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Porsche 959 camera car


89AKurt

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Started with getting the resin transkit of the Paris-Dakar, which requires the Tamiya Porsche 959 for the engine, windshield, and some other critical parts (posted both before as another topic).  So that left a perfectly good body, and no engine.  I also had the funky top from the Tamiya Speedster, which I have never seen as a popular option.  So how much more sacrilegious can one get, to chop up a legendary 959 and a Speedster?  The concept is to have a camera car for filming race cars on the track, or historic road rallies.  I stopped working on both last May.  So I'm documenting only this WIP here, now that I feel it's safe to say the construction phase is 95% complete.

The Dremel is the essential tool used.  I used JB Weld for massive gap filler and glue.  I've been jonesing to use the foil from a baking soda can, for the belly pan (Lexus uses dimples under the body to make a quieter ride).  The reason I halted, was the challenge of finishing the interior fillets done with epoxy putty, which I will disguise with a thick Rhino-liner texture, but the opening door mechanism had to be invented/engineered using seat-of-the-pants ancient pencil and paper drawing.  I use aluminum newspaper printing plate because it's soft and does not break when bent, and it's easy to drill.  My idea was the door is used as the platform for the camera and videographer, bolting plates are salvaged from an old transistor radio, and I will add tie-down loops so the guy doesn't fall out, it's sort of like a motorcycle sidecar.

My plan is to paint semi gloss black, so it won't reflect on the cars being filmed.  Will try black tinting the lights.  Interior color I'm still thinking about, first choice is Africa Korp yellow, or red, maybe blue, something that pops should be cool.

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Thanks for all the comments!  I like different and off-the-wall subjects.

Today I airbrushed the first coat of primer, which revealed all the missed spots for sanding and filling.  I also made a few more parts, one tiny detail was door latches, because the P-D is using them, so I designed a flush lever.  I wanted black headlights (Hella does this), so painted gloss black with a mist of stainless steel Alclad.

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14 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Thanks for all the comments!  I like different and off-the-wall subjects.

Today I airbrushed the first coat of primer, which revealed all the missed spots for sanding and filling.  I also made a few more parts, one tiny detail was door latches, because the P-D is using them, so I designed a flush lever.  I wanted black headlights (Hella does this), so painted gloss black with a mist of stainless steel Alclad.

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This is so sweet!!!....could even be a Batmobile!!

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Dann: More like Bat**** crazy!  :huh:  Wonder if there is a Gattling gun this scale, enough space for ammo.  :o

Today I realized the front turn signals and taillights go to the other model (duh!), so fabricated new lenses.  Parts box windows, Corian scrap meets disk sander using a cardboard profile, heated "window" over the cooktop electric burner while holding with needle nosed pliers, when the piece started to sag I quickly set on the pattern and lightly pressed down hoping fingerprints wouldn't become a feature.  The result was really sloppy, but like picking the best part of a chunk of wood, or perhaps evaluating as a diamond cutter would (that's really a stretch here ha ha), I sawed out the basic size, and then sanded to final shape.  Planning to lightly spray the inside black, then the red or orange.  Good thing the lenses are basically flat with a simple curve, cars nowadays have such crazy designs this wouldn't work.

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The exciting stage, PAINTING!  I decided the interior parts needed to be red, since I found a fire extinguisher in the parts box.
I also didn't like the aluminum dash, so made a new one from plastic sheet.  Have instrument decals picked out.
Getting the body right has been a pain, wet sanded the primer and sprayed another coat.
Experimented with creating a carbon-fiber finish on the inside of the door.  Sprayed flat aluminum, then pressed down brass screen and sprayed flat black.  I'm thinking about the Lamborghini Setso Elemento, which is 100% c-f.  For this application, it's adequate, might spray gloss clear over it.
Sprayed the body semi-gloss black.  Can never avoid lint, so now I'm wondering how to fix that since polishing is out of the question.

Just need to cut the interior glass panel, do seat belts (race car set for the seat, a belt to supplement the door for support), and do Rhino Liner in the interior to hopefully hide the lousy putty work.  I might get this one done!

 

 

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This is so brilliant, bud!!!....I've seen ALOT of custom models, but VERY few look good enough to have actually been a car...….yours IS totally realistic!!!  For keeping bits out of your paint, try using canned air between every coat like I do....I VERY rarely get anything stuck to my finishes.

Edited by Dann Tier
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On 12/15/2018 at 7:27 PM, Dann Tier said:

This is so brilliant, bud!!!....I've seen ALOT of custom models, but VERY few look good enough to have actually been a car...….yours IS totally realistic!!!  For keeping bits out of your paint, try using canned air between every coat like I do....I VERY rarely get anything stuck to my finishes.

Thank you!  I'm all into realistic, off the wall, but I'm obsessed to a point, been telling the little guy to stuff it, I want to finish this instead of redo.  I should deep clean my paint booth when I get to doing a show standard quality.  Even when I do, the static charge from sanding the plastic acts like a magnet.  I should try airbrushing in the .... [public forum shut up before getting into trouble].

2 hours ago, tkzwolf said:

This is really cool and original.  I really like the way the door lowers.

Others and you, thanks!  But notice I didn't open the drivers door.  I'm anxious about final assembly with paint.

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Today I got into the obsessed and possessed mode, but had to go see Christmas Carol the musical at the college, it was so good I wasn't thinking about all the things I needed to do.  LOL

I tried something new, wanted to do a 'Rhino Liner' finish in the interior, to hide the rough putty in the corners (imagine sanding the inside corners of a box).  I could have done carpet, but this is a working vehicle.  Since I have almost 10 pounds of 'Polyblend' non-sanded grout left over from doing tile, mixed with 'Ceramcoat' acrylic paint, about half/half, gooped it on and stippled with a short brush, adding to the rougher areas until I was happy.  For once, I enjoyed brush painting.  I had to paint over with gloss black, with the same technique.   I would say this was the reason I stopped working on this project, glad to get over this hurdle!

I had some detail painting to do, normal stuff.  Fabricated the fire extinguisher mount, simply cut an aluminum strip, bent at a point to mimic a buckle, used an aftermarket decal.  I also have nice aftermarket instrument decals, so those are in, with an air duct screen, various switches and lights made with photo-etch screws.  Finished the door detail, after spraying clear inside.  Added the grab bar, and mounting plates and p-e bolt heads.  The mirror has a film salvaged from an LCD camera display, it's really thin plastic with much more realistic mirror than foil or chrome-plated parts can do.  I had fine stainless steel mesh left over from a Fujimi kit, so the hood ducts and rear openings are done.  The lights are done, I'm happy with the black headlights (I got Hella black headlights for my Jetta which was the inspiration), but too dark for the other lights.

Last details to be done are the seat belt for the seat, and one to support the door.  Then license plates.  Then I can put it together for the last time, which means...... THE HINGE.  :blink:

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  • 2 months later...

Fascinating.

I am a professional movie camera Grip, the guy who fixes the camera to where it needs to be fixed. Quite often to moving motor vehicles....

I can’t imagine nowadays the camera operator would willingly ‘hang out’ of such a track racer.

It is a very interesting project,  but now you need a realistically harnessed-in operator with a big Panavision or Arri camera for that close-up high speed racing action!

Good colour choice too - camera tracking vehicles are almost always finished in matt black to prevent unwanted reflections.

Great stuff, thank you

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