rjfk2002 Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 (edited) Interior Start The cab floor is a giant tan piece of plastic with some molded in gaskets, pedals, cup-holders, etc that need to be painted black. Additionally the front is visible through the grille so it too needs to be painted black. The first pic is of the floor post painting. I masked off some areas just to test out some tape. The second pic is more dry fitting - getting the steering mechanism seated. The random blue tape squares masked holes in the floor as I sprayed the bottom flat black. Next up is carpeting and then detailing of the dashboard. I have a Molotow Liquid Chrome pen on order and will use it for the gauge rings .I will also paint some of the buttons to match the Paul Koo decals. I am currently pondering how to install the carpet. The center section is giving me pause. I want to see if there is an easy way to cut it so it fits around the molded in recesses without creating a bunch of seams (do it in one piece). Edited August 27, 2017 by rjfk2002 Pics uploaded Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted May 18, 2017 Author Share Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) Plan Meets Wall… I decided to tackle the carpet using a roll of self-adhesive light gray felt and Paul Koo’s directions. I knew the gear shift area and the side next to it (the “V” cut on the driver side of the console in the pic in my prior post) were going to be problems. I wanted to use once piece on top of the console and wrap it around the sides. The passenger side is straight forward but the driver side requires a few steps. First I have to cut out gear shift areas, then wrap the remainder over the edge and fill in the gaps (explained below). I made some tape templates for the gear area to figure out the cut outs. This is one of my first attempts. Trying to do one big mask was problematic as it tended to fall apart when I lifted the tape. This technique may have worked with stronger masking tape but then I would run the risk of lifting the paint underneath. Instead I partially masked of areas to get the correct placement/size and sketched it out on paper to get the right overall picture. After a lot of cutting and fitting I got the felt down on the top of the console and properly wrapped around the gear shift areas. First problem spot cleared. Next up was wrapping the felt over the edge and down the sidewall. Due to the V-shape depression the felt would not fold over flat and instead would leave an exposed triangle. I sketched it out below. I figured just trying to cut a triangle and fit it in there would be problematic. I had a sidebar conversation with a few fellow Brit members and came up with a plan. I would fold the felt over and cut a slightly oversized triangle for that area. I could then slice through the overlap with a fresh x-acto knife and create a flush line. I remove/toss out the excess felt and have a nice flat join line. I could then use a toothpick to comb the two edges together and have a seamless surface… Unfortunately the plan did not survive first contact. Turns out the adhesive on the felt is very, very sticky. Once that felt hit the plastic it was very difficult to remove. It was even worse if it touched felt. Additionally the felt got very linty very fast. As I tried to remove strips the areas around it start to break apart/get thread bare. I quickly realized the triangle strategy wasn’t going to work. My next thought was to cut the felt back to shape the exposed plastic area to be a square and fill it in with a square piece. The below is the outcome… Blah, just terrible… I will cut the entire side off and try again. Stay tuned. Edited August 27, 2017 by rjfk2002 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pouln Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Sorry to hear this tends to get so troublesome. I trust you get it sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted May 24, 2017 Author Share Posted May 24, 2017 Thanks Pouln. I did get it sorted but haven't a had chance to update the thread yet. I have also started to test body colors. I will add that too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 (edited) Fixing Things I decided to hack the entire side off and try again. Here is the start of the surgery. I made the vertical cut in front of the curve in an area where the seat will block it from view. The spider web looking bits is the adhesive from the felt. Needless to say it was super sticky and turned out to be too much more this application. I won't use this felt for future builds. I used a paper template to figure out the shape of the new piece. I decided to leave the top seam visible to create some visual contrast. In the second pic I mocked up the interior with the dash and the driver seat. More fun with felt ahead... Edited August 27, 2017 by rjfk2002 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoly Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 looks much better . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy vd M. Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 Very nice work! I love the upholstery. I also like this 80s truck interior, mainly the dashboard with its over-the-top huge clocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 A great save and resourceful solution Rich. Learning the 'feel' of materials and how best to work them is part of the Pocher challenge. Getting it right is the great satisfaction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted June 8, 2017 Author Share Posted June 8, 2017 Thanks gents glad you like it. The dash is very 80s looking though I sometimes catch myself looking at it saying "boy that is a big GPS screen... oh wait" Working with all these materials is a learning experience. I now know to practice with new materials before jumping in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted June 27, 2017 Author Share Posted June 27, 2017 (edited) Minor Update It's been a while since my last update, but there has been some progress. Getting the carpet cut for the floor was tricky as there needed to be cutouts for the pedals and steering column. I used a piece of paper to create a mask. I cut all the holes too big and used tape to fill in to the precise size. From there I could take the exact measurements for the carpet. Here it is installed. I scratched the kick plate and used 1mm bolts to hold in place. The seat is there as a color test. The seat has fiddly to assemble but I'll save that for a future update. Edited August 27, 2017 by rjfk2002 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy vd M. Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 Very clever! And it looks authentic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted June 29, 2017 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 Thanks Roy. It took a little trial and error before I stumbled upon the technique. I figured I'd share for others who may have tricky floor patterns to solve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 (edited) Fitting Doors and the Red, White & Blue This past weekend I circled back to the body to get the doors fitted. As I mentioned in my prior post, Dry Fit, the door inserts hit the edges of the dash and cause the doors to not latch. I needed to bevel the bottom edges of the dash board to avoid striking the door. This solved the passenger door side. The driver side needed some additional work. The pic below shows the final result. The dash kept hitting the door in the circled area and required me to remove material from that section. That raised area is about 3 mm taller than the flat section to the left and had to be entirely removed. Unfortunately the plastic isn't solid so after milling the material I ended up with a hole. I used some plastic card to create a backing. Next up is a patriotic preview of the color scheme. First up is what I started with - bright red plastic body panel (well actually the roof vent). I am using white Krylon primer based on the recommendation of Mr C. I will be following his painting advice from his brilliant Rolls build. Here is a front panel in white, waiting for a 600 grit wet sand. Last you can see some blue bumper panels. The full body will be done in this blue. These two panels are also waiting for a color sand session. After that (and potentially a third color layer) it will get clear coated. And no the bag in the background is not a new bath mat, it is the Volvo carefully covered to avoid dust build up... Edited August 27, 2017 by rjfk2002 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 This will likely be my last pic heavy post until I figure out a replacement for Photobucket. I want to find a new platform that won't change the T&C midway through my subscription. After that I will go back and relink my photos on this thread and my hibernating Bugatti build Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCrank Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 3 hours ago, rjfk2002 said: This will likely be my last pic heavy post until I figure out a replacement for Photobucket. I want to find a new platform that won't change the T&C midway through my subscription. After that I will go back and relink my photos on this thread and my hibernating Bugatti build Rich Hi Rich I use Flickr to host my photos, and have actually 2000 pics, since one year. I havn't had any issue with this website 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 Thanks for the tip on Flickr. I switched over from PB and relinked everything. It is much better than PB! I will circle back to my Bugatti thread too and fix eventually. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fiat Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Yes, I have used Flickr for 4 years with no issues whatsoever. Highly recommend!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 (edited) Dashboard Details After a bit of a summer hiatus I'm back on the beast and ready to add some details to the dash. A google search turns up many different button configurations for the F12 so I just picked one. I used Testors enamels and the smallest brush I could find for the buttons. The chrome came from a Molotow 2mm pen. The Molotow paint is amazing - very easy to use and doesn't drip. Those marks are from an unsteady hand... The decals are from the Paul Koo set. I used some archival tape to create the lens effect on the dials. They were cut off the sheet with the backing still on to prevent rippling. The Pocher plastic is "bumpy" to give it a vinyl texture I guess. The buttons are all waterslide decals. The buttons were quite fiddly, thankfully the set includes two copies in case of slip up. Edited September 21, 2017 by rjfk2002 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larchiefeng Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 The dash gauges look good! How's the paint coming along on the cab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 Painting is slow as I am not getting the results I want. The parts I previewed in earlier posts have been stripped and repainted a few times as I get my technique down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted September 28, 2017 Author Share Posted September 28, 2017 (edited) Turning Sow’s Ears into Seats As I have alluded to previously, the kit seats are a real mess. They consist of 4 parts each – 2 halves for the base, a seat and a seat back. The fit out of the box is awful. The base consists of a right and left half. As you can see the seam is really bad and the two sides are far from flush even after a solid sanding session. Rather than continue down this path I decided to try using some plasticard to create a new front. The second pic shows the results. This is much better and took a fraction of the time. I also used some card to create a backing for the map pocket. The seat is also a pretty lousy fit out of the box. There was no good way to get both the sides and the headrest seams to line up properly. I picked the sides and choose to sand/putty the head rest into place. Below is an in process pic. I used Tamiya white putty to fill in the gaps. In retrospect this was mistake as the putty shrank way too much. It took multiple applications to get it right. If I were to do it again I’d use Bondo. It doesn’t shrink nearly as much and is a bit easier to handle. And now the final product. Pardon the shadows, I don’t have the best lighting for photos on my bench. Edited September 28, 2017 by rjfk2002 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larchiefeng Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 The seat back came out very nice! I like the way that you are starting to just scratch build something without giving it a second thought. It's just getting to be second nature to make something if the kit parts aren't working; great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 Thanks Wayne. I am finding that putty and plastic card/rods are becoming my new best friends ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted September 30, 2017 Share Posted September 30, 2017 2 hours ago, rjfk2002 said: Thanks Wayne. I am finding that putty and plastic card/rods are becoming my new best friends ha Especially true on kits that have poorly engineered and fitting parts - and kits you cut to shreds with alterations. Nice job Rich, you're making this truck better than it had a right to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfk2002 Posted October 4, 2017 Author Share Posted October 4, 2017 Thanks sir! The Pocher engineers were definitely asleep when they designed this kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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