The Cage

[NickM]

I'm not too well known around here, so I hope I can use this contest to get to know some of you guys better, and also to show what kind of work I can do. I'm not going to post my sketch because it is horrible and nonsensical to everyone but me, but it does exist. So far the front end is almost finished and the cockpit is nearly done too. I need to pick up some epoxy and I plan to use it to mold the nose to the cockpit in a more aerodynamic shape. I am not going for a sleek racer, more of a Mad Max sort of thing. As the name implies, I want it to be sort of like the racer is strapped into a cage with an engine and some wheels. I want to add some neat pointy objects along the car and the engine compartment is going to be a sort of hexagonal box with exhaust pipes coming out and a wing on the top.

Most of this is scratch built so far, but the cockpit is mostly from a Revell Ferrari Testarossa and there are also parts from a Revell Fokker Dr. I and a Dragon Panzerspahwagen.

I hope to see more of everyone else's builds!

[chaos_theory]

I dig this design. The nose fins are a nice touch and the cage design is very Mad Max. Can't wait for more.

[Marc]

The round cage is a really nice touch! Well done too!
Looking forward for more!

[Major Blah]

Very nice work.  I hope to get to know you better via this group build.   

The scratch-build you have done is really nice.  The parts integrates quite well and I look forward to seeing more.  How much detail on the engine and underside of the car do you plan on adding?

[NickM]

Thanks guys! I don't actually have an engine off of another kit, so I am planning a closed engine compartment, done up to look like the front end of those old Bentley racers from the 20's. So it will be a sort of box with a hatch you can open to work on the engine. Except of course there won't be an engine inside... maybe a drawing of one. I might leave the hatch open and just make half an engine so you can look into it. And then there will be exhaust pipes coming out of the engine box in a V shape and I want to include some rivets, something I haven't done on a kit yet.

As far as the underside goes, I am not planning too much. I still have to build the chassis out of styrene tube and because there are no exhaust pipes there will just be some electrical wires coming out of the cockpit. I have lots of parts though, I'll probably just detail it up with what looks good.

[NickM]

I can't find epoxy in town here, so I've had to make do with styrene and plaster. It is pretty much finished, I just need to build the rear suspension and detail the chassis. Unfortunately I won't be able to make the nose into cockpit blend I originally sketched, but the whole thing is fairly anti-aerodynamic anyways so I'm not going to worry about it. I've added some rivets and a lot of screw holes to the cockpit and front end. This is a major skill development project for me and I hope to give bondo a try and see what kind of stuff I can do with it. If I can make it look better the car may turn out different than it is mocked up here. I have already done away with the wing so I feel free to try new directions. The big addition is the engine block which is carved from the hunk of plaster in the picture. There are some pins and thumb tacks on the top. I made exhaust pipes but I felt the engine looked better without them for now. I also added a skull on the front which is made of plaster, I liked the look of it in the pictures in Chaos Theory's thread, I hope he doesn't mind. 

Next time I scratch build something I am going to get a lot of epoxy before I start. Lesson learned!

[chaos_theory]

Heck no I don't mind. I think its comin' along great, good job with the plaster too. I bet thats a b!@<# to work with. For a cheap putty substitute try gas tank sealer. Its a 2 part epoxy putty (brown + white) you can find at Walmart, big lots ($0.98) or any autoparts store. Its not as sculptable when cured like miliput but you can cut, shave, saw and sand it easily. Plus, it bonds anything.
I'm lookin forward to the race...

[NickM]

Update:





I started doing some painting. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I will add some washes later on. The rear end is still a work in progress. It is just the engine and wheels, so I will do them up and then dust them and it should be OK.

[chaos_theory]

Glad to see the Cage survives. Looks good, nice weathering. Race ya to the finish

[NickM]

Progress is slow. Working backwards and then forwards again. Finished the rear suspension, although technically I don't understand how it is supposed to work. There are no moving parts... Oh well. I just tried to detail it up a little and hopefully no one will care. I really don't.



Working on the seatbelt.



Repainting the nose.





The rear suspension, sans logic. Looks pretty good though.

[chaos_theory]

Your last two pics are dead.
Glad to see it moving along. Its lookin' good I think your engine needs some detail, maybe a fuel tank or some other do-dads and what-nots on the back and sides

[FichtenFoo]

Coming along decently. I found that googling "suspension" in an image search helped me a lot with my ADH.

[NickM]

Thanks guys, I will take your advice and detail up the engine and suspension!

[NickM]

I have added air intake manifolds (the funnels) and emergency exhaust valves (rear yellow pieces). I figure that maybe the rear exhaust pieces can be used as a weapon against other cars behind the cage in a race. I wonder if this is enough detail? I don't know what else I can cram in there, I don't have a lot of small parts lying around since I moved.

I think I am going to drill holes in the flaps on the funnels to make it look more like they are supposed to be spinning. Maybe to create a venturi effect so the air mixes with the fuel better or something. Next to work on the suspension!

[chaos_theory]

I like the rear exhaust and the funnel/intakes are a neat idea. I would stagger the blades if you want to give the appearance of the pieces spinning: [ + x ] instead of [ x x ].  Throw some wires on there running to your cockpit underside just to top it off.

[NickM]

Advice taken. Probably going to use stretched sprue for the wiring and wire it all up to look complicated.





Seatbelt finished.

[NickM]

The engine is looking much more like my original drawing now. I wanted it to have huge exhaust pipes but could not figure out how to make them. At one point I tried to heat and bend styrene tube which was a disaster. Thanks to my discovery of lead solder and fish tank tubing I have made my dream pipes. I struggled making them uniform on both sides but overall I think it is pretty close. Close enough to suggest heat warping anyways. I will paint the tubing and leave the solder it's original colour.

I have also decided to redo the seat completely. the seatbelt was pissing me off and the seat was no longer to my liking. I am also going to remove the stupid funnels hanging out the side of the engine and rebox the whole thing and make it match my original concept and the pipes better. The drawing has a lot more steampunk to it than the current design and of course I still have to detail the suspension. Can't quite figure that one out yet.

Moving along at breakneck pace. Lookout Chaostheory, this might actually be finished in our lifetimes! 

[Marc]

The engine looks mean!

[NickM]

Not mean enough. I'm replacing it with a Supercharged Ford 5.4L DOHC V8.



I have no idea where I'm going with this.

[chaos_theory]

Not mean enough. I'm replacing it with a Supercharged Ford 5.4L DOHC V8.

I have no idea where I'm going with this.

Just keep going. I've really enjoyed this project.