Page 4

Welcome to THE DUBBSHAK MODEL WORKSHOP!!

Here you will see just how I built these models and even get some great tips on doing custom mods yourself.
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Here is a brand new DIAGRAM I made for wiring up a 3-motor 3-switch model. The same method here can be applied to a 2-motor/2switch system like the diagram below...or a 4-motor/4-switch system as well.

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Here is an old DIAGRAM I made for wiring MODEL HYDROS! It may be a little confusing, so that's why I made the better one above this one.

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THE DuBB ShaK Top 10 TIPS: Building a HOPPER

Absolute musts for a back-bumper heavy hitter:

1.) ALL weight should be in the back/trunk area!

2.) Nothing should be up in the front, just an empty engine bay for your axle walls and axle. You can put one small motor up front if you're trying to fit 3 or 4 motors in the model, but try and keep it as close to the cockpit as possible, not right over the axle area. You want the weight behind the front wheels if possible, or you risk a weaker hop.

3.) You must use a bigger motor than the rest of the setup for the front hop. I like using "Baby Jacksons" or "Big Daddy Jacksons" or any round cylinder-shaped motor you find that is bigger than a normal 130 size motor. Be careful though, the bigger the motor, the more it weighs and the more room it takes up.

4.) All weight should be centered! Never have more weight on one side than the other (driver's side vs. passenger side) For a hopper though, there should be more weight in the back than up front. The lighter the front end is, the better it will hop. But if your weight is uneven from side-to-side, your model will not perform moves correctly.

5.) All motors should be mounted with the spinning post perpendicular to the string's path for best results, although you can alter a strings path to get away with a strangely mounted motor. Basically, the string must run under the body, and directly up to the spinning post on the motor, right where the post exits the motor housing, no exceptions. It cannot reach the post at any other angle but directly perpendicular to the post, from underneath. Otherwise your motor will strain to wind up that string. Thing of it like a yo-yo!

6.)You must eliminate ALL friction along a string's path. It must not glide over any plastic edges or sharp metal. If it does, it will dig into the plastic, cause the motor to strain, affect its performance, and quickly pop the string. The best way to eliminate all friction is to glue sections of brass rods down perpendicular to the string at ever point the string takes a turn through the chassis, and over any other weird formations on the underside. Basically, you should have one under the axel wall where the string makes a 90 degree turn, and another at the hole where the string takes another 90 degree turn to meet the motor---so that while the string moves, it is only gliding across a round surface from the rod, and not a rough plastic edge.

7.) If you are using a 6V RC battery on your models, you are probably not getting enough juice for a good hopper. I'm no expert, but I've found that my models perform better on a 7.2V RC battery. You do have an increased risk of burning out motors faster with a 7.2V battery though---so playtime has to be reduced to just a few dozen seconds at a time, before letting it cool down for a couple of minutes, or risk your motors smoking up!

8.) Some say that having your wheels be turnable is a plus in hopping your model. Most of my models have fixed wheels and they still hop pretty good. But I've been trying to figure out a way to make my wheels turn on those 1/16th brass rods I use for axles, without falling off, and I finally figured out a way, but that will be a DubbShaK secret for now!

9.) Learn how to hit the switches!! There are some things you need to know. Some like to raise the back end up first before hopping, like me, like in real life. The higher the back end is up, the harder the front has to work to lift up, though. If your model can lock up the rear without having to hold the switch on, then you're in luck. All battery power can then be used for the front switch. If you have to hold the rear switch on while hitting the front switch (to keep the back up), then you are only getting half the battery power to the front, while the back is taking the other half. Most of my models are set so that I have to hold the back switch ON to keep the back up while I hop, but it still hops pretty good. But I never hop it more than 5 or 6 times before letting go of all switches. If you hold a switch on, that motor starts to get really hot. Hold it too long, you've lost a motor. You can adjust the string so that there is more slack between the axle and the motor, so that when you hit the switch once, it winds up the extra slack and locks up the rear end in a raised position. It will be a little tough to manually push back down though, be careful not to press down too hard. If the sole purpose of your model is to hop the front, then adjust the back string so that the back locks up with one flick. If you're building an all-around street dancer with a nice front hop, then keep the back string tight when slammed, so that when it raises, and you let go of the switch, it will lower itself back down...and when hopping, just hold the switch on to keep the back up for the few seconds that you want to hop the front!

10.) Your model will always hop best on a fully charged battery! DuH!

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Yo CHECK IT!

My favorite store in the world is Colonial Photo and Hobby in Orlando, FL. It's been there for half a century! They're so helpful and nice to me that I offered them one of my best looking models, the Civic hatchback "Shaved," to display in their case for a few weeks. So here it is!

Since then my orange mini-trunk "Bagged" has lived there, and then "La Bomba" popped trunk! Purple Haze had a notorious stay, and my "Texas Swanga" Regal cocked three for all to see.
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MY CURRENT Project:
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a 1981 Cadillac Brougham I'm building for a fan on my DuBBShaK Models page on Myspace. This model is going to be a classic! It features a black-on-black and a chromed out theme, with grey and dark grey interior, with wood grain panels inside, a show-quality trunk display, with an over-all classic touch that will make the competition weep! Check it out! It's been a beast to build!

I plan to pack a lot in this trunk!

It's hard to make room for the axle walls and motors!

I had to cut out a lot of the chassis to sink the trunk space down to make room for the two motors that will sit under the trunk floor! You can see how I made my own trunk floor out of sheets of white styrene plastic, which is available at any Hobby Store that sells model train sets. I use it to make my axle walls now instead of balsa or basswood.

I masked it off and painted the top half black, and after it dried the next day I masked it off again to paint the sides silver...

...then an hour later when it dried I sprayed on a few heavy coats of glitter spray (for metal flake).

You can see that it came out pretty nice! After I add a white pin-stripe to separate the black from silver metal-flake, I will coat the whole car with a nice gloss clear-coat.

Installing the hydros. This kit will feature three 130-size motors and a Baby Jackson Motor for front hop. It will perform Front, Front hop, back, pancake, 3-wheel on both sides, and even side to side, all with five switches!

This has been one of the hardest hydro installs I have ever done! It's tough to outfit a Caddy with 4 motors, one of them being bigger than the rest, and keeping the interior of the trunk open for displaying sub-woofers and hydro pumps/batteries!!!

Stringing up the motors...

Detailing the interior with some black velvet!

And this lucky customer is getting a miniature chrome switchbox, made of metal! A DuBBShaK first!
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Update!!!
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I had to completely rebuild this model from the bottom up, due to an over-modified chassis that just wasn't strong enough to handle the power I packed into it. So I bought another Caddy kit and re-worked the chassis with a completely new design of hydraulic set-up and chassis reinforcement. And the best part of it all is that I have finally designed a way to make those wheels roll freely! Another sweet touch was finally figuring out a way to pack a large front hopping motor in the trunk, and still have room for a show-quality trunk display....check it out! Still in progress...

I first cut out and glued together some styrene plastic sheets to build up a trunk display, utilizing and modifying the original sub-woofer wall that the model-kit came with.

Once the glue dried (I used the kind that looks like water that actually chemically welds the plastic together!) I used modeling putty to fill in the seams and smooth out the angles of the walls where they meet, to give a nice custom fiberglass look.

Stay tuned as this model develops quickly over the next few weeks!
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TeXas SwaNgA~
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a 1987 Buick Regal which is actually a Buick Grand National from the "Donk" kit released by Revell (But I'm more of the traditional type, so save the 24's and up for SUVs please) Anyways this is supposed to be a made-to-order kit from a fan on my MySpace page www.myspace.com/dubbshakmodels, which is a replica of "el Papa" 's car from CLASSIFIED C.C. We lost contact so I ended up doing this one for myself. His loss!

Installing the axles and placing the hydros. I added a third motor in the front to lift the rear driver-side wheel for a standing 3-wheel!

I have to hit the front switch and the driver-side rear switch to lock it up on three.

It can hop NICE too!

As you can see, putting all the weight in the back helps it hop higher!

A shot of the chassis, where you can see how I placed the motors. The big one in the rear is for the front hop, the one next to it is for the rear lift.

The one up front is for three-wheeling--which works to lift the rear axle--but only one side of it (this is usually achieved with a t-bar, but a U-bar also works well, just needs to be re-adjusted every now and then.

On the underside of the chassis, you can see how I have built platforms out of basswood to serve as a place to mount the motor and an achor point for the string to pass though the chassis and lead back to the opposite end of the chassis.

It is highly important to create a way for the string to wind up with the least resistance possible, or else the string will surely pop and you will have to re-string your motor. Some people use grommets, but I found it easier to use brass rods (same as for the axles) and glue them down only at the tips to provide a nice smooth surface for the string to slide across with no resistance. This is the trick to make your low-lows hop higher and dance better for longer. Strings will eventually break, but not nearly as quick with this addition. These bars should be placed at ever hole a string comes through, placed in a way to prevent friction against the plastic chassis (which may be rough after cutting a hole, etc).

Here is an example of a U-Bar. I like using U-bars instead of T-bars because they are easy to make and take up less room. On the right-you can see my 7.2 V battery, and the wiring. I usually use clip-style plugs to detach my models from the switch-box, but I ran out this time.

Here is the interior I painted before I added a wood-grain and torn fabric look.

Stay tuned for more in-depth pics as it develops!
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COMPLETED!! My 1965 Chevy Impala, "Purple HaZe"
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I wanted to try something different and really challenge myself. What you get here is a ranfla packed with goodies! First, I knew I wanted to build a great hopper. With some tips from Jevries (jevries.com) I placed two large motors in the back, none in the front. Having all that weight back there makes a world of difference in hopping! Then I decided to go even further, so I cut out the doors, which is a first for me. They're going to be suicide-mounted. Still, to push myself even further, I decided to figure out a way to make the Pagasus 80-three rims rotate freely. Well, this seems simple, but is actually the hardest trick to accomplish, for me anyway. I used the plastic split-pin wheel mounts that the kit came with, cut them off, then shaved the inner wheel cap down to just the cylinder cap-mount, and glued that to the 80-threez, then mounted it on the split-pin which was glued to the 1/16th brass axel rod. Actually I mounted the cylinder cap-mounts on backwards, cuz it spins better that way, which in effect makes the wheel have positive or negative camber depending on whether the car is slammed or locked up. Like the real thing! Pretty cool! But it can easily break! It didn't work for the back wheels, so only the fronts have what I call the "pozzi-neggi mount." As if that wasn't enough tricks for this ride, the custom interior will make your mouth water, especially since it has purple crushed velvet good enough to eat, and Bare-Metal foil trim good enough to lick. It was the first time I used the stuff, and I love it!!! Stay Tuned! It's getting close to being done! Wait till you see the graphics that this Lowrider Magazine model kit came with!
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My quickest project ever! It's a bagged, shaved, tubbed and dubbed Chevy S-10 Extreme!! Check out the making of this badboy!


I had to completely cut out all fender-wells and remove any parts or pieces in the way of the phat 20" rims, which are too wide for my taste, but I had to make 'em fit. The challenge is ON! I seriously recommend getting a dremmel if you plan on doing this kind of work. See my section on tubbing my Honda Civic Hatchback, "Shaved" for tips on "tubbing."

One of my most enjoyable steps in building a custom...is SHAVING!! I shaved everything off this truck: the handles, the tailgate, made a crooked license plate box, completely filled in the tail lights, and shaved the lower roll pan (the original location of the plate frame). Get Tamiya putty for this kind of job!




Here you can see that I put a lot of detail into the interior. I went with a tribal flame theme for this truck. Tips: get a extra fine-tip brush and a steady hand! I have a magnifying lens desk lamp, but I don't like to use it. (I have 20-15 vision with contacts in, better than 20-20.) I use flocking to do the carpet, which you can find at your local hobby store. I made some pretty cool "diamond-plate" floor-mats out of reflective chrome cardboard paper and used a toothpick tip to make little indentions all over it. Find these reflective metallic boards at craft stores like Michaels.


After shaving the whole truck, I primed it and then installed the hydro motors.

It works!

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Stay TuNeD!!
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I've been working hard on a 1939 Chevy Master Deluxe Coupe, titled, "La Bomba". It's now finally finished! See Page 3 for the latest PICS!


This Bomb has had me dreading it's construction for months because of it's shape, and simply it's age of design. It's a vintage vehicle, so converting it into a "juiced" lowrider seemed difficult.
But after doing a test of all my models' hydro systems, it occured to be why my 1955 Chevy Stepside had the best performing hydro setup. It was due to it's simplicity! It was my first model-kit adapted to fit hydros, and because of it I had to really be creative in making it work. That spark of creativity, and my little knowledge of model hydros at the time, gave way to creating a simple, non-obstructed axle system, along with big powerful motors, ending up in a smooth and quick dancing Chevy Truck.
You can see a video of it on www.MYSPACE.com/dubbshakmodels.

So, since I have been trying to create more and more difficult and unique hydro set-ups, I have strayed away from keeping it mechanically simple, and unfortunately have ended up with poorly built lowriders that barely lift up all the way.
But this one has a simple design and even has the room to allow me to hide the hydro motors well enough to be able to show off a trunk set-up, a chromed-out engine, and velvet interior, without seeing any working motors! I'm pretty excited about that!
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Check out the progress!






After spraying on a light primer coat, I sprayed it with Model Masters Gloss Black for my undercoat. It came out beautiful, and I should have left it that way.

Then a day or two later I sprayed a light coat of gold glitter by Krylon. After that dried, I sprayed on a few coats of Transparent Candy Grape. These pics barely do justice. It does look a little better than this, especially in the sun. But the final result is what I call a "candy chocolate" paint-job.
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So here is the HORROR STORY:
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Before the pics you see here were taken, there was a previous paint-job done to it, which was rushed, and done in the humid garage on a rainy day (DEADLY SIN). Nonetheless, it came out like SHIT and I was about to just buy a whole new model and use the body out of that one and start over. The talented guys at Colonial Photo and Hobby taught me a trick in saving a model from a bad paint-job. SOAK IT IN BRAKE FLUID!!!
I was skeptical, but buying some brake fluid for $4 and some more paint sounded a lot better than buying a new kit for $15, plus paint, and having to re-do body work. So I tried it out and sure enough, it worked. You just soak it for about 1-2 hours, and get on some rubber gloves and get an old toothbrush and start lightly scrubbing the painted areas. The paint should brush right off.
Sometimes it takes a little more soaking if the paint is thick like mine was (5-6 layers). Be careful around small and thin parts like window pillars and other support structures. They seem to become brittle in the fluid. Wipe the body clean, then get the same brush and wash it and scrub it with dawn soap and water (lightly) until you get all of the brake fluid off. Then the water should just bead right off. Now you're back to square one.
But be warned...your model is not quite as strong as it once was, and some glues, like E-6000 can warp the plastic, turning it soft and pliable, which is NO GOOD, and it happened to my trunk lid when trying to glue real mirror-squares on the inside of the trunk lid. Now the trunk looks like it got smashed in. (maybe for some this is a good technique to make a model look like it's been in a wreck).
So, my model is now complete, thanks to a homie with a real bagged out Acura who frequents the same hobby store and just happened to be buying the same kit just for scrap parts, so he donated me the body shell, which I cut the trunk lid out of to finish my ranfla. Thanks dude!
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This is by far the most perfect replica of the original LOWRIDER tire, which gives any car that famous "lowrider" look, due to its thin tread width, and curved sidewall. Only Pegasus makes this bad boy, so you best get you some. They better look just like this from the side or you're not rollin on 80-three's ese! (aka 155/85/r13)

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These are the most realistic wire rims you can get for model cars. They are made by Pegasus, and are a two-piece wire rim. It cost me $15.00 for a set of 4. Pretty expensive!! But they are worth it because you actually put a disc of spokes behind the front set of spokes, giving it that layered off-set look, like the real thing. Of course I customized my set, by switching out the gold spinners with chrome bullet knock-offs, and replacing the tires from another set of rims, which had a wider whitewall. These tires are not the ones described above.
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CHECK OUT MY BEST CANDY PAINT JOB!!!


Anyone can do this!! All you need is a 4 oz can of "Model Masters" Metallic Silver, a can of "Krylon" glitter spray, and a transparent color of your choice from "Model Masters" by Testors. They have Transparent Candy Apple Red, Transparent Blue, Candy Grape, and Transparent Emerald Green I think. First apply a nice coat of the metallic silver, and before it is completely dry, spay the whole car with glitter spray. This one had a rather thick coat of it. Then once that is completely dry, check for any bumps in the glitter.
Try using a fine-grain sandpaper and smoothing the spot down a bit. (I've never had to do this so far). Then get out your transparent color and spray on a light coat...let dry for 10 minutes, the apply two more MUCH thicker coats of transparent candy color.
You must be careful to catch any runs, which will most likely collect near the bottom body edges of the car, especially by the wheel wells. Use the corner of a twisted paper towel and brush the drips off toward the bottom of the car as they accumulate. After it has completely dried for a day, you may also apply a gloss coat to finish it off, but sometimes this is not necessary because the transparent color is essentially a colored gloss coat!
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Hint/tip: before I applied the color coat, I got a small paint brush and some pearlescent purple paint, and painted little squiggly lines all over the car, creating a sort of alligator-skin/marbleized look. Then applied several coats of transparent blue. You can still see the design underneath.
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VIOLA!! You now have a custom candy paint-job! Take your model out in the sun and you will be shocked at how much it sparkles!!
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My 1992 Cougar Lowrider, titled "Scandalous":
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Getting painted and installing the hydros...

Painting another highly detailed dash. Check out the O.G. style switch panel I made on the left side of the steering wheel!

Can you see the real carpet?

Wanna take a ride in this??

True O.G. Style!

Still have lots of parts to glue on and graphics to lay down...

Juiced like a Florida Orange, and check out that under-carriage!

This ranfla belongs to USO C.C.!!
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1992 Chevy S-10
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Under construction...

Installing hydros...this truck was very difficult to make work since I glued together 3 sections from 3 different chassis. You have to make sure the strings that lift the axles don't have friction in any spots or they will pop easily.
Try gluing a short piece (1/2 inch) of metal rod 1/16th inch thick (same rod you use for axles) and gluing it perpendicular to the path of the string path, so that it rolls off of a rounded surface instead of a rough or jagged edge under the chassis, at every entry of a hole or edge the string goes over. (I'll post a pic soon of an example.)
Sometimes the sheer power of the motors you choose will still pop the strings, so get a big roll of hydro string at HoppinHydros.com. It definitely comes in handy.

In the paint shop gettin' sprayed! Candy Apple Green!

My fiberglass-style sub-woofer housing!

Mirrored paneling made out of reflective cardboard from a craft store, with lime suede interior and dark forest green crushed velvet seats. I have since put in a chain-link steering wheel and a shifter.

The simulated fiberglass sub-woofer wall housing (made of Super Sculpey clay (baked in the oven) and painted. I have since painted and detailed the actual sub-woofers and wire wheels.

The hydraulics don't perform that well in this difficult-to-adapt model truck. But it is fun to pose it!

After adding some more detail: painted the speakers white and the wire wheel spinner caps green.

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1998 Ford Expedition
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Under construction...shaved and ready for a 3-step candy paint job.

After I re-soldered and resurrected my ole 4-pump Hoppin Hydro chassis, I couldn't help but pop a 3-wheel.

Tuckin' 22"s ain't easy! I had to "tub" out the wheel wells of the Hoppin Hydros F/B/S/S chassis.

The sub-woofer housing being constructed.

I used real mirrors from a "bag o' mirrors" kit from Michaels hobby/craft store to design a lowrider-themed hatch display to show off the hydraulic pumps.

Deciding the placement of the chrome hydro pumps.

Wrapped in red velvet and red metallic poster board, with the pumps and batteries mounted. I since painted the details.

Installed!

Here is my first "candy" paint-job. The pics do NO JUSTICE! If you are into airbrushing, and have some money...get the real Kandy paint kit from House of Kolor for a true candy paint-job.

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1965 Pontiac 2+2
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Gettin' primed!

Adapting the original chassis for front-to-back hydraulics. This will be a two-motor hopping kit. You can see how I had to build special "guide walls" to keep the moving axles aligned straight. This is one of the most crucial steps in building up the custom hydros in an original chassis (versus using a pre-made hydro chassis from Hoppin Hydros). It requires special skills and tools to make exact fitments of pieces for support, and an understanding of how the hydro mechanisms work in order to generate the best path of least resistance throughout its movement. (I recommend getting an electric Dremmel tool and an electric drill. Also, an assortment of metal-tipped sculpting tools, model cement and E6000 Industrial strength glue (for strong support), Basswood (hard balsa), and 1/16th size brass rods for axles.

Testing out the motor placement. This can be tricky---planning to keep the original interior intact can make for some hard hidden-motor installing. I'm having trouble hiding the front motor while maintaining proper function and practicality. Plus the motors have to be easily accessible in order to re-attach the plastic gears (which hold the hydro string onto the spinning motor post) that have come off during play.

Make sure you have clearance for closing hoods and interior pieces! I came to the realization that I could not get much lift out of the back of this model due to a low back dash, so I reluctantly cut out some of the rear dash to allow the rear axle to come through when laying frame. When lifted, there is enough axel there to get the rear up as high as any lowrider should! 10-12 miniature inches!

Now that's GaNgStA!

After painting the interior...

Back seat driver!

Three chrome switches is all this G-ride needs! Front, Back, and Pancake!

So I made the real switches do front, back, and front&back.

This is how high I plan on this one hopping. "Wheel" see about that!

Hopping the back...
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1999 Honda Civic Hatchback
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To do a good body drop on your model, grab a wheel you plan to use for your final model, and check for clearance. Make marks with a sharpie where you will need to cut out plastic in the wheel well to allow the top half of the tire to come through when the car is slammed. Using a Dremmel tool like this one is best for quick and safe cutting. Using an exact-o knife for big cutting jobs is NOT recommended, because the blade can easily slip and cut you badly, or break an unintended piece. If you do not have a Dremmel, try using small wire clippers and cutting the beginning and end of the piece you want to remove, then use needle-nose pliers and grab that section of the fender and start rocking it back n forth until it just breaks off easily. You'd be surprised at how easy it can be this way. Then use your exact-o knife to trim off smaller sections if needed, and sand a little with semi-rough sandpaper. (I prefer a padded foam sandpaper square).
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Check with the wheels again and make sure it has clearance when slammed like you see in the pics above. I cut a little too much for the rear but it's better to have too much clearance than not enough!
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Any modern custom looks best with shaved door handles and shaved or other molded features to give a more stream-lined look and show off the body's natural aerodynamics better. For those not familiar with the term shaved, it just means that a body feature (such as a door handle, emblem, antenna, license plate box, etc) has been removed and the hole it left behind has been covered over with body filler and then sanded until it is as smooth as the surrounding areas, and painted over as if it never existed there. It is a common modification on hot rods, lowriders, and especially street rod mini-trucks and now import tuners.
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Here you see me sanding down the Civic's door handles and side door guard strips with my Dremmel tool's sanding bit. I only used this to slightly grind down the raised features quickly, so that the real sanding can be done (with sand paper or pad) repeatedly and carefully until the feature was no longer there.
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Most of the time the part you are sanding, especially door handles, have a recessed area, in-set groove, or "bowl". These are the areas that must be filled in with modeling putty for plastic models. Tamiya makes the best filler. Apply with a small putty knife or finger, and don't get too messy or it will be harder to sand it all down smooth after it dries. Give the filler a whole day to dry to really benefit the sanding process, but you can light-sand the filler after an hour to help smooth down the bigger bumps or imperfections to make your next day's work a little easier. And I mean LIGHT-SAND!

This is what it should look like after a thorough sanding job is complete. It is okay to see the original feature reminiscent in the panel, as long as the recessed areas are filled in with filler. Look at it under good light and in all angles to see if the dried filler has sunken in anywhere. Sometimes it does, and you just have to keep adding more filler and re-sanding it the next day until it is absolutely filled in and smoothed over.
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Another common mod found today on radically shaved mini-trucks and import tuners is the crooked license plate box. It adds a wacky touch to accent a wild paint scheme and just adds extra body-mod points. Doing one on your model is challenging, but with patience and the right planning, it can be achieved.
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First sketch out the angle you want to make your box, then use a dremmel cutter and lightly cut out the top and bottom only, the round cutter is usually too big to do the sides.

Use an exact-o to cut out the sides carefully, then trim it so that it is as perfectly rectangle as you can get it, then sand it smooth. Make a small rectangle out of basswood or balsa, slightly bigger than your cut-out, and glue behind the cut-out to create the backing of the license frame box. If you are pressed for space behind the trunk wall, use a piece of poster board (maybe doubled up).
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Now you are ready to shape it up and fill in the old plate box (if there was one) with filler putty. You want your box to be at least 4-6 millimeters deep, so that a custom plate can be installed in there and look recessed some.

It will look messy at first, but keep your eye on the prize and use fine sculpting tools or a dull exact-o knife to shape your box nicely.

After lots of sanding and re-filling, this is what the finished process should look like before spraying on a coat of primer on the whole model.

After spraying about 2 coats of primer grey on the model, you can see just how well any shaving and sanding came out by holding it in the light in every possible angle to see the areas you worked so hard on.

Here you can see that for the most part, the shaved door handles and moldings are nearly invisible, but in just the right light, you can still see them there. It's not quite enough to warrant any more sanding--especially after 2 coats of final body paint and 1 gloss clear coat. But if you can still feel a bump or imperfection in yours and you just can't live with it, this is your last chance to do some re-filling and re-sanding before adding that final color. You won't have to re-primer the model because it will just add too much paint thickness and take away from the detail of the remaining features (like wiper blades, vented parts etc.)

Just another example of how cool Acme License Plate Maker is! This model will probably have a different plate when completed.

Testing once again for clearance and just to see how pimp it looks!

Ok....anyone want to loan me $2,000 so I can make this happen on my REAL car???????

Painting the dash was a real challenge, but with the right sized brush, enough patience, and the ability to hold your breath long enough for that perfect straight brush stroke....YOU CAN DO IT!

I recently applied flocking to the flooring of the interior, making a carpet-like covering (purchase at hobby stores or Hoppin Hydros.com). And I've been working countless hours on finshing up the details of the interior.

Installed the supplied grille mesh and drilled holes in the headlights and tail lights to allow the LED light to shine through.

Almost complete, just need to glue in the LEDS and finish up minor details. I added bonus features like illuminated gauges and a replica air suspension display in the rear deck. So...
Check it out on PAGE 3. (the LEDS still are not wired up yet).
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CHECK OUT PAGE 3, 2 or 1!!!
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and...

STAY TuNeD!!!