photomic

@Willy ii e and nicherotors, thanks for your tips. I’ve touched up the signal lights. In future, I will probably: i. paint the lights orange, then ii. mask around, then iii. paint the grooves black, then iv. stuff a strip of sponge into the groove, then v. airbrush the rest of the grille. Mmm… hopefully the new hosting site will work. Will check back in a few weeks to see if it’s still alive before posting more photos and updates. Not sure what happened to my earlier posts, but all the pics seem to be replaced by a ‘spacer.png’? Updates at the speed of life… and the need to revive dead links … Anyway, here’s another attempt at using the old hosting site. Time to clean up the grille. Mask the signal lights like so. linky drive : linky direct Drop in a circle of old envelope. linky drive : linky direct Fold the mask and re-use some old masks. linky drive : linky direct Airbrush some more XF-62 Olive Drab. linky drive : linky direct And done. linky drive : linky direct Test link from another build.

Proved that future repairs to the winch mounting tabs should use ABS slurry. The epoxy putty’s sand nice but are a bit brittle when knocked about or rough drilled. Anyway, onwards to masking. First, horizontal mask under the flat part of the bulb. Then follow on with a circular mask to allow the inside portion of the signal lights. Black paint for shadows. A bit more masking and spray Tamiya X6 gloss orange. And realise that the earlier black paint step was completely covered over. Note to self: skip initial black paint step in future. The overspray is not really a concern as there will be more layers of OD paint later. Dealing with overspray without masking.

@Willy iine: Thanks! @SuperChamp82: Wild Wendy is a very nicely done figure. Not tempted though. Time for silliness. I got a circular cutter recently and decided to play around with a bad idea.

No particular plans in mind …. I was simply driven by curiosity. The silicone sealant does work pretty well. And recently, I smooshed on some thick ABS slurry just to see what would happen. Yeah, should really thin down the slurry in future and apply it in thinner coats. However. I did end up with an undead willy. The surface is actually very smooth as can be seen from the shiny reflections. The holes are due to the air bubbles that were already visible in the thick ABS slurry before application. So best to try again with thin slurry.

Dunno. Anyway, I have replaced all the uploaded photos and updated the links so hopefully they all show up now. A few years ago before I had thermoplastic, I thought it’d be interesting to see what could be done with silicone sealant.

Final fitting in progress. And almost done. For now. Squirrel! Smooshed on a piece of warm thermoplastic a while back followed by another smoosh of acetone dissolved Tamiya ABS sprue. Just to see whether it could work. I won’t be making any grilles, but it’s nice to know I can reproduce parts of the grille to expedite repairs. Of course I will be driving carefully … … maybe

As with most repairs, it's usually a question of where you want to be. Pristine? Or runner? Or until you feel it's time to move on. I was undecided on this for a long while and ended up puttying and sanding on and off over a few years until it got to the stage where I could make a mold of the rough shape. Near final sanding to level the winch mounting tabs.

In the beginning, I made a decision to not worry about whether I would be "doing the right thing" or "doing it right." As long as it got somewhere, I'd be happy. It's only ABS and the only six packs involved would be chilled before hand. Regardless of those who hold dear to "Two is one, and one is none" having a Willy of my own is definitely better than not having one. Well, I'm glad I didn't put my foot in it. I did put my Willy in though, and gave it a good long soak followed by a thorough scrub and scratch with a brush and pin. Exfoliation completed. The grille before final picking of mystery adhesive that held the radiator in place. After final picking and rinse. The grille turned out to be in excellent condition but I was keen for it to be a little sturdier since I don't usually slow down to speed up. Started out with Tamiya Epoxy Putty. The normal putty was a definite no-go as it shrinks over time. Putty and sand, putty and sand, repeat. It works but takes a while. And most of the putty is sanded off. The radiator tabs were left behind. Not screwed though so pried off with a jeweler's driver. The grille is starting to look better though a bit more putty is needed.

Thanks Willy iine. Nice collection! I'm trying to keep a record of the fiddling I have done with my Willy. It's still very new to me as I've been trying to stay focused on the body before spending time on the moving bits. Otherwise the body usually takes a few more years to get done after the chassis is running.

Original sand tyres included together with spares. New (to me in 2014), never run (by previous owner, motor not connected, no electronics), and needs a bit of work. Spent a few years pondering the way forward and at some point, the ship of Theseus came to mind, followed shortly thereafter by an epiphany that this would be a journey instead of a destination. linky drive : linky direct A rather long one at that ... as with the best things in life, this should be savoured instead of gulped. Sure, the tyres have a few flat spots, but at least it's all there! Silver lining and all that. I have confidence borne of successfully cutting and glueing Tamiya rally block tyres for the M03 mini - before - Tamiya released mini rally block tyres. linky drive : linky direct With these many spares, I am sure with enough time, effort, super glue, silicone glue, resin and perserverance, it will be possible to arrive at a set of 4 complete tyres. How hard can it be? After all, potential is the spice of life! Of course, they all look better in the photo than they actually are. Quite a few more have flat spots and cracks on the sides. Naturally, I am not showing the less glamourous sides of the tyres. Need to keep one's chin up and all that. "Come back at 3 o'clock!" Mr. Fixit, Richard Scarry's Busy Town.

Mmmm... I must have been having fun. Time flew. But! The dash cover is done. As is the dash. Finally. Willy can finally tell check his speed; max or stop. Handbrake included. A better view of the dashboard. With night dash lights.

The two white pieces in the last photo above are for screws to hold the replacement dash cover. .. . the one that is being made. As with all things bespoke, a template needs to be made and fitted. Somewhat like the Saville Row experience, except without the tailor, the cloth, the threads ... the shop ... but we have paper and scissors! The iPAD approach allows the addition and subtraction of additional paper extensions, and is able to work in the absence of electricity and electronic computers (you still need the one between the ears). The iPAD template is then transferred to styrene that is bent after appropriate application of heat to the corners. Obviously, this is an excellent opportunity to make use of the scrap styrene stock that tends to accumulate over time. Some fettling required to get the lines right. No need to be too worried about taking too much off because

Quite a while back, the dash cover decided to go walkabout. And hasn't returned since. Slight diversion. A quick job to seal up a gaping big hole that should accommodate the rubber on/off switch cover on the original Wild Willy M38. Which is strange because the body post hole in the center of the hood no longer exists. But drilling a body post hole is easier than cutting out a square I guess? Anyway, front towards the hood. The patch is from a styrene sheet. I also took the opportunity to trim off the center body offset plate to allow the tub to sit lower. Flush fit. Painted.

Once upon a time, in a place far far away, a thin non-woven pressed material comprising milled plant or textile fibers was produced for the purpose of capturing ideas. This fragile material was the predecessor of the modern fabrication tool known as iPAD, also known as the incredible Paper Assisted Design. A sample of which is shown below. Despite taking advantage of modern cellulose based materials with an affinity for Paper, the use of this tool continues to require copious amounts of dark liquids to ensure sufficient mental clarity for safe operation.

So, I broke apart my airbrush for another round of clean and repair. A bit crusty, I know... But, it works! And, yes, good enough for a three tone camouflage scheme. And here it is, secured to the jeep.