Billydick Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 It's amazing !! BillyD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injidup Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Absolutely lovely stuff! Please keep it coming. This could be the start of a new Anti-Gelatinous-Blob movement! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 (edited) Anti-Gelatinous blob movement!!! - LOL ............. well I'm not so sure I could be that radical, this is after all a bit of a personal protest, although I have a series of projects (civil auto') in mind that will definitely NOT feature any "Gloss clear" so you never know? If I ever get around to building the body on this project?? - No clear gloss! Anyhoo ................ A problem I was encountering more and more was a distinct skill and sending this engine clattering across the bench, and I do get to a stage in any build where I seem to start going backwards by knocking more bits off than I'm gluing on; and I really didn't need to start so early in this particular build! So, after much cussing I thought I best make a bit of a "work stand" for it ................ You are so going to Larf! I got all a bit carried away, it's now an Industrial strength-weapons grade Engine stand. Taa Daa............................. Oi you lot!!!! .................... OK, once you stop smirking at the over engineered period Victorian Museum stand! What might be worth mentioning is the hot water outlet manifold on the side of the block. Now this piece in the references had a very distinct and quite coarse "sand cast" texture, and of course perversely the kit part once assembled had possibly the smoothest??? The solution was pretty simple - once I figured t out, in fact so simple it makes one wonder why it took so long to come up with it. I have a tube of Vallejo plastic putty (acrylic) this was literally smeared over the piece and stippled to death. I was concerned being a rather crude technique that it would be impossible to control, but as the putty starts to dry the stippling becomes finer and finer; once it was fully dry I just "knocked it back" a bit with a sanding stick. It's an aluminium piece so I got to do a bit of a colour change, some block colour and then a dusting again to tie it in with the block. I had packed out the pipe from the block, 1 - to represent thick fibrous gaskets, and 2,- to line it up better with the water pump. This giving me a chance to play with some rusty water - bit of a leaky kettle this old bus. Annnnd, speaking of the water pump, that's that weird Turbo looking thing, it did need a bit of fettling, nuts'n'bolts that kind of thing. But mainly that long adjusting bolt that runs across the top, the kit part was more representative of a pin than a bolt so I replaced the thread part with shaft that was wound with fusewire - it passes slightly better than what was there before?? The starter flywheel in the last pic' was a bit of problem, it's buried deep inside the body of the car, behind a very hot engine yet open to the elements? So I was trying for an aged and patinated steel that carried a fine "dry" rust coating. Not sure I quite got that? - but as I mentioned it'll never be seen!!! Laters all....................... Edited July 22, 2015 by Little Andi 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Looking bruddy lubbly at the moment. And I love the old upturned country dining table as a stand... As you mention though, 90% of all this really can't be seen when finished. When I build my cabriolet, I'm seriously considering not fitting any front bodywork at all. Roy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Bluddy 'ell, that engine is so realistic its leaking oil all over the 'over engineered' engine stand!! This is brill Andi, just like looking at a (much better quality!) Haynes manual! Top stuff as usual! Did you used to use gloss clear on your 1/25th American gems Andi, or were they just polished out paint? They always had the right 'scale' gloss. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Lovely job, you really have mastered making plastic look like metal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billydick Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Andi - are you going to build the rest of the car? The Traction is a beautiful car - as are all the older Citroens imo BillyD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Thanks all ... I really do appreciate you following, and of course your vocal support. Keith ..................... I did in fact use a Clear Gloss on those old builds, but I was already well into producing a "scale shine". So, it wasn't for the globby finish but rather for the protective qualities it afforded the paintwork - pretty much what it was intended for; in fact some of the really fine mica pearls I was using back in a day demanded it. There you go, just for the sheer bliddy hell of it, and to be bliddy minded as well II thought I'd post a pretty Italian - awe! .... (A very-VERY old build now). Anyhoo ..... back to the thread at hand. ................. Billy, YES I do intend to build the Traction, and in the same manner. But I will probably put a build or two between this and then! It will grieve me to bury all this detail into the body - it literally disappears, so I'm trying to thunk of a way to display it out of the body?? But before then I have a Honda Four 750 "Dream" softly calling my name - another grail kit that the recent reissue resolved, and later this year the Norton Commando will be struck from my list too. By the way I've pretty much caught up now so things will slow down a lot - thanks for your support so far, I'll try and step up the build rate so you don't have to wait to long ... not that you're holding your collective breaths I'm sure. Cheers chaps. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Would this kit be a sensible base for a wartime Traction Avant.....General Major Friedrich Kussin's staff car at Arnhem might make an interesting (if slightly gruesome) subject: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 (edited) Would this kit be a sensible base for a wartime Traction Avant.....General Major Friedrich Kussin's staff car at Arnhem might make an interesting (if slightly gruesome) subject: I'll leave this for someone else to comment on - as this really isn't my area of expertise, or choice of subject matter. Edited July 22, 2015 by Little Andi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vontrips Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Extraordinary workmanship on the engine...I don't think I've ever seen better! I was planning nothing more than some very slight colour variations on the engine components on my build; I'm reconsidering how I'm going to approach it now! Love the Alfa Spider too. Very nearly bought one in the same colour 20 years back. Foolishly fell for a Lancia Thema Turbo instead. Good fun, 'til it went bang! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 Just a quick "wrap-around" for the water pump and hoses etc. I'm struggling to get clean images, and when I do they show all the really poor workmanship, so in hindsight we'll go with these fluffy soft focus jobbies! - "In truth these are just very quick "drive-by" shots, so can't expect much else - they do give one the idea though? I did forewarn you that things may just slow down a tad! ............But by and large we should chuffle on at a slow to glacial pace!! ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 More cracking work Andi, coming along very nicely!! How did you get that plastic rubber hose to look so rubbery?! K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 (edited) Hey Keith .... pleased to see you're still following along - helps to cut down the echo in here-here-here-here! As you can well imagine? - it's never as it seems? The short yet large pipe joining the block to the pump is actually a rolled paper tube - jubilee clips courtesy of a "Brains faggots" tin and some brass tube - ditto for upper bypass hose, this is nothing more exotic than a short length of "twin and earth" insulation. Hardest part of using this stuff is it's resistance to bending nicely, so the hard part is getting it to come off your fitting squarely. Left to its own devices it would want to "flare" at the join - very unprototypical. Cure is a simple internal splint with an accurate 90° and a dab of cyano - simples. Thanks for asking. ..... Edited August 4, 2015 by Little Andi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vontrips Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I'm still enjoying your build! May even get to open the box on mine again soon. A question about your hairspray technique, if I may...did you have to seal the green paint after scrubbing back to the rust layer? I think the idea is to stop it peeling further, but wonder if it's neccessary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Good to see that you're still making everyday odds & ends look like something they were never s'posed to look like, most excellent! Brains faggots, who'd have guessed anything about them could nave a modelling application...??!! Crack on Andi, terrific modelling as usual! K PS does Steve (triumphfan as on here), know you have this build going on? I'm sure he'd love to follow it too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Again ... thanks for following Keith. I tend to bump into Steve on Facebook (in fact I tend to do most of my modelling on there now) He knows I'm playing with this build but might not know I'm posting here?? - he probably wouldn't expect it. But I realised there are a couple of old chums on here (like yourself) and it gives me an opportunity to see what they're up too as well. Brains faggots - MAN FOOD! And the bottom of the tin is a bloody useful piece of flat ally - nice 'n' stout too. Re, the hairspray, I can't give you a definitive procedure as I tend to wing it a bit. But in this instance after rubbing back to "rust" colours I'm pretty sure I applied the first coat of "mucky dust" (I use artists pigments - just because i have them around). This was scrubbed on to the paint as it was well dry but perhaps still "green" - (s'cuse pun). This allowed it to bond to the surface and made it quite stable - THEN I gave it it's first protective clearcoat - quite thin, just enough. Then on to a bit more detaily colours with nooks and crannies - bolts and nuts that kind of thing, further patinating - more dust, more rust and then some graphite work around the odd appropriate edge. Another more durable coat of clear then before starting to add the ancillary items: - Starter, water outlet pipes etc - once on these were "stitched into the overall theme and have since been unified with one more clearcoat - these are quick squirts you understand they're NOT "wetcoats". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 A negligible update but one with a little merit as it shows the effort that goes into these piddly details - never to be seen again; ... but they do add up eventually - so I tell myself. Here we are then - the Alternator before it goes into final finish .......................................... I didn't take any shots before I had a play!! ... but it's pretty much just a cylinder with a few holes through it. It's a quite prominent item and should receive a bit of fettling by virtue of this alone I felt. Quite a bit of work went into getting the fan to run cleanly, concentrically and smoothly. I guess I could of just glued it on equally well but this way suited me better? Made a few contacts with room within the nuts and stuff to run through an electrical cable when (and if) the time comes. Turned the body so it had a nice sharp end-plate, the holding strap featured better and basically to make sure everything was square and dandy ..... also finished the strap off with a nice bracket complete with nut and bolt. And then shot it with a quick primer coat to see what we'd got - needs a bit more fettling and massaging - then it will be time to distress and ruin it - (spot the irony). Laters....................... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Well you need the fan to turn to keep it cool when you eventually fire her up... that engine looks so realistic I'm sure it will actually start! K 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Andi Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Sorry it's been a while - but Real Life has an habit of legging me up, coupled with the "warned about" glacial build speed. Anyway .... few words and a few pic's will bring you up to speed ........................... The build is taking a beating with the constant handling - especially as I had inadvertently missed off those clutch housing vents - the bracket on the other hand whilst tackled with some trepidation was in fact a rather enjoyable little project. Now resplendent with the actuating arms, and return springs it's looking suitably mechanical enough - devils own job trying to figure out haw those clutch arms were configured. And now with colour on them, some repair work on the build finish itself (seems as though this is going to be constant and ongoing)? And also first look at the Generator in situ'. Perhaps worthy of note is the fact that this Sunshine shot is the first to reveal the true nature and colour of that alloy rocker box top ... it always seem to come out waaaay too shiney in other pic's. Just for those that might like a closer "look-see". Remember, constructive criticism is tolerated - out right micky taking just makes me pout! ... Just twisted it around a bit to get some Sun on it's face. Work progressing is the Gear selector shaft and the top hose tube. And for the sake of fairness - a quick shot of the other side ... And really because a LOT of this is going to be hidden when I put the exhaust in place - coming soon to an update near you!!! WELL! ......................... I'm having fun anyway? .......................... cheers all. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billydick Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Hard to believe it's not the real thing ......... Excellent Andi !!!!! BillyD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Tremendous stuff Andi, every update is well worth waiting for! And I agree with Billy, it really is hard to believe it's not real - you sure it isn't?! (& I know it's a totally different beast but I've been grovelling around under my Grand Vitara checking the transmission box & diffs oil levels this morning - the weathering on my mechanical bits looks just like yours....!!! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Off the charts - no need to pout. Your fabrication and patina starts where mine left off and then soars into the stratosphere. Superb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vontrips Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Agree with everyone...superb, high quality work, which I cannot fault! Have you found any good online reference sources? I'm suprised how few restoration projects, parts photos, and even tech drawings are out there, given how many cars still exist! Hopefully, I'll have something to show on my build soon. My ageing computer has died on me, so no uploading pics for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangle Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Great build so far, it's looking pretty amazing! Having just gone through the removal process out a rather weathered engine on my kit car I can say there is maybe one thing you could add if you were inclined to. I found that all the little sills and things were often covered in an oily/dust/dirt mix right in the crevices and anything that forms a shelf like the lip on the rocker cover and around the gaskets as well as mounting points and other corners. This kind of addition would look great on your model I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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