The Big One

1
March 6, 2018
Every project begins with a small step. For starters, there will be four cars built into the diorama, but will scale out to perhaps 43 when finished. Depends on how ambitious I remain.
2
March 11, 2018
Way too much time painting an oil filter that is mostly hidden. A base of Flat Brown, with Flat White and Desert Yellow drybrushed edges.
3
March 11, 2018
Distributor wires painted a simple Gloss Blue, while the headers got a base coat of Gun Metal followed by Chrome Silver for a tarnished steel look.
4
March 17, 2018
They just had to mould the chassis in white plastic instead of red, huh? Still, not too bad a finish for brush painting if I do say so myself.
5
March 17, 2018
There was no way I was going to try to correct those injection marks on the radiator. Trying to duplicate that texture by hand just would not happen.
6
March 18, 2018
This is certainly one hell of a lot of gloss red. Firewall is in place and the pedals mounted. This interior will have to get grunged up a little soon. It's way too clean.
7
March 18, 2018
One side of the cage is in place. Fit fairly well, too. I think 1:24 cars must be Revell's niche, since I had nothing but problems with their aircraft.
8
March 24, 2018
A few fit issues with the Petty bar and the steering, but overall still coming together nicely.
9
March 24, 2018
I've got to get some dirt and grime into this thing asap. I'm being blinded by the red every time I sit down to work. Can barely even see the fire extinguisher among it all.
10
March 25, 2018
Wasn't going for anything fancy with the setting sunlight here. But after installing the other side of the cage, I did go back and recoat all the pads with XF-85 Rubber Black, which looks better than just XF-1 Flat Black.
11
March 28, 2018
Hoses, fuel cell, and the cage have been completed. Time to move on to the suspension.
12
March 28, 2018
There are a couple of spots where I may need to add a little putty to bridge some gaps in the cage. I did find the rear-view mirror though, that I thought the carpet monster ate.
13
April 1, 2018
The rear suspension assembly was a mother to get sitting in place properly. Securing the drive shaft also presented its share of problems.
14
April 1, 2018
The engine settled onto its mounts fairly well, and the frame braces will help keep it in place once the damage starts.
15
April 1, 2018
Front suspension fit into place far easier than the rear.
16
April 1, 2018
The toughest part here was getting those radiator hoses into place with no tweezers. But I managed.
17
April 1, 2018
Happy with how the dashboard turned out. The needles were painted by placing a drop of X-7 Red paint onto my X-acto knife and cutting them into place.
18
April 3, 2018
Base coat sprayed on well with minimal mistakes. A little clean up needed on the back bumper. The interior coat of bare metal silver looks good with the overspray.
19
April 6, 2018
Those wheels just weren't going to stay on without some cement. And the carpet monster regurgitated that Earnhardt bar so I could get rid of the one I had jury-rigged in its place.
20
April 6, 2018
A small blemish on the hood but given that this is going to be part of a wreck, I'm okay with that. The windows are in much better shape than my last car kit. Should be on track to finish this guy by my modeling club meeting in eight days.
21
April 7, 2018
Windows turned out well, with no clouding once glued in place with Tamiya Extra Thin. The black paint on the inside also helps hide where the blue was eaten away by the cement.
22
April 7, 2018
On the opposite side, the ventilation hose popped out one of the windows and won't quite sit right now. But it's not overly noticeable. Funny how dull these stock cars look with no panel lines.
23
April 8, 2018
The bit of bubbling and cracking at the bottom don't bother me too much, it'll help the look as though there has been a bump or two to the rear end during the race.
24
April 8, 2018
Old kits come with old decals. The side decal broke into about ten parts while putting it on. I managed to salvage it pretty well. The decal across the top of the trunk separated into individual letters. Guh.
25
April 14, 2018
The pins on the hood look better from this angle than I had anticipated. I must be getting better at painting fine details.
26
April 14, 2018
The 88 on the rooftop started crumbling even further along one edge. My spacing on the letters isn't quite perfect, but will serve.
27
April 14, 2018
In retrospect, I noticed that the side panel decals aren't placed at even heights between the two sides. Once they get scratched and marked up it may be enough of a distraction not to notice.
28
April 14, 2018
Saved the wheels until last. The hub decals self-obliterated to near uselessness. And the Goodyear/Eagle decals had to be placed on one letter at a time because they wouldn't hold together.
29
April 14, 2018
Splattered bugs and bits of tar and rubber make the front end look a little more race-worn.
30
April 14, 2018
And you can't run a NASCAR race without getting some tire marks on your car. Rubbin's racin'.
31
April 14, 2018
Of course, that might put you into the outside wall, scraping away at that nice paint job and pretty decals.
32
July 3, 2018
There are going to be a lot of similarities here, given that the Mark Martin #6 is built off the same kit as the Dale Jarrett #88. Good thing, since I don't have the instructions. Going on gut for the changes in colour, like a lighter blue on the wires.
33
July 3, 2018
The frame colour came out much more green than I was expecting. I was hoping for something a little more bluish gray from the Tamiya XF-23 Light Blue used here. But I think it will do okay still.
34
July 3, 2018
35
July 7, 2018
It looks like I had made a mistake with the rear positioning of the roll cage sides on the Jarrett car. I corrected that (attaching to the inside of the pin) on the Martin car and the roll cage is fitting together much better.
36
July 14, 2018
Roll cage complete. Still a few minor fit issues, mostly near the top, but still assembled better than the previous kit.
37
July 14, 2018
My first attempt at scratchbuilding. That stiffener brace (perpendicular to the floor) was missing, so I carved one out of sprue, guessing the size, and it fit nearly perfectly.
38
July 14, 2018
39
July 15, 2018
Went with Titanium Silver over Gun Metal for the exhaust. I'm happy with how it turned out. There has to be an easier way to mount that driveshaft though. Had to reglue several pieces afterward.
40
July 15, 2018
Using a bbq lighter to soften the plastic, and a flat pair of kitchen scissors, I've begun experimenting with adding some dents to this one. Haven't quite brought myself to start ripping to pieces yet.
41
July 21, 2018
A little cleaner on the instruments than last build. Just need to touch up a bit of the wheel and steering column.
42
July 22, 2018
Interior work is done save a little touch-up painting. Time to finish off the body and be done with Mark Martin.
43
July 22, 2018
Masking off the body for the first round of paint. Going with Racing White for the front end and laying down a base of Metallic Black covered with Blue for the rear.
44
July 26, 2018
Threw on a coat of metallic black to help darken the blue that will go on over top.
45
July 26, 2018
One spot that oversprayed near the base of the windshield, but overall it came out nice. Should look good once the decals go on.
46
July 28, 2018
I was following instructions from a different kit that uses the same mould and painted the rims black by mistake. Even though I repainted after the rims were already glued in, they turned out alright.
47
July 28, 2018
The misalignment on the front wheel is intentional. It helps sell the damage to the front end, and also offsets a twist in the chassis that I didn't notice earlier. Now all four wheels sit firmly on the ground. 🙂
48
July 29, 2018
This shot is just for comparison with the next one. These cars continue to look so drab until the decals are in place.
49
July 29, 2018
Big difference after adding my nemesis - a large decal. Tough to get aligned just right. But these ones aren't breaking apart like the Jarrett kit. So there's that.
50
August 4, 2018
Decals are done. Time for a little last-minute touch up and some weathering.
51
August 4, 2018
The decals definitely show their age. A bit of yellowing is noticeable in spots, but going with Racing White vs. White helps offset it.
52
August 4, 2018
53
August 5, 2018
Two cars completed. 47 hours work on this project to date.
54
November 14, 2018
Took the new airbrush for a test drive and put a coat of X-1 Gloss Black on the Dale Earnhardt car. Going for a cleaner build on this one, as wrecking it up seems rather morbid. Need some wet sanding and another coat (at least).
55
December 3, 2018
The decals are pretty yellowed, but are holding their shape well with no tearing.
56
December 8, 2018
The roll cage in this kit started going together much better than in the kits from two years earlier. But as I went on, its Revell colours showed through and it got worse.
57
December 8, 2018
In the end most of the parts ended up aligning with a little elbow grease and foul language. It isn't perfect, but for this diorama it doesn't really need to be.
58
December 11, 2018
59
December 11, 2018
60
December 11, 2018
Some of these 18-year-old decals are showing their age. I'll have to give a dose of clearcoat to help trap them down and fix those edges.
61
April 7, 2019
Every new build starts with the engine block. This Kyle Petty #42 Pontiac kit is a Monogram, different from the other kits built so far.
62
April 7, 2019
The plated parts with this kit feel very different. They're more of a matte finish, like aluminum vs chrome. It makes the attach points far less noticeable when removed from the sprue.
63
April 25, 2019
I mistakenly put both sides of the cage on first before installing the roll bar. Fortunately I was able to bend and snap it into place with out breaking it.
64
April 27, 2019
Roll cage completed, and a few more accessories added and painted. First time I've installed a TV camera into one of my NASCAR builds. Sadly it's ony for show.
65
April 28, 2019
A small square of drywall sandpaper does a great job of removing the seam lines from tires, and adding a decent track-worn look.
66
April 30, 2019
Tried a different kind of tape today, airbrushing in some Tamiya XF-3. Overall did a good job, but there are a few imperfections along the edge.
67
April 30, 2019
Thankfully, the decals do a good job of hiding those imperfections. Once I get the hood to settle down flat it will look even better.
68
May 3, 2019
The paint chosen matched pretty well to the decal colour. Pleased with that.
69
May 3, 2019
After finishing the decals, the chromed rear spoiler, and trunk/hood pins were put in place. Much prefer these physical pins to trying to paint the details by hand.
70
May 4, 2019
The body on this kit snapped into place snugly and far better than any other kit I've built.
71
May 4, 2019
I didn't even have to compromise any engine parts to get it all together.
72
May 4, 2019
Kyle Petty is ready to race. Just needs a little race wear once the diorama is ready to assemble.
73
June 30, 2019
Starting another kit, this time an AMT Thunderbird based off the Chad Little / Phillips 66. Some decent detail on the engine and it goes together nicely.
74
June 30, 2019
Those oil filters never seem to sit right. I've chiseled out the base a little to get it to sit better on the carburetor. Overall pretty happy with this kit in comparison to the Revells.
75
July 1, 2019
Despite their similarities, these different manufacturer's kits all have their own details. The shifter here connects to the linkage underneath and to the transmission. Needs a bit of alignment adjustment though.
76
July 5, 2019
A bit of a different engineering approach to the roll cage but still as much of a pain in the ass as any other kit.
77
July 21, 2019
Despite completely gumming up my airbrush (followed by VERY thorough cleaning), the bae coats are on and curing before lacquer. Just hope I measured properly so they line up with the decals.
78
August 5, 2019
Looks like I guessed pretty close with the paint line, as the decals line up rather nicely. (Not 100% the same height on the other side, but close enough)
79
August 11, 2019
This is the first NASCAR kit I've built that included the fuel filler line and the vent hose on the fuel cell.
80
August 11, 2019
Another kit finished for the diorama. Lots more to go. Chad Little might avoid the wreck, since that jack and fuel can imply he might be in the pits at the time.
81
August 11, 2019
82
October 19, 2019
Here we go again. Terry Labonte pulling out of pit row...
83
July 6, 2020
84
July 6, 2020
85
July 6, 2020
It has been awhile since I've posted, and actually didn't do as much modeling as expected during isolation. But still working through the stash and bringing the NASCAR project up to seven cars so far.

Comments

3 6 March 2018, 17:59

Brad Furminger
It has started. The first of four cars (so far) being built, with the ultimate ambition to include a full 43-car pack in the wreckage.

6 March 2018, 18:02

Bob Hall
EPIC !

11 March 2018, 03:55

Peter Hardy
That's a BIG donk Brad!

11 March 2018, 07:08

Brad Furminger
Assembly of the first car is complete. It's not quite perfect, but it won't matter once the damage starts. This one gets off pretty easy. There will be a little bit of normal NASCAR wear and tear here, but no serious body repairs required. They'll get worse as I go. Time to get to decaling, and a bit of weathering so it doesn't look so plain and drab.

7 April 2018, 20:08

Peter Hardy
That's good thinking with painting the dash needles Brad. This dio is going to be huge! Reckon you will get bored with it before you get to 43 cars though! Fair comment on the body panels too. How do you intend to replicate bent body panels? They must have bent something on one?

7 April 2018, 20:50

Brad Furminger
Thanks, gents.
Dents and some bends should be manageable with a little bit of heat to soften the plastic and pressing against something solid. I saw a video that recommended using incense, since it burns hot with no flame. As I work up to more significant levels of damage I'm contemplating cutting away parts of the body and replacing with thick layers of aluminum foil. It's definitely going to be an experiment.

Boredom is definitely a fear. I'm already looking at starting my newest bike next instead of another car for this dio. Maybe the best course of action is to alternate - NASCAR, something else, NASCAR, something else, etc. until done. I have kits for two other projects currently in my stash, and I'm eyeing the Takom King Tiger as well for my next purchase.

7 April 2018, 21:16

Gordon Sørensen
Are you going to have Ricky Bobby's car in there? Best Will Ferrell movie in my opinion...

7 April 2018, 21:20

Bob Hall
SAVE ME,TOM CRUISE ! HELP ME OPRAH WINFREY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8 April 2018, 04:41

Brad Furminger
Hadn't planned on it, Gordon, but I did find a set of Ricky Bobby decals available online. After fighting all day with the crumbly ones still in this first kit, I'm thinking that would have been a better course of action. Every decal so far has been breaking into a dozen pieces. Thankfully I have patience and steady hands to try nudging the ragged pieces back into place.

8 April 2018, 20:16

Bob Hall
Looking good,considering the age of what your working with ! Keep up the good work and can't wait to see your progress !

9 April 2018, 04:43

Brad Furminger
Construction of the first car is done, and is ready for a little DEstruction. The poor state of the decals I think will actually add to the race-worn look. I'll go easy on this first one until I have a better handle on how I want to present them all. This one is just going to get some tire marks along the driver's side, and some evidence of wall scraping along the other side. Plenty of good reference images out there for inspiration.

14 April 2018, 14:49

Brad Furminger
Light race damage applied.

14 April 2018, 21:46

Brad Furminger
Second car of the wreckage is now underway. Mark Martin #6. Still debating what type of damage to apply.

3 July 2018, 16:52

Brad Furminger
The slow process of decaling has started on Mark Martin's #6. Going to give these plenty of time to set in between and not rush.

29 July 2018, 19:13

Peter Hardy
That's coming together very nicely Brad.

29 July 2018, 22:48

Bastian Bäuerle
Well: Jeff was a great driver! Why not? Looks great... Bobby and Al also, perhaps sometimes there will be markings on the market. Otherwise you have to make it on your own. But the car is beautiful!!!

4 August 2018, 21:14

Brad Furminger
Thanks for the support, gents. Two cars down, forty-one to go?

5 August 2018, 14:59

Peter Hardy
Stop teasing yourself Brad, you'll never build the whole thing. Just do twenty or so!

5 August 2018, 21:21

Bob Hall
I have faith in him ! The Force is Strong in Him ! LOL !!!!

5 August 2018, 21:46

Bob Hall
And the Saga continues ! Hooah !!!

14 November 2018, 03:50

Brad Furminger
It's never a question about it continuing. It's a question of when is it going to end?

14 November 2018, 23:17

Peter Hardy
Not today either I'll bet.

4 December 2018, 02:11

Brad Furminger
Nope. Got most of the decals in place today. And I still have three more cars waiting in the wings to build.

4 December 2018, 02:32

Peter Hardy
Worked out the display yet?

4 December 2018, 05:13

Brad Furminger
Oh geez, not even close. Once I have about a half dozen cars I'll start to incorporate together, and build more cars to fill in gaps where I hadn't planned it out quite well enough.

4 December 2018, 23:21

Peter Hardy
Maybe you could buy the neighbors house and set up the dio in the lounge room.

5 December 2018, 00:56

Brad Furminger
I like the cut of your jib, Mr. Hardy.

5 December 2018, 02:45

Chris Greathouse
following.... sounds like an epic project 🙂

8 December 2018, 16:46

Brad Furminger
Third car is done for the most part. Time to take a one-kit hiatus before returning for another NASCAR build.

11 December 2018, 01:58

Chris Greathouse
beautiful work

11 December 2018, 02:11

Brad Furminger
Thanks, Chris. Next one into the pileup will be Kyle Petty.

11 December 2018, 02:19

Bob Hall
Very Very Nice ! A fine tribute to the Eliminator !!!!!!!

11 December 2018, 02:47

Peter Hardy
Make it a bike hiatus!

11 December 2018, 03:42

Brad Furminger
Thanks gents. No bikes in the stash Peter. Likely a tank or classic car hiatus this time.

11 December 2018, 10:30

Brad Furminger
Time to resume this project with the #42 Kyle Petty Peak Antifreeze Pontiac from Monogram. Looks like it has more details than the Revell kits I've previously built for this diorama. It also serves as a nice palette cleanser between other builds.

7 April 2019, 19:33

Peter Hardy
Welcome home Brad!

7 April 2019, 20:38

Brad Furminger
Thanks, guys. My last kit took too long to finish. Too many non-hobby distractions. But another NASCAR is usually a quick knock-out and will get me fired up to whittle away my stash over the summer. Or at least whittle it down.

10 April 2019, 00:12

Peter Hardy
Summer? Just starting to finally cool off after a record hot summer! I am very ready for winter thanks!

10 April 2019, 11:35

Brad Furminger
As another NASCAR gets close to finishing, I start thinking about which of my next non-NASCAR projects I should start. I usually defer to my 10-year-old and let her pick. Avoids analysis paralysis.

28 April 2019, 23:05

Chris Greathouse
You've Peaked my interest 😛

30 April 2019, 00:27

Brad Furminger
No, Chris. Just stop. That's going to leave the door open for Peter to start in.

30 April 2019, 00:31

Bob Hall
[img1]

30 April 2019, 01:29

Peter Hardy
Fun Police at it again!

30 April 2019, 02:11

Chris Greathouse
Hahaha...

30 April 2019, 02:34

Chris Greathouse
I vote for this one for your next non-NASCAR car. 1937 Chevrolet Convertible (Lindberg 72137, 1:32) Unless your daughter already called dibs on a car 😛

30 April 2019, 02:41

Bob Hall
I Vote MUSTANG ! [img1]

30 April 2019, 05:06

Peter Hardy
The Parts Box - Nr. 1430 - 1:25 would be much better! The best Mustang ever built wasn't a Mustang. Maybe you interest has been piqued now?

30 April 2019, 08:20

Brad Furminger
Sorry gents those are both daughter projects. She bought the 37 Chev herself, and the Mustang was an in-progress restoration gift for her to muck about with.

30 April 2019, 09:52

Chris Greathouse
Cool buy for a 10-year-old.

30 April 2019, 18:25

Brad Furminger
Decals are done, nothing left but a few touches of paint and the windows before bringing it all together.

Chris, the Chev was an easy purchase in her books. It had some style, and it was only 5 bucks.

3 May 2019, 13:34

Chris Greathouse
Shoot... 5 bucks! I doubt any of us could pass a kits that cheap 😄 Your Peak decals look great!!!

3 May 2019, 17:39

Brad Furminger
All finished aside from some later race damage. Time to start a new kit.

4 May 2019, 21:47

Chris Greathouse
Very nice!! How many more cars are you going for before you smash them together?

4 May 2019, 21:51

Brad Furminger
Planning on a full field of 43. I have four more kits in the stash right now and can usually nab them for 5-7 dollars apiece. Not sure how I'll find the room for it, but it's worth a try. The cars I'm happiest with will probably be toward the back of the pack or pulling away unscathed.

4 May 2019, 22:02

Chris Greathouse
Dang! You'll be the king of the diorama's for sure!

4 May 2019, 22:36

Peter Hardy
He has to buy the house next door to display it though!

5 May 2019, 00:02

Brad Furminger
NASCAR build is back in progress, adding in the Phillips 66 driven by Chad Little. This is also the first AMT NASCAR kit that I've built.

30 June 2019, 11:56

Brad Furminger
Tip for fellow airbrush rookies - never pull the needle out when there is still paint in the hopper. Unless you want to get to intimately know every single part when you clean it later.

21 July 2019, 15:44

Chris Greathouse
^ Been there, done that... cleaned every part... but now I know how it all goes together 😄

21 July 2019, 15:56

Brad Furminger
Five down, thirty-eight to go.

11 August 2019, 16:02

Chris Greathouse
This is definitely a big project Brad!

19 October 2019, 23:52

Brad Furminger
That it is, Chris. I picked up three more kits to add to it at our recent model show. The stash is growing!

20 October 2019, 01:51

Bob Hall
Any hard one you need help finding,just let me know, I have a knack for finding the hard stuff.

20 October 2019, 02:36

Michael Smith
Nice job, nice to see some old kits being done. I have a about 10 Ford Thunderbirds in my stash. 30 year old models still in the shrink wrap, don't know what the decals will be like. Should do one and see what they are like. I'll watch your builds and see how you are doing.

20 October 2019, 03:07

Brad Furminger
It has been awhile since I've posted, and actually didn't do as much modeling as expected during isolation. But still working through the stash and bringing the NASCAR project up to seven cars so far.

6 July 2020, 17:04

Project info

NASCAR: The Big One

85 images

1:24

In progress

1:24 #3 Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet Monte Carlo (Revell 85-2585)

1:24 #88 Ford Quality Care Service Taurus (Revell Monogram 85-2472)

1:24 #6 Valvoline Mark Martin Taurus (Revell Monogram 85-2477)

1:24 Peak Antifreeze Pontiac Stock Car (Monogram 2906)

1:24 #5 Kellogg's Corn Flakes Chevrolet Monte Carlo (Revell Monogram 85-2479)

1:25 Phillips 66 Thunderbird (AMT/ERTL 8754)

1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Winston Cup Series
Hendrick Motorsports 5 (Terry Labonte The Iceman)
1996 Winston Cup Champion (Result: Winner)
Kellogg's Korn Flakes

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