Corvette Racecar - Complete

Well, almost complete... it still needs just a few little detailing parts, and it should be all done.

It started as a 69 Corvette racecar, but I decided to go a little more "pro-trouring" with the look.
It is fitted with over-sized, late-model wheels and tires that look to me like they came from a Skyline GT-R originally.
Also barely fitting inside the new wheels are the drilled brakes and rotors from a Ferrari F50.

It looks like it is sitting a little high there. Stance is still in need of a little tweaking yet.

The interior is pretty much straight from the kit, including the rollbar with fire extinguisher.
I did however manage to lose the windshield during all the months that I had been working on this one.
Taking it all out and working on it, then boxing it up to work on something else for a while. Then pulling it back out and working some more.... So I am sure it is around somewhere.... And since I chose to not use the hard-top for this one, I am hoping it should still slip in fairly easily once found.

The big Chevy 427 engine was built basically stock as it came in the kit, however some different choices of paint color make it look a little more modern. Aluminum and anodized colors for the radiator and hoses make the engine bay a little more "up to date" than 44 year old rubber hoses.

My next project goes just a little out of my comfort zone, and only has 3 WHEELS....

New project

So I've been away from the blog here for quite a while, and things have slowed down some on the building front.
Part of it is due to the business and busy season taking away a good portion of time, and another part has been the cold weather. I am more hesitant to spray paint in the house when the weather is cold. In the summer months, I can spray, and then open a window or two and let the vapors dissipate on their own.
And since today they are calling for actual temperatures of -8 degrees F, and wind chill of -30 degrees F around here, I am not going to open anything to the outside I don't have to.....

But I have been slowly making progress on another project.

Here is the chassis....

And the same from below....

A sharp eye will likely recognize the big-block chevy engine, and independent rear axle, and know this is a Corvette chassis.
The giant rear tires, and aggressive tread may also be apparent that there is a little more going on here than a stock chassis.

What I am not showing will come later.
The interior is almost ready to go in, and the body is just about ready as well.
This one will be coming together soon, and I am excited to see how it comes out.

Hopefully as well as the rendering I found on-line, and the vision in my head I am trying to create.

Stay tuned, with a little more work, I may have finished pictures of this one up soon!

Hotwheels and their Special Packaging

Now I don't always go in for the all of the "Special Editions", all the variations, repaints, and miscellaneous versions of every car.... But every once in a while, one comes along that I find a way to get my hands on.

Case in point... The A-Team van.... This was a TV show that I grew up watching as a kid, and have very fond memories of.

When Hotwheels introduced the van as a New Model in 2011, I was happy to see it come out.

I was a little disappointed to see that they didn't have the two tone paint job. It's actually supposed to be a dark grey on the top, and black on the bottom, but that's another story.

So I found one, and added it to the collection.

 

Then I heard that they were doing a premium version of the van for this years Comic-con convention.

Not really a big comic-con fan myself, plus it was all the way out in California. However I do have a cousin who goes every year, and lives right there in town.... A quick email later I had my "order" in.

 

A couple of days later after the end of the show, this showed up in my mailbox.

It's a nice sturdy box printed to look like a hard case, or footlocker.

Inside I found this nicely packed car in a protective display case, and lots of protective foam packing.

I couldn't believe how well packaged this whole thing was.

The van is screwed to the base, and the clear plastic cover snaps over the top. The backdrop is just a colorful picture that slides in.

This one has the correct dark grey upper portion, and the lower body is black. Including the push bumper, fog lights across the roof. It was a good looking vehicle.

They also threw in some dust and mud looking spray like it had been driven hard. Even the windshield show some mud splatters, and a correct pattern showing where the windshield wipers had cleared some of it away.

This is one great looking vehicle, and packed with great care, and attention to detail. I am glad my cousin was able to get this one for me, as it was certainly one I wouldn't have been able to get on my own.

 

 

Tamiya Xanavi Nismo GT-R R34

So I decided to go back and do another racing car kit, as I have several of them staring at me from the "to do" shelf.

I also have to admit that I really do love the Tamiya brand kits. They are well engineered and fit together with minimal fuss. Almost never any flash, and very little clean up.

Just a little careful painting, and you are left with a really outstanding looking model.

This one you have to paint half the car red, and the other silver. The decals really take care of the rest of the body.

I am getting better, though still could use a little practice with the transfers for the tire lettering.
They don't always seem to be perfectly straight or centered.

That's about all I have to report on this one. It was a breeze to assemble, and looks great straight from the box, with no real extras added.