The Batmobile from the '89 movie,

Amazing work.

Excellent body work! And as for the little squares I can offer the advice, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This is going to be fantastic with paint.

Hi Curt,

I've been watching this build come to life, which look's AWESOME by the way, I really love all the extra detailing you've done and are doing to it, it really brings it more to life, just a small thought for you with the parachute, you mentioned that you might pop in a sliding cover for it, if you did, you could maybe use some small magnets to hold in the chute, if you did, you could try to make an open chute using an old plain handkerchief or small piece of cloth, sew in some cord to each of the corners and feed them back to the chute compartment, just as if Batman had just used the chute to slow down or something and have it trailed behind the vehicle, and with using magnets to hold the chute in, you could change it round to having the unopened chute, that way you could just take the car and wouldn't have to take the whole dio to shows (hope that makes some sense, it was just a passing thought :) )...

So looking forward to seeing this with paint and finished...

Andy...

Excellent work as usual Curt.

Gary, Ken, Kats, Andy, Al: thanks for checking in guys I really do appreciate all the interest.

Katz, yup one step at a time, I've been down this road a few times. Only this road I have someone caring the load of cutting the squares on a vinyl cutting plotter. Going to use this guys services for some real elaborate paint down the road.

Andy, good ideas, been working through some more ideas after our last convo/messaging. I am working out the scene for a washed out road, perhaps a bridge.  My thoughts exactly on switching up between the two chutes, open and unopen, brilliant.

I have to say, between you and retired Mike this para chute idea has really grown legs. I just have figure out how to execute thenideas now.


Guys, it's going to be awhile yet before we see any actual paint on this, ugh.

Sooooo many little imperfections here and there. All good, I'll stay the course and see it through. Hard to resist putting it aside for now, but I will forge on.
I am also waiting to hear back from the guy I have cutting the squares and other stuff I asked him for.

You can see many of the imperfections in the pics.

I am afraid I've hit a bit of a snag which has caused a set back. I mistakenly shot Acrylic primer, I knew it was acrylic just didn't think it through, I got stuck on wanting a light guide coat, doh. Now I have to let it sit over night then shoot the entire shell with an intercoat of polyurethane to seal the acrylic primer in order to continue with the Duplicolor Polyester filler lacquer primer.

Hmmmmm on second thought that will cause an issue for sanding. I won't be able to sand through the poly-u at the same rate as the primers causing high spots.
What to do.
..........thinking.
Think I will shoot a dust coat of decanted lacquer primer over this stuff, little by little sealing it.

Oh well as I have said before 'we learn from our mistakes, and I should be brilliant by now'.

Progress none the less.

And I really like how the Model Masters acrylic primer sprays. All their acrylics I have used to date spray really nice and have good coverage.

I recently picked up some Vallejo Fluorescent Red for the pin stripping.


Thanks for looking in.

I have a very nice open parachute from back in the day. I think it was from an old MPC top fuel dragster.

Yours if you want it Curt, I can send the Lowrider wheels with it.

dublin boy wrote:I have a very nice open parachute  from back in the day. I think it was from an old MPC  top fuel dragster.

Yours if you want it Curt, I can send the Lowrider wheels with it.

Thanks a ton Shay, no need to send it, save the on packing size. I have a number of them from those Revell drag kits too.

As Andy suggested, I may pose the chute either completely collapsed or partially collapsed. Either way it will be bigger then those drag chutes.

Imperfections!!!!! where????

Bodywork progress is very enjoyable, no rush for paint.
Keep up the great work Curt.

Plastic Freak wrote:

dublin boy wrote:I have a very nice open parachute  from back in the day. I think it was from an old MPC  top fuel dragster.

Yours if you want it Curt, I can send the Lowrider wheels with it.

Thanks a ton Shay, no need to send it, save the on packing size. I have a number of them from those Revell drag kits too.

As Andy suggested, I may pose the chute either completely collapsed or partially collapsed. Either way it will be bigger then those drag chutes.

I was wondering how to box it up small. lol

You still at Panabaker Drive?

dublin boy wrote:

Plastic Freak wrote:

dublin boy wrote:I have a very nice open parachute  from back in the day. I think it was from an old MPC  top fuel dragster.

Yours if you want it Curt, I can send the Lowrider wheels with it.

Thanks a ton Shay, no need to send it, save the on packing size. I have a number of them from those Revell drag kits too.

As Andy suggested, I may pose the chute either completely collapsed or partially collapsed. Either way it will be bigger then those drag chutes.

I was wondering how to box it up small. lol

You still at Panabaker Drive?

We've moved twice since then. Lol. I'll send ya the new address.

Sound.

Excellent progress! The primer coat really 'solidifies' all the modding, very nice result. Don't know much about the whole lacquer over acrylic issue but I'm sure you'll figure it out. I think you'll like the Vallejo colour quality, the more I use their stuff the more I find myself shifting from Tamiya acrylics as the default for AB.

Thanks Shay

Kats, thanks for the input of the Vallejo paint. After doing some more research it looks like Createx will be the paint I end up switching over to. Tons of wild colours, tons of candies, and a clear coat/seal system and it's all acrylic. Thanks for the words of encouragement.

One step closer to some colour.
I shot a number of coats this morning, I will let it sit until Monday to fully cure. Then shoot some white Tamiya gloss, then the real fun begins.

I have my squares ready to go, 3000 in total,

Very smooth, very flawless, very nice. You have put a lot of effort into this job and deserve the results.
I am jealous.

Mr Hirakawa wrote:Very smooth, very flawless, very nice. You have put a lot of effort into this job and deserve the results.
I am jealous.

Cheers Dave, I really appreciate it.
You have absolutly nothing to be jealous of your skills and dedication are something I wish I possessed.

I just spent some time looking over the shell, there are a number of areas that will need more sanding and worked. However the two tone checkered pattern will fool the eye and hide most imperfections in this scale.

Great work Curt. You did say three THOUSAND squares didn't you.

I did a chequer pattern on a Mini roof for Bernadette one time.

It was a bit wonky... I swore I'd never do it again.

Now that's very difficult Curt, best of luck

Superb Curt

Thanks guys!

Al, Yup 3000 squares, the math of the surface area says only 2000.

Shay, I remeber that build from way back on eScale. This will be my biggest checkered pattern yet, fingers crossed they don't go wonky.

Stay off the lager would be the only advise I can give you

My advise Curt................ pre-book yourself into the local sanatorium!!!!!! You must be NUTS!!!!

The geezer has a plan Al boy!

Al, already booked in.  I am actually just going to go in for a short stay while I get this cracking.

After the post primer inspection and sanding the cowl fresh are intake vents that were filled still show.
I use a ton of filler primer when doing any body mods, this stuff is key to hiding imperfections in scale. The challenge is how and when to use it so detail and seems aren't filled in.

The cowl vents are right next to a main panel line, I used liquid mask to fill the gap right upto the cowl panel line then mask the rest.

After three heavy shots of primer the vents are still present in the last picture. They should sand back and be out of site when the paint is done, fingers crossed.

I have had some ultra narrow masking made up for this project along with the squares.

This stuff is 0.134mm wide or about .008", super difficult to work with. But yields a pin strip that scales upto less then 1/8" in 1:1.
In order to work with it I first spray a dusting of orange, this allow me to see if it flips over while,I am laying it down. Then I peel it off the backing with the ring as seen in the pictures. The ring is 1"X1/4", big enough to get a finger in and manipulate while laying the tape.

I haven't yet decided if I will use this ultra narrow stuff or the super narrow stuff for the orange pin stripping.