Hey my friend...life has dealt me a staggering blow that say's I have to "give something up." And though it really tears my guts out, I have to give up modeling. Things happen to all of us…and tonight I’ve been visited upon.

As I’ve said, she’ll be done. Her underside’s been re-primed…tomorrow will come the metallic black. This time I’ll get the (I hope) paint right. I’ll also continue the paint on the cabin’s interior. As small (heh, 1/25th) as the gauges are, I’ll have fun.

And “FUN” is what this will be for the time that remains. So be it.

Mike

Mike, that sounds very serious. But, hey, your live ain't over yet, right!? There will come times you can/will model again, I'm sure?
Anyway, you enjoy this build (and I enjoy following it!).

Paul

I'm sure this will be a great build and you'll view it proudly in you den.

Take care of yourself.


Enjoy finishing this one.

Hot diggity-dawg guys! I think I got it!!! Way too excited about the undercarriage's paint to wait to post pics. After the re-prime, I passed on doing the silver. I have a feeling that there was "reaction" between the silver and metallic black. Not 100% sure, but....as smooth as the metallic is going right now, it may have had something to do with it. When I stripped the body's underside, the paint kinda "flaked" off....I didn't have a good adhesion. At the moment, doing very light coats, it's like silk....yup, I'm stoked! As soon as I'm done and the paint has set and dried some, I'll pop up a couple of pics.

Mike

One other thing regarding the back window: I centered the cutout top to bottom and left to right. The L to R is good, but the T to B is not. When I put the window in, the cutout was too low, so it needs to be raised a good 3/32nd of an inch. And, I glued the three pieces together! Doh! I need to paint them FIRST! So, I'll be redoing that. MTF!

Here it is....happy with the way it turned out.


Couple of spots on the left and right of the engine "tub" that may need to be tweeked...can still do and cover it up proper.

Mike

It's great you got finally succeeded with the undercarriage paintjob.

Okay, question before I go too far.

Looking at the picture I posted above, and the one below.....There's this gap between the car body and the frame assembly on both sides. I seriously doubt that should be there. So, I'm wondering, if I took some very thin plastic sheet, cut the proper length/width rectangles, removed the molded on "things" (shown in the white circle), and put said rectangles (shown by the black box with the ??) there to cover these gaps, would it work?



It'd do at least two things; cover the gaps and save me the trouble of fixing the body's surface at those two points. I could either go with the same metallic black or flat black(?) for a real contrast or just plain gloss black. Hmmm??

Thoughts?

One other consideration is to extend the "new sheet" from the forward part of the frame all the way back to the bumper area (cut out for the wheel wells). This could/would close the gap between the body's sides and the bottom of the "cargo/wheel well area." There's a 3/16th inch gap there.

Mike

Hey Mike, you know it sounds like you have several workable solutions to this issue...now me being me..I tend to try and keep it as simple as possible, fewer ways for it to go bad seriously though, go with what works for you!..Also sorry to hear you have some bad stuff going on man..take care of yourself

I don't know enough of the car to judge how the undercarriage looks like, but there are some great vintage pictures of the vehicle and it's construction (showing detailed parts of the chassis) on http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=dodge+deora.
Perhaps you can find an answer there about the rectangles in the white circle.

How does one say it or put it? Things have normalized to an extent. Changes, adjustments of priorities, a new "thought-process?" All of the above and a wee bit more. Drama's gone (I hope) and the Deora stands. More importantly, it's out of it's box and back on my bench. So.....

First up is to redo the rear window because as I did it before, the "cutout" would be way off center (top to bottom) and we can't have that.

Mike

Mike,

Glad to hear things have gotten better.

The build is coming along nicely. I have one of these things in my stash of parts. Bummer is the rear wells are hogged out. Glad to see someone reviving this old kit.

Hey guys,

Quick question for you. When I did the back window (two sheets of styrene sandwiching a piece of blue acetate), everything other than the "location" of the cutout looked good. Well, I picked it up yesterday to see about maybe trimming the top and sliding it up a bit so I didn't have to totally redo it....well.... The three pieces peeled apart! I used normal styrene glue....my guess is the acetate sheet didn't like that?? Any ideas? I'd hate to do it up right and then down the road I have a back window pop out like a hack-job.....know what I mean? I hesitate to use CA.....

Mike

I'm kind of on a hold for paint......My new, yup, new Iwata should be here this week. The French Light Blue Gray just doe not brush on for squat and I'm realizing there's a lot more of that color to be painted inside. The French Dark Blue Gray brushes on slicker than goose-poo, so I'll shoot the light (cab tub and roof) and go back with the dark and fix things up some. Still not decided on adding the "plates" the the undercarriage....bunch of work for something that really won't be seen?

Mike

Mike - how are you going to display this beast is going to be displayed? Mirrors? If so, you may want to think about jazzing up the under carriage.

Hey Scott....i thought of that.....and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. I thought a nice simple oak base with a data-plate would work (I've no clue how "shows" go, so I don't know if the cars get picked up or not). If it's stationary, then no one would see the bottom of the engine and whatnot....however, if I were to route a spot out and set a mirror into the base, how much then could/would be seen? There's only about a 1/2" of clearance between the body and base.....

Okay...were (BIG IF) I to show this, and pimp the undercarriage too, HOW would it be displayed? The body, Tonneau, and cab are a given.....but the underside? All this is moot if a judge were to actually "grab" my kit and "flip 'er over!" Do judges actually do that; lift a kit and look under? Total newb here...total.

Assuming that I pimp the underside too, I have to "fill" the areas between the "main" body and the outer body panels and add (easy enough) the metal "supports" from the body base to the body panels (wee bit 'o PE).

Any pics of how "show" cars are "shown?"

Mike

p.s. If I put my "mind-set" into the potential that the Deora could be "shown," what other suggestions would be out there?

Mike,

What if you dipped the back window sections in future and then CA'd them together? Then there wouldn't be worries about fogging it up. Dunno just a thought.

The base... What if you did your wood base but had blocks under the driver or passenger side to elevate it, then placed the mirror under the Deora for everyones veiwing pleasure?

Ta Da! Some of the work I was not looking forward to is more or less done.

I used 0.020 sheet for the panels that "tie" the frame and body together and more or less close that huge gap between the "body tub" and the sides. I then took some 0.010 sheet and did the same for the wheel wells.

Finally cranked up the AB and shot the French Light Blue Gray on the cab's ceiling and in the cabin-proper. The FLBG, even for enamel, does not brush well. I'll go back and brush the French Dark Blue Gray on again in the cabin and around the ceiling panels and down the sides.

Here shortly, I hope to reshoot the undercarriage with the black....gotta wait for all the glue to set and I may need a wee bit of filler.



Mike

In the mean time, I do believe a Foster's is in order.

Some more work to the "cabin" parts.

I removed the plastic seat headrest supports and replaced them with copper sheet bent on my "Hold and Fold." The picture shows the front and back views of the supports attached to the seats. All I need to do to them now is nip the angle for the headrest so it sets level.

Above the cabin-tub are three pieces of 0.010 sheet cut to fit into the recesses above the engine cover. I'm debating about taking those parts as a template for either mesh (kind of like a speaker cover[?]) or I'm considering adding some Aber brass Diamond plate...UNpainted. Thoughts?



I put the first "re-coat" of French Dark Blue Gray in there...you can start to see the contrast. I'll need to go back and do another coat with a 3 to 2 mix to "smooth" things out.....smooth/fix the brush marks. Driver's compartment is finally coming along.

Once I'm happy with the FDBG, I'll start on the Speedo, Tach, and main control console (which fits in the trapezoid-shaped area of the engine cover)....Metallic black face, silver rims, white details(?).

Mike

Nice head rest posts. The tie in plates will help make this a whole model. It's looking good, keep it up.

Thanks Scott, I kinda like the posts too. The originals had three "rivets/bolts" that "attached" the post to the back of the seat; I'll see about replicating those (not that they'll be seen, but...).

This picture shows how the (unpainted) panels and "new" wheel wells butt up to the body's walls:


There are a couple of areas that will get some putty to blend the pieces as you can see...also in each wheel well theres a spot where the glue sort of "melted" the thin sheet; that will also get the putty treatment.

I didn't take the rear panel pieces all the way to the back of the body because there's a really nice curved panel that will cover everything from the bumper area to just about where the wheel well starts (there's another for the front too).

I think I will still use (five pieces per side) either copper or lead sheet to create the supports that go from the body's sides to the bottom of the tub (body support brackets/stiffeners?)...one at the rear of the front wheel well, one on each side of the rear wheel well, and two in between the wheel wells where the new plastic is.

As I take a relook at the picture, with the new plastic there in the middle, it's kind of "bare." Even with the stiffeners in, I may need to look at adding something....something that will be a different color than the black. Not sure what mind you...but something.

Mike

Putty is in the wheel well areas and I will sand that down tomorrow night after class. I'm warming the paint for the cockpit (in my pocket [it's quite cold in the basement - about 54 degrees]) so I can do the dark blue gray retouching.

I hope by Friday evening after work I can shoot the black again for the undercarriage. In the mean time, while things set and "warm," I'm gonna go watch the boob-tube (upstairs!)....Judge Judy's on!

Mike

Alrighty then..........

Fresh paint in the cabin and some brass "tread plate" for inserts (not glued yet, just kinda sittin' there):



And some "underbody stiffener's" to "fill things in:"



Mike

The stiffiners really make this a notch above. Great move.

Thanks Scott! I think they'll make a big difference. They seem kind of "heavy" right now, but I'm hoping that when they're shot with the black, it'll balance things out. And, heheh, noticed in the close up of the cabin that I have some more "paint work" on the seats that need some touch up. Close-up's really do "tear a paint job up" don't they?

I like the brass pieces I cut out for the back of the cabin....shape, style, texture...what not. Not liking the "brass" of it though. Because the gauges and other things are going to have black in them, I may prime the brass pieces and then hit 'em with black too. I inclinded to think that will offer some "Ooooh appeal." Fingers crossed, I'll be able to do some AB'ing tomorrow evening.

Mike

I think the stiffiners look fine. If anything maybe sand them thinner just a touch (if anything at all).

Remember that if you add any kind of pin wash to the interior it will cover and blend the touchups you're seeing. Not trying to say don't do them, just do the ones that will make a difference.