Zenrat's Flying Circus

[Wardukw]

PS..scratch building a new chassis sounds like a fun project ..small scale engineering 

[PR19_Kit]

There are, or were, some lovely white metal chassis kits for 1/24 hot rods available at one time.

I have a couple of them and one is destined to support a full detail version of ZZTop's Eliminator rod, when I get round to it anyway.

[zenrat]

I've scratched up a few chassis in my time.  Some more ridiculous than others.

I'm going to keep mum about what the car is, but I continued masking this morning.  I was on a roll, doing much better today than yesterday but then I had to go to work.
Bummer.

[zenrat]

1968 Dodge Dart LO23 (RW Build).

The '68 Hurst HEMI Dodge Dart – code L023 – is said to be the fastest muscle car of all time. Differing greatly from the base Dodge Dart produced for 1968, bare Dart bodies were shipped to the Madison Heights, Michigan, Hurst Performance facility for further outfitting.

'68 Dodge Dart LO23 - 17 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Arriving void of an engine or transmission, the LO23 models were also missing their exhaust, shifters, and driveshafts. Also missing were a battery, cables, trays, or stock front bars or fuel lines. Inside, the Darts (and Plymouth sibling Barracudas) came without seats, brackets and tracks. The window regulators, consoles, carpeting, jutes, and all but the drivers' lap belts were left out too, not to mention radios and heaters. All sound-deadening, armrests, and all but one of the horns were gone too.

'68 Dodge Dart LO23 - 2 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Slated for the venerable 426 HEMI, Hurst literally sledgehammered the right shock towers for valve cover clearance and trimmed the rear wheel openings to accommodate for big slicks. Shipped from Chrysler's Marine and Industrial Division, the unique 426 HEMI motors had been built offline by hand-picked technicians. The HEMI blocks were iron with a 4.250-inch bore and a 3.750-inch stroke, with a mild street cam, 12.5:1 compression, aluminum heads and a cross-ram eight-barrel intake.

'68 Dodge Dart LO23 - 13 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Laughably, the cross-ram HEMI was rated at 425hp, but were more likely closer to 535hp. Hurst equipped the elephants with Hooker headers and either a TorqueFlite automatic or A-833 four-speed manual. To hack even more weight out of the Dart, Hurst installed fiberglass fenders, hoods and acid-dipped doors and thin-gauge front bumpers. Chemcor side windows were also added, secured by seatbelt straps replacing the heavier manual cranks. A pair of fixed A-100 van seats replaced the OE buckets and industrial-grade batteries were placed in the trunk.

'68 Dodge Dart LO23 - 9 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

When handed over to Dodge's factory-sponsored racers, such as "Dandy" Dick Landy, the Darts immediately burst into the low-10 second range. It took very little time and tuning to push the A-Bodies into the 9-second range, unearthing a whole new level of Super Stock racing. In fact, these machines have become so iconic that more Darts and Barracudas have been cloned in their likeness than had been originally produced.

'68 Dodge Dart LO23 - 6 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Today, Mopar enthusiasts enthusiastically praise this short-lived racing program as the final salvo in the factory drag racing wars. Since 1968, all factory-built race cars have been measured to the Hurst Darts and Barracudas, and understandably so. Even Dodge's Super Stock '70 Challengers were bested by racers still campaigning the '68 L023 cars.

'68 Dodge Dart LO23 - 4 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

As a final nod towards the audacity of these machines, Chrysler placed a sticker on the L023 cars that stated, "This vehicle was not manufactured for use on Public Streets, Roads or Highways, and does not conform to Motor Vehicle Safety Standards." While is car was not a "street car" there where still a few that drove them on the street and took them to the track on the weekends.
https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/68-hurst-hemi-dart-l023-is-this-the-worlds-fastest-muscle-car/

The Model

Revell 1/25 '68 Dodge Hemi Dart.  This kit builds as either a stock '68 Dart or a race prepped LO23 Hemi car.  I chose to build is "as delivered".  When customers took possession of their cars they were finished in grey primer with the fibreglass panels in black gelcoat.  Skinny steel wheels were fitted on all four corners as the racer would obtain mag wheels of his choice.

'68 Dodge Dart LO23 - 21 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/68-hurst-hemi-dart-l023-is-this-the-worlds-fastest-muscle-car/

[PR19_Kit]

Shipped from Chrysler's Marine and Industrial Division, the unique 426 HEMI motors had been built offline by hand-picked technicians.

I never knew that, had they stopped building Hemis for cars then?

LOVE the model and the write-up, and making 'as delivered' is a brilliant idea, and very different too. 

[zenrat]

Thanks kit.

Street Hemis were built '65 to '71.
But these were race Hemis.
Although one article I read stated that the engines in the '68 Hemi Darts and Barracudas were deliberately built with stock cams and oil pans in order to make sure race teams blueprinted the engines before racing.  Not sure what to believe on this subject though as there is a lot of  conflicting info out there relating to these cars.
The seats for example.  It is generally accepted that they were A100 van seats but i'm sure i've read somewhere that this is incorrect and they were actually lightweight units from another source.

The Best of British car body is painted.  Masking is off.  Some touching ups required.
Looks the part though.

[zenrat]

Some of you may be wondering what ha happened to Milhouse, the La 200b.
It's currently paused while I reinforce the undercarriage legs and modify the attachment points.  I am doing this with evergreen rod, evergreen sheet and sprue glue.
I also need to fabricate and attach some missile pylons.

I've also rescued an Egg J15 which reacted badly with brake fluid while stripping paint.  The main part of the aircraft was a partially softened blob (more so than usual for an eggplane) but I had a second example which I had labelled parts as it was missing a canopy and was short shot in the nose area.  I've salvaged the pilot from the first example, built up some of the missing plastic with putty and grafted on a new nose.  Painting started yesterday - RAN FEA (Fleet Egg Arm) EDSG over Sky.

[Flyer]

 

[su27rules]

 

[zenrat]

I've done it again.  I restocked those brushing metalisers I was low on (Gunze Mr Metal dries up at an alarming rate once it gets below 1/3 way down the jar).  Opening the drawer to put them away I pulled it further open than usual and found a stash of three spare jars i'd put there last time I restocked. 
I won't need any of these for a while.

I started polishing the paint on the union jack car today.  The clear, which had a lovely look while wet, developed a bit of an orange peel texture when it dried.  I'm polishing it with The Treatment which seems to be levelling it out.  Meanwhile i've started building the engine and chassis.

[NARSES2]

I've done it again.  I restocked those brushing metalisers I was low on (Gunze Mr Metal dries up at an alarming rate once it gets below 1/3 way down the jar).  Opening the drawer to put them away I pulled it further open than usual and found a stash of three spare jars i'd put there last time I restocked. 

I did something very similar with Tamiya Extra Thin the other week 

[PR19_Kit]

What's 'The Treatment' please?

[zenrat]

The Treatment is a carnauba based wax marketed specifically for model cars.  Not something i'd normally buy but I was given some by a club member.  It's less abrasive than the polish I usually use so i'm less likely to cut through the paint.

Egg J-15 is getting close to being done.  Possibly Sunday if I don't have to print transfers for it.

[zenrat]

Finished the Egg J-15 today.  I just need to pop on the canopy but i thought as i'd glued the pilot in with superglue i'd let it gas out completely before risking clouding the clear parts.

To celebrate this i've bitten the bullet and grabbed the Lindberg Victor box that's been staring at me from the "to be stashed" pile.  It's flying wing time.
The (1/96) kit has semi detailed engines and hinged inspection covers on the upper wings.  Unfortunately it also has no intake trunking joining the wing root intakes to the engines and this is glaringly obvious if you open the covers.  No point in having the engines in there in that case so i've replaced them with evergreen tube and glued the covers shut.
This leaves me four undersize Sapphires to attach to something inappropriate...

[scooter]

This leaves me four undersize Sapphires to attach to something inappropriate...

Scaleorama on to a car chassis?