Pictures of body work, Hawaiian Tropic version

[ModelCarsMag]

I have started the rocker panel work, as well as all the sanding and removing of the parts
that will be replaced with photoetched pieces.

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I hope the picture link works:

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I will be trying to post pictures along the way.

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I have made templates for the running board,
which may be used by anyone who wants to use them.

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[e-mail]

[ModelCarsMag]

[ModelCarsMag]

I am redoing the front fenders/lights. It seems that the H/T car had no vents over the front fenders. And I will be reworking the front light/air dam also. Any pictures, info, help with reference would be greatly appreciated. images5.fotki.com/v88/photos/3/36598/738250/FrontLightFilled-vi.jpg [/img].

I glued in the stock clear lens cover in the stock position with Tenax glue. This is the first primer coat. I will be doing step-by-step articles on this project in the magazine, I hope.

[Pappy50]

Gregg - Glad to see people are still working on this beast.

I think you have the right look going on the Hawiian tropic car. Using the lenses beats the heck out of scratch building covers. I would probably paint the back side black just to keep any light from coming through. Looks good.

I am in the process of clear coating mine and making some corrections in the decals. One thing that I did, which I think enhanced the front clip was to take a photo etched saw and undercut where the fender meets the bumper. I noticed when I was painting it, the paint built up in this area and made it all blend togeather. The two parts were separate pieces on the real car and need to look that way, in my opinion.

Good luck and I am glad to hear you are going to do an artical. Pete J

[GTIVR6]

Were the fenders seprate from the bumper on the Martini car? I think it looks like one piece.

[Pappy50]

To be honest, I can not confirm that they are separate. I have one very fuzzy shot in one book that shows one, post accident and the front airdam is cleanly sparated at the front fender line. Now granted, accidents being funny things, it just may be a weak point on the fender, but generally I would expect to see fiberglass hanging off if it was one piece. Later 935s that have a smoother more integrated nose are definately single piece front cowls, so I would say it is a best guess, unless you have direct access to the vehicle. I will e-mail the most expert person I know and see what he says. Let you know. Pete

[Pappy50]

OK - My mistake. Just got is straight from the expert. The front clip is all one piece of fiberglass. Undercuting is not nessesary. I guess I have some repair work to do. Hope I didn't lead to many a stray. Pete.

[ModelCarsMag]

I sprayed the base gloss red today (Tamiya Bright Red). This will get me motivated to start working on it. Now, let it sit for a week or so and then start sanding and painting some more (called color sanding).
I also picked up a resitance soldering unit from eBay. This is going to make my life, and this project, so much easier. If you have not heard of or used a resistance soldering unit, ask a railroad modeler about it: they are the best, and sometimes only way to solder photoetch pieces.
Again, your input is appreciated.
Gregg [e-mail]

[admin]

Greg, give us some more details on the soldering unit. I do alot of building in 1/43 and solder most of my photoetch. I have not heard of this before.

Tim

[ModelCarsMag]

Resistance Soldering is like a mini spot welder. It puts heat only at the joint. You can vary the amperage, or percentage of power, to the handpiece. It is operated by a foot switch. I use the tweezer handpiece, but there is a plier and a single electrode handpiece. If you have Micro-Mark's catalog, you can see it on page 26. Or, their web site has great pictures and info under Resistance Soldering. They are expensive units, retailing new for $345! I got mine from eBay for $200. Note, do not buy from a Mr. Weller on eBay. He is a sniper who buys for as cheap as he can and resells two weeks later for $250! I know this from personal expeirence. Here is a picture of what it looks like:

I also build a lot of 1:43 scale. Here is a Ferrari 156 F1 front end I am doing. The photoetched piece was flat, I am making a round tubing unit to replace it. I still have to add cross braces, and a better shock unit, plus tie rods, brakes, and of course, the muffler bearings.