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Willy's Wheelie Rally - Completed!

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This project coincides with several things:

- the wonderful work of TC members JennyMo and IBIFTKH (as well as others like Mokei Kagaku) on shortened versions of Tamiya cars on 'wheelie chassis' like the WR-02

- my affection for the Lancia 037 and Tamiya's original version on the O.R.V. chassis

- acquiring a beat-up Lancia Rally bodyshell from a parts car for said model

- the recognition that exactly zero of my models can run freely on grass longer than 20 mm or large-diameter gravel

- the lack of a Wild Willy car among my runners

- a paying job

And so, combining all six is leading me (hopefully) to chop up a well-used Lancia Rally shell to a (roughly) 170 mm wheelbase, and putting that shell on a WR-02.

Initially, it began with a sketch:

2n0109d.jpg

Some ideas for putting Wild Willy into a Lancia Rally were tossed about, but this was an otherwise-conventional 037, including the wheelbase. Padlatrak tires, jerry cans, nitrous bottles, and extra spotlights would have made it more befitting the iconic driver.

Reading up on JennyMo's STUMPscorcher and IBIFTKH's Counterfeit StumpSco inspired me to take the Wild Willy concept a little further, resulting in the beater shell I had on hand getting marked up for cuts:

66i1cz.jpg

The idea was to cut off the wrecked front bumper and chop out sections from the cab and the front hood to keep proportions reasonable. The front bumper cut borrows from the Willy's Rally sketch.

Today, with a hacksaw and a hot knife (citing insufficient respiratory protection for my Dremel set), I got to work. The former made the first cut here:

n53c6q.jpg

I attempted to strip the bodyshell beforehand, but neither Castrol Super Clean nor oven cleaner worked! (it was because it was missing caustic soda - woops...). The type of paint on the shell may also have something to do with it.

I admit to being casual with the measuring, but did some quick research for ideas on proportions:

2i07teh.jpg

It was my first time using a hot knife (really a soldering iron with a #11 blade attached), resulting in very rough cuts.Some of my hack job dealt with cutting 22 mm from the front hood section to maintain proportions. I found that sectioning the cab alone made for a bizarre-looking 037!

2vwse45.jpg

... That will sand out, right?

I ended up finishing preliminary cuts, and the altered sections can be seen below:

3142whz.jpg

My vision is thus something like this:

20pa2ox.jpg

The rear bumper will most likely go as well, but for now I am keeping it to contrast with the chopped front bumper. Research on 'Stump' models suggest that a rear bumper cut may be all it needs for the rear end as opposed to something more drastic. It would be a hacksaw cut, though - nice and simple. I will do it later!

A photo next to a conventional Lancia Rally shell does not do complete justice - approximately 75 mm ended up getting cut out of the body, for a wheelbase around 173 mm:

10zwk7t.jpg

Given the size of the WR-02's wheels, I am not too concerned - additional cuts to align the body correctly should get the figure down to 170 mm, anyways. Yes, those cuts were very rough!

This is where I sit at the moment, and may sit for a while - hence, 'An Ongoing Project.' I do not yet have the funds to acquire a WR-02, which I hope will also provide me with a Wild Willy figure. I do not even have styrene sheets yet! Being a student, though, means that I really should be putting my money elsewhere; after September or so, I may begin working in earnest again.

But in the meantime: advice, constructive criticism, general discussion about the Lancia 037, and maybe the occasional 'you are a wack job for cutting up an original Lancia Rally' comment (especially as a rookie!) would be appreciated!

Personally, I really hope I can see this project through - it would be by far my most challenging one yet, as nothing else I have ever done with RC cars required this much plastic work.

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Looks good . See if you can alter the shape of the remaining roof panel around the A pillars to slope into the rear pillars ,that will smooth the roof out well

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As much as I hate to see one of those bodyshells cut up (because I don't have one), I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

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How about an exaggerated rear wing ? - easy build with plastic-card

Also a nice idea! I think it would be a good addition to the project, and would love to get a sketch of that going...

As much as I hate to see one of those bodyshells cut up (because I don't have one), I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Thank you for your honesty - rest assured, I had to think it through before making the first cut! Other projects to preserve the shell's original form were definitely considered, such as a short-lived Stadium Blitzer conversion...

They do appear from time to time online, though; right now, I believe there are two... If you can snag one, I highly recommend it ;)

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Looks great so far dude, as well as an exaggerated rear spoiler how about a large Audi Quattro Grp B style front 'scoop' just to really make a caricature of the car?

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My first thought was - OMG the Lancia is already quite a stupidly short wheelbase, but this is definitely worth pursuing. You've set yourself quite a goal if you're going to meet JennyMo's standards, but it's looking good so far!

BTW - I really like your sketch :D

In a way, the 037 is perfect for this sort of project - Tamiya should never have put it on the ORV chassis, but they did and it worked...

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I don't believe you did it! :blink:


3142whz.jpg

Now I want to see the result! ;-)

Max

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Looks great so far dude, as well as an exaggerated rear spoiler how about a large Audi Quattro Grp B style front 'scoop' just to really make a caricature of the car?

Another great idea! I think it may have to go on the roof, though, since the 037 was mid-engined ;)

My first thought was - OMG the Lancia is already quite a stupidly short wheelbase, but this is definitely worth pursuing. You've set yourself quite a goal if you're going to meet JennyMo's standards, but it's looking good so far!

BTW - I really like your sketch :D

In a way, the 037 is perfect for this sort of project - Tamiya should never have put it on the ORV chassis, but they did and it worked...

When I thought of a rally car on the WR-02, this was immediately what I thought of! It was strange, given that the Audi Quattro and Opel Ascona were actually on adapted wheelie chassis.

Thanks for the compliment on the drawing - I hope to do another one of my vision for this car...

That same sort of curiosity had me considering a Stadium Blitzer chassis for the shell (requiring no shortening, then), but in the end I really wanted large tires!

I don't believe you did it! :blink:

Now I want to see the result! ;-)

Max

Admittedly, I think the decision was made easier by the fact that I have a new-in-package Lancia Rally body set, and am exploring polycarbonate alternatives for future bashing... It never occurred to me that I was chopping up something quite rare, oddly enough, but now that I have, what else can I do but build up a really good model? I sure hope I can.

Of course, given the way I run my actual Lancia Rally, is anybody really surprised that the shell got cut? :P

Maybe I do not fully appreciate the rarity of these cars, but at least I love them! I consider my Lancia to be the treasure of my current collection.

Thank you all for the encouragement! I think I will see if I can fit a WR-02 into next month's budget - or at least some styrene sheets, some proper putty, and epoxy!

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Thank you all for the encouragement! I think I will see if I can fit a WR-02 into next month's budget - or at least some styrene sheets, some proper putty, and epoxy!

Hee hee - it's looking promising already Grastens!

I just had a quick look on ebay and there is a used WR02 Wheelie Bus for £50 with no bids at the moment, plus a couple of UK sellers have got NIB Farm King's for £99-101 - a cheap way to get the chassis you need although you'd still need 4 of the same wheels I guess?

Looking forward to progress - you've inspired me to do a bit more to the STUMPscorcher ;o)

Jx

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Fantastic project Grastens. I love things like this, really imaginative and different. Really looking forward to watching it develop... :)

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Can't wait to see the results! I know you already cut the body, but next time, do this. So much easier.

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That is how i cut my hilux body too. Takes a little patience but it was well worth it. easier to clean the cut areas with a sandpaper.. A great tip.. Please don't start cutting on all the vintage bodies lol..... :D :D

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Hee hee - it's looking promising already Grastens!

I just had a quick look on ebay and there is a used WR02 Wheelie Bus for £50 with no bids at the moment, plus a couple of UK sellers have got NIB Farm King's for £99-101 - a cheap way to get the chassis you need although you'd still need 4 of the same wheels I guess?

Looking forward to progress - you've inspired me to do a bit more to the STUMPscorcher ;o)

Jx

Fantastic project Grastens. I love things like this, really imaginative and different. Really looking forward to watching it develop... :)

The gurus have spoken! Thank you both for the inspiration and encouragement. I only hope that my modelling skills can do this project justice. I also look forward to seeing the STUMPscorcher back again among the active threads ;)

Oh, and IBIFTKH: I apologize for calling your project the Counterfeit StumpSco - I saw it given that name during a Google search, though somehow 'Counterfeit' does not seem to give the clean execution and attention to detail the credit they deserve!

Can't wait to see the results! I know you already cut the body, but next time, do this. So much easier.

... and my modelling skills do not do it justice already :(

I guess I was always worried that somehow, I would screw up the cotton thread trick. How, I do not know. Either way, definitely something to remember for either future cuts or another project - thanks!

That is how i cut my hilux body too. Takes a little patience but it was well worth it. easier to clean the cut areas with a sandpaper.. A great tip.. Please don't start cutting on all the vintage bodies lol..... :D:D

Next, you will see a Hilux Stepside chopped to fit the TT-02 :ph34r: But not from me, of course!

I am looking up putties and epoxies. Apparently, Bondo Glazing & Spot Putty is similar to Isopon P38 (important as I live in North America), but I also heard that Milliput Superfine White works quite well. My original intention was to epoxy styrene panels underneath the body and then fill the resulting gap between the body sections with plastic putty, but can epoxy putties provide enough structural support to forego the styrene (providing I let it set undisturbed)?

I do like the look of the Milliput Superfine, though, and may order some soon with styrene sheets. I can hardly believe my local hobby shop does not stock plasticard...

A WR-02 kit will set me back at least $170 (I did not find the 50 GBP special online), but its importance to this project means that this figure may become trivial - after all, what a shame it would be to finish a body for a chassis it does not fit!

Hopefully, less talk and more progress will be coming from me soon...

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Oh, and IBIFTKH: I apologize for calling your project the Counterfeit StumpSco - I saw it given that name during a Google search, though somehow 'Counterfeit' does not seem to give the clean execution and attention to detail the credit they deserve!

Nothing to apologise for, Counterfeit StumpSco is my name for it in my showroom. The 'counterfeit' tag because JennyMo's is the original and mine is a reproduction.

I'm no guru but I would offer some advice if I may.

I wouldn't use Milliput for this. It's great for sculpting but not so good as a filler because it tends to shrink. Isopon P38 or equivalent is much better.

Definitely reinforce your joins with plasticard though I would also be careful with epoxy putties because some can generate quite a bit of heat while setting, risking distortion of the panels. I've had good results with EMA Plastic Weld solvent glue - I used it to build a crawler truck body which survived rolling 20+ feet down a hill!

Obviously this is all opinion based on relatively limited experience so feel free to ignore me! :)

Cheers,

Rob

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I'm no guru but I would offer some advice if I may.

I wouldn't use Milliput for this. It's great for sculpting but not so good as a filler because it tends to shrink. Isopon P38 or equivalent is much better.

Definitely reinforce your joins with plasticard though I would also be careful with epoxy putties because some can generate quite a bit of heat while setting, risking distortion of the panels. I've had good results with EMA Plastic Weld solvent glue - I used it to build a crawler truck body which survived rolling 20+ feet down a hill!

Thank you, Rob - this will prove very helpful!

No elaborate sketches (I am still etching out the frontal details of the WR-02), but I did a mockup based on an image I printed of JennyMo's StumpScorcher. Obviously there are drawbacks from scaling from a photograph; however I did this to get an idea of where the project may go. I drew the projected bodyshell, assembled, with dotted lines for potential alterations. The picture below is the body with said initial alterations, and the final one is the shell fitted with a larger rear spoiler, a roof scoop, some extra lights, and Wild Willy:

285a3p.jpg

Why do the shell bottoms coincide with the paper? Here is the 3rd stage placed over the StumpScorcher picture:

2rxvcyx.jpg

(my printer is black and white - I thought I only needed it for documents!)

Now, if my scaling is close or even accurate, the shell will have to sit quite high on the chassis, even with a front wheel-arch modification as indicated in the dotted lines on the first drawing. Wild Willy may have trouble squeezing into the vehicle, too, but I will leave that for a future step. Nonetheless, in this early stage it has me excited for the project!

It should be noted that I have never even seen a Wild Willy driver figure in person, which makes this exercise potentially futile. However, it is strengthening morale, and I believe I understand how I will go about joining the body sections back together. Time to read up on kontemax's plastic welding tutorial...

I purchased some styrene sheets online, which should arrive in the next two weeks or so. With a tube of putty and non-physical modelling (and maybe even a favourable exam date), I may be able to get started soon!

P.S.: I was thinking of adding a spare wheel, probably from the Subaru Brat, onto the roof, but the car's unusual dimensions would make it look very silly on the roof! In the interest of the design, I will likely go for a rally-stage look as opposed to the (admittedly-awesome) Safari kit - the original 037s had a front bush guard and a spare wheel on the roof for that! A bush guard will wait until after the bulk of bodywork is complete.

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This is going to look awesome!

The Wild Willy torso figure is approx. 77mm long by 55mm high if that helps your calculations.

The area you're most likely to have problems with is the back edge of the front wheel arches. When the wheels steer, the tyre tucks in quite close to the chassis, and can hit the wheel arch. Looking at your drawing, you may need to open the arches up a little more or maybe trim the bottom of the doors?

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I was just going to echo what IBIFTKH says about the front wheel arches - this is the issue I had with the original STUMPkin, and to a lesser extent the Beetle shell - enough clearance for the big tyres when they are on full lock - and also do consider the wheel position on full lock and full suspension compression too...

That said, overall 'technical dynamic ability' is not really so important in a cartoon car like this - as long as the tyres clear when running... so you can perhaps compromise a little more between outright performance and the visual appeal? - I would suggest trying to get the body to sit as low as possible (after all the original 037 is a low riding car in comparison) and trim the rear of the front arches away as required?

Regarding the driver - another option would be the 'half Willy' that you get in the VW Camper (based on the original Willy's Wheeler) and Jimny - that is effectively just the head, shoulders and arms, so will fit inside the limited space better?

Looking forward to when you get the glue out!

Jx

ps. Lots of lamps and a silly spoiler would be the way to go with this I reckon! - And the idea of the roof spoiler/pod is a good one to help cover up the reshaping of the roof line?

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This is going to look awesome!

The Wild Willy torso figure is approx. 77mm long by 55mm high if that helps your calculations.

The area you're most likely to have problems with is the back edge of the front wheel arches. When the wheels steer, the tyre tucks in quite close to the chassis, and can hit the wheel arch. Looking at your drawing, you may need to open the arches up a little more or maybe trim the bottom of the doors?

I was just going to echo what IBIFTKH says about the front wheel arches - this is the issue I had with the original STUMPkin, and to a lesser extent the Beetle shell - enough clearance for the big tyres when they are on full lock - and also do consider the wheel position on full lock and full suspension compression too...

That said, overall 'technical dynamic ability' is not really so important in a cartoon car like this - as long as the tyres clear when running... so you can perhaps compromise a little more between outright performance and the visual appeal? - I would suggest trying to get the wheel to sit as low as possible (after all the original 037 is a low riding car in comparison) and trim the rear of the front arches away as required?

Regarding the driver - another option would be the 'half Willy' that you get in the VW Camper (based on the original Willy's Wheeler) and Jimny - that is effectively just the head, shoulders and arms, so will fit inside the limited space better?

Looking forward to when you get the glue out!

Jx

ps. Lots of lamps and a silly spoiler would be the way to go with this I reckon! - And the idea of the roof spoiler/pod is a good one to help cover up the reshaping of the roof line?

Great advice with the front wheels and their range - I may consider smaller tires or a modest extension (already enquired about the brackets used for IBIFTKH's excellent Montero conversion!), but the front arches in their current condition need to be re-shaped anyways. This is as good a reason as any to do so! I think the omission of a front bumper will prove a benefit for accommodating the fronts, as will deleting the rear unit...

But hold those thoughts for now, as there is a problem:

2vjea01.jpg

Several weeks, several solutions, and marginal results :( All that effort into stripping paint, and a few lousy white patches to show for it!

I was never going to make the deadline for the end of August anyways with my tuition and textbook payments, which was a shame as it would have been perfect to lay on the primer and get painting before autumn began. But several weeks in the Super Clean and multiple attempts with oven cleaner has led to a few chips in the paint and nothing more.

Looking at the Lancia shell, the paint seemed meticulously-applied and hard-wearing, so it would not have surprised me if it was simply the Super Clean getting through all the clearcoats or a tougher paint. But a Striker upper shell, with only a few layers of blue splashed on, managed to resist all treatments and so I am thinking something is wrong with my technique... I did not want to sand the Lancia shell down at the risk of losing the details, but that may be the only option moving forward.

But I just noticed that I can get a factory-assembled WR-02 chassis sans body, wheels, ESC, or receiver (I was always going to go with my own choices anyways for those) for about $120 delivered, barring customs! Who knows how long that offer will last; however with this news and a set of styrene sheets on their way, I continue to be optimistic about this project's chances!

Edit: at this early stage, I was thinking of a rollbar that poked through the roof, giving a place to mount roof spotlights but more importantly give some protection to the body in the likely event of a rollover. It will be better-explained in a picture. However, there appear to be exactly zero rally cars - Safari or otherwise - that ran this setup, A roof-mounted spare tire would also seem silly if stock WR-02 wheels are used, and may interfere with a roof scoop. Even in its infancy, I am already curious as to how, if at all, I should ensure the body lasts under spirited driving...

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I wouldn't worry to much about the car turning over - I've found the STUMPscorcher on the WR-01 chassis is very stable on the whole (although I'm not jumping it off ramps and the like...) - I've only ever turned it over once, and that was hitting an off-camber bump at the wrong angle - it rolled over and back onto it's wheels and all that happened was the rear numberplate light got scratched... although maybe I was just lucky of course ;o)

As for the shell - is it essential you strip off all that original paint? I'd have thought that with the amount of styrene and glue/filler you are going to need, a good dusting of filler primer is going to be required before you paint it anyway? - I would concentrate on getting some integrity and strength into the new shape shell, the blow over everything with a filler primer and go from there...

I had a similar dilemma with the original STUMPkin shell - it had layers of 25 year old primer and paint on - I just sanded down the really rough spots and primered over everything - of course the idea was it would always have a ratty finish, but actually it looked pretty good with the first coat of grey primer all over!

Jx

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I Think its coming along nicely, Also much like JennyMo said I never really bother these days about completely stripping a shell back to bare plastic, just sand it back as much as you can and re prime.

Cheers

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Excellent - hearing this from experienced builders (and STUMPmasters!) was all I needed! My primary concern was that putty and the like would not adhere very well to paint, but it is good to know this is not the case, especially as the yellow is not coming off anytime soon...

Now, do I get started once the sheets arrive, or when I can pick up a WR-02?

I figure that at least stitching the bodyshell together should do it, where I can check for alignment issues with my cuts before more major work. I have one more week in this city before a 2-week break between semesters, so we will see if I can get anything done!

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Really just seconding Jenny's comments. It's unlikely that the remaining paint is going to cause you any problems. Solvent-type adhesive will dissolve any remaining paint anyway, so it won't affect the strength of any joins. If you're worried about filler adhesion, you can always sand the areas you're going to fill.

When it comes to paint, be prepared to give it several coats of primer and rub the paint down thoroughly. It will show up any problem areas and help key the surface. Then re-prime and you'll be ready for colour.

But as the lady said, build it strong first, worry about making it pretty later!

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Thank you for the advice! With that, I got started:

2wnpg6e.jpg

What you see here are 1 mm panels to go underneath the bodyshell surface, joining the centre and rear sections together at the sides and then [hopefully] linking the front section to the centre at that stupidly-cut windshield base. I really should have cut at a less aggressive part!

With the effort to smooth the front arches out and shorten the wheelbase in the process, I also cut out these side panels which will go outside the bodyshell surface:

o515hz.jpg

Traced out from an impression on the side of the shell, I hope to apply them and cut out the excess plastic to build the front wheel arches.

On a 2 mm sheet, I traced out parts for the new rear spoiler:

24e6cf4.jpg

I may have enough scrap plastic to create the roof-mounted scoop from those bits alone, but want to wait on that part for when the roof finally gets levelled out. With the 1 mm pieces, I am thinking that inserting the pieces in hot water to soften them up and then moulding them to the shell will work, given the (lack of) thickness to these panels. Not sure about the roof, though...

So, at least I did something today! I realize now that buying a WR-02 kit will be better than one of those less-expensive finished chassis since I will need to acquire wheels, tires, and a Willy figure anyways. As I go home in a few days, I will see if I can bring any of my supplies and/or this project with me to give me something to work on - and something for any readers to go over ;)

I can still hardly believe I ever began this project - and my slow progress seems to suggest I have not!

P.S.: There is also this terrifying notion that I can suddenly build almost anything with these sheets - almost tempted to give my Striker some 'modifications!'

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So today was a good day to work on the project. I began with my attempts to mould styrene sheets to the inner walls of the shell - these would be glued to the shell sections and give some backing for putty to fill the remaining seam between the pieces:

dyp0cl.jpg

(forgot about the fish cutting board - but it worked)

I then attempted to alter the roof with heat and gentle pressure, but failed miserably:

2n8bv9z.jpg

It was just fortunate that I happened to save the roof section I cut out of the car. That part will be used as the roof, cut down to size and smoothed over the rear window and windshield tops to create a less-awkward roofline. I am still disappointed that I had to make that cut, nonetheless, and in hindsight would have taken the entire panel off at the start to give more thought to the roof once the issue came up.

It was after the poorly-moulded panels refused to bond to the shell that I thought I was way over my head with this project. Admittedly, I even thought about selling the rest of it off so somebody with more skill could complete it. But who else would really want a wheelie rally car?

With the notion that I was making my fantasies come alive with this adventure, I plugged on and found a solution:

14t6m14.jpg

The two panels I forced to bond were now for naught as I had learned how to 'plastic solder' the two sections together using sprue and a soldering iron. The iron cost me less than $10, so I am not too worried about its co-option. I am pleased with the resultant strength of the joined sections, though! The results were encouraging enough for me to continue with the rest of the body and so this is where it has come to today:

10eojmr.jpg

Only the sides of the front section are 'soldered' into place for quick detachment should my measurements be proven incorrect.

I am incredibly impulsive; I think I measured once and cut twice at this stage, translating in to the extra work I put in to stitching this shell together. But miraculously, the entire thing is symmetrical and completely aligned - eyeballing everything and makeshift braces and clamps yielded a body that is well on its way to sanding and primer coats, against all odds.

There is no doubt that some of you think this is the wrong project for me to learn new skills on, but growing up this was the only way I learned some things, such as interior decoration :P

And so, morale is high, and a good amount of progress has been made up in a short amount of time. To say I am pleased with this update is a truth - not overwhelmingly so, given the difficulties and the lack of WR-02 beneath it, but I appreciate being able to turn in a good result for a new-to-me technique. Right now, I think I will complete the shell and then think about mounting it to a chassis - the final cut for the front arches should be able to accommodate the 170 mm wheelbase at a good ride height (more on that later!).

There is the realization that since this will be a rally car, though, that I should be looking at two Wild Willy figures for the interior!

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