Pocher Aventador Roadster 1/8 kit build incl. LEDs

[larchiefeng]

Codger mentioned a link to a kind of upholstery paint a while back but, I can't remember what it was. Maybe he'll pop in and share that link again and whether it will work on these seats.

[Codger]

http://www.duplicolor.com/product/vinyl-and-fabric-coating

https://www.semproducts.com/refinish-flexible-coatings/color-coattm-aerosols

These are very 'hot' lacquers so they can penetrate vinyl and leather. You should test on samples first. They are excellent, durable color coats for 1:1 auto dashboards, seats and trim.

[Danny_G]

@Pouln: So you will be building a Aventa Roadster as well? Great to hear

@larchiefeng: I have ordered some SMDs and received them couple of days ago. I have no idea how I should solder them… I'm an office guy, all I know about LEDs is what I have learned from watching YouTube videos.

Thanks for all the hints regarding the special color for vinyl. Saves me a lot of time because it will prevent unnecessary mishaps. I slightly remember having experienced this in the past when working on something else, color that never dries. I live in Switzerland, let's see what I can find. However has no priority, the seats can be removed as long as I do not attach the base plate.

Yesterday, I wasted a lot of time adding some silver detail another guy has added to his roadster only to find out that the real deal has is not…

So I wasted some more time trying to remove them today. I'm such an idiot, I never watched a single Youtube Video about the Aventador, have always been searching for images, never videos. So yesterday, I rather accidentially came across these videos: Aventador Roadster POV Driving and Roof Removal and 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Start Up, Exhaust, Test Drive, and In Depth Tour. I was gobsmacked how much information is in them, that's why I post them here.

Some progress pictures:

Been working on the doors. The rubber paint is a pain to apply by brush but works like a charm when sprayed, flawless almost like a coating:

Shiny part of the panel will be painted in satin white (this is only put together as a test, no glue).

Noticed that the door panel is missing a ton of detail:

mirror knob, speaker texture, red warning light (not visible in this picture)

Painted the inner side of the front intakes black. Noticed on some finished Pocher Aventadors that the car color is visible through the grids which does not happen in real life.

Attached the headlight I've been working on to the front as a fitting test, still WIP, need to resolder everything because it is currently only soldered makeshift. Also need to attach plugs for every light (LED group) so I can handle the wiring harness (up to 24 LEDs in the end).

Note the now black air intake interior

Also been working on the inside of the hood using the new reference imagery provided by the aforementioned videos. Looks like nothing but took me an hour:

When finished, I found out that the roadster hood has a different arrangement of the decals But I guess I won't move them a 2nd time.

I'm also pretty unhappy with the current color of the calipers. Was an ordeal so far since I had planned to make them black, then sanded off the black paint to only use a faulty spray can (was old), creating a mess trying to wash the dotted yellow color off.

Now with all new Tamiya Lemon Yellow (X-8) they look more like oranges to me (3 layers of yellow paint already applied).

I have found today another stunning site. Maybe old news to most of you guys, in case it's not, here's the link:

Model paint database

I uploaded a picture of the real lemon yellow calipers, color picked and let me suggest colors, they didn't look that different from what is applied now. Pretty confusing. Revell has no glossy bright yellow, so I will go and try and find Vallejo lemon yellow.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Danny_G

[Danny_G]

I'm seriously considering getting the Tremonia Transkit. However I'm not totally convinced by the parts they choose to offer, would have loved to see some more exterior parts like door locks rather then rings for invisible engine parts.

I'm particularly disappointed by the reproduction quality of the Aventador's brakes, Pocher made the disks too thin and they are not mirrored (so the hole 'swoof' moves into the wrong direction on one side). When looking at the detail of Tommaso's 1/10 Aventador's brakes (by AutoArt?), the Pocher ones look like a Bburago toy car.

I am also considering 3D printing of some missing parts (I don't have a 3D printer but a colleague does). It's mainly an idea at the current state. I haven't used Blender in a while, constructing the brake disks as a 3D object for example gives me headaches. Let's see.

[Danny_G]

I ran into some issues yesterday. I did a fitting test with the cockpit interior, and when screwed to the chassis there is a gap in the door sill. I cut out some of the 'carpet' that I have fitted in there because I thought that has caused the problem and made the part not properly fit, but that wasn't the case. Have yet to fix this, also replace some of the carpet, cut away a little too much (on the left).

When working on the cockpit a problem I had neglected reappeared. I now have 2 destroyed threads, two little C screws holding the top of the B pillar, a part likely to be used as 'handle' when the car is finished (note: this is a Roadster only part also holding the ridiculous small rear window, does not exist on the Coupé)

Now this is true Pocher engineering, 1, maybe 1.5mm of screw to hold an exposed part (there is a third screw but this one goes into plastic), the thread cut into soft alloy. This HAS to break:

There would be room and thread for a much longer screw. Have been looking for a replacement screw even in our workshop at the office, couldn't find anything better than this: right diameter, right length but wrong thread. Will keep searching.

Layed the cockpit aside and turned to the wiring harness of my Aventador. Finally my connectors have arrived, started soldering and made some significant progress:

Headlight now has a plug, and I installed a fixed plug in the trunk, where the 9V battery can be plugged in:

Wiring harness with 3 plugs for the front and 3 for the back, plus plugs for special lights (cockpit, interior). More may follow:

[rjfk2002]

Look to see if scale hardware has a bolt that fits. They have many different metric bolts and threaded rods. If you can't get a screw to work perhaps you can sink a piece of threaded rod into the b pillar and use a nut to attach to the frame. Codger did it on his rolls to attach the body.

The door sill is a tight fit as I recall. Make sure nothing is blocking the two tabs. The sill will squish the carpet and screw down into place if those tabs are clear.

Rich

[Alex SZ1996]

nice, i have the blue one stashed. i like the white interior scheme you showed on page one. but red would also look good

[Danny_G]

Current status is more or less: fixing one problem while creating another...

I have fixed the issue with the screws, found another one of those brass screws and since they are self-tapping, I was able to use it with the wrong thread. Guess this will never come off again. The screw is invisible because it is underneath the interior panel. This one was important because it is one of the first parts (step 5) and it held me back continuing work on the interior.

Fixed also the issue with the gap in the door-sill which only happened when the interior side panel was screwed on. So I had a look at the attach which seemed pretty much wrong. I filed the top so it could be attached closer to the cabin frame, also made the screw hole bigger and added a washer which I made out of an old credit card (white part):

The gap and misfit is now gone completely:

On the downside, the brake calipers are nothing more than a disaster zone. I have found now and bought Vallejo lemon yellow, but the paint is horrible, it turns into some chewing-gum mass and I just discovered that while it comes closer to the right color tone, it is not glossy. I had a hard time trying to apply it, especially on the caliper pictured left. I scratched it off with a cocktail stick, reapplied it and so on. While working on it, it even fell on my t-shirt, pants and the carpet

Should have left them the way they are. Problem pending, frustration level high.

Also worked on the exhaust once more, trying to make the exhaust-tips less bulky. I did a lot of filing on all edges, I think it looks way better now. Also applied another wash to the surface, which gives it a pretty realistic look:

have also finalized work on the cylinder head, adding some more detail & refining, e.g. made the letters black, new red markers (very thin red tape), sank the screws some more etc.:

Have also decided to not try to apply a special black texture, saw amazing things recently but I deem that too risky. Not in the mood for adventures currently.

Edited April 16, 2016 by Danny_G

[Danny_G]

I'd like to share with you this absolutely stunning Aventador build by a german guy nicknamed 'Seeger'. This guy has 8 decals… on each and every of his brake disks!! Incredible LOD

Pocher Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster (HK103)

Look at that battery carrier! its barely distinguishable from the original, had to check twice. Also one of the very few who has recreated the 3 missing switches on the other side of the steering wheel. Great inspiration! Too bad he apparently stopped posting before this thing was finished.

[Codger]

I'd like to share with you this absolutely stunning Aventador build by a german guy nicknamed 'Seeger'. This guy has 8 decals… on each and every of his brake disks!! Incredible LOD

Pocher Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster (HK103)

Look at that battery carrier! its barely distinguishable from the original, had to check twice. Also one of the very few who has recreated the 3 missing switches on the other side of the steering wheel. Great inspiration! Too bad he apparently stopped posting before this thing was finished.

Yes Danny, some guys like our German friend can do work that makes you lose the will to live - or at least continue modelling ever again. Yours is becoming one such work

For your wish above for black texture paint, I have a favorite and here it is. It is a dead flat black with a nice 3 dimensional texture. But not a 'wrinkle' paint, just a coarse look that is perfect for our 1/8 scale. I did my inner fender panels and wheel wells.

Give it a test and see if you like it.

https://www.scalehobbyist.com/catagories/Detailing_and_Weathering/black-faux-fabrix-textured-spray-paint/SMO00005503/product.php?s=3&t=1&u=4&pg=1&ppp=48&sb=stocknumber&so=a&man=SMO

[Danny_G]

Common, don't say that.

When I see someone else's work, it is either inspiring me or I'm like 'nice' or 'this is certainly not what I'm going to do' (like blue interior lights). But that's me. I have developed a mindset that when I see something cool, I'm neither frustrated nor envious (which would be the dumbest thing to do anyway). I immediately start to think: how can I get this for myself or how can I at least gain temporary access to something like that. Example: 3 of the last 4 cars I owned (real cars), I have dreamed before about them not having any idea how I could accomplish owning one. Few years later, I had them. Being frustrated or envious is just blocking one's creativity and determination.

Modeling is to a certain degree a matter of time & money one is wiling (or able) to invest. Many of those super detailers seem to have an unlimited amount of both. I have now invested over 200 hours in mine, I completely understand that many can't even invest a friction of that time due to obligations like job, family, friends, you name it. Money, I could spend but I'm trying to keep that in a certain limit. No Transkit at the moment. Stephane from scaledetails.com is working on one (no release date yet), if it is a good as his previous one I may get tempted to overhaul my Aventador.

[Codger]

Common, don't say that.

When I see someone else's work, it is either inspiring me or I'm like 'nice' or 'this is certainly not what I'm going to do' (like blue interior lights). But that's me. I have developed a mindset that when I see something cool, I'm neither frustrated nor envious (which would be the dumbest thing to do anyway). I immediately start to think: how can I get this for myself or how can I at least gain temporary access to something like that. Example: 3 of the last 4 cars I owned (real cars), I have dreamed before about them not having any idea how I could accomplish owning one. Few years later, I had them. Being frustrated or envious is just blocking one's creativity and determination.

Modeling is to a certain degree a matter of time & money one is wiling (or able) to invest. Many of those super detailers seem to have an unlimited amount of both. I have now invested over 200 hours in mine, I completely understand that many can't even invest a friction of that time due to obligations like job, family, friends, you name it. Money, I could spend but I'm trying to keep that in a certain limit. No Transkit at the moment. Stephane from scaledetails.com is working on one (no release date yet), if it is a good as his previous one I may get tempted to overhaul my Aventador.

I agree in large part. I simply meant that that guy is operating at a higher plane than many of us. Certainly me. But I admire that. Yes it inspires me to try to accomplish similar levels of craftsmanship and creativity.

I just passed the 1800 hour mark (not proud to tell you that) doing, redoing and problem-solving (it's a Pocher after all) in search of excellence and my vision. Others like he, can accomplish more in less time and I admire that also.

[larchiefeng]

Very cool reference link, thanks. There's always someone out there that, does more but, it will always be that way. It just gives the rest of us something to shoot for. On your calipers, yellow is a tough color to paint on and needs a white primer undercoat because of the nature of the color. Red, yellow and orange are all affected by the color underneath. If you want something approaching the actual color it should be white underneath, anything else will make it darker.

[Pouln]

Thanks for sharing the links. Gives some ideas when I start my own build. I whish Pocher sold the engine in a separate kit too as detailing it is fun, but you would like to be able to make it visible.

Your engine top looks great!

[Danny_G]

This weekend, it was time to face my biggest fears. I realized that I had to finish the cockpit in order to proceed, so it was definitely time to illuminate the cockpit, something I had been procrastinating since weeks in fear I could fuxor one of the most important parts of the car. Even more so after the ordeal with the central console display. But finally there was no way around, and I also after a long search found to buy aluminium tape and 0.5mm fiber which I discovered in the section that offers stuff to make own bracelets in the handicrafts deartment. Also finally found a 0.5mm bit (from Tamiya, good stuff). The weather forecast predicted cold and wet weather, so there were no more excuses.

Spent endless hours trying to avoid any light coming through gaps and around cornes, probabely the hardest part in making this. I had to rebuild some of the edges where I cut away too much material. Note that I had to do all of this with the steering column mounted, I was unable to remove it even with force, wish all the parts that I glue would stick that good.

Fitting test

Now that the main display is fitted, it's definitely time for the dashboard paint job:

Proceeding to the center console. This went WAY smoother than I had feared, the 0.5mm holes are barely visible, some I could even place into the purported LED spots. I was able to mount the 0.5 bit (about the size of a needle) in my Dremel and unlike my 1mm bits, it didn't break.

messing with varying brightness levels:

But didn't go to bed until I finally got it done:

I noticed some people light up their cockpit like a christmas tree. I saw some horrible examples. Ok, it may be difficult to photograph but there are NOT all LEDs on at the same time...

I currently have AC on, ventilation Auto, drive mode STRADA and NAV on (since the Display shows a map). Might use the effect of different brightness levels to illuminate the inactive buttons, but have not decided yet. I cannot illuminate the letters anyway like the real thing has. Also it's one thing to make fancy lights, another to find room for all the wiring and cables in the interior of the model..

[larchiefeng]

Ah yes, and that is the rub with running all the lights, where to run and hide the wiring. It looks great so far and I personally understand the dilemma. I'm going through much of the same thing with my Mercedes and Testarossa lights. The Mercedes is simpler but the Ferrari is a lot like your Lambo in that there isn't any easy place to hide some of the wiring runs. I like the way you used the plugin connectors to simplify the final assembly. Are you planning on using a controller for different modes or just going with a single on/off switch? No matter what you do it really elevates the build by using lights and I know how much more difficulty it adds to the building of an already tough kit. It's going to be worth it in the end and make it not just another Pocher Aventador. Great job, I can't wait to see the whole thing lit up!

[Pouln]

Looking real good, Danny.

Well thought through and nicely executed.

Do you use single leds in the center console or do you guide the light through some sort of fiber or plastic channels?

[Danny_G]

@larchiefeng: Single on/off switch at the moment, I would love to have a controller, but have no skills how to program such a thing nor do I have the equipment for it (EPROM burner or whatever is required). Yeah, that last pictures looks pretty realistic, love it, looks even a bit better than on the photo.

I want to maintain as much as possible the innards of the Aventador, after all I spent a lot of time detailing them, so I can't just dremel a hole in the bottom. Without the connectors, you'd have to drag a growing wiring harness with you, attached to more and more parts, impossible IMHO.

@pouln: I consider that a compliment Of course no single LEDs, those are 0.5mm diameter fiber optics

Guess I owe you this:

As some of you may remember, I initially had no plans for detailing this Pocher kit. So there was no reason not to apply all the decals as required.

When I decided to paint the cockpit, it became clear that I had to remove the Lamborghini silver metal decal in the dashboard. Broke off the dot over the last i when I was messing with the removal of the decal, brought the sweat to my brow This is the re-applied decal on the newly spray-painted dashboard.

Newly arrived decal softener did not really help, also the decal doesn't fit into the designated moulding, never did and still does not. One shouldn't look too closely, glad I could save the decal at all. Glued the i-dot with superglue back into place, this after I reapplied the decals on the indicator and wiper handle. I considered buying a USB-microscope while doing so Enough of this micro-stuff for today.

[Pouln]

Ahh, that is executed as I would have thought. You may even consider lighting one or two other buttons using a led in another color.

Well done and yes it was a compliment.

[larchiefeng]

That's a good application for the fiber optics to get just a pinprick of light on the indicator lights. The picture makes them look bigger than 0.5 mm and having some here myself, I can say that they are pretty thin. Nice job of bundling the fiber optic cables and shielding the light source. You have also done a neat job of soldering all your connections and combining wires in certain areas to be able to run single sets of wires back to the power source. I'm also very familiar with the, " I didn't intend to do this much detail when I started" school of building myself. Seems like every build lately is that way and, until it's done it stays in that state.

[Danny_G]

Couldn't resist to put it all together yesterday late in the evening to see how all I have been working on lately looks combined. This is all still WIP!

Will add more 'LEDs' to the center console (currently checking what makes sense and what not) and may give the dash display another shot, I want to try to make the background look darker/blacker (currently using a decal by Paul Koo). Speaking about decals, need to also apply those for the steering wheel and the 'forgotten' buttons (e.g. parking brake).

I had quite a problem taking this picture, white balancing went crazy with the mix of blueish (cold) and yellow (warm) light, making the red 'LEDs' appear white. Worked a bit better when I switched to the PowerCam app, but still not as good as it looks for real, the red 'LEDs' are barely visible on the picture.

Note that I have also illuminated the cieling lights, but this created a new problem as the cover of the A pillar is halfway down (top left) and a screw fell out (WTF?). Looks like another worn out thread...

Added these because I'm still considering adding door lights and making the interior light come on when the door opens. Have been looking through reed contacts all the way but Conrad has about 200 of them and I have no idea what I actually need. They seem all to be made for high voltage. Have also not yet figured out how to cut a clean rectangular hole into the door panel for those red door lights.

[larchiefeng]

I'm laughing now because, it appears that my friend that, you have found the rabbit hole! It's funny how what started out as a no extra details added build morphed into a few lights to now, what else can I light up? And, adding door switches to control them to boot; I love it! Welcome to the rabbit hole, there's plenty of company down here!

[roymattblack]

...and beware - the rabbit hole has no bottom...

Roy.

[Codger]

It's getting crowded down here in this hole..................

[Pouln]

LOL!

About the reed contacts, you only need to worry about size. It doesn't matter whether they are usable for 110 or 240 volts. They will then also be usable for 3 or 5 or 12 volts. Other characteristic is that they come in make or break version.

So just make sure that they fit, including the magnets that you need on the opposite side.

Great stuff you are showing us.

The rest of us will throw carrots into the rabbit hole. Make sure you guys catch them. We just don't want to loose you.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Pouln