nikkita katana Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 The original idea was just to take the box contents and add a bit of glue and paint. That intention didn't last long though after a brief look at the engine parts and a browse through Google images. So first job was cut mouldings of the throttle bodies off and get out the selection of ally tubes and the likkle files and re-position that fixing flange at 90 degrees (-ish). Was bugging me way too much to just let it go. This car might take a while. So...... something that was originally one bit has turned into several bits!!! (didn't think to photograph it before I cut it but this shows where it was chopped. And for now will ignore that the 2 plenum chambers (???) broke apart cos I shall want to make a whole new throttle cable linkage that fits between them later on anyway) after one evening the other half has turned into this..... There's a piece of 1mm tube right in the centre to create a small fixing pin and then 2mm and 3mm glued over that for main housing and then a tiny slither of 4mm tube to create the fixing flange. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harveyb258 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 I think you're definitely catching the scratchwork bug! Why make 1 piece when you can do it in several bits??? Keep up the good work! Cheers, H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted March 23, 2018 Author Share Posted March 23, 2018 Thanks Harvey. It's certainly less scraped knuckles and broken nails than the last pair of ally throttle bodies I decided to "improve". And a lot less mess. I might properly catch the bug if I start to work out the easiest way to make things in miniature. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 The devil is in the detail. It really doesn't matter if no one else ever sees it. You know it's there and that you did it by yourself. I think the XJ220 is still a good looking car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted March 23, 2018 Author Share Posted March 23, 2018 11 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: the XJ220 is still a good looking car. Isn't it just a gorgeous car. And well worth spending a little extra time on. Truth is I was contemplating that piece for about an hour before deciding there was no way I could leave it like it was. Having it sitting on a shelf reminding me for years just wasn't an option. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Given that I have one of these waiting in the queue to be built, I will definitely be watching this one. But it looks as though your modelling skills are somewhat in advance of mine, so I will be doing the 'adding glue and paint' method when I finally get around to it. Early days on your, but the workmanship looks great already 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpnuts Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Wow that's some skill right there. I like things I can see which is why I like1/8 scale so i can see to do things mind you even at that scale I still just glue and paint them together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted March 24, 2018 Author Share Posted March 24, 2018 16 hours ago, Spiny said: so I will be doing the 'adding glue and paint' method Trust me, most of this build will follow that intention. This part is way over-engineered. I could have just smoothed off the original bit and added some filler and a small bead of putty at 90 degrees to sand and file to the right shape for the flange. I've gone over the top because I have some projects in mind which will need parts making from scratch, and although I have previous knowledge and experience with "full sized" manufacturing I need lots of practice at making things in miniature. And the truth is I get on with aluminium way better than I seem to do with putty or filler. Here's a couple of shots of the attempt at a second one to show what I've done a bit better. The plastic is drilled with 0.6mm and 1mm bits just deep enough for the brass and first step of aluminium to plug in nicely with the 2mm tube just butting up. And then the 3mm and 4mm tube fixed over the top. All Albion Alloys materials form local model shop which conveniently slot inside each other. 16 hours ago, kpnuts said: I like things I can see Been 30+ years since I made anything in 1/8 scale. Would love to do more but sadly only 1/24 fits my current budget. Unless I find abandoned 1/12 kits on ebay for bargain prices. I'd get nowhere without some poundland +3.5 reading glasses. Even with those, if I drop a 0.6mm drill bit it takes anything up to half an hour to find it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harveyb258 Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 That looks way better, Nikita....great job!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpnuts Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Trust me some 1/8 kits are waaay over priced (for example revell 1/8 corvette at 89 quid it should be 20) mind you I've built the big Heller Citroen twice and have plans for a third at 130 quid it's an incredible kit as detailed as a pocher kit at a quarter of the price. Italari mefistofeles is an incredible kit and I've seen that for 80 quid (should have bought it then but couldn't justify another expensive kit in the stash) (if swmbo knew what some of the kits in my stash cost she would have an apoplectic fit) I can see this will be a build to watch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 (edited) Fantastic looking result though - must confess I went to the kit in my stash to try to see exactly what you'd done. When you see the part in the flesh, the results are even more amazing than they look in the photos. 17 hours ago, nikkita katana said: I'd get nowhere without some poundland +3.5 reading glasses. Even with those, if I drop a 0.6mm drill bit it takes anything up to half an hour to find it. I feel your pain in this respect. Starting off my Porsche 959, I gave up the struggle of seeing with the naked eye and got hold of China's finest off Amazon. Looks like they've gone up by £3 since I got them last year, but if you want to spend more than a £1 I would recommend these for detail work. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071LHJ9JH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Edited March 25, 2018 by Spiny Forgot link 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted March 25, 2018 Author Share Posted March 25, 2018 Thanks for the link Spiny. Something like those might be needed eventually. Eyes aren't great anymore at close focusing, need +1.5 for reading any instructions and stronger for doing the work. And spend way too long looking for the right glasses!!!! For now though the main limitation of what's possible probably comes down to the size of tools I have. I bought the smallest set of files they had at the local model shop but even they look massive when working with 2 & 3mm tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted March 26, 2018 Author Share Posted March 26, 2018 Little bit more larking about with some 1 & 2mm tubes. This engine has an awful lot of plumbing some of which I can have a go at. Starting from centre working outwards seemed to be the sensible route so here's some cooling system pipework made with the 2mm tube and some tiny bits of 1mm to aid with the assembly. Bit of paint and just dry fitted for now. These pics show how I put it together. Wouldn't have been able to drill 1mm hole straight into the tube but figured filing half away and drilling from the inside half was an easy alternative. And using the same idea as the throttle bodies earlier I made a little fuel pressure regulator. This time the 3mm tube was used for the flange. 0.5mm rod through centre which will give a fixing pin at the bottom and the rod out the top goes somewhere between the inlet manifolds to, I guess, wherever the fuel filter is located (?). The "braided" piece is 3 strands of picture hanging wire that was lying around. That will eventually connect onto the fuel rail. Only one made so far, so another is needed for the other side. And still needs a tidy up. So, anyway, that's 3 days effort so far and absolutely no kit parts fixed together yet!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpnuts Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 Wow thats some fidely detailing there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Managed to find some spare hours to carry on with this little project although a few hours didn't result in too much to show for it. Anyway...... fuel pressure regulators got a bit of thinning down cos, lets face it, they were a bit over-scale. Had to arm myself with some eBay bargain basement Vernier Calipers for that job!! Still need to attach a pipe of some description from them to the fuel rail, and realistically there should be 2 pipes coming off both to feed second pair of fuel rails and second set of injectors somewhere in the middle. I'm trying to ignore that oversight though, but gosh it's hard work. And did some little bits of throttle cabling with some 0.3mm brass rod and some very small sections of 1mm aluminium tube for the fixing points ar both ends. Just need to make a block for the 2 ends plug into, which then has the main cable plugged into other end of that. Might just thin down and squash another piece of tube for that. And clean all the superglue off me fingers. Those slightly thicker brass bits on the ends were "turned down" from 1mm tube by putting a length in cordless drill and running a file over them. they'll end up black or grey cos they just look like some sort of plastic covers on the actual car. I thought they were looking reasonably neat til they went under the macro lens. Luckily I can't see the flaws too well without a huge pair of glasses. I did figure out a really easy way of cutting small sections of the 1mm aluminium tube. Put a length of 0.3mm brass rod inside it and use craft knife like a saw and roll it backwards and forwards along the tube just enough til it pops off along the smaller diameter rod. And it isn't likely to fly across the room. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastcat Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Poundland glasses - I thought I was the only one to use these as my go-to close-up aid. Just to splash out, I bought an extra pair with a different focal length which I use for less demanding work. They're not too good if you get up in a hurry and forget to take them off.................. Great what you're doing. It's the little improvements that make all the difference. Good luck with the rest of the build. Dave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 8 minutes ago, Fastcat said: Just to splash out, I bought an extra pair with a different focal length Thanks. Just the one extra pair?? I got at least 4 pairs of 3 different strengths dotted about my flat. Definitely need the +3.5 for the 0.3mm brass rod, cant see that stuff at all if it's closer than 2 ft. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastcat Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 (edited) And I thought that I was the last of the big spenders! Edited April 2, 2018 by Fastcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy vd M. Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 You're a brave and honest man to post these macro photos. Let's all not forget this is 1/24th scale and indeed these minor flaws are probably seen noticed only after a third glance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Thank you, but you got the wrong gender. I can be a bit heavy handed with the files sometimes, or anything sharp, and putting marks in plastic is going to happen. And I only really seem to get on with superglue so some blobs of that will occur too. This is basically just a practice model to figure out the best ways for me to make small pieces and the neatest ways I can put them together. Some parts will end up a mess but if a few pieces turn out ok then I'm happy to share the pictures and the thought process on how I did things. All I've always liked making things and all the scratch-building and modifications you're all posting on the site is the inspiration to see if I can do a little bit more than just put a kit together. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy vd M. Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Ah sorry for that... As for non-plastic parts to be glued, I often use brown Gator Glue. Long setting time, the tiniest bit suffices, sticky from the bottle so excellent for the smallest of parts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 Something that allows more time than superglue but doesn't require holding together for ages while it sets would be perfect. I shall add that to a shopping list, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco F. Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Instead of super glue I'm using ultraviolet glue. Small points where nessesary, place the part and light up the ultraviolet lamp for just 5 or 10 seconds and that's it. Works great for the clear parts and also for hard to hold joints... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkita katana Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 That sounds too much fun not to have!!! There goes my last fiver in paypal on a uv glue gun/pen thingy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PC2012 Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 18 hours ago, nikkita katana said: Managed to find some spare hours to carry on with this little project although a few hours didn't result in too much to show for it. Never mind Nikita. I often work for days and days with nothing much to show for it!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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