My NSX mini me!!!

Damn, should have put 'picture heavy' in the title! sorry!!!



After all the positive comments about the mini me NSX at Japfest, and subsequent shows, I thought it about time that I did a little write up…

After Japfest, I decided to give the model a good detail, like it should have had originally, had Rosso made it properly! Alas for a 1/12th scale model the level of detail is pretty much that of a cheap 1/24th scale….. This is a shame, as the box artwork shows the wheel brace needed to remove the 5 tiny nuts holding on each wheel, which indeed they do, but that is the extent of the detailing on this large scale kit. Disappointing to say the least, so I decided to give the model some more detail that is fitting for a model of this size!

Here’s the level of detail the model comes with (pics robbed off the interweb)
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...sx1640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...sx2640x480.jpg

As you can see, not alot!!!

here’s what I started with, just to add to the mix, the model I got was from America, so only had the LHD option parts…
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...640640x480.jpg

So the first step was to change everything over to RHD in the front, fuse box, master cylinder and various other bits. The most awkward part was the ABS setup, this involved the ABS unit being chopped up into 4 pieces to get all the parts reversed and a completely new ABS guard bar!!

Everything moved, and some wiring added
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...648640x480.jpg

abs guard and some brake lines
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...653640x480.jpg

ali rad top taking shape…..
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...651640x480.jpg

Next up was the engine bay, the engine sub-assembly wasn’t overly detailed like the rest of the model…
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...618640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...616640x480.jpg

so vacuum lines, plumbing, fuel lines, throttle cable, and so on were made up and fitted. Along with everything that’s missing in the red pic at the top.. fuel filter, enginebay fan, and so on

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...633640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...634640x480.jpg

the biggest challenge was the interior, a big LHD to RHD change, lots of chopping up to get it looking right.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...665640x480.jpg

once the dash was sorted and smoothed, the centre console was attacked, chopped into 5 pieces, and reassembled the right way around! I really wish the RHD had been in the original kit I got!

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...687640x480.jpg

the carpet was from a dolls house supplier, the green leather seats were covered with seriously shaved down offcuts from the retrim, and the auto shifter was whittled out of a blob of glue! auto pedals are on the todo list!

Anyway here’s how it turned out….
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...708640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...709640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...710640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...713640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...715640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...718640x480.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...717640x480.jpg

turned out alright (big smilie face!!!)!!! I'm particularly proud of the ABS warning label, scanned, reduced, printed and fits as per original!


maybe i should have mentioned the real car/model car comparison pics......

and perhaps not mention repainting the real spare wheel to match the model.......

Keep the details coming ... I love this Mini Me.

I've got 4 different models from which I hope to build a mini me of S2. Is your kit metal or plastic bodied? Any tips of cut n shut for the plastic kits/parts?

regards, Paul

at least i managed to finish it before your post landed! just as well i had it all typed out and just had to copy and paste here!!!! :D

it's a plastic kit, Airfix style, bits on sprues and all that! the trick for cut and shut on plastic kits is decent glue, in my case 'plastic weld' solvent stuff!

Nice work Jonathan! I noticed and liked the little ABS resevoir label as I looked through the picks and thought that was neat as were the slam panel info plates too. What is the plate over your throttle body all about (faithfully reproduced on the model)?

Have you had any ABS/CEL warning lights since your mods ?!?!? ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by britlude

at least i managed to finish it before your post landed! just as well i had it all typed out and just had to copy and paste here!!!! :D

it's a plastic kit, Airfix style, bits on sprues and all that! the trick for cut and shut on plastic kits is decent glue, in my case 'plastic weld' solvent stuff!

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Timing is everything ;o)

Any particular brand of plastic weld that you'd recommend? Also, what filler did you use for the dash? My project will require me to mix and match pre and post 02 specs so will need some filler work.

regards, Paul

i saw the plate done on prime years ago, someone there was offering them for sale, so I made my own......

it just tidies up that visually unimpressive area! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by britlude

i saw the plate done on prime years ago, someone there was offering them for sale, so I made my own......

it just tidies up that visually unimpressive area! :)

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I bought one for my first NSX.As you say it just helps tidy up the engine bay a bit.

Hi Jonathan,

Do you spend a lot of time at the model shop in the High street then? (I think it's called Junction Box?)

I must say I think this model is wonderful, the bit I like most is your 2 din stereo with sat nav.

Paul

been to the signal box model shop a couple of times (but it's mainly train stuff), that's where the plasticweld comes from (small brown bottle of solvent glue!) although the number of model shops to choose from has declined alot, as todays car model collecting yoof go for the 1/18 easy option ready built die-cast stuff.

and the satnav has the map of the M4/Japfest on it.... :) the devils in the detail as they say

Even got the correct wheels! I must say, brilliant job!

Used to enjoy that sort of stuff, but I have zero time & my eyesight can barely see bits on the 1:1 version sometimes.

My 1:12 came already mounted in a display case & is an utterly incorrect 1990 spec, but I'll live with it...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by britlude

(small brown bottle of solvent glue!)

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Loved by the locals :laugh:

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for posting pics of mini me!, at least now the family can understand what I have been going on about since last Sunday... Awsome job

Cheers
PG

Absolutely brilliant!! I wish I had the time to do something like that...i used to love building models...now with two young children...the youngest being the most destrucive...i fear if i invested time in making a mini me it may not last very long!!

Well done though mate!

Did you stick with the original window regulators or did you have to change those too!! :) lol


Andy

Well done, nice details.

very nice and I am also working on mine, but very slow in progress

That is amazing work, well done!

about time for a little update....

green mats fitted in the real one, green mats needed in the mini-me! so off to ebay for dolls house green carpet....

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...10-14-4039.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...10-14-4040.jpg

and while i was there added the AT pedals... about time!
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...10-14-4038.jpg

The more you do to the mini-me version the more it puts me off even starting on mine!

Was the motivation anything to do with haveing the interior out on the big one that you felt the need to do the same on mini-me?

Me thinks its time you got the paints out and colour coded the console and armrest switch panels .. you'll only get bored otherwise!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Senninha

Me thinks its time you got the paints out and colour coded the console and armrest switch panels .. you'll only get bored otherwise!!

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you really think i haven't done them already??? ;) i have all manner of projects to stave off boredom!!! lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by britlude

you really think i haven't done them already??? ;) i have all manner of projects to stave off boredom!!! lol

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I know of another small project you could complete ... Please :)

the main reason mini-me was in bits was to tweak the front marker/indicators to lose the orange and gain the DRL effect.... so bits were removed, tweaked and modded to get the effect....

lost the orange and gained a line....
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...10-15-4042.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...10-15-4044.jpg

:)

hmmm.... hang on, i'll make it a bit clearer....

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...09-19-3937.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...09-19-3939.jpg

:)

....why do things by halves???? lol

to say it was a bit of a fiddly challenge was an understatement! soldering 2 wires to a surface mount led chip the size of 3 sugar grains was a pain, then to do it 10 times.....

plastic light guides cut and 10 leds glued in.... with a standard scalpel blade to give some idea of scale!
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...09-17-3932.jpg

gets the effect i want!
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...09-17-3933.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...09-17-3934.jpg

bearing in mind only the very front edge is seen, the rest was painted silver. i just wanted the line of 5 lights to show!

when it's fitted into a slot cut in the light housing it all worked nicely.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...09-19-3938.jpg

once wired up to a 9v battery mounted in the boot and a switch under the rear valance it was done!

all good, and not quite as extreme as the 1/24 mini model i had on the back shelf of my mini (pretty much an exact replica of course) that had all the lights working, in sync with the lights on the actual car!

Looks great Jonathan...When will you be working on a minute scale functioning V6 motor in?!? Have you seen those type of things on youtube?

This reminds me of my Warhammer days but in alot more OCD and detail! Great Work!

of course, what i do to the real one, i try to do on the mini-me version too, so once again it was taken apart and the interior removed.

the black carpet was scrapped off, and replaced with nice new green...
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...10-15-4046.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...10-15-4048.jpg

then all back together.... and the green mats replaced!!! :D


(with all the updates i've done today, (ok, bored at christmas!!) it's like a Britlude takeover with the 'new posts' button!)

Looking at the last photo the next project simply jumped out at me .... Seat belts! If they are anything like mine then a replacement could be on the cards for both safety and cosmetic reasons ... Green belts anyone?

seems photobucket continues to be annoying, firstly removing hosting, then re-authorising hosting, but with a photobucket legend, then now changing their rules again, now decide to retrospectively impose a storage limit below the number of pics i have on their site, and fogging all the associated pix!!! gits! anyway, i think you can click the pic and it takes you to a clear version, just a clicking faff.... anyhoo


as we were... matching wheels....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a8113ff7_c.jpgIMG_20191006_090929 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

unfortunately i purchased new ones, so it simply won't do... so after learning how to use a 3d printer....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...65cfed2b_c.jpgIMG_20191006_090937 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

pop the old centres out of the aluminium rims...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d99c25bf_c.jpgIMG_20191006_091346 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

a quick bit of paint and mock up.....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...01d75f23_c.jpgIMG_20191007_202140 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

after a sand an repaint they were mostly there!!!

finding the limits of the 3d printer, and after 5 aborted attempts, and salvaging parts from the previous incarnation that melted in the summer heat (!!!!!) i got to this....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1213b17d_c.jpgIMG_20191015_145636 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

i know its 'steppy' but it is less than 7mm tall and 27mm long.... i could sand it, but no! no-one noticed the previous one was a mercedes that had been tweaked with a porsche screen on backwards, so a little stepping is fine!!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f90b3e43_c.jpgIMG_20191015_145702 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

tiny! and smoothed wheels
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6c6dea9a_c.jpgIMG_20191015_145726 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2d3b9f64_c.jpgIMG_20191015_150428 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1370349e_c.jpgIMG_20191015_150252 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

and done....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2c0b9ba4_c.jpgIMG_20191015_200003 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

Quote:

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Originally Posted by britlude

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2d3b9f64_c.jpgIMG_20191015_150428 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1370349e_c.jpgIMG_20191015_150252 by jon sutherland, on Flickr

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That is really cool Jonathan, very impressed!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NSX 2000

That is really cool Jonathan, very impressed!

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The only problem I can see with it though is that the "mini" model needs definitely to be on your rear engine cover not the dash.:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pride

The only problem I can see with it though is that the "mini" model needs definitely to be on your rear engine cover not the dash.:)

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That may be true, but I tend to park the same way as everyone else.... :)

Extremely impressive Jonathan ... look forward to seeing both in the new year ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by britlude

That may be true, but I tend to park the same way as everyone else.... :)

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Good point Jon, so this coming year I will try my best to do the same hence putting my 1/150 on the front of my 1/12 NSR-R dash too.

Attachment 13809:)

Unlike your own work of art NSX model making amazing modifications my models were all pre-made resin models and to be honest the hardest job was placing the car on the dash.

I hope you bring it along to one or two of our gatherings next year, it would be great to see it in the flesh.

Well done.

Guessing that is in the wrong thread, can an admin do their thing??? Ta muchly