Project 0027 – Flying Car

Figure 1 – FCP in Flight Mode

 

            The base model for this project is the Camaro^TM Concept Car (model #85-1944) and the A-10 Thunderbolt SnapTite^TM kit (model 85-1371), both from Revell®. The main theme of the project is what is known as “kit bashing” where two or more kits are merged together to form a new one. In most cases, similar items are combined, such as a car being merged with a different car, but you don’t need to confine yourself to that. This project combines the tail section and engines from a jet aircraft with that of a Camaro^TM concept car.

 

            There are several other processes and techniques of interest to the modeler used in this project. Using alternative materials for accent, decal fabrication, filling and moving body features and the removal of chrome plating are demonstrated here. A novel part of the production also involved cutting a slot for a display stand (the same way that aircraft models are mounted) to display the finished project.

 

            The A-10 kit is made in 1:100 scale which matches the dimensions of the car at 1:24 scale very well given their actual relative dimensions. In this imaginary vehicle the car body shape is required to provide the lift for the flying car and the SilverStone® undercoating is used to reduce drag for flight. An electrical outlet on the front left fender provides input for recharging the car’s drive batteries and the exhaust tips are converted to heat vents to keep the battery compartment cool.

 

 

The Project Steps:

 

            To begin this project you start by constructing the jet engine pack and rear stabilizer assembly. There is quite a bit of fabrication in this segment so you’ll need to gather the parts and some tools before you get going.  

 

Figure 4

 

            Add a splash of color to the engine assembly internals by painting the fan hubs and exhaust ports orange.

 

Figure 4b

 

 

Assemble the engine pack and remove the protruding locators by filing or sanding them flush with the base.

 

Figure 5

 

            Remove the locating tabs and the rear edges of the horizontal stabilizer at an angle on each side of the actuators.

 

 

Figure 6

 

            Remove the locating tabs on the bottom side of the stabilizer and sand them off smoothly.

 

Figure 7

 

            File off the locating feature for the stabilizer as it will be relocated higher up on the structure.

 

Figure 8

            Remove a section of the wing tip to provide a vertical base as an engine mount.

 

Figure 9

 

            Sand the edges flat and smooth using a file and some sandpaper.

 

Figure 10

 

            File the bottom of the vertical stabilizer flat and parallel to the locating tab that was removed.

 

Figure 11

 

            Use some fine sandpaper (about 600 grit) to sand off the markings from the stabilizers and engines. They might show through if you use a thin paint.

 

Figure 12

 

            Use a ruler to measure and mark the centerline and intersection of the trunk lid in an appropriate place for the fuel filler cap location.          

 

Figure 13

 

            Drill a hole at the intersection that is large enough (about 5/32″) to accommodate the filler cap locating tab. Remove the filler cap from the chrome parts tree to test fit the new location.

 

 

Figure 14

 

            Assemble the parts that will need to have holes or features filled with body putty or plastic filler. These include the gas tank and spoiler locating holes on the car body, horizontal stabilizer mounting slots on the vertical stabilizer and the fore and aft sections of the engine pack.

 

 

Figure 15

 

            Mix up some two part plastic body filler like the type used on real vehicles or apply some ready to use body contour putty to the areas that need filling.

 

 

Figure 16

 

            The two part plastic fillers will start to harden in just a few minutes and it’s important to start shaving the spots down before they get rock hard. Body putty takes much longer and may need to set for several hours before it can be worked. Use a sharp blade and pare the proud areas of filler as close as you can without cutting into the model.

 

Figure 17

 

            Follow this up with some coarse sandpaper and continue to sand these areas with progressively finer grits until they are smooth like the body surfaces. Remember that if you can see it or feel it before the paint goes on it will only be magnified after the top coat is applied.

 

Figure 18

 

            Wash the body off in cool water and dry it with a soft cloth. Use a tack cloth to remove dust from the parts and then plug the engine nacelles with some good quality putty (like Blu-Tac^TM) to keep the painted fans and exhaust parts from getting sprayed. Mount the parts on a flat surface making sure they have some room underneath them to allow paint to flow around the edges.

 

Figure 19

 

            Spray the areas that were filled beginning with very light tack coats to provide adhesion for heavier wet coats to follow.

 

Figure 20      

 

            Lightly sand the parts between coats and continue this until all the imperfections have been filled in with the primer. Watch for any other areas of the parts that may have picked up lint or dust and sand them smooth as well. Once you’ve gotten the parts into shape, give them progressive wet coats until a smooth primer finish is in place over the entire part. Place the body on a wire frame and go over it with the tack cloth thoroughly.

 

Figure 21

 

            At this point I like to give the body a good overall sanding and switch primer colors looking for any imperfections that need to be sanded out. The new color helps spot any anomalies by changing the reflectivity of the surface.

 

Figure 22

 

            After eight coats of primer and sanding sessions this model is ready for a good wash, dry and tack cloth in preparation for the color coats.

 

Figure 23

 

            As with the primer coats start out with light tack coats and work your way up to moderate wet coats with the final color coats. This body has 6 color coats. After the paint is cured in a couple hours carefully set it down to paint some detail.

 

Figure 24

 

            Paint the hood cowl area with some flat black. Hand brushing is OK for this area but you could also mask and spray if you lack a steady hand.

 

Figure 24a

 

            Paint the Bowtie® emblem on the back end gold with a fine brush.

 

Figure 24b

 

            Use some dark gray to paint the rear roll pan.

 

Figure 24c

 

            While the body is drying we can turn our attention to some of the other parts. Remove the seat assemblies from the sprue trees and use a little crazy glue to fasten them together. Then remove the locating tabs with a sharp blade and sand the areas smooth.

Figure 25

 

            Remove the steering wheel from the tree and section the part to emulate the shape of an airplane control. Cut out the top and bottom portion of the wheel along with the lower support. Use a small sandpaper file to shape and smooth the edges.

 

 

Figure 26

 

            Use some good quality masking tape such as Tamiya^TM 6MM to highlight sections of the passenger compartment. Carefully, hand paint those areas to give the interior some color. I would also add some dry brushing to the steering wheel hub to bring out the detail there.

 

Figure 27

 

            Sand a 45 degree angle off of a piece of rounded sprue. This will serve as the dashboard projector for the heads up display (HUD).

 

Figure 27a

 

            Cut the small section off of the tree with a razor saw.

 

Figure 27b

 

            Paint the HUD projector flat black and glue it to the center of the dashboard between the instrument pods.

           

Figure 27c

 

            Use a little bright green paint to apply to the flat area you sanded onto the projector. After this has a chance to dry use some flat black to narrow this to a small slit of green.

Figure 27d

 

            Peel the speedometer and tachometer stickers off the sheet and place them into the instrument panel nacelles. Use a little crazy glue to adhere the steering wheel to the column post. Add some painted highlights to the dashboard controls and set it aside to dry.

 

Figure 28

            Remove the console shifter from the plastic sprue and scrap off the chrome plating on the locating tab. Use a small amount of adhesive to install it into the console. Install the seats, being mindful there is a left and right seat. Look for the seat belt buckle to find the correct one.

 

Figure 29

 

            Assemble the interior panels and dashboard with a little adhesive and snap them into place as a unit into the passenger compartment.

 

Figure 30

 

            For this model I created a facsimile of the A-10 aircraft’s instrument panel layout* with a computer graphics program. I then printed the layout on clear decal paper and placed it on the inside of the window in front of the driver/pilot area above the HUD projector that we fabricated earlier.

 

• You can make one of these for yourself or I will send the jpg image if you request one by email at: righton@rightonreplicas.com.*

 

Figure 31

 

            Paint the sun visors depressions flat black and the overhead console panel with paint that matches what you used on the center console and set this aside to dry.

 

Figure 32

 

            Use a small tip permanent marker to “paint” the raised windshield wipers and wiper arms on the clear window.

 

Figure 32a

 

            For this model I wanted to cut down on the chrome and use the wheels to help with the color scheme of the model so I placed the wheels into a bleach bath. This strips the chrome plating off of the wheels quite well. Just rinse them off in clear water and allow them to dry.

 

Figure 33

 

            Mount the parts with some putty that need to be primed on a flat board and ensure that they are not touching to allow paint to flow around the edges. Start with light tack coats and work your way up to light wet coats on both sides. After these parts had a chance to dry I used the same process to spray these parts gloss black on the same board.

 

Figure 34

 

            Because this project makes the model more of a jet plane than a flying car I’ve borrowed a stand from another airplane kit and assembled it to display the car in “flight mode.”

 

Figure 35

 

            Use a rotary tool to grind a slot in the bottom of the vehicle wide enough to accommodate the thickness of the display stand.

 

Figure 36

 

            Now drill a slot and a hole to accept the locating features on the stand.

 

Figure 37

 

            Set the chassis upside down on the wire frame and spray paint it with silver paint to emulate  Teflon® “Silver Stone^TM” undercoating and set it aside to dry.

 

Figure 38

 

            Now add the decals, side marker stickers and exhaust tips (battery cooling vents) where required.

 

Figure 39

            Paint the turn signals with an orange/amber paint and the front Bowtie® with gold using a fine brush. Glue the lower and upper grill assemblies into the front end on the locating posts per the instructions. Note the electrical outlet on the front fender for recharging the vehicle’s batteries. Apply the decals and stickers to the body and when they have dried put the body on the wire rack and give it a few light clear coats to seal the decals and protect the paint. Let the body set and dry for a few days before doing any further work

 

Figure 40

 

            In order to dress up the wheels I got some large sequins from a scrapbook store and cut out some circles the same diameter with a hole punch for the center of the wheel. Use some regular model cement to glue them onto the hub of the wheel.

 

Figure 41

 

            Use a toothpick to paint the chrome color onto the wheel’s lug nuts for a dressed look to the wheel.

 

Figure 42

 

            Assemble the tires to the wheels noting that there are front and rear tires and then press an axle into one of each. The rear tires are wider than the front ones.

 

Figure 43

 

            Use some crazy glue to assemble the brake rotors to the chassis with the locating tabs.

 

Figure 44

 

            Insert the front and rear axle assemblies into their correct holes in the chassis and press the other wheel onto the axle from the opposite side.

 

Figure 45

 

            Install the passenger compartment onto the chassis and secure it with a little crazy glue.

 

Figure 46

 

            Mix up some five minute epoxy and install the rear taillight lenses, window glass, front lens covers and the lighting per the kit instructions.

 

Figure 47

 

Now place the body onto the chassis. It seems to slip on easier if you start the back end of the car near the front of chassis and slip it at an angle back toward the rear. You may also find it helpful to use a small screwdriver to gently pry some of body flairs over the tight spots.

 

Figure 48

 

            Use the four screws provided to fasten the chassis to the upper body.

 

Figure 49

 

            Use the engine mount that was fabricated from the models wing to form a “T” structure for the engine assembly and glue the pieces together with crazy glue. It helps adhesion if you scrape some paint off of the areas you’re joining together. Just make sure not to scratch off the paint where there is no piece to cover it up.

 

Figure 50

 

            Match up the portion of the horizontal stabilizer that’s doesn’t have elevators flaps with the same width on the vertical stabilizer that doesn’t have flaps (near the middle of the vertical stabilizer) and glue the left and right pieces together to the horizontal stabilizer.

 

Figure 51

 

            Glue the vertical stabilizers to the car body just behind the roof pillars and line up the engines so that the front of each engine is parallel and in line with the top of the rear window.

 

Figure 52

 

            With your model now complete – could you imagine what someone would think if they saw this coming up behind them in the rearview mirror?

 

Figure 53

 

            Finally, mount your Flying Car on its pedestal stand for a proper aerial display.

 

Figure 54

 

List of Project Items

 

Revell® SnapTite^TM Camaro® Concept Car (model #85-2092)

Revell® A-10 Thunderbolt SnapTite^TM kit (model 85-1371)

Hobby knife with #11 blades

Phillips head small (2.4mm) screwdriver

Wet-Dry sandpaper (assorted grits 400-600)

Blu-Tack® adhesive

Small paint brush suitable for enamels

Testor’s ® Brand Clear Lacquer Spray

Testor’s ® Brand Silver Enamel Spray

Plastic Primer Spray Paint

Five-minute epoxy

Tamiya® Model Tape 6mm

Testor’s Custom Decal System #9198

Testor’s Brand enamel paints

*Clicking any of the highlighted links above will transfer you to a purchase site for that item.

 

Copyright 2009 Right On! Replicas, LLC (RoR). All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any manner without its written permission. 

 

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