Scale Auto – October 2019

http://www.ScaleAutoMag.com 27

I distressed the graphics with 1200-
grit wet sandpaper. It took about 15
minutes to do each graphic. I
uniformly sand the whole image until
rubbing through a spot. Then I fine-
tune the look. After rinsing the body
with water and letting it dry, I re-coated
the distressed areas with Dullcote, 20.
Before mounting the cab and bed to
the frame, I opened up the holes for the
locator pins with a pointed file so the
parts fit easily together. For more
engine clearance, I shaved the tabs
along the bottom edges inside the front
fender wells where they mate to the
frame. I mounted and cemented the
front wheels, allowed them to dry, then
attached the rears.
At last, I applied a drop of superglue
to the rear coil springs and pins to set
the rear ride height. A bottle of paint in
the bed made sure all four wheels
stayed on the table while it all dried.
With the stance set, I measured the
length for the rear shocks and removed
an ⅛ inch from the bottom of each.
The tailgate latch hardware, B-pillar
trim, and fender scripts all came from
Model Car Garage, 21.
Grille details and hood trim came
from Model Car Garage. The side
mirror and Mylar face came from
another car kit. I painted the front
license plate to match the roof and
found a decal for it. The rear plate
decal came from the kit, 22.

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KICKIN’ UP THE

GO-KART

The go-kart is a nice extra.

I detailed it with some 3D printed

parts I designed in SolidWorks CAD

software. The tires in the back row are

how I received them from Fraxional, a

local 3D-printing service. In the middle

row, they’re cleaned up and painted.

The front row shows the inner and

outer rim pieces. The rear inner rims

have lengths of brass tubing to

connect to the sprocket and brake, 1.

I also designed the go-kart engine

in SolidWorks. It’s made of four

pieces: the chain, sprockets and

centrifugal clutch; the crankcase with

pull starter; the cylinder and head

with carb; and the exhaust pipe. A

mounting plate was made to fit the

engine to the go-kart frame. The

ignition cable is 30AWG wrapping

wire, 2.

I machined the fuel tank, cap, and

velocity stack from aluminum. The

bumpers were modified and the

frame assembled before getting a

coat of Tamiya French blue (TS-10).

Lastly, I added a photo-etched

metal part to connect the tie rod to

the Pitman arm and a machined nut

for the steering wheel, 3.

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