Okay so I have decided to rest my eyes and hands by skipping all the bits that I need to work on for the diorama and jump right to the bigger stuff - the garage. Initially my plans where to just build an averaged sized personal garage but that changed while I was watching Driftworks (http://www.driftworks.com/) "Outsiders Japan" film. Seeing all the awesome auto shops featured in the film, I decided to just make myself an auto shop diorama. It would be bigger so that means I can make and place more tools and accessories and display more cars as well. I also wanted a store where merchs can be displayed, so I made an office/store that will be the building's facade. I'm still thinking if I should add a second floor that would be a storage area for parts, anyways this is roughly how the shop would look like.
Apparently it would be much more cost effective to finish all of the modeling tool first so that master molds can be made in one passing. So here I am on a race to finish all of the garage accessories that I can think of and make one. What I have so far is a 2 post lift, tire changer, wheel balancing machine, tire rack, rims rack, and a tool shelf. For now I would not be able to post finished accessories since everything will be prepared for casting later on. Now the decision that needs to made is, should I make all the garage accessories that I want and then send it of for casting or should I send in batches or sets like the one that I have right now. Anyhow, for the rest of the week I will try to draft as many accessories that I can.
Quick update on my wheel machines, I started working on the Tire Changer this time. I hope I get to prime these machines by tomorrow while we still have the sun shining. As with the wheel balancing machine, I had to make adjustments with the measurements of the tire changer because of it being too small if I stick to 1:64 scale. So far I have managed to make the tire remover shaft and bead breaker movable. I Still have to check though if this features can be redone in casting. I'm still missing some minor details on the machine, will work on it before this gets primed. Because of the adjustments made with the measurements, regular Hotwheel wheels should fit the machine. However, same as the balancing machine, size is a bit off. I'm not yet 100% committed into making another set just for HW since there are very few HW castings that I like. With enough FB likes and requests in the future I might do, but for now this should just be fine. I have not decided on what would be the next piece for the diorama. Wheel alignment machine maybe? CNC machine? Laser cutting machine? Or maybe something simple like a work table or a tire rack? Anyways, hope to see you on the next update! While waiting for the lift (we are encountering some issues with the cast), I decided to start work on a few more masters for the garage diorama. I wanted to have a tire changer and a wheel balancing machine so I went on and drafted one. I hope to finish both machine by the end of the week and as always I will be posting updates on the build process here and on my FB page. I wanted to remain true to 1:64 scale, unfortunately for this project I have to deviate from that and compromise because it would be too small to work on and Hotwheel wheels would not fit. Here is a picture with a HW PR-5 wheel, notice how huge the wheel looks on the machine? I guess it cannot be helped since different manufacturers produce different "1:64" scale cars. Just imagine a Jada wheel on the machine. Anyways, I still hope it looks well and scaled when everything is done. Quick update on the Lift build. Finally after a very fun weekend (couple of hauls made) the sun showed up! Managed to prime the parts and as expected there were several imperfections on the finish. Also worked on the lift mechanism, have drilled a hole through the post and the lift arm and a shaft will be placed to hold the lift arm. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the shaft placed inside the post, sorry about that. :D Patched pup the imperfections and I am now waiting for the putty to cure. Once dry I will be sanding them, then another coat of primer. If all goes well, I'll be sending it off for casting! Update on the post lift build! Few details has been added, not yet done with the details though. Added removable Automatic Shut-Off Bar. I'm thinking of making adapters for additional clearance for those 64 trucks. Still no sun and we are expecting two more typhoons in the following days so I guess priming will have to wait. I'm not sure if I will be adding wires on the lift to make it look more realistic, the only thing that is bothering me about that is it will make reproducing the lift a little bit harder. But it would be nice though. :D So, I have decided to set aside the Parking Dio for the mean time until I have enough cars to display on it and try to start a line of garage accessories for my own garage dio. Now no garage will be complete without a hydraulic lift! I opted for the two post hydraulic lift over the four post since the line of 64's that I will be collecting are mainly sedans and coupes. However, if the need arises, I will definitely make a four post lift. So far this is what I have for the lift, drafted the post, measurements are near close to 64 scale (decided to not include the decimal points in the conversion), assembled and fitted.
Details will be added such as the computer and hydraulics. Once I get a good enough weather for spray painting (a lot of rain this past few week), the lift will be primed and imperfections will be addressed. Once everything is done, it will be sent off for casting, so I can have multiple copies for keeps and for selling! :D And I will be posting all the process involved so please watch out for Garage Dio - Lift Part Two! |
OVERHAULModified, customized, scratch-built projects that are a work in progress or finished. Archives
February 2016
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