Batmobile - 1966 Deluxe Edition **Finished Pics on Page 3

[trekriffic]

Thanks guys. The PE is fun to work with and gives the car that extra bit of oooomph.

Batman got a coat of liquid mask over his face and grey leotard.
I painted his cowl and cape black, gloves, shorts, and boots with flat black enamel. I will paint dark blue over the black once the black cures:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Robin figure is masked with liquid mask. Then I painted the cape. Next I'll paint his shorts black. Then there's the red waistcoat followed by the dark green shorts, boots, and gloves painted over the black. I also need to add 6 more yellow straps to the upper waistcoat. The figure only has three now. I'll paint his hair dark brown with lighter brushed highlights. Don't know why they gave him a pompadour though rather than a part on the left side like Burt Ward had:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

I'll make 10 uniformly shaped tiny rectangles representing the straps (?) on the front of Robin's waistcoat then paint flat red acrylic around them. If that works after removing the tape I'll coat with Future and apply a coat of red enamel:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin in Canary Yellow by trekriffic, on Flickr

And now for something completely different... seat belts...

The belts in the Batmobile movie I watched were red with a black stripe down the middle. I did a decent job recreating that using red masking tape and a black enamel paint pen. The width had to be about 3/32" wide or so to fit thru the slots in the PE parts:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Seat Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr

Backlit like this you can see how I threaded the belt (tape) thru the slot in the PE seat belt buckle then stuck it down to itself. It should drape nicely over the character's lap:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Safety Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr

The tape used to make what we call "seatbelts" (I think the DD referred to them as "safety" belts in the Batman movie) is stuck down to the cutting mat, the end is raised up just a little. Then it has to be threaded thru slots in the stainless steel PE belt buckles using tweezers, Then it's folded over to stick to itself on the lap side. Done. Trim to about a half inch long and move on to the next buckle:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Safety Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr

The Batman insignia is on the part you would pull up on to release the buckle. It is glued to the other two buckle pieces using Plastic Surgery glue, The red belts with black stripe down the middle match the ones I saw in a video showing the DD buckling up. The belts are made from red masking tape with a black enamel pen making the stripe. The tape had to fit thru slots in the two buckle halves then the end of the tape is folded about 1/4" and stuck to itself on the backside to secure the buckle. This is done four times.
We used to have seatbelt buckles that lifted up like these in the old blue '66 Chevy Impala my dad owned and let me drive for my first car:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Safety Belts by trekriffic, on Flickr

Now back to the Dynamic Duo...

Robin got his straps. Or were they ties? Anyway, not exact, but pretty close-
BETTER THAN THE KIT MOLDED STRAPS/TIES OF WHICH THERE WERE ONLY THREE!?
Robin has between 9 and 10 straps on the front of his waistcoat:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin Gets His Straps by trekriffic, on Flickr

And Batman got his cowl brows...

Tiny bits of masking tape and thinned white enamel make the cowls "eyebrows". Then some work with thinner on a thin brush to clean up. Then retouching with more thinned flat black:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Batman Gets his Eyebrows by trekriffic, on Flickr

All done...
I'll give them another coat of Future once the decal dries. Then a brushing with Liquitex Matte Medium:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin Gets His R by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo by trekriffic, on Flickr

Set aside to dry after Liquitex matte was brushed on:

The caped crusaders were only too happy to stay out of reach, stuck high up on their metal poles, when they saw who was parked next to them!


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dynamic Duo Meets Christine by trekriffic, on Flickr


More to come as I experience the horrors of assembling the body to the chassis and what I had to do to make it work. Hint: Thin sections of black styrene sheet (I'd almost forgotten I had black in the Evergreen mulitcolor pack I bought years ago) and some AVES Apoxy Sculpt. Still working on touchups now.

"Holy ill fitting Batmobile Batman!"

 

[Quaralane]

Your figures look like you've done fairly well with the garbage you started with.

 

[trekriffic]

Your figures look like you've done fairly well with the garbage you started with.

Thanks! They've been a lot of work.

 

[dlots1701alpha]

Having just finished the same batmobile without the figures your doing a fantastic job can't wait for final pics

 

[Blackbeard]

Absolutely gorgeous work there - thanks for posting the works in progress, and looking forward to what comes next!

 

[DRHarris61]

Most excellent work sir! The figures look really good. I have the kit that came with the resin figures sculpted to resemble West and Ward, but I wish I could get hold of the PE set yours came with. The set was apparently never offered separately, according to Round2.

 

[trekriffic]

Most excellent work sir! The figures look really good. I have the kit that came with the resin figures sculpted to resemble West and Ward, but I wish I could get hold of the PE set yours came with. The set was apparently never offered separately, according to Round2.

Cool. I didn't know you could get 1/24 scale West and Ward figures. Funny but I was thinking it was too bad the kit's figures didn't look more like the actors.

Anyway...

Time for another Bat Update...

After soaking in purple Super Clean for an hour all chrome plating was removed from the police beacon. Then I sprayed with black Krylon before applying a coat of Tamiya Bare Metal Silver from a rattle can. Interesting note regarding the sprue attachment points on the lower rim for this part. Removal from the sprue left two flat spots where the rim was partially destroyed. This turned out to be by design I think because the two pins on the bottom are keyed to attach only one way to the mating holes in the arch. The flat spots lined up with the sides of the two horns that I am now about to attach. So the flat spots where the spruce attached allow clearance for a tight fit with the horns, the keyed pins tell me this was the intent of the model designers:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Beacon Dechromed by trekriffic, on Flickr

The kit gives you two options for antenna bases - round or teardrop shaped. I painted them with Testors steel.
I may overpaint with Testors chrome... have to decide on that:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Antenna Bases by trekriffic, on Flickr

The kit provides you with a short metal rod in its own bag for use with either of the antenna bases:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Antenna by trekriffic, on Flickr

More modifications...

The center arch pillar was too tall and had to be cut down to allow the chassis to mate flush with the bottom of the car body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Mods to Rear Deck Pillar by trekriffic, on Flickr

The rear canopy broke free from the "canopy" glue in the upper body frame after numerous failed attempts to get the chassis to slide flush into the body. It was then I decided to break the rear cockpit wall and deck free from the side door panels in the chassis and glue the deck inside the body instead using epoxy. You can also see the open slot meant to allow the "under the canopy" arch to pass thru and attach to the underside of the body. Since I am using the "over the canopy" arch I was left with an open gap:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Deck from Underneath by trekriffic, on Flickr

To cover the gap I made a cover of styrene and photo-etch brass screen. The idea is this is a subwoofer Robin installed somewhat to Batman's chagrin:


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Rear Slot Cover by trekriffic, on Flickr

The photo-etch "subwoofer" screen was painted with Testors semi-gloss black. After drying I glued it into the unused slot in the underside of the rear deck using epoxy. Later it would get a coat of Liquitex matte varnish:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - PE Screen Painted by trekriffic, on Flickr

Just to reiterate, with the rear deck and center console glued to the back of the chassis passenger compartment the deck would not slide flush into the grooves under the rear canopy which left visibly large gaps between the deck and the canopy. To solve this problem I broke the deck free from the chassis (I had used CA so it broke free fairly easily compared to styrene cement) and glued the deck into the grooves in the inside of the body using epoxy. This eliminated the gaps. The rear wall and console could then be slid behind and between the car seats during assembly of the body and chassis:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Deck After Rework by trekriffic, on Flickr

Check out the major center console gap. I knew this was coming when I had to alter my plan of attack for attaching the rear deck behind the seats. Will have to lay some sheet styrene over the frame at the base of the console to cover the gap:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Major Console Gap by trekriffic, on Flickr

I had decided to protect the lower edges of the body with masking tape before gluing the edges of the chassis to the body. I'm glad I did considering how many times I had to pry the chassis and body apart trying to get them to fit properly:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Masking by trekriffic, on Flickr

 

[trekriffic]

With all the glue I had to use to join the chassis to the body I didn't want to risk any getting on my nice satin Krylon finish. I also needed to do a lot of clamping and didn't want the clamps scratching the paint. So I ended up masking most of the body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Masked Crusader by trekriffic, on Flickr

Have I said how confoundingly ill fitting this kit is? Prime example... the passenger compartment dashboard fits fine with very small gaps between it and the front canopy frame; conversely, in the engine compartment, there is this 1/8" gap at the top of the firewall. Will have to fill it in somehow:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Major Gappage by trekriffic, on Flickr

Hard to see in this image but there is a slight gap about 1/64" wide around the front edge of the dashboard after assembly. This was easily filled in with AVES putty before painting with semi-gloss black:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Dashboard Gaps by trekriffic, on Flickr

Shaving Batman's ass... I think I may be the first modeler to ever say that...

The kit makers didn't account for the amount Batman sinks into his seat when driving. So he sat too high in the seat for my taste. To reduce the height I used an xacto chisel blade and knife to carve away at Batman's ass and hamstrings. The final result is much better as you will see:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Shaving Batman's Butt by trekriffic, on Flickr

To cover the console and firewall gaps I used this sheet of thin black styrene. It ended up being perfect for this use:


Thin Black Styrene Sheet by trekriffic, on Flickr

After gluing the black styrene in place I filled any remaining gaps with white Perfect Plastic Putty:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Firewall Gap Covered and Puttied by trekriffic, on Flickr

AVES worked well for filling this gap where the dash met the arch in the body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Gap Filled with AVES by trekriffic, on Flickr

After separation of the rear wall and deck from the side door panels a slot remained which I covered with a piece of styrene sheet before painting it black:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Rear Wall Slot Covered by trekriffic, on Flickr

Batman test fit after assembling the chassis to the body:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Batman Seated by trekriffic, on Flickr

After covering and filling the gaps along the rear and side walls in the engine compartment the walls got a coat of semi-gloss black. Later I brushed them with Liquitex Matte Varnish:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - After Touching Up by trekriffic, on Flickr

 

[trekriffic]

More mods and retouches...

I noticed a small bit of stray AVES next to the red button on the square base of the Bat Scope. I cleaned it off later:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - After Putty and Touchup by trekriffic, on Flickr

Underside after finally gluing to the body. Need to retouch the weathering with some more of the black wash:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Underside After Gluing by trekriffic, on Flickr

Console gaps fixed. Three sections of black styrene sheet were fitted around the base of the console's front and sides to hide an unsightly gap:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Console Gap Covered by trekriffic, on Flickr

Looking better without all the gaps:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Test Fit with Forward Canopy by trekriffic, on Flickr

Robin and Batman get their seat belts on...

I decided it was easier to epoxy the belt buckle to Robin's lap before attaching the ends of the belts to the sides of the seat:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin Gets His Belt On by trekriffic, on Flickr

Of course, safety while driving a car as powerful as the Batmobile is always a primary concern for the Caped Crusader. Funny bit of serendipity but his hands just would not line up right with the steering wheel; that is, until I shaved Batman's ass. Once I did that and the epoxy started to set I was able to tweak the angle of the wheel (I didn't need to glue it in) just enough to get both of Batman's hands to touch the wheel. Major advantage to the butt reduction:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Batman Belted by trekriffic, on Flickr


Figures gklued into seats...

A goodly dose of 5-minute epoxy was dripped onto the seat under Robin's butt and hamstrings. The forward canopy is placed temporarily to get Robin's hand positioned grabbing the frame. It'll stay in place until the epoxy sets. Then I'll finish the seatbelt attachments and glue the canopy in place with epoxy.


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Robin Glued In by trekriffic, on Flickr

The police beacon gets some work...

The scalloped indents on the police beacon were painted Testors flat red then coated with MM fluorescent red then transparent red. I had to mask the slots at the top with Tamiya tape:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Beacon by trekriffic, on Flickr

The canopy won't be glued in until Robin's butt epoxy sets and I finish attaching the ends of the seat belt:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - The Forward Canopy by trekriffic, on Flickr

The hood...

Under closer inspection, the paint on the hood showed some minor imperfections in the finish when viewed at a certain angle so, after sanding with fine grit sandpaper and a repaint with more Krylon black Satin, it looks perfect and ready for install at the end of the build:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Hood by trekriffic, on Flickr

More to come after the next photo upload.

Stay tuned Bat Fans!

 

[trekriffic]

The Bat Beam was glued into the hole behind the hood:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Beam by trekriffic, on Flickr

Finally something on this model that fits! I noticed that the hood is darker than the rest of the car but this turned out to be alright once I brushed the whole car with Liquitex Gloss Varnish.
Now the body is as shiny as the hood:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Hood Test Fit by trekriffic, on Flickr

Getting there. Need to finish adding the police beacon and horns then give her another coat of gloss varnish before applying the stripe decals:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Nice Angle by trekriffic, on Flickr

Working off actual photos of the real thing I used 28 gauge tinned solid wire to make the cables that release the bat chutes:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Bat Chutes by trekriffic, on Flickr

After its first coat of Liquitex Gloss Varnish:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Shiny by trekriffic, on Flickr

I painted the beacon lights red and glued it to the arch using epoxy.
Left a few light scratches which I will touch up:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - Police Beacon Glued On by trekriffic, on Flickr

After previously gluing the PE license plate to the kit part I installed it under the rear turbine exhaust nozzle. It still needs its decal. The fit was snug enough to not require any glue to hold it in place:


Batmobile 1966 WIP - License Plate by trekriffic, on Flickr

Next up is gluing the "horns" to either side of the beacon.
Also need to install the mobile computer/radio antenna behind the trunk lid.

 

[dlots1701alpha]

Noticed your after burner which season of the car are you building or you gonna do like i did and represent all 3 seasons in one car

 

[trekriffic]

Noticed your after burner which season of the car are you building or you gonna do like i did and represent all 3 seasons in one car

To tell you the truth I'm not sure about the different seasons. No doubt, mine is a combo. I just liked the look of the race car style steering wheel and the afterburner nozzle which has a lot more stuff going on than the other simpler more boring nozzle.

 

[dlots1701alpha]

Oh i agree but to answer your question about the seasons and how you can tell them apart
Season 1 lower rowbar afterburner is modified 5 gallon paint bucket

Season 2 higher rowbar the afterburner is modified with the 4 crossbars, the 3 chevrons on back are now painted

Season 3 none of the bat emblems on the car have the white outlines

 

[Quaralane]

Looks like you're powering through the challenges on this one.
And making me dread mine.

 

[trekriffic]

Oh i agree but to answer your question about the seasons and how you can tell them apart
Season 1 lower rowbar afterburner is modified 5 gallon paint bucket

Season 2 higher rowbar the afterburner is modified with the 4 crossbars, the 3 chevrons on back are now painted

Season 3 none of the bat emblems on the car have the white outlines

So I guess mine would be the Season 2 vehicle if the afterburner is the only differentiator between the seasons.

 

[dlots1701alpha]

Kthat and the rollbar

 

[trekriffic]

Here are pics of the current state of the model. Just need to attach the rear antenna and the bat spinners on the wheel hubs but I'll do the decals first.


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decal Ready by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decal Ready by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP - Decal Ready by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr


Batmobile 1966 - WIP by trekriffic, on Flickr

 

[Quaralane]

Looks sharp in just the black

 

[trekriffic]

Looks sharp in just the black

I thought the same thing. Looks good from any angle too.

 

[Dark Kyp]

Looking awesome! Are you planning so weathering or do you want to let her clean?