Unreal Roller wip

[farmboy]

Found this Unreal Roller in a store a few days ago.  I'm glad I bought it.  I had planned to build the Flame Out rod, but it can wait.



The way the dash is one piece with the firewall would make it all but impossible for the driver to see what's going on.  Now that, I can't abide.  lol



I began by scoring the dash free of the firewall.  The pic's upside down.  I went back to my photo file, rotated it and it still came out upside down.  No worries, you get the drift of what has been done.  



and then I drilled out the gauges.  



that's all I have right now.

Comments and observations welcome.

[patw]

Super idea.

[chromecop]

Following with great interest!

[farmboy]

Here are a couple of shots of the dash at the point I thought I was happy with

The pic below shows the dash as I was going to build it with the two smaller center gauges being changed.  The upper one would be a red lens (the 'stub' painted transparent red), while the lower one would be a black rubber push button (flat black).
 


The more I looked at it, it dawned on me that it might look much better using the opposite side of the dash piece as it had the nice frame detail.



and here's what it would have looked like with the light/button arrangement



Decided to leave the gauges as they should be, so it ends up looking like this



Next steps plan to be 3 smaller red light lenses running horizontally above the 2 right hand side gauges.  If I think I can pull it off I will think about putting a switch next to or below each light.  The left hand side will have will have 3 horizontal levers angled to the outside of the steering wheel....I hope.  

Comments and observations welcome.

[farmboy]

...rollin' right along....
The picture below is the 'case' that will pivot the dash out to at least 90 degrees. Should I want more a tilt, I will add a thin shim of styrene along the bottom/behind of the dash. We'll see.

And this is the piece statically mounted to the firewall opening.  I'll be tacking the straight piece with ca, the corners with Tamya stuff to make sure the corners seal correctly.  They do, but the thin angle at the top lets them 'pop' right when you take the photo lol.



and finally a mockup of how the dash will sit.  The edge of white plastic will be what the dash sits on, again, using Tamya and ca glues.  Note the 3-lever mount attached.  I also made a small rectangle of lights/buttons for the right side, but it's going to be a different color so it'll be applied later.   I don't know why the photos are coming out upside down on the page, but when you're signed in and select one, it's right side up.  Hmmm. Guess I'll go back to the Canon, or remember to take pics upside down with the phone.  Oh, I'll be undercutting the two fire doors later so they don't look molded on as in the photo.



Comments and observations welcome.

[colbart/colin]

Good Idea, I went wild and fitted small adjustment Wheels,(Lil Gasser) wire handles, and a whistle to my firewall. One single door for "Coal"

Built it as a Show Engine style, with Boards on the side of the roof. .

[farmboy]

This is a fun kit to easily modify in so many ways. Got a few ideas on the back burner.

Haven't been at my bench in the last few days but hope to have some progress to post shortly

[farmboy]

Just about done with the dash.

I've painted the dash face black, the rest of it the body color.  Here it is with the bezels re-inserted, the 3-lever assembly in the upper left, and the three light panel in the upper right.  The lights will be made from styrene rod painted red



For the guage faces themselves, I'll be inserting white craft dots. 



You get about a zillion of these things on a small square, they look like microscopic little marshmallows but they fit the aluminum diameter I'm using perfectly as well as for depth.  Little triangles of red decal will make for various red zones on each gauge, then fill the remaining airspace with future for lenses.  More later.

Comments and observations welcome.

[badroadahead]

This is coming along great!
I will have to look at the craft dots the next time I'm in Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

I usually go to a gauge website and copy some and re-scale them and print them out.

www.auroragauges.com/

[farmboy]

This is the brand I got at the dollar store



Size wise, here is how they relate to a dime.  The smaller dot size is pictured


 

The gauges were made by trimming an oversize triangle of red vinyl to fit.  The pic below is crappy as I've just added future to the bezels and it's still wet.  Looks like a runny water color which, incidentally, is what happened for real to the laser printed gauges I made the first time.  Oh well, if it doesn't improve when it's dry i'll re do them and live with it.



In the above photo, there are the mounts for a group of three individual levers that will come straight out from the dash and angle left past the steering wheel, then straight again to be within the driver's reach.  They will be parallel to each other.  I'll be doing this when the firewall is installed to avoid hitting them.  On the right are the three holes for three red lights represented by straight pins painted red in the photo below.  They mount to a rectangular plate that neatly covers the area.  Also, the two doors under the dash will have new handles.



Comments and observations welcome.

[TooOld]

Neat idea for the gauges , they look great ! Your extra detailing is going to make for a sharp looking Roller !

[farmboy]

Thanx for the kind words. I have a few other things I plan on adding to the build as it progresses.

[farmboy]

The wheels are just tooo much toy-like chrome for my liking.  Out comes the aluminum.  A note here, american beer cans are easier to work with due to their super thin-ness (I brought a few empties back just for model purposes from our 2015 sojourn down south) but I found them too thin to use in this instance.  Canadian made cans are slightly thicker (smash one of these on your forehead lol!) and won't telegraph imperfections as easily.  Anyway, I started by roughing up the wheel surface with some 400 grit to give the adhesive some purchase



Here's what I cut it from.  It worked out to 1 1/8 wide but I cut it a touch wider to be sure of covering the whole surface of the wheel. Easily trimmed right to the back edge with scissors after application.  I used a couple of the wife's Ice Tea tall cans from the recycle bin  to be sure I had enough kink-free area to choose from.



I took a file and some sandpaper to scuff the outside edge down to the bare aluminum before mounting as pre-fitting showed the chrome on the outside 'rim' edge of the wheel reflected the color of the can.



This stuff is older than god.  I have no doubt it's still being made however the label may be changed.  It's repositionable (whew!) photo mount stuff.  Goes on super thin, lets you peel back and try again and leaves no residue.  (Note the carboy of Australian ale quietly working in the background)



And voila! Steel faced wheels!  The wide roller on the front will get the same treatment. I think I'll mask the chrome and give them a coat of clear flat.



The adhesive is ready to use within minutes after application, but I have them taped to hold the ends to cure overnite just in case.  Oh, make the seam a butt joint or leave a small gap, don't overlap.

Comments and observations welcome.

[rodsnracin]

Interesting idea! Looks great.

[chromecop]

Very nice improvements to this kit!

[farmboy]

Here are a couple of shots of the mockup with all three rollers wearing aluminum skin


 


So, as you can see by the above photo, I've gone ahead with a stylized woody theme.  Looking at the pic below, a decent grain section of the vinyl was chosen, cut out to suit the opening by using a painter's tape template, and, luckily, it went down without a hitch.  I'm in the process of tweaking the lighter shade of wood framing and following late model woody wannabe's with only horizontal sections being used.  Not a lot gets seen due to the size of the rear rollers. I'll have a photo to post soon



Cockpit is about done.  Hard to pick out in the photo, but there is a scratch built clutch and brake pedal hanging down from under the dash.  The shifter is in the former gas pedal position with the actual pedal (not yet installed) relocated between the shift and brake.  Also still to come are the three levers on the left side of the dash, a back rest for the seat assembly, and a simplified linkage for the parking brake.



comments and observations welcome.

[Bert]

I admire your patience and detailing. Nice work!

[farmboy]

Thanks for the kudos Bert. I see some super work on this site and I'm just trying to catch up...and still enjoy it lol!  Anyway....

I had made a small 3-lever cluster mount to the left of the steering wheel so I guess it time to add the levers.  A couple of factors got in my way like the outside lever interfering with the roof support and the steering wheel not allowing for a simple straight lever shaft so I had to develop a work around for those things.  

I made a simple shaping jig with two pins in a piece of board to get a 'z' shape with two 90 degree bends. The jig allowed me to make the distance between the 90's on all three levers equal.




The next two photos show the levers installed.  The process was to make the inside lever the finished size and length required and then installed on the dash.  The middle lever was measured so it ran parallel to the previous lever and glued in place on the dash.  I used a small wire snipper to cut it to the same length as the lever beside it.  Same process for the outside lever.  I took this shot so they would show up against a white background. 



I mocked up the steering wheel and seat so it shows an idea of how they will add to the busy of the cockpit.  I will add a small white 'seed bead' to the end of each lever.



Comments and observations welcome

[farmboy]

Took a break from the cockpit to look after something I've been thinking of since I opened the kit.

This is what the kit comes with.  Wheelie bars.  Why not a roller bar?  



The stock just happened to be part of a bag 'o cut off's I bought at a hobby shop in PEI a couple of years ago of assorted brass/aluminum/copper tubes, rod, and assorted other remnant pieces.  I cut a piece of aluminum tube, and two shorter snug-fitting end pieces to marry to the wheels.  



The aluminum tube was a bit oversize inside diameter for a snug fit so after cutting it to length (1"), with a bit of persuasion the brass pieces were tapped inside the aluminum tube ends. 



and it worked!



Comments and observations welcome.

[Bert]

A wheelie roller bar makes perfect sense to me. After all it is the Unreal Roller. A great subtle added detail.

[farmboy]

Because the rear roller wheels are so big, and despite the fact that most won't see them, I felt the axles needed a beefier look.

The supplied piece is a thin rod with two locating stubs for mounts on the belly pan.  Spindly.  I also felt it made the wheels stand a bit too far away from the body, the space being dictated by the raised rings on said axle.  First step was to file these raised rings down till they were no longer an issue, this way I could slide the wheel back plate in as far in as the mounting stubs if needed.




The pictorial instruction step isn't really clear (to me anyway) what side of the wheel backing should be on the outside, one being a bit longer than the other.  I chose to use the shorter side.  Also, the exposed wheelback was a complete blank so I thought a small detail was needed there too.



The wheelback on the right has received the "where's' the beef" treatment.  I cut a couple of squares from styrene and drilled center holes for a firm fit when slid down over the kit pieces.  A small piece of aluminum tube was cut to represent the solid axle that would cover the 'live' axle.  The plastic cone on the wheel backing is still the centering piece but now slides in further towards the body.  The aluminum piece is cut long -- or short -- enough so it butts against the stub mounts inside on the belly pan, giving it an even right/left fit with no fuss.  I think adding only the 'welded' square to the wheel back is just enough detail.

I sprayed the outside backing a chrome/steel color, the inside flat black.



I took this shot just before painting, but you get the idea. 



I'll glue the axle in first and leave the actual wheels and wheel backs till near last as this allows a bit of tweaking should there be any need.

A dry fit shot of the new spacing, quite a difference from the kit.



Comments and observations welcome.

[patw]

Good idea with the beefy axles, the whole WIP is looking very good so far!

[farmboy]

Thanx Pat. Hope my good luck continues! lol. Have a few other mods and ad-on's to attempt yet.

[farmboy]

On to the seat.....

If this machine were to have any real motive power to it, the pilot would go over backwards.  That doesn't sit right with me.  There's nothing much to the construction of the detail, just two strips of styrene cut to fit attached with c/a glue, and a small jewel bead to simulate an adjustment knob...



I sprayed the back of the whole unit with a matte black

The front of the backrest went chrome to more or less match the seat 


Notice the holes in the tractor seat have been drilled out and given a black wash to make 'em pop.

Comments and observations welcome.

[patw]

We see a lot of old punched out tractor seats being used as bar style stools here in the UK.

[farmboy]

Here's what they give you in the kit.  A shame because it seems to be such an attention point.  The outboard side has no detail, but the inboard side does, so, I've removed the double round center piece and put it aside then sanded this side even.  



The gear sector has the two pin attachment points that will look great as bolt points.  The gear sector also has a sharper appearance and more detail than the outboard side.  This will be the side I'm using, but notice the handle and lever are backwards



Here's what I'm after, but it's all one piece.  the shift lever and gear lock with spring should be separate.


Here's a mockup of the brake assembly that's been rebuilt.  I made the lever from square brass tube, the gear lock piece with spring is made from wire, and a couple of craft beads.  The kit handle and actuator were used with no mods, just a hole in the bottom for the shaft to anchor to.  Also, the shaft has a wide piece of styrene shaped to fit to the axle of the gear, and covered with the round center piece I had removed from the other side.



I'll be adding an additional small bead attachment to the forward side of the shaft with a rod leading to a small fabbed linkage piece between the right side roller and body.

Comments and observations welcome.

[farmboy]

The attachment was made by cannibalizing a steering link from the parts box.  It looks a little crude, all naked and exposed in the first pic, but there's enough hidden behind the wheel in the 2nd photo to make it look like it belongs and is still visible to those that wish to peer down between body and wheel to see it. 


 

Just a bit of added viewing value.

Comments and observations welcome.

[patw]

Your detailing is off the scale! I think I'll throw in the towel right now!

[farmboy]

LOL!! Thanx Pat...all you guys here are great! Glad you're enjoying the build!

[rocketeer]

I got one of these for Christmas and was going to build it, but now I think I'll just slowly put the box back on the shelf...