish). It would appear that the automotive paints have finer metallic pigments. I just hope that the Adhesion Promoter does it's job when I start hanging subassemblies on the paint! Anyway, here she is.....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire018.jpg
I didn't go with white stripes because it is too common and it didn't seem to go with the depth of the metallic Viper Graphite. The photo doesn't really capture the surprising warmth of this color.

Spamcake - Thanks for the suggestion. I'm afraid I don't have the skill with masking to try and do very thin secondary stripes on the side stripes (too thin) and rather than push my luck and my newbie paint skills, I went conservative with a single color. I've been sorely tempted (believe me!) to build a complete front pan with suspension that would bolt up to a stock Tamiya TT-01, but thought it best not to as I intend the bodyshell to drop onto a stock chassis without causing the new owner grief. He or she might have to go with micro sized electronics as there will be little room.
Anyway, I'll let the paintjob gas out some more and then I'll start cutting out the doors and hood. I'm still trying to decide about a trunk. I might leave the trunk intact and provide a shelf as an alternative for the customer to mount full size electronics as there will be very little room under the "floor pan". I'll also grind out the grill and replace it with a mesh. Okay, back to the workbench. Later gang!

Peace
P.B.

[TheoDR]

Awesomeee!!!!!!!!!!!! Reminds me of the scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious where the guy goes "American horsepower!!!" :D

[Piggy89373]

Mike, excellent color choices. It doesn't look all that wide with the stripes and really goes well with the metallic graphite. I'm looking forward to see what you come up with for a final product. Are you going to replace the louvres or leave them as is?

[elcid4300]

Looks cool, good choice on the color. I am glad you didn't take my suggestion of black :o

[Silent Scope]

Awesomeee!!!!!!!!!!!! Reminds me of the scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious where the guy goes "American horsepower!!!" :D

and then the rice beats em :(

[LEADFOOT]

Looks cool, good choice on the color. I am glad you didn't take my suggestion of black :o

I saw a black Cobra (Shelby type, not Mustang) at a car show one time that had flat black racing stripes. They were subtle, but it looked very slick. ;)

[FESTER2004]

yes ,that came out awesome!yeah like i said b4,i agree no red stripes on a black car.u could ahve gone with the gold too n gave it that KING COBRA look.but the silver looks mint!

[Legend_Car]

looking good mike what else do you have planned for desire

[orbitron]

And oh yeah.. Fester may be on to something with his engine bay idea.. ever seen the engine bay on a full-on Chip Foose car? Particularly Chris Titus' 1956 (I think) Chevrolet? Smooth fibreglass everywhere, large sculpted air cleaner cover... if you could come up with something in the middle between a bare engine and a Foose-esque cover, maybe it'd allow you just the right amount of leeway to cover that pesky Tamiya suspension setup.


In gone in 60 seconds Chip Foose actually designed Eleanor and I think your color scheme is very similar to that one. There was a company in California that began to buy up old 350s or 500's (I can't remember) and actually got Shelby to resign the cars as rebuilds with his blessing. They are all nearly exactly the same as Eleanor in 2000's Gone in 60 seconds. If you do some internet hunting you should be able to find out what the company was (or is) and get some ideas from it...

and one more thing, Mike you amaze me! I want to see if I can equal your skill some day.

[Skribble]

Though it has been decades since Mustang coupes rolled off the assembly line bearing the legendary Shelby name, the cars will once again thunder across the roads under a deal inked by Carroll Shelby, Sanderson Sales & Marketing and Unique Motorcars of Irving, Texas. The historic agreement has led to the debut of continuation 1960’s Shelbys incorporating modern technology, such as Baer Brakes, that updates the performance and comfort of the sexy muscle cars. The first car in the continuation series is an “Eleanor” Shelby GT500E, similar to the one seen in the recent motion picture Gone in Sixty Seconds.2003 Shelby Mustang GT-500E.
http://fast-autos.net/shelby/gt500e2.jpg
http://fast-autos.net/shelby/gt500e14.jpg

[mikevillena]

Hey gang!
Nice 'Stang! Wonder how much they'll go for. Any ideas? The black stripes would have looked good if I had used the same lighter shade of gunmetal on "Desire". I also appreciate the fact that they kept the classic muscle car stance as oppposed to slamming it down low. Nice bit, Skribble! I'm glad the muscle car fans are hanging out on this thread. :D

Thanks for all of the kind and positive remarks thus far! :) I'll try to keep the high standards that all of you expect. Leadfoot, the black stripes would have looked killer on a different car or perhaps a slightly lighter shade of the Graphite. I'm sure that Cobra was slinky and subtle although kind of hard to imagine a Cobra being subtle (around 2500 lbs and 400 hp!) :eek: :D

As for the rest of "Desire", I'll have a reasonably detailed engine bay with opening hood and a fully detailed interior with folding seats and correct period lap belts (I keep remembering how they clicked when Steve McQueen put his on), correct period steering wheel (stainless with wood inserts and rivets), opening doors, correct outside rearview mirrors, hood pins, headliner and carpeting. I'm also keeping the louvers on the rear quarter windows as they do add to the "visceral" and muscular feel of "Desire". I've ground off the front and rear facias, sanded the wheelwells and polished all of the cut edges. I've started to plan the stance and began to build the rear mount. I'll hold off cutting the doors open until I've finished mounting the bodyshell firmly onto the chassis as the bodyshell will be too flexible without the doors....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire019.jpg

Back to the bench......later gang! :D

[elcid4300]

Nice 'Stang! Wonder how much they'll go for. Any ideas?

ALOT! Great article here (http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/sub_coll_vintage/1271756.html) I saw a show (Discovery channel?) once were Jason Giambi picked his up from the factory. Absolutely disgusting the amount of power this thing had :D

[mook]

nice caterham / westfield in the background there mikevillena

[calvin3]

I posted the link back on page one but here is a better link.

http://www.uniqueperformance.com/base.aspx

Nice work Mike.

[Skribble]

Nice bit, Skribble! I'm glad the muscle car fans are hanging out on this thread. :DNot really a muscle car fan, but I like the looks of the GT-500.

By the way, sick body. :)

[Legend_Car]

did u get anywork done on desire since the last post? o yah what about the super seven

[mikevillena]

Hey gang!
Thanks for all of the encouragement and kind comments.
Elcid- OWWW!!! That's the price of a modest house in my neighborhood! I'm sure it's worth it for those with disposable incomes and who are looking for a something to fill the parking space next to their Cobra SC427! Maybe if I stopped nickel and diming myself to death by buying scandalous amounts of plastic and out of scale bodyshells...just maybe :confused: :confused: , I might be able to afford the "quick fill" gas cap (and not much else). NAH! I'll keep doing my plastic although it's nice to dream sometimes! :D

Mook - You mean the Super Seven or the red car in the postcard? That's a Ferrari 250 TR pontoon fender that's also high on the scratchbuild list ;) .

Calvin3 - Thanks for the link! I think we've all been drooling over the same series of GT500.....cool. So when are you ordering yours? ;)

Thanks Skribble! :D

Okay, I finished the front and rear mounts. I made them out of .080 thk. styrene with lots of reinforcements so they should be durable. I'll eventually reinforce the bodyshell where it attaches to the mounts.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire020.jpg
The big gapping area will be covered by a replica 350R fiberglass fascia. Oh and I know it looks a little wonky (off center) because I found some HPI spacers and I mounted them on only the left side wheels (two spacers per each 3mm offset HPI wheel...that's how wide this stupid thing is!)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire021.jpg
I'll be drilling out the center button and replace it with a working "quick fill" gas cap
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire025.jpg
Here's a photo in sunlight to get a better idea of the paint colour. I think my digital camera is on it's last legs as all of the images are too dark :(

Anyway, back to the bench!

P.S. I've temporarily shelved the Super Seven project until I finish "Desire" :D

[Legend_Car]

shes gonna look sweet

[mikevillena]

Hey thanks, Legend!

Oh no!!! My baby lost her hood!!!!! :eek:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire027.jpg
:D
Lots of work ahead! I use cheapo plastic cling wrap to protect the rest of the bodyshell while I work on it. Next up, the doors. :D

[Legend_Car]

are you gonna build hood brackets
so the hood functions.

youve inspired me to do some scratchbuilding of my own execpt for scale models im building a roll cage for a 69 torino

[calvin3]

Calvin3 - Thanks for the link! I think we've all been drooling over the same series of GT500.....cool. So when are you ordering yours? ;)


No problem Mike. Order one?!? When I win the Lotto I'll do all the work myself building one. Here's a link (http://home.comcast.net/~yadayadaya/emaxx.htm) of my Emaxx with a cut up Blazer body. Nothing near your work.

[mikevillena]

Hey guys..
Legend - Yup, she's going to have reasonably scale hinges so that the hood and doors open correctly unlike the simple hinges on a diecast. Thanks for the compliment. On your 1/24th scale Torino, try using plastic rod instead of tubing when you start bending the pieces for the rollcage. Plastic rod won't kink like tubing. With that small a diameter, you won't need to heat it. Just cold bend gently and allow an extra 10 to 20 degrees on your bend angles to compensate for springback or "memory". Post some picks too! Would love to see it :)

Calvin3 - So, got your Lotto tickets already? lol I clicked onto your link but no pictures :(

Got the doors cut and rough trimmed. Here's a preview...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire028.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire030.jpg
Lots of work to fill in all of those areas. The vent windows on the doors will be cut away and I'll be building the frames with the new vents in the open position. The driver's window will be rolled down. I'm still trying to perfect my technique for forming head and tail light lenses but I will be replacing the molded ones for sure. Okay, time for bed. Later gang!

P.B.

[calvin3]

Calvin3 - So, got your Lotto tickets already? lol I clicked onto your link but no pictures :(


Yep got my tickets yesterday.....sorry about the link not working...here are some direct links.

Emaxx (http://home.comcast.net/~yadayadaya/images/blazer/blazer30.jpg)
Emaxx (http://home.comcast.net/~yadayadaya/images/blazer/blazer23.jpg)

Great progress.

[mikevillena]

Calvin3
Nice job! Love the details. Is that a Parma "Hemi"? Nice touch with what I think is a custom interior with a big speaker (?) in the back! The driver figure doesn't look like a Parma interior. Looks darn good!:)

[calvin3]

Thanks Mike.

Yeah that is a Parma Hemi. The interior is styrene and a HPI interior kit cut up. The speaker is out of a old walkman. I built this truck back in 02. Now it's in pieces and I am looking to make it into a scale crawler.

I'm looking at getting one of these Mustang bodies also.

[mikevillena]

Cool beans, Cal... just remember that the HPI GT350 is not to scale and is way too wide. If you have a 190mm chassis, you'll have to get the HPI Vintage wheels with the 6mm offset! Despite my earlier bitch'n about the "scale", this is really a very nice bodyshell. I just wish that HPI would release it in 185-190mm.... :(

[Hachi_Roku]

About the offset issue, I know that if you get the wheel axles parts bag for the TT-01, they have 2 wheel axles that are about 5mm longer than the standard ones on the TT-01. Tamiya also makes really think hex adaptors that can be used with the extended wheel axles. That should add a good centimeter in width and if you add offset wheels as well, there shouldn't be too much of a problem with filling up the wheel wells. Hope that helps.

[MT2 owns you]

if he has the HPI mesh wheels, they are already offset, i think about 3mm. i have them too.

[Legend_Car]

wow mike that is a lot of detail, u should make a thread about that crawler calvin

[mikevillena]

Hachi Roku - Thanks for the advise. Funny you mentioned it but I was rumaging through the box and I found what you were refering to. There were only two per kit so I mounted both on the rear axles. I installed the 4 HPI spacers behind the front wheels. The only reason that I bother with the wheels is becuase I need to be able to judge clearances when I build the wheelwell covers. Unfortunately, I don't have the correct HPI Vintage wheels so I'm using whatever black wheels I have on hand.
MT2 - You're correct. I do have the HPI meshes in 3mm offset. I'm thinking about ordering the new HPI TE37 wheels as they come in 6mm for the next HPI 200mm bodyshell that's in the works (Lamborghini Gallardo). No new pics as I'm just cutting plastic sheets to box up/in the passenger floor and the engine bay; really boring stuff!

[calvin3]

Can't let this kinda work get to far down the list.

Any updates Mike?

Updates from me....I got this body the other day...not bad. Ordered up some wheels last night and have a vision of what I'm gonna create.

[^j!nx^]

Can't let this kinda work get to far down the list.

Any updates Mike?


*tap* *tap* "is this thing on?" :confused: :confused:

[mikevillena]

Hey gang!
Sorry, I was away from the workbench for several days. I've made some progress since (second version of the interior platform)....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire034.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire032.jpg
I'm still trying to find additional room for the full depth seats, but the chassis is taking more room than I expected. My other option would be to drop the chassis ride height and re-mount the bodyshell higher to give more clearance.

[MT2 owns you]

but if you did that wouldnt you have huge wheel wells? anyway, it looks great!

[Legend_Car]

mike hows things coming

[Rain Man]

Update?

[mikevillena]

Hey gang,
Sorry about the lack of updates. Everything has been disrupted for a few weeks because of some repairs that my landlord had to do in my apartment. He even had new grey carpeting installed to replace the sun faded, 1970's puke brown shag that smelled like beer (college town). I tried to get him to do Ozite but no luck. Oh well, I should be grateful; at least it'll be easier to find small parts that fall off the workbench. Speaking of which, I will be setting up toady and I hope to get back on track with "Desire" very soon. Thanks for your collective patience and your interest.
Mike Villena

Look for updates this afternoon. :D

[^j!nx^]

:rolleyes:

[Legend_Car]

u got ne updates

[mikevillena]

Okay...finally up and running again with the workbench moved next to a window to give better lighting. Further progress.....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire035.jpg
Ordered some more .030 thk styrene and Tenax 7R. Thanks for hanging in there, gang!

[mikevillena]

Sub chassis started warping a bit so I had to take it apart and re-glue everything square. Began detailing the rear panels...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire036.jpg
more to come after dinner. :)

[Thaiboy4u2grab]

oh man im just seeing this for the first time.. wow this things gorgeous! keep up the good work!

[mikevillena]

Whoah, really developed quite a following (gulp)! Progress is slow as I've run out of .030 thk. plastic sheet and Tenax 7R so I'm trying to get by with Model Master liquid cement and some scrap pieces...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire037.jpg
Finished rear interior side panels and parcel tray area. Not enough room to have folding rear seats so they'll be modelled folded down.

[Legend_Car]

looking good mike keep up the good work

[calvin3]

Great job Mike......look at all the plastic!!!!!

[mikevillena]

Hey gang,
Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, this baby is consuming a LOT of .030 thk. styrene! I'm waiting for another order of plastic and Tenax 7R to arrive from Tower. Meanwhile, I've started fleshing out the engine compartment....
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire039.jpg

Ultimately, everything built thus far will be tied together into a single, strong piece just like the typical interior tub that you will find in most 1/24th scale car kit and the flimsy bodyshell will be glued onto this tub at several large surface points. Thus, all of the stresses will be carried by the tub and not the bodyshell to minimize the possibility of lifting the paint. :D

[FESTER2004]

looks good-did u figure out what r u gonna do with the engine compartment yet?

ps-not to invade yr thread,lol----i am starting the boat trialer tommorrow!

[mikevillena]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire040.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire041.jpg

Fes - Thanks bro! I haven't finalized what I'll do in the way of detailing the engine; probably something very creative to hide the shock tower that's so prominent. Have fun with the boat trailer project.

[orbitron]

Mike not to deter you or anything, but it looks to me like you're restrictng that body to fit on a TT-01 only. Are you deliberately taking a long time so people forget about the hurricane and you can keep it for yourself?? J/K :)

[FESTER2004]

thanks- i am actually gonna start working on it now-its 10 :25 pm -est-lol

[mikevillena]

Hey gang,
Slooooooowwwww progress...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire042.jpg
Finished roughing out the engine compartment and the firewall. The radiator mount is likewise ready for the radiator and horns.

Orbitron - yeah, it's snugly tailored to fit a TT-01 as it's the only viable chassis on hand. Would have preffered to have had the auction's winning bidder ship me his/her complete chassis so that I can build the car around it, but it's rather difficult to successfully auction off a "concept" or "services". I have to keep on task or New Orleans might be fully re-built by the time I finish her (cough!!)... just kidding....:)

[mikevillena]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire043.jpg
Added .188 extensions to drop the floor pan to get the correct look. I'm having to re-engineer as I go. I'm also tying together the front and rear structures and reinforcing the central box to add stiffness.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire044.jpg
Looks more to scale and I now have more room to build the door threshold. :D

[minimole]

Man, that looks SWEET! Keep it up Mike!

Duane :D

[Baller Status]

That is looking magnificent! Excellent stuff! I especially like how well the styrene work was done. So clean. Great to see "extreme" concourse is still around! Keep us posted ..

[Letz4wheel]

I guess I am just wondering what would drive someone to do this to themselves? It is kinda like repeatedly jabbing yourself in the eye with a sharp stick. It looks GREAT! You must enjoy it but I would be bald from pulling my hair out :D
I seem to have an idea in my head and somehow it never comes out right in the build stage (but my mom still has the "ashtray" I made her in art class :D :eek:

GREAT WORK!!

[sportmaxxracer]

That's sweet! Keep up the good work!

[mikevillena]

Slow but steady progress, folks!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire046.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire045.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire047.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire048.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire049.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire050.jpg

Thanks for the kind words gang! :)

[Esteban]

wow...great build. I'd love to have the patience to do something like that properly, the then I guess knowing it's for a good cause would be motivation enough, huh, Mike


curious about the material you're using...is it a block and you shave away what you don't need, or do you form pieces from the blocks...or is it flat and you cut and paste and/or bend shapes and forms, if so, what do you use to keep them together

[Toyotatogo]

One word ....... "WOW!" :eek:

[supraguyxiii]

jeez, i would pay good money for handmade quality like that

[RCFX]

Nice job Mike!

[mikevillena]

Hi gang,
Back to the workbench after a very long Holiday vacation. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!!!

Esteban - Thank you. I'm using Evergreen Styrene Plastic. It comes in sheets of various thicknesses and strips & shapes of various dimensions. I use conventional plastic modelling tools and Tenax 7R liquid cement to do the bulk of the gluing. The styrene is very workable and versatile. The bulk of what you see thus far was built up with "boxes".

Toyotatogo, supraguyxiii, RCFX - Thanks guys. I hope "Desire" will fetch a reasonable amount for charity.


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire051.jpg
Continuing to build up the door frame with scrap pieces.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire052.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire053.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire054.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire055.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/mikevillena/Desire/Desire056.jpg
After some contour sanding, I used Dupli-Color Grey Scratch Filler/Primer to smooth things out because I'm trying to replicate the door frame as an integral part of the body (all stamped in one-piece in the full size car). A constant problem with this "in situ" method of building is paint peel in a few spots. This happens when the bodyshell flexes and the built up plastic structure doesn't. I will have to go back and correct, touch-up or repaint as necessary.

[Legend_Car]

thats amazing mike i wanna see this one done

[feredore]

Dear Mike,

I understand that it has been the Holiday season. But was wondering if you might have any updates on this project. Big fan of both the mustang ( :) ) and your work ( :eek: ). Am always amazed at your forethought and detail. Thanks in advance.

Feredore

[kyhighrider]

wow just joined and i must say this thing is awsome, cant wait to see it finished

[RC10GT-NOOB]

I love american muscles.

[P90Puma]

updates?

[z-man280]

just came across this......................WOW! its like watching the design team for the static models, taking it from conception to reality. Skills buddy, thats all i have to say. i am at a loss for words. WOW.

[z-man280]

can ya do one of these? :D

[Piggy89373]

I just got an email back from Mike, his computer has officially gone Tango Uniform (or major failure for those not familiar with this term.) He's still working on his projects, but not sure to the extent.

For those who haven't seen the March issue of RCCA Magazine, Mike's Miata made the reader's ride of the month!! Congrats Mike!!

[LEADFOOT]

pig, please tell me you really know what Tango Uniform stands for?!?!?!? :eek:

[extremetmaxxer]

as an owner of a 66 mustang gt, this is a gorgeous build up!! i want to see it done!! actually id like to see my own car done but thats another story! lol

[Piggy89373]

pig, please tell me you really know what Tango Uniform stands for?!?!?!? :eek:
Yes...I do know. <in scottish accent> Huge tracts of land, they were. An' pointin' skyward, too!

[mikevillena]

Hey guys and gals!!!

Rumors about my running away to join the circus are absolutely not true!!!!! Nor did I do any mountain climbling either!!! ;) ;) (Piggy) I did try my hand at..... oh never mind! Anyway, my old computer gave up the ghost (total hard drive failure, lost everything ) and I've been off line for several months. I have on occasion trucked on down to the library to check up on the latest from all of you, but since I didn't want to use my password on a public computer I didn't post any updates. Anyway, I've managed to borrow a long-suffering friend's computer and so I'm back. You can all put away the little violins now!!!
Thanks to all for the surprising interest and words of encouragement. I've presently set "Desire" aside as I've been unable to resolve the paint peel problem. My next logical step would be to order another bodyshell and try a different paint system. I would have to peel off and strip all of the detail parts that I've made thus far but I want to do a proper job. Anyway, thanks and don't write this project off yet. :)

[calvin3]

Welcome back and good luck on the project.

[ZoneOfTheEnders]

noooooooooo i wanted to see it finished!

[Legend_Car]

me too, i think hurricane katrina a little behind us now. The government even stopped paying for surviors hotel bills yesterday

[ZoneOfTheEnders]

i ahve never seen a finished prodject from this guy besides the miata, which was ok

[mikevillena]

i ahve never seen a finished prodject from this guy besides the miata, which was ok
Good Morning,

I apologize for taking a long time to finish this project as "Desire" seems to have garnered more than her fair share of interest. I am aware of the collective wish of our "little community" to see this completed. I ran into extensive paint peeling problems because I was experimenting with paint that clearly wasn't meant to be applied to Lexan, let alone have multiple pieces of styrene plastic glued to it. My fault entirely. I am working on another project which will allow me to try these same techniques but with paint meant for lexan (Tamiya Polycarbonate Spray). As soon as I validate my techniques, I will resume this project with a fresh bodyshell. "Desire" WILL be completed, correctly, cleanly and with as much quality as my meager skills will allow. And she will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to either the Red Cross or or another NGO.
On a personal note, I am amused that you find the Miata ok. If you or anyone here on this forum have any issues with me or this project please feel free to drop me a PM, an e-mail (michael_villena@netscape.com) or call me directly (309-333-8852) I would be delighted to hear from you personally. Thank you. :D

[ZoneOfTheEnders]

its not that the miata wasnt well done, you did a good job on it, its just that its a miata, its a car that isnt really somthing i would want to do a prodject on cause its kinda lame

[twood]

its not that the miata wasnt well done, you did a good job on it, its just that its a miata, its a car that isnt really somthing i would want to do a prodject on cause its kinda lame
Let's see what you can come up with that's not "lame." Maybe a Miata isn't your favorite car, maybe you think it wouldn't be your choice for a project, but i can tell you this, Mike builds the best scale r/c's that I've ever seen and his "lame" project has been viewed by hundreds of people through this site and in rcca. And if it has the potential to make in a mag, i don't think it is all that lame. Just my $.02
Trent

[Piggy89373]

There's an old saying that still applies: If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything.

A quote from Mark Twain also comes to mind here: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

[Silent Scope]

what about that ford focus.. i belive that one was finished?

[torque5252]

I think it was an Alfa Romeo? Oh yeah, it was RCCA's reader's ride of the YEAR or something. Mike, I usually try not to clutter up your threads with useless posts echoing the oohs and aahs your scale fabbing deserves. You've helped me (and I can't imagine how many others), by both inspiring me to think differently about what I can accomplish with my projects and showing me what tools, materials, and techniques to use to achieve better results in my modeling. So, from the quiet guy in the corner THANK YOU. Guys like you, Piggy, Leadfoot, and Resp do so much for our community and deserve a pat on the back.
I agree with Piggy...."a closed mouth gathers no hoof" later......torque

[mikevillena]

Good morning to all!
I'm glad that some of my experimenting and mistakes have helped or have given ideas to others on this forum. I believe our forum (and life in general) is and will always be about sharing ideas and knowledge. Sometimes, divergent views and opinions are also a part of that. Zone is certainly entitled to his opinions. I do thank all for their support and encouragement. On a side note, I believe I finally found the correct paint system to use and as soon as the TCS Race is over, I will be starting "Desire" back up with a brand new shell. Again thanks.
Mike Villena

[Radi]

Wow Mike you are alive! :D You stopped posting at Scale4x4rc and I thought you had disappeared! But you're making some other bodies unbelievable realistic!

I have to admit I would rather have a Miata then a Mustang but thats all personal opinion.

Good job and keep it up im embarking on a custom build Styrene and will need all the mone..... I mean inspiration I can get(and tips :D)(Sorry just noticed the date,I thought this was recent)

[pasan]

You do realize his last post was nearly 30 months ago...